Sainsbury emerged triumphant in this year's Brammy Awards winning two of the product categories and being named best multiple retailer. But the chain faced fierce competition from Waitrose, which came a close second in many of the categories and won one in its own right. The best multiple retailer award goes to the chain that has done most to support Britain's renowned cooking apple ­ and which has seen sales grow on the back of its efforts. The competition between Sainsbury and Waitrose was intense, with the former winning the title by a close margin. Both chains were praised for their efforts by the judging panel. Sainsbury was also judged to have the best apple pastry product ­ with Waitrose a very close second. Almost 40 products were entered in this category alone. But Sainsbury's frozen pie was, in the words of one judge, "as near to perfect as you can imagine". Sainsbury also jointly won the category for crumble ­ sharing the prize with Somerfield. Waitrose scooped the award for best apple sauce, with Sainsbury named runner up. The best drink was from Sedlescombe Organic Vineyard and the most innovative Bramley product was Freshtime UK's ready to cook roast celeriac, carrot and Bramley dish. Orlando Murrin was named Bramley food writer of the year and Chris and James Tanner, of Tanner's in Plymouth, beat celebrity restaurateurs to the title of Bramley chefs of the year. The awards, now in their eighth year, are organised by the Bramley apple industry and supported by The Grocer. Ian Mitchell, chairman of the Bramley Campaign, said: "I am really encouraged to see Bramley apples being used in so many products and in such innovative ways. "It shows that more and more manufacturers recognise the value of the Bramley in their products." {{NEWS }}

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