On 12th June at Tamesa, London the Guild of Food Writers announced the winners of their much coveted Annual Awards. Prue Leith OBE presented the Awards on behalf of the Guild, to some of the industry�s finest writers and broadcasters. Amongst the 11 winners there were some familiar names and some new ones to add to the roll of honour.

Leading the way was Sarah Raven, whose Garden Cookbook won Cookery Book of the Year. Applauded by the judges for addressing the current issues of provenance and food miles, this first cookery book by gardening writer, Raven, had the jurors wanting to eat off every page.

The Jeremy Round Award for the Best First Book was awarded to Marwood Yeatman for The Last Food of England. The judges commented �as a wordsmith himself, Jeremy would have read this book with curiosity, some envy and admiration for its ambitious scope. This is food social history in a class of its own.�

The much sought-after Derek Cooper Award for Campaigning and Investigative Food Writing was awarded to Hattie Ellis. She tackled the controversial subject of poultry production in the compelling and exhaustively researched Planet Chicken, a book that has clearly brought about a change in the way we buy and treat chickens, influencing later TV campaigns on the subject.

Guild chair, Gilli Cliff, commented on the evening: �These awards provide an important opportunity to highlight the valuable role of the Guild in promoting excellence in food writing and broadcasting. The range of topics and issues covered by the entries was extensive and the quality high. My congratulations to all winners, and thanks to all those who entered � it is vital to the future of British food writing that the Guild continues to set the standard.�

Summary of winners:

Derek Cooper Award for Campaigning and Investigative Food Writing

Winner: Hattie Ellis, Planet Chicken: The Shameful Story of the Bird on Your Plate, Hodder & Stoughton

The other shortlistees were:

Ben and Charlotte Hollins, The Fight for Fordhall Farm, Hodder & Stoughton

The Food Programme: Two items on Sustainable Fishing by Margaret Collins and Rebecca Moore, BBC Radio 4

Michael Smith Award for Work on British Food

Winner: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Nick Fisher, The River Cottage Fish Book, Bloomsbury Publishing

The other shortlistee was:

The Food Programme, Food and Farming Awards, BBC Radio 4

Jeremy Round Award for the Best First Book

Winner: Marwood Yeatman, The Last Food of England, Ebury Press

The other shortlistees were:

Claire Clark, Indulge: 100 Perfect Desserts, Absolute Press

John Wright, Mushrooms: River Cottage Handbook No 1, Bloomsbury Publishing

Food Book of the Year

Winner: Martin Jones, Feast: Why Humans Share Food, Oxford University Press

The other shortlistees were:

Lori de Mori and Jason Lowe, Beaneaters and Bread Soup, Quadrille Publishing

Denis Cotter, Wild Garlic, Gooseberries and Me, Collins

Paul Freedman, Food: the History of Taste, Thames & Hudson

Cookery Book of the Year

Winner: Sarah Raven, Sarah Raven�s Garden Cookbook, Bloomsbury Publishing

The other shortlistees were:

Richard Bertinet, Crust: Bread to Get your Teeth into, Kyle Cathie

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Nick Fisher, The River Cottage Fish Book, Bloomsbury Publishing

Food Journalist of the Year

Winner: Bee Wilson, for work in The Sunday Telegraph�s Stella magazine

The other shortlistee was:

Caroline Stacey, for work published in The Times� Body and Soul section

Evelyn Rose Award for Cookery Journalist of the Year

Winner: Shona Crawford Poole, for work in Country Living magazine

The other shortlistees were:

Alex Mackay, for Cook with Confidence articles in Sainsbury�s Magazine

Diana Henry, for work in The Sunday Telegraph�s Stella magazine

Restaurant Reviewer of the Year

Winner: Tracey Macleod, for reviews in The Independent magazine

Miriam Polunin Award for Work on Healthy Eating

Winner: Jill Dupleix, Lighten Up: A New Healthier Way to Cook, Quadrille

The other shortlistee was:

Antony Worrall Thompson, The Diabetes Weight Loss Diet, Kyle Cathie

New Media Award

Winner: www.bbc.co.uk/food

The other shortlistees were:

www.timeout.com/london/restaurants

British Library Food Stories www.bl.uk/foodstories/

Food Broadcast Award

Winner: The Food Programme: China Tea, BBC Radio 4

The other shortlistees were:

UKTV Food, Local Food Heroes

The Food Programme: Casino Food, BBC Radio 4

Lifetime Achievement Award

Katie Stewart

-Ends-

Notes to Editors:

This year�s Guild of Food Writers� Awards ceremony was held on Thursday 12 June at Tamesa, Second Floor, Oxo Tower Wharf, London, SE1 9PH.

The delicious canap� menu was specially devised for the occasion by chef Carl Wade including wonderful sustainable wild seafood provided by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, our main sponsors for the 2008 Awards.

Fabulous wines on the evening included a delicious Prosecco from Bolla in Italy and 100% organically grown wines from Bonterra Vineyards, all specially chosen to complement the canap�s.

The Guild of Food Writers, a professional association of food writers and broadcasters in the UK, has over 370 authors, columnists, freelance journalists and broadcasters amongst its members.

For more information about the Guild of Food Writers or the Annual Awards please contact the administrator of the Guild of Food Writers:

Jonathan Woods Email: jonathan@gfw.co.uk

www.gfw.co.uk