Did you know there are over 500 varieties of pear? Or that we live in a country where one third of the food we produce never gets eaten? Or that the key to losing weight lies not in dieting, but in the microbes already inside of us?
If not, it’s time you took note of the influential food writers and broadcasters changing the way we think about food and the way we eat and make purchasing decisions as a nation.
The British Guild of Food Writers Awards has crowned 2016’s finest in British food writing and broadcasting. The crème de la crème of the foodie world whose recipes, opinions and expertise are shaping the next generation of kitchen cooks, chefs and writers.
Taking the Food Broadcast Award, very deservedly, is “Hugh’s War on Waste” produced for KEO Films for BBC ONE. Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s mission to highlight the severity of the country’s waste problem has challenged consumers, supermarkets and the catering industry to consider their role in reducing food waste to landfill – and rightly gained the backing of 303,900 signatures.
Bee Wilson was recognised with the Food Writing Award for her work in The Times Literary Supplement, The Happy Reader, The Sunday Telegraph Magazine, Intelligent Life and The Observer. Bee has written many thought provoking articles over the years but if you only get around to reading one today, we’d suggest “No Diet, No Detox: how to relearn the art of eating.” This beautifully written insight into our relationship with food inspires change in the way we feel about food, to learn new tastes, break habits and make better food choices.
Coming from an office of pea lovers, we couldn’t be happier that fellow pea lover Stephen Harris was awarded with the Cookery Writing Award for his column in Telegraph Weekend. Just last week we were praising his heralding of our favourite British vegetable – so much so, we’ve sent him an invite to Great British Pea Week. What do you reckon Stephen?!
Authoring a remarkable 15 cook books, Lindsey Bareham’s recipes have been gracing the nation’s dinner tables for decades. A very worthy winner of the British Food Award, Lindsey has made real food accessible to the masses, taking the most seemingly ordinary of ingredients and creating the extraordinary – it’s miraculous what culinary masterpieces can be achieved from the humble potato!
Also flying the flag for fruit and vegetables is Elly McCausland of Nutmegs, Seven, winner of the Food Blog award, whose recipe photography is sure to whet your appetite and travelling memoirs sure to give you wanderlust.
Giving us a whole new reason to stay up late at night, The Cookery Book Award went to Honey & Co: The Baking Book by Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich and their delicious array of pastry and cake recipes – the stuff of sugary sweet dreams. The Food Book Award went to The Book of Pears: The Definitive History and Guide to over 500 varieties by Joan Morgan, which tells the story of the pear throughout history and around the world.
This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Elisabeth Luard in recognition of the rich talent and unique voice she has demonstrated since the publication of her first book, European Peasant Cookery, thirty years ago. One of the most respected food writers amongst food writers (surely there’s no better accolade than that!?) Elisabeth is renowned for championing the classics, the dishes that have stood the test of time and will most likely outlive us all!
Which reminds me, next time my mother’s partner announces at a dinner party that her rustic cooking style is ‘peasant-like’, I must tell her not to look so crestfallen. It’s definitely something to be proud of!
Visit http://www.gfw.co.uk/ to see the full list of winners.
