Wowzers! A vat of coffee was required to get through the enormous task of bean counting your nominations. Boy, do you lot love your local independent businesses doing the biz in Berkshire. But we now have our shortlist of Muddy Awards 2018 Finalists – 120 businesses in 24 categories, all vying for your votes!

There are loads of BRILLIANT businesses to vote, which makes it so exciting!

Thank you to everyone who took the time to nominate in Round 1 – and for the many businesses involved. I feel really conflicted today as I’m obviously delighted for the businesses who go through but seriously gutted for those don’t (what can I say, I’m a big softy). But whether your favourite has made it or not this year, please do spare a second to have a gander at the finalists below –  it’s a great opportunity to find out about brilliant businesses you didn’t know about before.

The Finals are live from 9.30am TODAY (Mon 14 May). This year it’s just 5 days of voting for your faves – the Awards close at 4.30pm on Friday – so if there’s a business you super-love, make sure you super-vote! It’ll be fast and furious, but we will have out winners by the end of the week.

OK, you want to see who made it through? Course you do! Meet your worthy Finalists. Congratulations to them all! I’m off to deal with the caffeine jitters.

Rachel x

****************
BEST ART GALLERY

Anti Art (Wokingham)

Circle Gallery (Sunninghill)

Lemon Grove Gallery (Reading)

Pineapple Palace (Thatcham)

TG Art Gallery (Wokingham)

 

BEST BAR

Bar Fifty Six (Wokingham)

The Botanist (Reading)

Tipsy Bean (Caversham)

West Berkshire Brewery Tap Room (Yattendon)

The Newbury, Newbury

 

BEST BEAUTY SALON

A Beauty Revolution (Wokingham)

Barkham Beauty Rooms (Barkham)

Beautiful Escape Retreat (Reading)

Calmingales (Adam & Eve Yattendon)

Neverland Skincare (Barkham)

 

BEST BOOKSHOP

Beatons Tearooms & Bookshop (Crowthorne)

Hungerford Bookshop (Hungerford)

Shoemakers (Newbury)

Quench (Wokingham)

Waterstone’s (Newbury)

 

BEST BOUTIQUE STAYS

Bray Cottages (Bray)

Dundas Arms (Kintbury)

The Royal Oak (Yattendon)

Bel & The Dragon (Cookham)

The Winning Post (Winkfield)

 

BEST CAFE

Harrison’s Coffee (Newbury)

Nomad Bakery (Caversham)

The Flower Pot Cafe (Newbury)

Nibsys Coffee Shop (Reading)

Pineapple Cafe (Thatcham)

 

BEST CHILDREN’S BUSINESS

Concertina (Maidenhead)

The Little Lavender Tree (Reading)

The Jelly Lounge (Windsor)

Brickies Club (Wokingham)

Lilith Loves Henry (Wokingham)

 

BEST DAY SPA

Cliveden House Spa (Taplow)

Coworth Park (Ascot)

Thames Lido (Reading)

The Vineyard (Stockcross)

Nirvana Spa (Wokingham)

 

BEST DELI/ FARM SHOP

Cobbs Farm Shop & Kitchen (Hungerford)

Casey’s Fields Farm Shop (Ashampstead)

Saddleback Farm (Brightwalton)

Cook & Butcher (Thatcham)

Windsors Farm Shop (Windsor)

 

BEST DESTINATION PUB

The Blackbird (Bagnor)

The Bladebone (Bucklebury)

The Crown (Bray)

The Newbury (Newbury)

The White Oak (Cookham)

 

BEST FAMILY ATTRACTION

Bray Lake Watersports (Bray)

Bucklebury Farm Park (Bucklebury)

Wellington Country Park (Riseley)

Go Ape (Bracknell)

Red Kangaroo (Reading)

 

BEST FITNESS INSTRUCTOR

Heidi Strickland-Clark, Fast Track Fitcamp (Wokingham)

Jo Asplin, Willing Spirit (Bracknell)

Anna Cousins, MyFitZone (Shinfield)

Johnny Stokes, JWS Fitness & Wellbeing (Newbury)

Zoe Richards, Zest Fitness (Ascot)

 

BEST FLORIST

Daizeys Den (Wokingham)

The White Horse Flower Co. (Newbury)

Devine Florist (Cookham)

Sarah Styles (Hungerford)

Willow & Blooms (Newbury)

 

BEST GIFT SHOP

Craft Coop (Maidenhead)

The Corner Shop (Woolhampton)

The Handmade Craft Co. (Wokingham)

Tinkers (Bracknell)

Pisces Glass Creations (Warfield)

 

BEST HAIR SALON

Gilded Hair (Wokingham)

Salon 55 (Crowthorne)

Julian’s (Newbury)

The Pineapple Salon (Thatcham)

Sarah Riggott Hairdressing (Newbury)

 

BEST INTERIORS

Maison Rustic (Wokingham)

Absolutely Mintage (Wokingham)

L Interiors (Bucklebury)

Turtle Dove Living (Newbury)

 

BEST JEWELLERY STORE

Antony Paul Jewellers (Windsor & Maidenhead)

Rococo Jewellery (Wokingham)

Limezest Jewellery (Newbury)

Vaessen Walker Designer Jewellery (Berkshire)

Thomas William Jewellery (Wokingham)

 

BEST LOCAL PRODUCER (FOOD/DRINK)

Copa Traditional Turkeys (Cookham)

Stanlake Wines (Twyford)

West Berkshire Brewery (Yattendon)

Nourish Healthy Food (Bracknell)

Supper (Wokingham)

 

BEST RESTAURANT

Oxford Blue (Old Windsor)

The Woodspeen (Newbury)

Caldesi in Campagna (Bray)

Henry & Joe’s (Newbury)

Royal Oak Paley Street (Maidenhead)

 

BEST THEATRE

Corn Exchange (Newbury)

Norden Farm (Maidenhead)

The Hexagon (Reading)

The Watermill (Newbury)

Fiery Thing & The Hope (Windsor)

 

BEST WINE SHOP

Inn at Home (Newbury)

Old Butcher’s Wine Cellar (Cookham)

The Tasting House (Reading)

Grape Smith (Hungerford)

SJ Wines (Newbury)

 

BEST WOMEN’S BOUTIQUE

Fifi & Moose (Newbury)

Gift Pop (Newbury

Timpany’s (Sunningdale)

B The Lifestyle Shop (Newbury)

Jax Jeans (Hungerford)

 

BEST YOGA/PILATES STUDIO

Inspire Hot Yoga (Maidenhead)

Power of Pilates (Reading)

Oh So Yoga (Reading)

Bootcamp Pilates (Windsor)

The Haven Wellbeing Hub (Wokingham)

 

BEST PHOTOGRAPHER

Ajie Jones Photography (Maidenhead)

And Then She Clicked (Bracknell)

BexBoater Photography (Thatcham)

Hemma Mason Photography (Crowthorne)

Karen Gray Photography (Warfield)