Fortnum & Mason is delighted to announce the shortlist for the highly anticipated Food and Drink Awards 2025. The 13th annual Awards celebrate excellence in writing, broadcasting, and photography by championing the voices and visionaries who have expanded our knowledge and appreciation of food and drink through their impactful work.
This year’s shortlist includes groundbreaking investigative journalism, mouth-watering cookery writing and captivating food and drink storytelling across all mediums. The exciting list of finalists covers subjects such as Chinese breakfasts, Caribbean cooking, Balkan food culture, a Turkish restaurant in Dalston and Japanese sake. Acknowledging writing, broadcast and audio programmes that entertain, and the creative work of photographers that visually delight, this year’s shortlist represents the very best in the industry.
The shortlist is selected by an expert panel of independent judges, across 13 categories, from work published or broadcast during 2024. The elements considered include fresh and original content, authenticity, visual flair, engaging style, and unique perspectives.
The winners will be announced on Thursday, 1st May at Fortnum & Mason, The Royal Exchange, hosted by Chef and Broadcaster Andi Oliver, alongside Angela Hartnett OBE, Judging Panel Chair.
FORTNUM & MASON FOOD AND DRINK AWARDS 2025 SHORTLIST
FOOD BOOK
Between Two Waters: Heritage, landscape and the modern cook by Pam Brunton (Canongate)
The English Table: Our Food through the Ages by Jill Norman (Reaktion Books)
The Gourmand’s Lemon: A Collection of Stories and Recipes. Edited by David Lane and Marina Tweed (TASCHEN)
DEBUT FOOD BOOK
A Feast of Folklore: The Bizarre Stories Behind British Food by Ben Gazur (Unbound)
A Woman’s Place is in the Kitchen by Sally Abé (Fleet, Little Brown)
Leftovers: A History of Food Waste and Preservation by Eleanor Bartlett (Head of Zeus)
COOKERY BOOK
Agak Agak by Shu Han Lee (Quadrille)
Pocha by Su Scott (Quadrille)
The Elements of Baking by Katarina Cermelj (Yellow Kite, Hodder & Stoughton)
Zao Fan: Breakfast of China by Michael Zee (Bloomsbury Publishing)
DEBUT COOKERY BOOK
KIN: Caribbean Recipes for the Modern Kitchen by Marie Mitchell (Particular Books, Penguin Random House)
Mangal II: Stories and Recipes by Ferhat Dirik and Sertaç Dirik (Phaidon)
The Balkan Kitchen: Recipes and Stories from the Heart of the Balkans by Irina Janakievska (Quadrille)
DRINK BOOK
The Connaught Bar: Cocktail Recipes and Iconic Creations by Agostino Perrone with Giorgio Bargiani and Maura Milia (Phaidon)
The Martini by Alice Lascelles (Quadrille)
The Meaning of Beer: An Alternative History of the World by Jonny Garrett (Allen & Unwin)
DEBUT DRINK BOOK
Perry: A Drinker’s Guide by Adam Wells (CAMRA Books)
Sake: The Art and Craft of Japan’s National Drink by Yoshiko Ueno-Müller (Prestel)
The Wine Flavour Guide: How to Pick the Best Wine for Every Occasion by Sam Caporn (Square Peg (Vintage) Penguin Random House)
FOOD WRITER
Dan Saladino for work featured in BBC News InDepth & The Guardian
Isaac Rangaswami for work featured in Vittles Magazine & Wooden City
Toyo Odetunde for work featured in Food by National Geographic Traveller & The i Paper
COOKERY WRITER
Nick Bramham for work featured in Vittles Magazine
Ravinder Bhogal for work featured in delicious. Magazine
Songsoo Kim for work featured in Vittles Magazine
DRINK WRITER
Alice Lascelles for work featured in the Financial Times & Noble Rot
Hamish Smith for work featured in Class Magazine
Richard Godwin for work featured in The Spirits Substack Newsletter
RESTAURANT WRITER
David Ellis for work featured in The Standard
Isaac Rangaswami for work featured in Wooden City
Niki Blasina for work featured in the Financial Times
PROGRAMME
Dead Pubs: A Swift One at… Presenter: Jimmy McIntosh, Producers: Jimmy McIntosh,
Kevin Kharas, Luke Carlisle & Daniel Canetti
Junior Bake Off, Series 9, Presenter: Harry Hill, Judges: Liam Charles & Ravneet Gill,
Director: Nicholas Berry, Series Producer: Charlotte Armstrong, Executive Producers: Letty Kavanagh, Oliver Manley & Kieran Smith, Love Productions
Tom Kerridge: Secrets of the Pub Kitchen, Presenter: Tom Kerridge, Producers: Richard Bowron & Martha Swales, WBD Executive Producers: Matt Reid & Rebecca Bayatti, WBD Commissioner: Charlotte Reid, Warner Bros. Discovery
AUDIO
Comfortably Hungry: The Culinary Creativity of the Enslaved, Presenter & Producer: Sam Bilton
The Food Chain: Hungry at Sea, Presenter Ruth: Alexander, Producers: Izzy Greenfield & Hannah Bewley, Editor: Sarah Wadeson, BBC World Service
The Food Programme: The Herb and Spice Scam? Presenter: Jaega Wise, Producer: Nina Pullman, BBC Audio Bristol
PHOTOGRAPHER
Angus D. Birditt
Sanjana Modha
Yuki Sugiura
For further information about the awards please visit: www.fortnumandmason.com/awards/foodanddrink
Media enquiries: Fiona@fabcomm.co.uk 07831 193250
Awards enquiries: Lindsay@fabcomm.co.uk 07730 565320
THE JUDGING PANEL 2025
The judges seek to reward work where strong professional skills and sound judgement combine to produce a significant contribution to the appreciation and enjoyment of good food and drink. Inspiration, education and entertainment are of equal value.
Aleesha Hansel – Wine and drinks writer, broadcaster and judge and wine expert on Love Your Weekend
Anthony Gladman – Drinks writer, journalist and author of The Glass (Substack) and Gin A Tasting Course
Jay Rayner – Journalist, broadcaster, restaurant critic and author of Nights Out At Home
Joe Schofield – International Bartender of The Year (Tales of The Cocktail), Bartender’s Bartender (The World’s 50 Best Bars) and co-author of SCHOFIELD’S Fine and Classic Cocktails
Maria Bradford – Chef, founder of Shwen Shwen and author of Sweet Salone
Ravneet Gill – Pastry chef, founder of hospitality platform Countertalk and author of Baking For Pleasure
ABOUT FORTNUM & MASON
Fortnum & Mason is essential for anyone seeking extraordinary food, joy-giving gifts, unforgettable experiences, and exceptional service. First founded in London in 1707, after Queen Anne permitted her footman William Fortnum to sell discarded candles from St James’s Palace, Fortnum’s has forged a close relationship with the British Royal household ever since. Fortnum & Mason holds two Royal Warrants, one from His Majesty The King and one from Her Majesty The Queen.
A London retail institution and pioneer in the hospitality sector, innovation has always been a central pillar at Fortnum’s. From inventing the Scotch Egg and providing supplies to the 1922 Everest expedition to beekeeping in Piccadilly’s rooftop hives and launching the Food & Drink Awards to celebrate people and talent, Fortnum’s has been a trusted disruptor and authority in the food & drink space, at home and internationally, from the very beginning.
Every year, millions of people from around the world visit the Piccadilly flagship to enjoy Fortnum’s famous Afternoon Tea and shop its extraordinary food, gift and fragrance halls. The iconic brand is celebrated for its teas, Scotch eggs, hand-made chocolates, and wicker hampers – each playing a large part in its centuries of history – and remains committed to imagination and discovery today. In April 2023, Fortnum’s opened its Food & Drink Studio as a space dedicated to the search for extraordinary food and drink experiences. Visitors can enjoy unmissable masterclasses and intimate dining experiences hosted by some of the world’s best chefs, watch live demonstrations led by major names in food and drink, and listen to illuminating conversations with makers and creatives who share our passion for all things delicious. Proud of its storied past and innovation, Fortnum’s mission remains to make joy for every customer, whether they’re shopping in-store or from around the world at the award-winning www.fortnumandmason.com. Follow Fortnum’s on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok (@fortnums).
Media enquiries: Fiona@fabcomm.co.uk 07831 193250
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