Local Food Hero is a competition to find, celebrate and award Britain’s best independent food businesses - those who champions local produce with a strong connection to their community. In 2009, the competition was hosted by the television programme Market Kitchen, on the channel Good Food. Businesses from 10 regions in the UK were nominated and voted for by the public on the Good Food Channel website. After voting ended, the 10 businesses from each region with the most votes were assessed by a selection panel. The panel shortlisted three businesses from each region. Presenters Matt Tebbutt and Matthew Fort visited the shortlisted businesses for a feature on Market Kitchen. A panel of expert judges then chose one winner from each the 10 regions, all of whom appeared as guests on Market Kitchen. The overall national winner for 2009 was The Dinner Ladies who received a trophy and £5000. In previous years, celebrity chefs Gary Rhodes, Ollie Rowe and Rosemary Shrager presented and judged the competition as a stand-alone show.
