Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards 2026 Hosted by Andi Oliver

The winners of the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards 2026 were announced tonight at a ceremony hosted by Andi Oliver and Angela Hartnett OBE, held at The Royal Exchange, London.

The 14th annual Awards honour the richness and diversity in food and drink writing and broadcasting in the UK and Republic of Ireland.  Recognised for their varied cultural influences, culinary traditions, and storytelling, these talented individuals inspire us to deepen our appreciation of food and drink through their impactful work.

Food Book was awarded to Ruby Tandoh for All Consuming, an exploration of how modern life shapes the way we eat, examining the social, economic and technological forces behind our appetites.  Debut Food Book went to Katie Goh for Foreign Fruit which uses the global history of the orange to explore identity, migration and colonialism.

Cookery Book winner, Indian Kitchens by Rupa Gulati is a richly layered blend of travel writing and recipes gathered from home cooks across India.  Debut Cookery Book went to Omer Al Tijani for The Sudanese Kitchen, a landmark work capturing the breadth of Sudan’s culinary traditions through recipes, history and personal stories.

In the drinks categories, Tristan Stephenson won Drink Book for The Curious Bartender’s Agave Safari blending travel, history and cultural insight with the stories of producers and their craft. Debut Drink Book went to Millie Milliken for Tequila: A Tasting Course, a detailed guide exploring its history, production and cultural significance.

Yemisí Aríbisálà won Food Writer for work that brings together culture, identity and food with a distinctive voice. Nick Bramham won Cookery Writer for his thoughtful and original approach to recipe writing, and Joel Harrison was named Drink Writer for his expertise and clarity across drinks journalism. Joanna Taylor received the Restaurant Writer award for her sharp and insightful feature writing.

Hebridean Baker: Nordic Islands took the Programme award.  The evocative television programme follows Coinneach MacLeod on an extraordinary journey across the Nordic Isles exploring the connections between food, culture and island life.  In Audio, The Food Chain: A Place at the Table: Fostering and Adoption was recognised for its sensitive and compelling storytelling.

Kim Lightbody won the Photographer category for work that captures food with precision, atmosphere and a striking visual identity.

The Fortnum’s Impact Award celebrates individuals or organisations making a transformative and positive contribution to the world of food and drink in the UK.  This year’s winner is Food Behind Bars, for its extraordinary work bringing meaningful change to prisons across England and Wales. Through food education and wellbeing initiatives, the charity is improving lives and helping to create a more humane, healthier and rehabilitative prison system.

The Fortnum’s Special Award went to Sheila Dillon. Her journalism on The Food Programme has ranged from investigations into mad cow disease and the horsemeat scandal to holding politicians to account on the state of school meal and food poverty.  She remains one of the most dedicated and influential voices championing British food producers, celebrating the revival of farm-house cheeses…. to reporting on the decline of abattoirs.  Britain’s food culture today looks and tastes the way it does today, in part, because of her work on radio.  And millions of people across the UK have been empowered by the stories she’s told of what lies behind the food we eat.

Two categories are decided by the public, with thousands of votes cast to select this year’s winners.  The Content Creator of the Year is decisively Ash Baber, celebrated for his irreverent videos of mouth-watering desserts.  The Rising Star Content Creator of the Year is Luke Flunder, a wine creator offering a fresh and engaging take on the world of wine.

FORTNUM & MASON FOOD AND DRINK AWARDS 2026 WINNERS

FOOD BOOK
WINNER: All Consuming: Why We Eat the Way We Eat Now by Ruby Tandoh (Serpent’s Tail, Profile)
SHORTLIST: Food Fight: From Plunder and Profit to People and Planet by Stuart Gillespie (Canongate)
SHORTLIST: The Heart-Shaped Tin by Bee Wilson (Fourth Estate)

DEBUT FOOD BOOK
WINNER: Foreign Fruit: A Personal History of the Orange by Katie Goh (Canongate)
SHORTLIST: Bread & War by Felicity Spector (Duckworth Books)
SHORTLIST: An A-Z of Chinese Food (Recipes Not Included) by Jenny Lau (Renegade Books, John Murray Group)

COOKERY BOOK
WINNER: Indian Kitchens by Roopa Gulati (Bloomsbury)
SHORTLIST: Lugma by Noor Murad (Quadrille)
SHORTLIST: The Irish Kitchen by Cherie Denham and Andrew Montgomery (Montgomery Press)
SHORTLIST: The Japanese Pantry by Emiko Davies (Smith Street Books)

DEBUT COOKERY BOOK
WINNER: The Sudanese Kitchen by Omer Al Tijani (Almas Art Foundation)
SHORTLIST: FERMENT: A Cookbook by Kenji Morimoto (One Boat, Pan Macmillan)
SHORTLIST: Silk Roads by Anna Ansari (DK)

DRINK BOOK
WINNER:  The Curious Bartender’s Agave Safari by Tristan Stephenson (Ryland Peters & Small)
SHORTLIST: Filthy Queens: A History of Beer in Ireland by Dr Christina Wade (Nine Bean Rows)
SHORTLIST: The Madrusan Cocktail Companion by Michael and Zara Madrusan (Murdoch Books)

DEBUT DRINK BOOK
WINNER:  Tequila: A Tasting Course by Millie Milliken (DK)
SHORTLIST: The Cynic’s Guide to Wine by Sunny Hodge (Académie du Vin Library)
SHORTLIST: Thirsty by Tom Gilbey (Square Peg)

FOOD WRITER
WINNER:  Yemisí Aríbisálà for work in Vittles and Scribehound Food
SHORTLIST: James Morton for work in Scribehound Food
SHORTLIST: Safiya Robinson for work in Chicken + Bread Zine and Sisterwoman

COOKERY WRITER
WINNER:  Nick Bramham for work in Vittles
SHORTLIST: Jay Rayner for work in FT Weekend Magazine
SHORTLIST: Olivia Potts for work in The Spectator

DRINK WRITER
WINNER:  Joel Harrison for work in Club Oenologique
SHORTLIST: Imran Rahman-Jones for work in Eaten Magazine and Pellicle Magazine
SHORTLIST: Kristiane Westray for work in Whisky Magazine and Club Oenologique

RESTAURANT WRITER
WINNER:  Joanna Taylor for work in Foodism and The Telegraph
SHORTLIST: David Ellis for work in The London Standard
SHORTLIST: Tim Hayward for work in FT Weekend Magazine

PROGRAMME
WINNER:  Hebridean Baker: Nordic Islands
SHORTLIST: Jeremy Pang’s Hong Kong Kitchen
SHORTLIST: Mr Lyan’s Taste Trips: Japan

See Also

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AUDIO
WINNER:  The Food Chain: A Place at the Table: Fostering and Adoption, BBC World Service
SHORTLIST: The Food Foundation Podcast: 10th Anniversary
SHORTLIST: The Kitchen Cabinet, Sony Music Podcasts

PHOTOGRAPHER – presented in partnership with the World Food Photography Awards, sponsored by Tenderstem® – judged by Caroline Kenyon, founder of the WFPA; Eliza Williams, editor of Creative Review; and Ange Loftus, Head of Brand and Creative Production at Fortnum & Mason

WINNER:  Kim Lightbody

SHORTLIST: Robert Billington

SHORTLIST: Ruth Calder-Potts