Couple relish rare double in Queen's Birthday Honours (From The Westmorland Gazette)
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Couple relish rare double in Queen's Birthday Honours
10:53am Saturday 11th June 2011 in News
THE husband and wife team who founded award-winning Hawkshead Relish are celebrating a rare double accolade in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Mark and Maria Whitehead, who both get MBEs for services to the food industry in Cumbria, were struggling cafe owners when they set up the company in the wake of the 2001 foot-and-mouth outbreak.
With a staff of 17, the couple now produce 100 different varieties of relishes, chutneys and preserves from a 16th century restored cruck barn near Hawkshead.
Kendal Civic Society secretary Patricia Hovey is also honoured with an MBE for services to the community in South Lakeland while Shap's John Owen, ex-president of the Rugby Football Union, gets an MBE for services to his sport.
Glyn Vaughan, the Environment Agency’s area flood and coastal risk manager for Cumbria and Lancashire, is made an OBE. Mr Vaughen, of Low Hesket, played a crucial role in dealing with the aftermath of the devastating November 2008 floods.
Meanwhile, Professor William Davies, director for sustainable agriculture at Lancaster University is honoured with a CBE.
