The 10th annual Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards were announced this evening at a glittering event at The Royal Exchange in the heart of the City of London. The Awards, the most prestigious in their field, champion the achievements of the UK’s current and emerging writers, editors, publishers, photographers, broadcasters and personalities who encourage us to enjoy, explore, experiment and discover more about food and drink through their work.
Co-presented by Claudia Winkleman alongside celebrated chef and judging panel chair, Angela Hartnett OBE, the star-studded audience included Matt Tebbutt, Fay Ripley, Mary Berry, Jessie Ware, Monica Galetti, Rahul Mandal, Tamal Ray, Rachel Khoo, and Claudia Roden. The winners were selected by an independent, expert panel of judges comprising some of the most talented figures in the business including Alice Lascelles, Freddy Bulmer, Georgina Hayden, Jaega Wise, Mark Diacono and Tara Wigley.
Winners included the ever-popular weekend TV favourite Saturday Kitchen hosted by Matt Tebbutt and produced by Cactus TV which who won the best Programme Award. The judges wanted to celebrate the show for airing consistently entertaining, informative content for over 20 years.
Award-winning journalist Dan Saladino received the Food Book of the year for Eating to Extinction, his timely and captivating exploration of some of the world’s most endangered foods. From a tiny crimson pear in the west of England to an exploding corn from Mexico, Dan has uncovered the stories of these foods which are at risk of being lost for ever.
Clare Finney & Liz Seabrook were awarded the Debut Food Book for The Female Chef which profiles 31 women at the forefront of modern British food and shares the stories and experiences that got them there. This unique book brings together insightful interviews by Clare alongside Liz’s stunning portraits and the chefs’ personal recipes.
Ed Smith, a previous Cookery Writer award winner, received the best Cookery Book prize for Crave, his unique and innovative book which shares an exciting selection of recipes, ingeniously arranged by their flavour profiles.
In the Debut Cookery Book award, blogger and PHD chemistry student Katarina Cermelj combines her knowledge of science and baking to demystify gluten-free baking in Baked to Perfection.
Jonny Garrett, a London-based beer writer, filmmaker and creator of YouTube’s Craft Beer Channel won the Drink Book category. A Year in Beer takes an innovative look at beer, introducing readers to beer styles that best suit a particular season. Debut Drink Book was won by wine expert Amanda Barnes for The South America Wine Guide,a comprehensive book about the wine regions, producers and wines of South America.
Cookery Writer went to Nicola Miller for her exceptional work in Suffolk News. Tim Hayward was awarded Food Writer of the year for his work in the FT Weekend Magazine – an award he previously won in 2014.
Maja Smend took home the Photographer award. Drink Writer went to Henry Jeffreys for work in The Fence Magazine and Henry’s own platform World of Booze, while Grace Dent received the Restaurant Writer award for work in The Guardian Feast. The team at The Kitchen Cabinet hosted by Jay Rayner and his stellar cast of co-commentators won the Radio Programme which is produced for BBC Radio 4 by Somethin’ Else. The Podcast Award went to Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster produced by Plosive.
Personalities of the Year winners were Si King and Dave Myers AKA The Hairy Bikers, best-selling authors, TV personalities and national treasures. The Digital Creator of the Year went to Max La Manna the zero-waste chef, author and host for BBC Earth food shows whose recipe content has been seen by over 1 billion people. Both categories are chosen by the public allowing fans from across the country to vote for their favourite foodies.
FOOD BOOK
WINNER: Eating to Extinction: The World’s Rarest Foods and Why We Need to Save Them by Dan Saladino, published by Jonathan Cape
SHORTLIST: A Curious Absence of Chickens: A Journal of Life, Food and Recipes from Puglia by Sophie Grigson, published by Headline Home
SHORTLIST: Feast Your Eyes on Food: An Encyclopedia of More Than 1000 Delicious Things to Eat by Laura Gladwin, published by Magic Cat Publishing
SHORTLIST: Omelette: Food, Love, Chaos and Other Conversations by Jessie Ware, published by Hodder & Stoughton
DEBUT FOOD BOOK
WINNER: The Female Chef: Stories and recipes from 31 women redefining the British food scene by Clare Finney & Liz Seabrook, published by Hoxton Mini Press
SHORTLIST: Fibre for Life: Live longer and healthier with nature’s miracle ingredient by Dr Khosro Ezaz-Nikpay, published by Pavilion
COOKERY BOOK
WINNER: Crave: Recipes arranged by flavour, to suit your mood and appetite by Ed Smith, published by Quadrille
SHORTLIST: Med: A Cookbook by Claudia Roden, published by Ebury Press
SHORTLIST: Take One Fish, The New School of Scale-to-Tail Cooking and Eating by Josh Niland, published by Hardie Grant
DEBUT COOKERY BOOK
WINNER: Baked to Perfection: Delicious gluten-free recipes with a pinch of science by Katarina Cermelj, published by Bloomsbury
SHORTLIST: Baking with Fortitude: Sourdough Cakes and Bakes by Dee Rettali, published by Bloomsbury
SHORTLIST: Sambal Shiok: The Malaysian Cookbook by Mandy Yin, published by Quadrille
DRINK BOOK
WINNER: A Year in Beer: The Beer Lover’s Guide to the Seasons by Jonny Garrett, published by CAMRA Books
SHORTLIST: Trouble Brewing in the Loire by Tommy Barnes, published by Muswell Press
SHORTLIST: The Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails edited by David Wondrich with Noah Rothbaum, published by Oxford University Press
DEBUT DRINK BOOK
WINNER: The South America Wine Guide: The definitive guide to wine in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia and Peru by Amanda Barnes & Amigos, published by The South America Wine Guide
SHORTLIST: The Philosophy of Whisky by Billy Abbott, published by British Library Publishing
COOKERY WRITER
WINNER: Nicola Miller for work in Suffolk News
SHORTLIST: Diana Henry for work in The Telegraph’s Stella magazine
SHORTLIST: Itamar Srulovich & Sarit Packer for work in FT Weekend Magazine
FOOD WRITER
WINNER: Tim Hayward for work in FT Weekend Magazine
SHORTLIST: Felicity Cloake for work in The New Statesman
SHORTLIST: Olivia Potts for work in The Spectator and Slightly Foxed
DRINK WRITER
WINNER: Henry Jeffreys for work in The Fence and Henry’s World of Booze
SHORTLIST: Felipe Schrieberg for work in Whisky Magazine
SHORTLIST: Will Hawkes for work in Pellicle and The Tonic Magazine
RESTAURANT WRITER
WINNER: Grace Dent for work in The Guardian Feast
SHORTLIST: Jay Rayner for work in The Observer Magazine
SHORTLIST: Jimi Famurewa for work in the Evening Standard
PROGRAMME
WINNER: Saturday Kitchen, Presenter: Matt Tebbutt, Executive Producer: Amanda Ross, Series Producer: James Bedwell, Food Producer: Michaela Bowles – Cactus TV
SHORTLIST: Junior Bake Off, Presenter: Harry Hill, Judges: Liam Charles and Ravneet Gill, Exec Producers: Kieran Smith, Oliver Manley and Letty Kavanagh – Love Productions
SHORTLIST: Nadiya’s Fast Flavours, Presenter: Nadiya Hussain, Producer: Katy Fryer – Wall to Wall
RADIO
WINNER: The Kitchen Cabinet, Presenter: Jay Rayner, Exec Producer: Darby Dorras, Producers: Hannah Newton, Dan Cocker and Jemima Rathbone – Somethin’ Else
SHORTLIST: The Food Chain, How Rationing Changed Me, Presenter: Ruth Alexander, Producers: Sarah Stolarz and Simon Tulett – BBC Radio
SHORTLIST: The Food Programme, Pure Umami: should we learn to love MSG, Presenter: Leyla Kazim, Producer: Sam Grist, Editor Dimitri Houtart – BBC Radio
PODCAST
WINNER: Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster, Producer: Ben Williams – Plosive
SHORTLIST: Cooking the Books, Presenter/Producer: Gilly Smith
SHORTLIST: Root + Bone Podcast, Presenter: Tim Wild
PHOTOGRAPHER
WINNER: Maja Smend
SHORTLIST: Rebecca Dickson
SHORTLIST: Susan Bell
Each winner is presented with a Trophy and a hamper including a bottle of Fortnum & Mason Vintage Champagne. To celebrate the 10th Anniversary Fortnum & Mason commissioned eco-parametric architects Mamou-Mani to create a new Trophy. A contemporary take on the Fortnum & Mason iconic hamper, is 3D printed with bioplastics, a mix of fermented sugar and wood. PLA bioplastic is 80% more carbon efficient than conventional plastic.
Visit the Food & Drink awards website at https://www.
@fortnums. #FandMAwards
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ABOUT FORTNUM & MASON:
First founded in Piccadilly in 1707, Fortnum & Mason has remained an essential London destination for anyone in search of extraordinary food, joy-giving things and exceptional service ever since. From the food halls and confectionery counters to the beautiful fragrance, beauty and fashion floor and refined Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon, Fortnum’s seeks to make the everyday special. Celebrated for its famous teas, Scotch eggs, handmade chocolates, and wicker hampers, the iconic brand is committed to the imagination and discovery that has seen it through 314 years of history – and today, Fortnum’s continues to expand to new outposts at home and abroad, from London’s The Royal Exchange to the stand-alone store in Hong Kong’s K11 Musea. Proud of its storied past and innovating still, Fortnum’s mission remains to deliver a sense of pleasure to every customer, whether they’re shopping in-store or from around the world at the award-winning www.
Press release from Fortnum & Mason
Media enquiries: fiona@fabcomm.co.uk 07831 193250
Awards enquiries: lindsay@fabcomm.co.