Guild member Di Murrell reports ‘The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards are 25 years old and food-writers from 178 countries are, this year, vying for awards. Our own Facebook page has recently been privy to the reminiscences of John Whiting and Marlena Spieler about Gourmand’s earliest, headier days. So, while today’s organisation is, perhaps, more stream-lined (and maybe not quite so much fun), it still remains a great honour, for me, that my book A Foodie Afloat (Matador July 2020) was chosen as the “Best in the UK 2021” in the Food and Tourism category and now is a short-listed finalist for a “Best in the World” award. I have counted ten other GFW members who, in their different categories, have also made it through. With the listing comes an invitation to display our books at a four month long exhibition at Alfred Nobel House, Björkborn in Sweden. It will mark the 25 years of Gourmand Awards and celebrate its achievements. The winners of “Best in the World” categories for 2021 will be announced on Saturday 5 June at the awards ceremony to be held in the Louvre Tuileries Gardens in Paris. Definitely an event I don’t want to miss.’

The full list of Guild members who are short-listed finalists for the ‘Best in the World’ awards is:

30 Easy Ways to Join the Food Revolution by Ollie Hunter (Pavilion) shortlisted in category D01 Sustainability – Books.

A Foodie Afloat by Di Murrell (Troubador) shortlisted in category D06 Food Tourism.

Coconut & Sambal by Lara Lee (Bloomsbury) shortlisted in category C18 Asian – Published outside Asia. Lara is entered as an Indonesian writer in this category.

Cook, Eat, Repeat by Nigella Lawson (Chatto & Windus) shortlisted in category B02 Best of the Best Audio.

First Catch Your Gingerbread by Sam Bilton (Prospect Books) shortlisted in category A13 Blogger.

No Kitchen Cookery for Irish Primary Schools by Katharine Tate (The Food Teacher) shortlisted in category A15 Cooking Schools/Education

Oats in the North, Wheat from the South by Regula Ysewijn (Murdoch Books) shortlisted in category D07 Food Heritage, and National Trust Book of Puddings by Regula Ysewijn (National Trust) shortlisted in category E03 Pastries – Desserts.

Taste and the TV Chef by Gilly Smith (Intellect) shortlisted in category D04 Food Writing.

The Lebanese Cookbook by Ghillie Basan (Lorenz Books) shortlisted in category C18 Asian – Published outside Asia.

The Lost Orchard by Raymond Blanc (Headline) shortlisted in category E11 Fruits.

The Making of Macao Fusion Cuisine by Annabel Jackson (Macao Institute of European Studies – Hong Kong University) shortlisted in category C25 Portuguese.

You can see the full list of winners here: cookbookfair.com