Great food starts with someone who makes it.
Across the UK, bakers, butchers, cheesemakers, brewers and small food businesses make extraordinary food and drink by hand, usually with long hours, thin margins and very little recognition.
The Life Food Awards exist to recognise the makers, producers and food businesses who put great food on our tables.
Early bakes.
Long ferments.
Finally, recognised.
Food brings people together. Its makers are rarely thanked.
A baker who has been up since three every morning for twenty years.
A cheesemaker waiting a year to find out if a batch was right.
A street food trader who turned a family recipe into a business.
A deli owner who found every local producer within thirty miles.
A brewer who started in a garage and now supplies the whole county.
Makers spend every day making food for other people.
This time the recognition is for them.
“We tasted the difference.”
“Thank you.”
From the market stall to the national shelf.
Food and drink producers, bakers, butchers, cheesemakers, brewers, distillers, delis, food shops, street food traders, markets and brands.
The Maker
Food made with skill and care.
The Product
One thing done brilliantly.
The Shop
Shelves full of the best local food.
The Trader
Food worth the queue.
The Founder
A food business built from scratch.
Know a maker who deserves to be recognised?
Four ways to be recognised.
Makers and Producers
Food and drink producers, bakers, butchers, cheesemakers, brewers, distillers, cider and wine makers and chocolatiers.
Food and Drink Products
Food and drink products, product launches, free from products and sauces and preserves.
Food Retail, Markets and Street Food
Delis, independent food shops, street food traders, food markets and online food businesses.
Food Business and People
Start ups, food brands, entrepreneurs, sustainable producers and rising stars.
Recognition that sells.
Pride for the team
Something everyone in the business can be proud of.
A badge for the label
Independent recognition customers and buyers trust.
New stockists
Buyers notice award winning producers.
Connections
Meet makers, buyers and food businesses from across the UK.
You do not need a big brand.
Judges consider the size and stage of every business, so a kitchen table maker can win against an established brand.
Figures can be given as ranges.
Shortlisted products are tasted, so quality speaks for itself.
How good your food is matters more than how big your business is.
The question isn't:
“Is our business big enough?”
A better question might be:
“Is what we make exceptional?”
Recognition only counts when it is earned fairly.
The value of an award depends on the integrity behind it, so the way entries are judged should be clear before anyone enters.
Free to enter
Nominating and entering cost nothing. No category depends on buying a ticket, a table or a package.
Independent judging
Entries are scored by an independent panel, not by the organisers, working under a confidentiality agreement.
Read moreConflicts managed
Judges declare any conflict of interest and stand aside from the entries it touches.
Read moreSponsors support the awards. They never decide the results.
The best makers are too busy making.
They say:
“We just make what we like.”
“The ingredients do the work.”
“We have no time to fill in forms.”
And sometimes that is exactly why somebody else needs to say:
“They made the difference.”
“They deserve to be recognised.”
If you know a maker, shop or trader like that, put their name forward. It takes a minute.
From a name to the night itself.
Discover
Find the award category that fits the achievement best.
Nominate
Put forward a favourite maker, a product, a food shop, a trader or your own business.
Tell the story
Share what was achieved, and the difference it made.
Judging
Eligible entries are judged against the published criteria.
Recognition
Finalists and winners are celebrated at the awards.
Great food is how people come together.
Every maker has a story.
Every product has a moment.