Manchester’s best restaurants, bars, cafes and other operators were celebrated at the Manchester Food and Drink Festival virtual awards ceremony last night.
It’s been a challenging year for the hospitality industry as a whole and for MFDF which had to postpone its Festival Hub on Cathedral Gardens this year due to covid-19.
Despite not being able to open the Hub, MFDF was still able to go ahead with various parts of the programme including events at restaurants, at-home elements like delivery boxes and, of course, the MFDF awards.
The rescheduled event will now take place from 1 to 11 April, 2021, which – silver lining – will hopefully mean that we get two food and drink festivals in one year.
The winners of the MFDF awards would normally be revealed at a gala dinner event, which for the last two years has been hosted at Gorton Monastery.
This year, however, the awards ceremony was hosted virtually and live-streamed on Facebook from Moda Angel Gardens.
Nominees for the awards waited for the announcements in a virtual ‘green room’ as presenter, BBC 6 Music’s Matt White revealed the winners.
This also meant that for the first time, the public was able to watch along too; fitting, as all winners this year were decided purely by public vote.
The categories for the awards this year were adapted in order to reflect the ways that the hospitality industry has had to change due to covid-19 – and to celebrate the hard work of those who were able to overcome these challenges.
New awards for 2020 include Best DIY delivery food offering, Best food and drink delivery box, Best innovation, Best takeaway adaptation and the Lockdown Heroes award.
Commenting on the awards, Phil Jones, Manchester Food and Drink Festival’s Founding Director, said:
“We’re very pleased to be able to recognise our brilliant hospitality sector during this extraordinarily difficult time. MFDF is proud to celebrate such a wonderful range of businesses and individuals, all showcasing the strong stuff that our local industry is made of.
“There’s been huge amounts of innovation and creativity – even during such a tough time, we’ve much to celebrate.
“Congratulations to all the winners, and nominees – the Festival will continue to support the industry however it can over the coming months … roll on April 2021”.
The full list of winners for the Manchester Food and Drink Festival awards 2020
Best online ‘at home’ food and drink content
Sponsored by Moda Angel Gardens
Winner: Cork of the North – For their live wine tasting masterclasses broadcast via social media.
The Shortlist:
Andrew Nutter – For his online cookery videos broadcast via social media.
Higher Ground – For their live cook-alongs broadcast via social media
Manchester Gin – For their live gin masterclasses broadcast via social media.
Rachel Stockley/Baratxuri – For her online cookery videos broadcast via social media.
Sienna & Maurizio Cecco from Salvi’s – For their live cook-alongs and online cookery videos all broadcast via social media
Simon Wood – For his online cookery videos broadcast via social media
Six By Nico – For their Now Cooking series broadcast via social media
Best restaurant takeaway adaptation
Sponsored by Just Eat
The winner: Rudy’s Pizza – Bake at home pizzas
The nominees:
Bundobust
Elnecot
Hip Hop Chip Shop
Mughli Charcoal Pit
Six by Nico
Wolf at The Door
Yang Sing
Best DIY delivery food offering
Sponsored by Roomzzz Aparthotels
The winner: Northern Soul – Grill it Yourself Kit
WE ONLY WENT AND BLOODY WON IT 🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌@MFDF20 ‘Best DIY (G.I.Y) delivery food offering , through lock down
RONA can’t stop the #grilledcheese https://t.co/YXR18lBMX7
— NORTHERN SOUL GRILLED CHEESE 🧀 (@NorthernSoulMcr) October 5, 2020
The nominees:
Adam Reid – Great British Menu Box
Baratxuri – Menu Delivery Boxes
DD’s Burgers at The Koffee Pot – The Lockdown DIY Burger Kit
Elite Bistros at Home
Hawksmoor at Home
Wood at Home
Yao Yao Noodles – Ramen Kit Delivery
Best food and drink delivery box
The winner: ShinDigger Brewing Co – beer delivery boxes in under 3 hours
The nominees:
Grandad Sausages – “The Sausage Hotline”- Delivering BBQ kits and breakfast packs
Great North Pie Co – Pie box delivery
Lupo Caffe Italiano – Italian treats and veg boxes
R Noone and Son- Fruit and veg boxes
Reserve Wines – Wine box deliveries
The Crafty Cheese Man – Cheese board delivery boxes
Zouk – BBQ boxes
Best Innovation
Sponsored by Hun Wine
The winner: Stretford Foodhall – finding innovative ways to serve the community right the way through lockdown… from street food takeaway to free grocery delivery for the vulnerable.
The shortlist:
Grub-E-Mart – hosting street vendors online for orders and collections
Levenshulme Market – providing a platform for traders to go online as well as local charities
Andrew Nutter – Nutter’s Cheese and Wine Boutique
Cloudwater – supporting other breweries through the crisis, letting them use their webshop and supporting Higher Ground with deliveries.
Didsbury Gin – moving gin production to hand sanitiser
Manchester Union Lager- growler collection and refills
House of Hops – investing in canning production to enable them to order, pour, seal and deliver beer on the same day
Newcomer of the Year
Sponsored by Bulleit Bourbon
The winner: Escape to Freight Island
The shortlist:
The Bull & Bear
The Edinburgh Castle Pub
Six By Nico
Higher Ground
Perfect Match
Street Urchin
Stretford Food Hall
Best online veggie/vegan offering
Sponsored by Meatless Farm
The winner: Wholesome Junkies
The shortlist:
Blue Caribou Canteen
Yao Yao Noodles
Vaso Indian Kitchen
The Walled Gardens by Eddie Shepherd
Herbivorous
The Ottomen
Pasta Factory
Artisan drinks producer of the year
Sponsored by Franklin & Sons
The winner: ShinDigger Brewing Co
The shortlist:
Didsbury Gin
Four Sisters
Manchester Gin
Diablesse Rum
Manchester Union Lager
Cloudwater Brewing
Track Brew Co
Takeaway coffee experience of the year
The winner: Ancoats General Store
The shortlist:
Just Between Friends
Federal Cafe Bar
Foundation Coffee House
Grindsmith
Heart & Graft Coffee
Another Heart to Feed
Manchester Coffee Co
Street food trader of the year
The winner: Oh Mei Dumpling
The shortlist:
The Ottomen
Ginger’s Comfort Emporium
Nasi Lemak
Herbivorous
Abeja Tapas Bar
I Knead Pizza
Jerk Shack
Lockdown Heroes
Sponsored by Manchester Evening News
The winner: Eat Well MCR
We bloody WON! Thank you so much to the entire team involved and everyone who continues to support us every day 🧡🧡🧡 https://t.co/0egGDowmPR
— Eat Well MCR (@eatwellmcr) October 5, 2020
The shortlist:
Linda Lam
Lymefield Farm Shop
Stockport Foodie Friday
Open Kitchen Manchester
Mama Z
Gareth Worthington
Tibetan Kitchen
Howard and Ruth Outstanding Achievement Award
Recognising someone who has contributed something outstanding to the food and drink industry in Greater Manchester.
Mary-Ellen McTague from The Creameries and Eat Well MCR.
