A CATERING company serving noodles has won an award for good food hygiene at this year's Reading Festival.

Noodle Shack, owned and managed by Robert Shepherd of RJS Catering and located in the main area, won the 2019 Golf Alfresco Award, at the company's first year at the festival.

Noodle Shack impressed the council, which inspects food outlets at Reading Festival and offers them a food hygiene rating, after scoring top marks in food safety. The company will win a free pitch at next year's Reading Festival.

To achieve a maximum rating of five in the inspection and be eligible for the award, traders must pass strict criteria, including good standards of hygiene, health and safety and a regard for environmental issues.

Festival Republic judges other criteria including safety, how staff travel to and from the festival, if they use eco-friendly or biodegradable cleaning products, and how they recycle waste.

This year’s silver award went to Dineology, owned by Andrea Gouveros and Robert Hunter, serving gourmet sandwiches and fries, also located in the main arena. As runners up, they are entitled to a 20 per cent off their pitch for next year.

This was also the company's first year at the festival.

Burnout BBQ in the Guest Area, run by owners Malcolm Moore and Thomas Trinder, serving burgers and nachos, was awarded bronze status, which entitles them to 10 per cent off the pitch fee at next year's event.

This is the 20th year that the Alfresco Awards has celebrated the most hygienic food providers at the world renowned Reading Festival.

The winners were presented with their certificates on Sunday afternoon by councillor Graeme Hoskin, Jenny Wilson of Festival Republic and Natalie Gaskell of Central Fusion, the company contracted to supply food for the main arena and campsite and who subcontract to individual units.

Cllr Graeme Hoskin, Reading’s lead member for Food Safety, said: “Congratulations to Noodle Shack, for a well-deserved award.

“It’s important that people who go to the festival know that the food they are buying on site is good quality and prepared in a safe and hygienic environment. The awards show that the quality of the catering on offer has continued to be maintained to an incredibly high standard.

“I’d also like to congratulate the owners and staff at Dineology and Burnout BBQ, as well as thank the Reading food hygiene team and their partners in Central Fusion and Festival Republic for all the hard work they have put into ensuring we maintain a high quality offer of food at this year’s festival.”