Famous café owner Bill Sewell is the latest star name to join our celebrity line-up for this year’s Three Counties Farming Awards.

He runs two Bill’s Kitchens in the region, one recently opened in Ludlow’s Mascall centre near the town centre and one in Hereford, formerly known as Café at All Saints.

The Farming Awards are run by a combination of our local newspapers in Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire and aim to highlight the outstanding work and best practice going on in the agricultural industry across, and especially to find its heroes in this Covid year.

As a Cambridge history student Bill had a passion cooking for friends, and he opened an award winning vegetarian restaurant ‘The Place Below’, in London’s St Mary-le-Bow church in 1989.

Two highly-acclaimed cookbooks and national food writing commissions followed.

His ‘Bill’s Kitchen’ cookbook (published in 2017) features recipes from a lifetime of food in his cafés and at home.

Bill opened his Hereford cafe in 1997 and Michaelhouse Café, Cambridge in 2002. The newest venture at Ludlow has been in the planning for seven years!

Bill’s cafés are supplied by local producers.

Smoked salmon, apple juice, ciders, beers and more, all come from local artisan producers.

Bacon, ham and sausages all come from a north Herefordshire family farm and free-range chicken is sourced from Springfield Farm outside Leominster.

Bill describes it as: ‘Fantastic food made by great people!

A shortlist of finalists has been drawn up and the winners will be revealed in a special online awards ceremony broadcast via Facebook on November 26.

It is hosted by BBC Countryfile presenter Adam Henson and includes a star-studded line up of celebrities popping in with words of support.

NFU President Minette Batters will also be taking part with a special message for local farmers.

To see the latest news about the awards go to the awards section on our website.