Winners of the BBC Food and Farming Awards have been announced in a ceremony hosted in Wales for the first time.

The BBC Food & Farming Awards were launched in 2000, to mark the 20th anniversary of Radio 4’s The Food Programme. The mission statement then - which remains true to this day - was “to honour those who have done most to promote the cause of good food”.

The Award ceremony took place on Wednesday 9 November the National Museum in Cardiff. Hosted by presenters including BBC Radio Wales’ Wynne Evans, they were joined by judges including Sheila Dillon (Presenter of The Food Programme), Asma Khan, (Restaurateur), Adam Henson (Countryfile presenter and farmer), Matt Allwright (The One Show/Watchdog presenter), and nominees from several categories.

The winners are:

Best Food Producer
Tablehurst Farm

A social enterprise founded in the mid-1990s. The farm produces meat, poultry, vegetables, raw milk and arable crops to biodynamic and organic standards.

Tablehurst spokesperson Peter Brown said: “We are just absolutely thrilled and honoured. We have been farming for many years with these ideals and trying to work with nature and produce the very very best food, and it’s very thrilling when its recognised. We’re just very happy about it.”

Best Drinks Producer
Summerdown (Hampshire)

Summerdown produce tea from Black Mitcham peppermint they have been growing for almost three decades, all from a family farm in the Hampshire countryside.

Joe Coleman from Sommerdown said: “It means the world being recognised for doing something that everyone else thought was daft, and being here 30 years on and creating a award winning drink company.”

Best Shop or Market
Locavore (central Scotland)

A social enterprise working across central Scotland to help build a more sustainable local food system by providing local, organic grocery shops and veg box deliveries, using food from their land, local growers and ethical producers.

Best Streetfood/Takeaway
Celtic Cabin (Barmouth, West Wales)

Celtic Cabin strive to serve fresh and healthy street food wraps along with many other goodies for the beach.

Suzy Simpson from Celtic Cabin said “It means the world, seriously. When you are trying to do something you love and that means so much to yourself [...] and you stick to your guns, to be recognised for that? Its pretty special.

Food Innovation
TastEd

A charity bringing sensory food education to the UK. They provide free lesson plans and training for teachers to deliver a playful, evidence-based approach to food education.

The Farming Today Farming for the Future Award
Jake Freestone, Overbury Farms

Jake is the Farm Manger at Overbury Farms where they have been using a regenerative farming system since 2013 using no till, cover crops and livestock tor reduce artificial fertiliser use.

BBC World Service Global Youth Champion
Samuel Ikua

Samuel trains urban farmers in food production. He works with a network of urban farmers in Nairobi’s informal settlements; training them in food production in the limited spaces available in informal settlements. The initiative focuses on women, men and young farmers, including farmers with disabilities. Samuel believes urban food production also serves as an income opportunity for people in poorer areas

Derek Cooper Outstanding Achievement Award

Tim Spector – known for his journalistic work and as a science writer - he’s an epidemiologist who studies the microbiome, linking what we eat to our health. During Covid, he led the Zoe study to help us understand the way Covid and other diseases affect us.

BBC Cymru Wales Food Hero Award

Mrs Mair Bowen, Kilgetty nominated for her voluntary work for over fifteen years preparing meals for the residents of Kilgetty and the wider area to coincide with events in the community.

She said: “This is a special privilege and an honour. Thank you to whoever thought to nominate me. I’m pretty sure there are others who have helped far more than I have, but thank you so much!”

Rhuanedd Richards, Director of BBC Cymru Wales, said: “We are absolutely delighted that the Food and Farming Awards have taken place in Wales for the first time, and that the ceremony has been held in such a wonderful setting at the National Museum in Cardiff. These awards are a platform for those who have worked incredibly hard to champion the cause of good food. I know I speak for the entire BBC Cymru Wales team when I say that we have loved hearing their wonderful stories and sensing the passion they have for the food they make. Congratulations to all our winners and nominees!”

Welsh Government Minister for Rural Affairs, North Wales and Trefnydd, Lesley Griffiths, said: “I am proud Wales has hosted the BBC Food and Farming Awards this year. I wish to congratulate all the winners and participants in this great event as well as Cardiff and Vale College students who have worked hard alongside the organisers. I am particularly pleased to see such a variety of Welsh food products on show which demonstrates how Wales is producing excellent food and drink, and how businesses in the sector are creating quality products reflecting our country’s standards.”

Andy Richardson, the Chair of the Food and Drink Wales Industry Board, said: “Food and drink are such a vital part of our culture and economy in Wales and having the awards for the first time is very positive news and recognition for an industry which has grown over 30% in the last few years.”