Nigella Lawson made a surprise appearance on 2 June 2011 at Fishmongers' Hall, London Bridge, to present the Guild of Food Writers’ Lifetime Achievement Award to Anna del Conte, the UK’s leading authority on the food and cooking of Italy. ‘The Guild feels privileged tonight to add our award to Anna’s accolades’, said Guild member Nigella, who spoke warmly of del Conte as both a professional and personal model. To read Nigella's speech in full please click here. Anna joins other recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award including Mary Berry (who presented the other awards this evening), Marguerite Patten CBE, and Katie Stewart.
 

Felicity Cloake (right) receiving
one of her two awards from Mary Berry

That award topped a glittering evening’s celebration of some of the best and brightest of UK food writing and broadcasting. First-time winner Felicity Cloake garnered two honours, Food Journalist of the Year Award and New Media of the Year Award.

Mark Diacono receiving his award from Mary Berry

Other first-time winners included Mark Diacono, whose A Taste of the Unexpected took the hotly contested and fiercely competitive Food Book of the Year Award, and Niki Segnit, winner of the Jeremy Round Award for Best First Book for The Flavour Thesaurus.
 

Niki Segnit (right) receiving her award from Mary Berry
 

Radio 4’s Food Programme also took two awards, for ‘The Fruit Industry’ (Derek Cooper Award for Campaigning and Investigative Food Writing or Broadcasting) and ‘Pop-up London’ (Food Broadcast of the Year Award).
 

There were other surprises on the night. The coveted Cookery Book of the Year Award had an extended shortlist of four due to the high quality of entries. It was won by Caroline and Robin Weir for Ice Creams, Sorbets and Gelati: The Definitive Guide. And one of the most deserving projects among the shortlists, Valerie Twomey’s Truly Tasty, a cookbook aimed at people living with kidney disease, received the Miriam Polunin Award for Work on Healthy Eating. It is Twomey’s first book and was assembled with the help of some of Ireland’s most distinguished chefs.

Caroline and Robin Weir receiving
their award from Mary Berry

Marina O’Loughlin continued the trend of female dominance of the Restaurant Reviewer of the Year Award and double shortlistee Sybil Kapoor took victory in the Michael Smith Award for Work on British Food.

Sybil Kapoor receiving her award from Mary Berry

Mark Hix, who was also shortlisted twice, won the Evelyn Rose Award for Cookery Journalist of the Year, and Josceline Dimbleby’s travel memoir Orchards in the Oasis was given the Guild’s newest award, the Kate Whiteman Award for Work on Food and Travel.

Josceline Dimbleby receiving her award from Mary Berry

Celebrated Guild member Mary Berry – who came to Fishmongers’ Hall straight from filming for the next series of Great British Bake Off – presented the beautiful engraved trophies in the magnificent Banqueting Hall.
 

Guild President Jane Suthering commented: ‘Another wonderful awards party in a really lovely venue, and another fantastic set of worthy winners. Congratulations to both shortlistees and winners.’

 

Winner: Caroline and Robin Weir, Ice Creams, Sorbets and Gelati: The Definitive Guide (published by Grub Street)

The other shortlistees were:

Willie Harcourt-Cooze, Willie’s Chocolate Bible (published by Hodder & Stoughton)

Diana Henry, Food from Plenty (published by Mitchell Beazley)

Yotam Ottolenghi, Plenty (published by Ebury Press)

 

Winner: BBC Radio 4’s The Food Programme: The Fruit Industry presented by Sheila Dillon

The other shortlistees were:

Stefan Gates, Stefan Gates on E Numbers (published by Conran Octopus)

BBC One’s The Great British Waste Menu (produced by Optomen Television)

 

Winner: Mark Hix, for work published in The Independent

The other shortlistees were:
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall with Debora Robertson, for work published in The Guardian’s Weekend magazine

Diana Henry, for work published in The Sunday Telegraph’s Stella magazine

 

Winner: Mark Diacono, A Taste of the Unexpected (published by Quadrille)

The other shortlistees were:

Patricia Michelson, Cheese (published by Jacqui Small)

Lindy Wildsmith, Cured (published by Jacqui Small)

 

Winner: BBC Radio 4’s The Food Programme: Pop-up London presented by Sheila Dillon and Tim Hayward

The other shortlistees were:

BBC Two’s E Numbers: An Edible Adventure presented by Stefan Gates (produced by Plum Pictures)

BBC One’s The Great British Waste Menu (produced by Optomen Television)

 

Winner: Felicity Cloake, for work published in Fire & Knives and The Guardian

The other shortlistees were:

Tim Hayward, for work published in Fire & Knives and on The Guardian and The Observer’s Word of Mouth blog

Christopher Hirst, for work published in The Independent

 

Winner: Niki Segnit, The Flavour Thesaurus (published by Bloomsbury Publishing)

The other shortlistees were:

Ghillie James, Jam, Jelly & Relish (published by Kyle Cathie)

Stevie Parle, My Kitchen: Real Food From Near and Far (published by Quadrille)

 

Winner: Josceline Dimbleby, Orchards in the Oasis (published by Quadrille)

The other shortlistees were:

Sybil Kapoor, for work published in The Spectator: Scoff, Caterer and Hotelkeeper and House & Garden

Jamie Oliver, Jamie Does … (published by Michael Joseph)

 

Winner: Sybil Kapoor, for work published in Country Life

The other shortlistees were:

Mark Hix, Hix Oyster and Chop House (published by Quadrille)

John Wright, River Cottage Handbook: Hedgerow (published by Bloomsbury Publishing)

 

Winner: Valerie Twomey, Truly Tasty (published by Atrium)

The other shortlistees were:

BBC Radio 4’s The Food Programme: Sugar and the Soda Tax presented by Sheila Dillon

BBC Two’s E Numbers: An Edible Adventure presented by Stefan Gates (produced by Plum Pictures)

 

Winner: Felicity Cloake, for work published on The Guardian and The Observer’s Word of Mouth blog

The other shortlistees were:

Katy Salter, for work published on www.pinchofsaltlondon.com

Oliver Thring, for work published on The Guardian and The Observer’s Word of Mouth blog

 

Winner: Marina O’Loughlin, for work published in Metro and Fire & Knives

The other shortlistees were:

Richard McComb, for work published in The Birmingham Post

Matthew Norman, for work published in The Daily Telegraph

 

Anna del Conte

 

Torres’ commitment to combating climate change and preserving the environment makes them leaders in the wine industry. For five generations, Torres has been at the forefront of producing quality wines from the heart of Catalonia and was also one of the first international companies to invest in Chile. The Torres family sees themselves as stewards of the land, working closely with nature, to preserve the tradition of winemaking for future generations.
The wines to be served at the party illustrate the diversity and flexibility of the Torres range: the deliciously fragrant Viña Esmeralda, their newly launched Chilean rose, Las Mulas Cabernet Sauvignon Rose (which also happens to be organically farmed), and the hugely classy Ibericos Rioja, a 100% Tempranillo from the most famous wine-making region in Spain. We will also be pouring, for those abstaining from alcohol, the Torres Natureo made from Muscat and containing less than 0.5% abv, a delicious alternative for those not wishing to overdo it on the night.
www.torres.es

FEVER-TREE

Fever-Tree's range of premium natural mixers has pioneered a new drinks category worldwide. Changing both customer and industry perceptions of the classic long drink, the G&T is firmly back on the classic cocktail circuit thanks to this award winning range.
Launched in the UK in early 2005 by Charles Rolls and Tim Warrillow, the mixers are made with the finest and most authentic natural ingredients available: subtle botanical flavours, fruit juices, soft spring water, cane sugar, and for the tonic waters and lemon tonic, the highest quality quinine from the original Cinchona trees (fever-trees).  By replacing cloying saccharin sweeteners and artificial preservatives with natural botanicals and flavours, such as cane sugar, Fever-Tree have created delicious mixers that will complement and enhance the world’s finest spirits. After all, if three quarters of your long drink is a mixer, that mixer had better be good.
Served in seven of the top ten restaurants in the world (Restaurant Magazine), Fever-Tree’s range of mixers can be found in restaurants, bars, hotels and gastro pubs in 25 countries.  Recent award wins include Best Drinks Company at The Drinks Business 2011 Awards and an inaugural rating on this year’s Sunday Times HSBC International Track 100 making them the fastest growing international drinks company in the UK.
www.fever-tree.com
 

Photographs by David Sandison