Heralded as “gastronomy’s answer to the Oscars”, the inaugural Food & Drink Awards were held on the 9th February and aired on ITV. This ceremony joins the host of awards designed to celebrate the UK’s contribution to the restaurant scene and was hosted by noted gastronome Stephen Fry. Viewers would have noticed some familiar faces with Rick Stein, Andi Oliver and Rosemary Shrager all handing out gongs to the winners.
Designed to highlight unsung food and drink heroes, categories included ‘Gastropub of the Year’ and ‘Best Family Run Restaurant.’ London was well-represented with Tower Bridge pie and mash institution M. Manze snagging the ‘Heritage Award’ - a well-deserved prize for a restaurant that was established in 1902 and counted Roy Orbison and Charlie George as patrons. Apparently, David Beckham is also partial to an eel pie when he’s in London.
‘Most Unusual Location in Britain’ went to Clerkenwell’s Dans le Noir, the famous eatery where visitors dine in the dark and are served by blind or partially sighted waitstaff, while lovers of Indian food don’t have to travel far to sample the fare at 2020’s ‘Best Family Run Restaurant’. Brilliant Restaurant’s Punjabi cuisine with a Kenyan twist lived up to its name, making the Southall-based family who run it very proud of their unique story and offering.
You can find a full list of the 2020 winners below:
BEST ORGANIC PRODUCER
Calixta Killander, Flourish Produce
HERITAGE AWARD
Manze, London
BEST FAMILY RUN RESTAURANT
Brilliant Restaurant, Southall
MOST UNUSUAL LOCATION IN BRITAIN
Dans le Noir, London
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT
Fergus Henderson
BEST BRITISH COOKERY SCHOOL
The School of Artisan Food, Nottinghamshire
GASTROPUB OF THE YEAR AWARD
The Kinneuchar Inn, Scotland
BEST STREET FOOD
The Flying Cows, Birmingham
THE INNOVATION AWARD
Garcon Wines
BEST FISH AND CHIP SHOP
The Malt and Anchor, Cirencester
In the spirit of that togetherness, if you would like to chat, get anything off your chest or just share your thinking about what to do next, we are here to listen, support and advise. Call us on +44 (0)20 7935 2222 to have a chat with one of the team – now, more than ever, let’s keep talking.
The UK offers a plethora of brilliant annual events for those already part of the restaurant industry and anyone eager to learn more.
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