CHEF Nigel Haworth has been honoured for his contribution to Lancashire with a special award.

The Accrington-born owner of the Northcote Hotel, in Langho, and four gastro pubs, picked up the outstanding contribution to tourism gong at the North West Tourism Awards in Blackpool.

Judges paid tribute to Mr Haworth for raising the profile of traditional Lancashire food and bringing more visitors to the county.

As well as running his Northcote and Ribble Valley Inns empire with business partner Craig Bancroft, Mr Haworth also represented the North West on BBC TV series the Great British Menu. After collecting the award, Mr Haworth said: “Being in the food business is not about picking up awards, but it is a massive privilege and it is unusual for a chef to pick up a tourism award too.

“I think it is partly because of the cooking I have done on the TV and that has managed to make people aware of Lancashire food and bring people to the area.

“I am the figurehead of the business, but there are a lot of people working behind the scenes to make a success of it too.”

Mr Haworth was not the only East Lancashire representative to taste success at Monday night’s ceremony, which was hosted by North West Tonight presenter Ranvir Singh.

La Locanda Ristorante, in Gisburn, was given a judges’ commendation in the Taste of England’s North West category.

The awards are organised annually by the North West Development Agency (NWDA) to lure tourists to the area.

NWDA tourism director Nick Brooks-Sykes said: “Tourism is an important industry in the North West, contributing over £13billion to our economy every year.

“These awards play an important role in encouraging the quality and standards that we need to be an international player.”