Food & Drink Awards 2020: The Winners

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