Keeping your finger on the pulse of new talent in the bars, kitchens and restaurants of London can be an exhausting – albeit delicious – task.
But thankfully, you lucky things, you've got us to let you know whose food you should be scoffing and whose cocktails you should be drinking. That said, a little input from the experts always helps, which is where the YBFs, or Young British Foodies, come in.
Now in their sixth year, the awards recognise the personalities who are the future of food. It was set up by Amy Thorne (founder of Taste PR), national food journo Chloe Scott-Moncrieff and bad-ass baker Lily Vanilli to fill a glaring gap in the food and drink awards space, and make up-and-coming visionaries from around the UK more visible.
So without further ado, here are this year's winners...
Category: Fresh voices in food writing
Judges: Yotam Ottolenghi, Tracey MacLeod, Marina O'Loughlin and Fay Maschler
Winner: Olivia Potts, A Half-Baked Idea
Category: Alcohol
Judges: Tony Conigliaro (Bar Termini, Untitled, 69 Colebroke Row), Alice Lascelles, Anistatia Miller, Jared Brown (Sipsmith)
Winner: Ruth Spivey of Wine Car Boot
Category: Chefs
Judges: James Knappett (Kitchen Table), James Lowe (Lyle's), Nuno Mendes (Taberna do Mercado), Lisa Markwell, Camilla Scheidemann (Leiths)
Winner: Alex Harper, Neo Bistro
Category: Honorary
Judges: Chloe Scott-Moncrieff, Lily Vanilli, Amy Thorne
Winner: Grant Harrington of Butter Culture
Category: Meat
Judges: James George, Richard H Turner (Hawksmoor), Angie K, Dario Cecchini
Winner: Rebecca and Simon Wilson of Jolly Nice, Gloucestershire
Category: Baking
Judges: Claire Ptak, Lily Vanilli, Justin Gellatly
Winner: Terri Mercieca, Fraise Sauvage
Category: Food Sharing
Judges: Melissa Hemsley, Clerkenwell Boy, Phoebe Hurst
Winner: Riaz Phillips, Belly Full
Category: Vegetable
Judges: Anna Jones, Kylee Newton (Newton & Pott)
Winner: Ross Geach, Padstow Kitchen Garden
Category: Street food
Judges: Previous winners and Shing Tat Chung, Wai Ting Chung and Erchen Chang, founders of Bao
Winner: Kitty Travers, La Grotta Ices
Category: Front of house
Judges: Natalia Ribbe, Sandia Chang (Bubble Dogs), Joanne Searley
Winner: Kieran Monteiro, Boma Restaurants
Category: Charles Tanqueray InGINuity Award
Judges: Chloe Scott-Moncrieff, Lily Vanilli, Amy Thorne
Winner: Christina Schneider, Untitled and Som Saa
For more information: the-ybfs.com
