Early January 2026 Newsletter – Women In The Food Industry News & Offers

Early 2026 Events  –  Women In the Food Industry Newsletter

Our latest newsletter from Women in The Food Industry has new events for 2026 and plenty of awards to enter for the New Year. 

The best way to keep up to date with all of our news, opportunities, events, features and podcasts is to subscribe to our fortnightly newsletter. You can view our early January newsletter here.

The Business of Supper Clubs

Looking to start an additional revenue stream for 2026? Then join us for an inspiring panel event on hosting supper clubs in various settings. Join experienced host and award-winning chef Lara Luck, and Kerran “Keke” Kaur co-founder of Seeds of Wild which began as an intimate supper club and has now grown into a chef‑led creative food service rooted in wellness, storytelling and sustainability. Alongside emerging supper club host Smruti Patel, Lara and Keke will give you honest insights & advice on this growing revenue stream.

They will be joined by additional speakers from the University of Greenwich.

Lynette Lisk, Programmes Manager at The Generator, the University of Greenwich’s enterprise incubator, helping students to start, scale and grow their businesses

Aaron Tan, Programme Director of the Help to Grow management course, a government funded programme for SMEs ready for growth.

This panel event is ideal for anyone curious about the creative and commercial world of supper clubs and alternative food businesses.  Whether you’re at the very beginning of your journey or already hosting events and looking to scale, this panel offers practical insights, honest perspectives, and inspiration from hosts who’ve done it themselves.

Early bird tickets are only £7 and students from the University of Greenwich can apply for FREE tickets.

Deadline extended for the brand new Women In Food & Drink Awards

If you didn’t have time to nominate in December, good news is that there is now some more time to submit your entries for the inaugural Women in Food & Drink Awards. Part of the The Quality Food Awards family, this powerful new initiative is celebrating the extraordinary talent and contribution of women across the entire food and drink supply chain.

Spanning every corner of the industry; from farming and manufacturing to retail, hospitality, foodservice and logistics, these awards will shine a light on women who are making an impact, shaping the future, and pushing for progress in one of the UK and Ireland’s most essential sectors.

Mex our co-founder is delighted to be one of the judges for these new awards and said “I’ve seen first-hand how recognition can transform confidence and open doors. The Women in Food & Drink Awards are set to be more than an event – they are a platform for change. They will give women across our sector the visibility they deserve and highlight the power of representation in driving progress.

“I urge everyone to get involved, champion the women who inspire them, and help build a future where equality and opportunity are central to our industry’s success.”

If you are someone, or know someone who is dedicated to championing gender balance and creating a more diverse and inclusive industry, now is the time to submit one or more nominations by Friday 16th January.

Enter The Guild of Food Writers Awards 2026

The Guild of Food Writers Awards is in its 41st year and recognises outstanding achievement in areas where food writers and broadcasters work and have influence. There are 15 categories covering both print and digital writing, encompassing every aspect of food writing on every available platform. The Awards are open for anyone to enter; you do not need to be a member of The Guild of Food Writers. However, you must meet the criteria for the category, and the work must have been published or broadcast between 1 January 2025 and 31 December 2025.

Entry and criteria for the categories can be found here and the closing date is 19th January 2026.

World Food Photography Awards are open for entries

The World Food Photography Awards sponsored by Tenderstem® Bimi® Broccolini, the greatest global celebration of food photography, are open for entries for their 2026 edition. Our co-founder Mex is delighted to be on the advisory board for a second year.

The competition, now in its 15th year, invites amateur and professional photographers alike to share their captures of food stories from all around the world, whether told through landscape, portrait, travel, wedding, photojournalistic or any other style of photography.

There’s a top prize of £5,000 to be won and all finalist images will be exhibited at the prestigious Mall Galleries in London. A hand-picked selection of finalist images will also be displayed at Fortnum & Mason’s iconic store in Piccadilly.

‘This competition is one of the best photography competitions in the world,’ says Louise Rayner, previous finalist. ‘Entering such a big, global competition is huge; it takes courage and confidence to do it, but you just never know what the judges are looking for. I entered on the very last day, scared I wouldn’t get anywhere, but I made it to the finals with a photo I took quickly on my phone – so you just never know what might happen!’

See all the categories & find the perfect one for you to enter

Your chance to win copies of No Worries, Just Chicken Curries

How would you like to WIN a copy of Suki Pantal’s fabulous new cookbook No Worries, Just Chicken Curries? Better still, would you like a copy to give to a friend, too?

We are celebrating the New Year by giving you the chance to win two copies Suki Pantal’s latest cookbook “No Worries, Just Chicken Curries’! Suki’s labour of love has taken two years to bring to life, is published by Nourish Books. Suki was featured in The Great Cookbook Challenge with Jamie Oliver on Channel 4 and is founder of Suki’s Curries and Spices.

If you’re a winner you’ll enjoy 73 distinct, regional, popular and local chicken recipes from India plus 30 veg sides and accompaniments!

You could WIN two copies of Suki’s beautiful hardback book in our giveaway. We have FOUR pairs to give away! Enter on instagram by Monday 19th January.

Get Discounted Tickets to Spill The Beans Drinks Edition
February 10th 2026

Spill the Beans is the UK’s only event for Black and ethnic minority FMCG founders to get in front of supermarket buyers and investors

Attendees can expect a full day of insightful and valuable industry knowledge, providing an exclusive opportunity to pitch your products directly to panel of supermarket retailers.

The event on 10th February features motivational speaker panels including our co-founder on Women Shaping The Future of Drinks and Bethan Thomas from HotTea Mama, engagement with industry experts, and live pitching to supermarket buyers.

It will offer ambitious networking opportunities with over 100 driven foodie entrepreneurs, essential connections for startups and established brands.

This event is ideal for FMCG producers aiming to attract retailer interest, early-stage foodie entrepreneurs seeking opportunities within the food and drink industry, and team members of rapidly growing food & drinks brands looking to enhance their industry knowledge.

Find out more and use the code STB15 to get 15% off tickets.

Cooking Across Generations

We were delighted to discover 86-year-old Gran, Krishna @gransspice and her musician Grandson, Jay Singh, @indianmanmusic who are publishing a cookbook together to keep the many generations of Indian culinary traditions alive!

Gran is fast becoming an internet sensation and big name cooks & chefs including Matt Tebbutt, Josh Eggleton and Gurdeep Loyal have been visiting Krishna to make dishes together!

So we couldn’t wait to have another great cook to join Gran & Jay, at their home in Bristol. We were delighted to travel down from London with best-selling author Anjula Devi whose latest book 15 Minute Indian (published by Quarto Books) is changing the way Indian food is cooked.

How would Gran react to Anjula’s cooking methods? We’re pleased to say she loved Anjula’s 15 minute version of Aloo Palak although was keen to add more chili to her recipe!!  Anjula then sat down with Gran who made a traditional Makhi Di Roti to serve with the spinach dish. Watching Gran hand make the Roti with boiling water and shape in a hot iron Tawa Roti Pan was amazing and a skill developed over many years.

Look out for more from the heart warming day on Jay’s YouTube Channel.

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Thanks.