Fortnum’s awards

(by peter)

It’s great news that historic Piccadilly retailer Fortnum & Mason is launching a brand new awards to celebrate the best in British food and drink communication.

Recognising and celebrating talent when it comes to spreading the love about food and drink is important.

Yes we’re all essentially in the business of fun but the reality is that people work very hard to be good at what they do in these fields, which are not the most lucrative, and these labours of love are well worth championing.

After the Glenfiddich and Lanson awards disappeared a while ago, there hasn’t been much out there (with the notable exception in the wine field of the Roederer awards, which I have also judged) so it’s great that F&M have taken up the baton. Kudos to them and their dynamic new chief exec (and keen foodie) Ewan Venters, together with Lindsay Stewart who is running the competition.

I’m delighted to be part of the inaugural panel alongside drinks experts Fiona Beckett and Hamish Anderson and food whizzes Angela Hartnett, Tom Parker Bowles and Zanthe Clay.

There are ten main categories: food book, drink book, food writer, cookery writer, online food writer, TV programme, radio programme, visual, drink writer and online drink writer.

There is also a TV personality award, which will be voted for directly by the public (you can vote on the website here).

So get submitting – or get voting! The submission deadline is the end of January. Good luck to everyone – and we look forward to celebrating the very best in food and drink communication in 2013.