Gongs, glitz and glamour
It's awards season for food writers and makers
Industry awards are a great way to catchup with old and make new friends. They also offer an insight into industry trends, offering insights into what the zeitgeist is and how it might affect your own work now and into the future.
Over the past two weeks, I have been loosely involved with three sets of highly anticipated awards where gongs, statuettes an stickers have been dished out for food writing, making great tasting products and for some of the world’s best charcuterie.
Such awards also signpost work that industry peers feel should reach wider audiences. For example, winner of this year’s Guild of Food Writers’ ‘First Book Award’ was’ A Dark History of Sugar’ by Neil Buttery, a work of historical non-fiction with an academic profile. . While the ‘Food Book Award’ went to Diane Purkiss for her book, ‘English Food: A Peoples’ History’. Other writers without the bookselling clout of Nigella, Jamie or Gordon included Bristol-based chef Claire Thomson for her book ‘Tomato’, which pipped many other books for the ‘Specialist or Single Subject Cookbook Award’.
A few back, I was doing a cooking demo at the Country Living magazine’s Spring Fair, and stayed onto watch Claire’s demo which following mine. She cooked a Farinata (a chick pea flour pancake), also known as Socca in the markets and cafes up and down the coast around the French city of Nice.
I now make and handout farinata as part of my cooking stage hosting work at farmers’ markets and food festivals. It’s always popular, with many tasters intrigued by its earthy savouriness taste. This chickpea pancake is made without wheat and so i gluten-free and a perfect snack or appetiser.
GUILD OF FOOD WRITERS
Held annually, this awards are given to writers, authors and podcast and radio show producers. I often judge one of the sections. I can’t say which category I was involved with this year, but in the past have enjoyed contributing to the assessment of Online Food Writing and and Food Writing. The awards are open to members and non-members of the Guild.
This year Ukrainian-born chef Olia Hercules was given a rare ‘Special Award’ for her work raising money and awareness of the terrible impact that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has wrought. The #CookForUkraine campaign has raised over £2million for charity and relief work in Ukraine.
Also, chef Ken Hom was given a Lifetime Achievement Award for his work in sharing his love and knowledge of Asian food with British TV audiences and reaedrs of his many cookbooks.
The evening flew by, but I managed to grab a selfie with baking and TV legend Mary Berry. The trick was to remind her of a conversation we’d had some 15 years ago about using one her recipes for a quarterly food magazine I was publishing and editing at the time, Taste Shropshire.
Click here for a full list of 2023 winners.
GUILD OF FINE FOOD
A Greek soft cheese (pictured above) was voted the top product entered in this year’s Great Taste Awards, You may well already know of these awards, instantly recognisable by black and gold stickers found on selected food and drink packaging. I work as a judge for the awards and get to taste everything from kombucha to vegan ice cream, and peppercorns to smoked trout.
This year’s judging process saw blind taste-testing of 14,195 products, taking place over 89 days across Dorset and London. The line-up saw food and drink originating from 109 different countries, resulting in 248 3-stars, 1,568 2-stars and 4,088 1-star awards.
Roussas Dairy’s Galotyri PDO cheese was announced as the ultimate Golden Fork winner at a glitzy ceremony in the beautiful and historic Battersea Arts Centre. Its made in Almyros Magnesia, about 150km north of Athens. I have yet to taste some, but am told that it has a ‘slightly acidic, pleasantly cool taste, rich aroma’.
The pasteurised sheep and goats’ milk cheese is made by a family business which has been producing premium feta and other traditional dairy products for over 60 years.
Other Great Taste Golden Fork winers included:
England: Belazu Ingredient Company for Sour Cherry Molasses
Wales: Hive Mind Mead & Brew Co. for Wye Valley Mead Traditional Mead
Scotland: Loch Fyne Oysters for Loch Fyne Kinglas Fillet
Northern Ireland: Mauds Ice Creams for Pistachio Ice Cream
Ireland: Silver Hill Duck for Confit Duck Legs
Spain: Fino for Dark PX Balsamic Vinegar
Italy: Caseificio Il Fiorino for Cacio di Afrodite
Rest of Europe: Bagoila for Cold Pressed Pumpkin Seed Oil
Rest of the World: DoYouBo for Naturally Brewed Brown Soybean Soy Sauce
Startisan of the Year: La Maritxu for La Maritxu Basque Cheesecake
WORLD CHARCUTERIE AWARDS 2023
The results are out and a Jamon de Bellota, 100% Iberico from Spanish producer Jovira scooped the top prize being named Champion Product of 2023 at the inaugural World Charcuterie Awards 2023.
After running the successful British Charcuterie Awards and creating an online presence at www.worldcharcuterieawards.com food writer and entrepreneur Henrietta Green launched the awards earlier this year. My link to the awards is that I have written some producer profiles for the website and this year helped man the WCA stand at this month’s Specialty Fine Food Fair, held in Olympia London.
Click World Charcuterie Awards for more information.
For the full list of WCA winners, click here.
BRUCE & THE LEMON GROVE’S EVENTS DIARY
Hosting & Cooking on the Demonstration Stage at:
Tonbridge Farmers Market (every second Sunday of the month, 9.30am - 1.30pm)
Next market in Tonbridge, Kent is on Sunday, October 8.
Aylesford Farmers Market (every third Sunday of the month, 9.30am - 1.30pm)
Next market in Aylesford, Kent is on Sunday, September 17.
I'll be sharing recipe ideas using food from the farmers market and interviewing many great local growers and producers making wine, bread, jams, marmalade, and much more. Follow Tonbridge Farmers Market for updates.
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Read about: The Lemon Grove and catch up on previous posts and stories here.
Bruce McMichael
Writer, Podcaster, Educator
Website: www.thelemongrove.net
Twitter/X: @lemonbites
Facebook: @lemongrovesocial
Instagram: @lemongrovepics
Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org