The Guild of Food Writers announces the shortlists for its annual Awards, the most prestigious in food writing and broadcasting. The winners will be announced on Wednesday, 12 June 2024.

The Awards return to the Royal Institution, 21 Albemarle Street London W1S 4BS on Wednesday,12 June. The awards presentation will take place in its world-famous theatre.

The shortlists highlight emerging talents Julius Roberts, Su Scott and Felicity Souter as well as some of the industry’s best-known food writers and broadcasters, including Tim Hayward, Xanthe Clay and Jonathan Nunn. The Guild of Food Writers Awards celebrate the breadth of knowledge and expertise at work in a thriving creative field.

You can view full details of the shortlists and the sponsors below. 

First Book Award

The Farm Table by Julius Roberts
Rice Table by Su Scott
Painting the Plate by Felicity Souter

Food Book Award

Before Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald, England’s Most Influential Housekeeper by Neil Buttery
Hungry Heart: A Story of Food and Love by Clare Finney
Food of the Cods: How Fish and Chips Made Britain by Daniel Gray

Food Podcast or Broadcast Award

FT Food Revolution produced and presented by Tim Hayward and Daniel Garrahan for The Financial Times
Bitter/Sweet by Miller Libertine presented by Natasha Miller
Lush Life Podcast presented by Susan L. Schwartz, produced by Evo Terra 

Food Magazine or Section

Feast, The Guardian
National Geographic Traveller Food
Pellicle

Food Writing

Xanthe Clay for work published in The Telegraph
Tim Hayward for work published in The Financial Times
Rachel Roddy for work published in The Guardian

General Cookbook

A Table Full of Love: Recipes to Comfort, Seduce, Celebrate & Everything Else in Between by Skye McAlpine.
Winter Wellness: Nourishing Recipes to Keep you Healthy When it’s Cold by Rachel de Thample
The Secret of Cooking: Recipes for an Easier Life in the Kitchen by Bee Wilson

International or Regional CookBook

Frontières: The Food of France’s Borderlands by Alex Jackson
A Splash of Soy: Everyday Food from Asia by Lara Lee
Brutto: A (Simple) Florentine Cookbook by Russell Norman

Investigative Writing Award

Ravenous: How to Get Ourselves and Our Planet into Shape by Henry Dimbleby with Jemima Lewis
Avocado Anxiety: and Other Stories About Where Your Food Comes by Louise Gray
‘How Do You Reduce A National Dish to a Powder?’: The Weird, Secretive World Of Crisp Flavours by Amelia Tait in The Guardian

Self-Published Writing

Mark Diacono for work published on Substack: Abundance by Mark Diacono
Sam Lomas for work published through Mailchimp: Field Notes
Mike Warner for work published on Scribehound, Substack and Squarespace: A Passion for Seafood

Recipe Writing

Martha Collison for work published in Waitrose Weekend
Melek Erdal for work published in Vittles and The Guardian
Mark Hix for work published in The Telegraph Magazine

Restaurant Writing

Grace Dent for work published in Feast, The Guardian
Tim Hayward for work published in The Financial Times
Jonathan Nunn for work published in Vittles

Specialist or Single Subject Cookbook

Honey: Recipes from a Beekeeper’s Kitchen by Amy Newsome
Of Cabbages & Kimchi: A Practical Guide to the World of Fermented Food by James Read
Salt and the Art of Seasoning:from Curing to Charring and Baking to Brining, Techniques and Recipes to Help You Achieve Extraordinary Flavoursby James Strawbridge

Drinks Writing

Molly Codyre For work published in Foodism
Joel Harrison For work published in Club Oenologique Magazine
Henry Jeffreys For work published in The Critic Magazine  

Drinks Book

Slow Drinks: a Field Guide to Foraging and Fermenting Seasonal Drinks by Danny Childs
Vines In A Cold Climate: The People Behind the English Wine Revolution by Henry Jeffreys
A Passion for Whisky: How the Tiny Scottish Island of Islay Creates Malts that Captivate the World by Ian Wisniewski

The Guild’s partners for this year’s Awards are:
Cipriani (Drinks Writing Award); Freshlay Farms Golden Yolker (Restaurant Writing); Gold Top (Recipe Writing Award); HexClad (First Book Award);  I Love Fruit and Veg from Europe (Food Writing Award); J Pao (International and Regional Book Award); Kamado Joe (Food Podcast or Broadcast Award); Lakeland (Food Magazine or Section Award); Saclà (Food Book Award); Sherry Wines – Vinos de Jerez (Drinks Book Award); Uncharted Wines (General Cookbook Award).