The winners of the 2016 Observer Food Monthly Awards, supported by AO.com, were announced at a ceremony in London on Thursday – and Edinburgh was among the winners. Social bite received the outstanding achievement award (Social Bite’s Josh Littlejohn pictured above) and Edinburgh food blogger Kerry Teakle was also honoured at the event, winning best reader’s recipe.
The awards, which are now in their 13th year, are voted for by readers and a judging panel and champion the best producers, restaurants, retailers and bloggers in the UK. Observer writer Jay Rayner and Great British Bake Off host Sue Perkins co-hosted this year’s celebrations after Observer editor John Mulholland and Observer Food Monthly editor Allan Jenkins introduced the evening.
Pierre Koffmann’s outstanding contribution to cooking was recognised with a lifetime achievement award. Celebrating 50 years of experience this year, the French-born chef first came to the UK in the 1970s and since then has become one of the most influential culinary talents in Britain’s restaurant scene. Jamie Oliver was also honoured, taking home the award for food personality of the year in a category voted for by Observer readers.
Judges voted The Clove Club’s junior sous-chef Daniel Smith as young chef of the year while Kerry Teakle’s whisky orange and almond cake earned best reader’s recipe. Kerry (above) was among those who received a knife trophy, which was designed by Blok Knives and John and Matt Straker. Elsewhere in the reader-voted categories, Clerkenwell Boy, the popular foodie and instagram favourite was awarded with the prize for best instagram in a newly created category.
Barrafina, Adelaide St in London won best restaurant. Edinburgh’s Social Bite, which employs and supports the homeless, was recognised in the outstanding achievement category.
Other winners included St George’s Market in Belfast which was voted best market. Brighton-based zero-waste restaurant Silo, was named best ethical restaurant for its focus on ethically sourced produce and sustainability.
Speaking on receiving the lifetime achievement award, Pierre Koffmann said: “It’s a huge honour to receive the lifetime achievement award and to be recognised among so many other fantastic chefs and people who work incredibly hard in the food business. Thank you very much. I’m delighted.”
Nieves Barragan Mohacho, head chef at Barrafina, winner of the best restaurant award, said: “It’s always been a dream for Barrafina to win an OFM award. As someone who has read the magazine for years and looked forward to the amazing award ceremonies with so many of my food heroes there every year, for us to win one is just brilliant. I want to thank OFM readers for recognizing all the hard graft of the talented staff, who day-to-day make Barrafina what it is. It makes everything worth it. I’m so happy for the team and most of all massively proud of them and the job we do together.”
Observer Food Monthly editor Allan Jenkins said: “This year’s OFM Awards reflect the fast-changing face of British food. Tonight’s awards have showcased the nation’s best bars, markets, cookbooks, cafes and restaurants, with winners from Belfast to Padstow and Edinburgh. It’s great to see our readers voting in tens of thousands in support of these local heroes.”
The winners in each category are as follows:
Reader-voted categories
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Best restaurant – Barrafina, Adelaide St, London
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Best cheap eats – Padella, London
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Best Sunday lunch (supported by Scotch Beef PGI) – Blacklock, London
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Best new cookbook – Our Korean Kitchen, Jordan Bourke and Rejina Pyo
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Best ethical restaurant (supported by VisitSweden) – Silo, Brighton
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Best food personality (supported by Grana Padano) – Jamie Oliver
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Best place to drink (supported by Thomas & Evans No. 1) – Bar Termini, London
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Best independent retailer – Sous Chef
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Best instagram (supported by AO.com) – Clerkenwell Boy
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Best market – St George’s Market, Belfast.
Judge voted categories
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Lifetime achievement (supported by Nespresso) – Pierre Koffmann
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Best producer – Murt’s shellfish, Padstow
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Best newcomer in food and drink – Anglo, London
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Outstanding achievement – Social bite, Edinburgh
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Young chef of the year – Daniel Smith – The Clove Club
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Best reader’s recipe – Whisky orange and almond cake by Kerry Teakle
More information about the awards can be found here. The Observer Food Monthly Awards issue is available on Sunday 16 October, free with The Observer.
Pictures: The Guardian
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