PRIVATE chef Caroline Westcott has been named the 2020 winner of the prestigious Pinnacle Award, run by the Exmoor Society.

Caroline (left), whose family have been farming on Exmoor for more than 500 years, decided to embark on a new career in catering in 2018 by training at the Ashburton Chef Academy on Dartmoor.

Through the winter she earned a living cooking for guns at local shoots and over the rest of the year worked for private clients, employing people on an ad-hoc basis. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the new business’s income.  

The Pinnacle Award was increased to £5,000 in 2020 to be used to invest in or develop a business proposal. Caroline wants to acquire a refrigerated trailer to allow her to cater for more people, including at outdoor events, and to expand her menu and cater for different dietary requirements.

The award received lots excellent applications, many from individuals who have lost their jobs because of the pandemic.

The judges were keen to encourage young people aged 20 to 35 to stay in the area and develop their entrepreneurial skills. Caroline demonstrated her desire to make use of Exmoor’s source of food, showed potential for employing other people and offered a service for the local community and visitors.

Caroline said: “When I heard I had won the award I was absolutely thrilled and grateful to the Exmoor Society for enabling me to develop my new business.”

Society chairman Rachel Thomas said: “As a conservation charity, we wish to demonstrate that living or working in or near one of England’s finest landscapes can encourage local employment and economic activity. By focusing on Exmoor’s special qualities, the old canard ‘national parks versus jobs’ need no longer apply.”