It is time for residents to vote for their favourite shortlisted café, food shop, bar, restaurant and food producer for this year's St Albans and Harpenden Food and Drink Awards.

The competition winners will be unveiled during the St Albans and Harpenden Food and Drink Festival which runs from Wednesday, September 24 to Monday, October 6.

This year there are nine awards’ categories with shortlisted businesses and producers, including three new categories for ‘Best Independent Food/Drink Shop’, ‘Best Newcomer’ and ‘Best Takeaway’.

This year there is also a new award for the overall Food and Drink Champion 2014, which will be selected by the steering group and the award sponsor from the winners of the nine awards’ categories.

The shortlist is:

Best Bar

• Billy's Bar and Restaurant, Harpenden

• Chilli Bar and Kitchen, St Albans •

Mokoko Cocktail Bar, St Albans

• The Snug Bar

St Albans Best Independent Food/Drink Shop

• Beershop, St Albans

• Buongiorno Italia Deli, St Albans

• Flagship Wines, St Albans

• Hedges Farm Shop, St Albans

• Jay's Delicatessen, Harpenden

• Poulter's Fish, St Albans Market

• Rollings Wine Company, Harpenden

• Tomoka Spirits Boutique

St Albans Best Café

• Abbot's Kitchen, St Albans

• Bakehouse, St Albans

• Barrissimo, St Albans

• Blueberry Café, Harpenden

• Inn on the Park, St Albans

• The Courtyard Café, St Albans

• The Pudding Stop

St Albans Best Newcomer

• Baked Nation, St Albans

• Beershop, St Albans

• The City Market Company, St Albans

• The Pudding Stop, St Albans

• Thompson@Darcy's

St Albans Best Local Producer

• Crumbs 'n' all Caribbean Caked and Chutneys, St Albans

• Earthworks, St Albans

• Hedges Farm Shop, St Albans

• Redbournbury Watermill and Bakery, St Albans

• T. Roberts & Sons, Harpenden

• The 3 Brewers of St Albans Best Local Restaurant

• Bar Azita, Harpenden • Bar Meze, St Albans

• Chez Mumtaj, St Albans

• Lussmanns Fish & Grill Restaurants

St Albans • Singhli, St Albans

• That Little Place, Harpenden

• The Foragers@The Verulam Arms, St Albans

• Thompson@Darcy's, St Albans

Best pub

• Hare & Hounds, St Albans

• Lower Red Lion, St Albans

• The Cock Inn, St Albans

• The Holly Bush, St Albans

• The Kitchen at the Bull, London Colney

• The Mermaid, St Albans

• The Verulam Arms, St Albans

• Ye Olde Fighting Cocks

St Albans Best Takeaway

• Godfrey's Fish and Chips, Harpenden

• H&H Fried Chicken and Kebabs, St Albans

• Hatch, St Albans

• Helema Take Away, St Albans

• India Garden, St Albans

• The Pud Mobile (The Pudding Stop), St Albans

• The Ridgeway Fish Bar

St Albans Most Family Friendly Venue

• Bar Meze, St Albans

• Dahlia Coffee House, Aylett Nurseries, St Albans

• Inn on the Park, St Albans

• The Pudding Stop, St Albans

• The Sitting Room, St Albans

• Zizzi, St Albans

The event is organised by St Albans District Council and supported by a steering group.

This year 100 nominations were received for the nine awards categories.

Voting period for the shortlisted businesses is now open until Sunday, September 7 at www.enjoystalbans.com/foodanddrinkawards.

The public vote will create a top three in each category. The steering group will then assign a representative to each category, who will be joined by a representative from the award’s sponsor to scrutinise the winner.

Resident can also nominate someone for the Kate D’Arcy award for exceptional customer service. This Award is a special award in memory of Kate D’Arcy, a much-loved restaurateur who died in June 2010.

To nominate someone for this award email jo.howlett@stalbans.gov.uk or steven.basing@stalbans.gov.uk