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The Guild of Food Writers announced the winners for its annual Awards on 12th June 2024 at a glittering ceremony. One of the longest running awards in food writing and broadcasting the winners featured emerging talents such as Felicity Souter and Molly Codyre. Also some of the industry’s best-known female food writers and broadcasters, including Bee Wilson and Prue Leith gained great recognition for their achievements. Our co-founder Mecca Ibrahim is a member of The Guild of Food Writers and attended the ceremony at the Royal Institution in Mayfair. She highlights the women who took home awards  for 2024.

The Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards are one of the most eagerly awaited dates in the culinary calendar.  Recognising excellence in food and drink writing, broadcasting and photography, for thirteen years, Fortnum and Mason are continually championing those who help others to enjoy, explore, experiment, and discover more about food and drink, through their writing, photography, and commentary.  It’s an area that women do very well in and this year was no exception.  Our co-founder Mecca Ibrahim was at The Royal Exchange for a star-studded awards ceremony on May 2nd 2024 to see the winners.

Back in November, our co-founder Mex Ibrahim attended a fun and beautifully put together immersive dinner experience at the O’Meara Theatre in London. Guests at the six course dinner were entertained by actors representing the characteristics of six very different French cheeses: Époisses, Beaufort Chalet d’Alpage, Neufchâtel, Saint-Nectaire, Brillat-Savarin, and Bleu d’Auvergne. For International Women’s Day we look across the Channel to four inspirational women who are responsible for making, training, presenting and promoting in the wonderful world of French cheese.

Adejoké Bakare’s Michelin Star is an achievement that has made history. In a glittering awards ceremony on 5th February 2024, she became the first black woman in the UK to win a star and the second black woman in the world to win one.  Chishuru winning its first star marks Adejoké’s  journey from running a north London supper club to her West End restaurant which has helped bring West African cooking into the mainstream.

Congratulations to the winners of the BBC Food and Farming Awards which took place on 25th October 2023 at the ICCW in Newport.  The awards were judged and hosted by great presenters including Radio 4’s The Food Programme host, Sheila Dillon, Thomasina Miers, cook, television presenter and co-founder of the Wahaca chain of Mexican restaurants, drinks writer Jaega Wise,  food presenter Leyla Kazim and presenters Sam and Shauna from Hangfire BBQ.  We were delighted to see so many women win awards at the ceremony.

This year’s message from the Roux Scholarship competition was clear from the start: they needed more women to enter to make sure to get more female finalists through the blind-judged first round. Following a Round Table discussion in October, which resulted in the publication of a White Paper addressing the challenges faced by female chefs working in the UK hospitality industry, the Roux Scholarship was ready to welcome them with open arms. The result? Four female chefs qualifying for the regional finals. We meet them ahead of the  regional finals on March 9th.

Hundreds of votes from gastropub chefs, food writers, pub-guide editors, top pub industry suppliers and critics were counted to reveal the country’s best gastropubs across the country. This year’s Estrella Damm List of Top 50 Gastropubs shows a number of inspiring women running award-winning pub kitchens including the pub which reached the number two spot – The Parkers Arms.

Parson’s Nose Butchers and Planet Eat Media have joined forces to launch a competition and TV series to inspire and motivate young women to enter the fascinating world of butchery. Find out more about the great prize package on offer.

The SquareMeal Female Chef of the Year award was launched in 2018 to celebrate the huge contribution female chefs are making to the UK restaurant industry.  On 21st October 2019 Skye Gyngell chef-patron of Spring and culinary director of Heckfield Place became the second winner of the title. Skye was presented with her award at a Champagne reception at The Goring in Belgravia for the shortlisted chefs.

The winners of the annual Observer Food Monthly Awards were announced on 17th October 2019.  Celebrating the best in food and drink, the awards are voted for by both readers and a panel of judges. Hosted by Nigella Lawson and Jay Rayner 17 awards were presented at The Freemasons Hall in London. Discover some of the amazing women who picked up accolades. 

Acclaimed chef Léa Linster won a Michelin star in 1987 and owns three restaurants in Luxembourg: Restaurant Léa Linster, Au Quai de la Gare and Kaschthaus. She became a gold medal winner of the 1989 Bocuse d’Or, which made her the first  and to date only woman to ever accomplish this.  Our co-founder, Mecca Ibrahim, was lucky enough to speak to Mrs Linster about her inspirations and how she put Luxembourgian cuisine on a global map with her achievements.

In the tenth of our series of Female Food Founders interviews we look at a producer in the growing area of “free from” and allergy foods.  We first met Sonia Mason Founder of Slightly Different Foods  who have the largest range of FODMAP Friendly accredited sauces developed and manufactured in the UK at the huge Allergy and Free From Show at Olympia in London. Our co-founder, Mecca Ibrahim, chatted with Sonia to discover what FODMAP is, how Small Business Sunday helped her business and how to scale up from home kitchen to wider distribution.