On-Trade Scotland has been confirmed as the official trade media partner for this year's prestigious Scottish Restaurant Awards.

As part of the deal, OTS will also be a category sponsor for the Awards, with the glittering gala dinner due to be held in January 2009.

Run in association with 5pm.co.uk and The Daily Record and sister titles The Sunday Mail, Metro and Business 7, the Awards are the biggest and best respected of their type in Scotland.

OTS publishing director Antony Begley commented: "This is great news for OTS and for our readers. The commitment we have made reflects the belief we have in the key role that food and catering will play in the Scottish on-trade in the years to come.

"In the wake of the smoking ban, food has never been more important to most Scottish licensed on-trade premises. We hope to use this partnership to help our readers make more of food, and ultimately bolster their profits in this critical area."

To find out more about the awards, visit scottishrestaurantawards.co.uk