Jayne Lindill, editor of Suffolk Magazine, reveals the winners of the Suffolk Food & Drink Awards 2024, held at Snape Maltings last night.
The Suffolk Food & Drink Awards are always a bit special. Food and drink is not just a necessity of life, it’s part of our culture and a successful food and drink industry is vital to our county’s economic wellbeing.
Yet it’s so easy to take it for granted. That’s why it’s always an enormous pleasure to be able to recognise, with these awards, the people who make our food and drink industry so great – who pour their passion and pride into the products they make; the ingredients they grow; the pub or restaurant, tea shop or café they open every day.
The winners are listed below, and you can find out more about them in a special supplement that will go out with the paper and on the website on Friday, May 3.
This year’s awards are extra special – because it’s been five years since were able to celebrate together like this.
The last time we held the Suffolk Food & Drink Awards was in 2019. It was a glittering occasion, and we were looking forward to building on it, with big plans for the following year. But come spring 2020, things were very different.
With the world in lockdown, we had a dilemma; the awards were judged, we had some fabulous winners, but a party was out of the question.
So, instead, between lockdowns, I spent a day racing around the county with a photographer, dropping in on winners to hand over trophies and Champagne, posing for photographs which went live on social media.
It was great fun, actually, but not the same as being in a room together, catching up with old friends, meeting new people, sharing stories, raising a glass to the winners. We were two meters apart. There was definitely no hugging.
That was then, this is now, and while I don’t really want to dwell on Covid, I do want to acknowledge the enormous effort it’s taken to get to these awards.
The impact of the pandemic on the food and drink industry has been seismic. Recovery has been long and difficult. And the world has changed – the way we live our lives, how and where we spend our money.
But our amazing businesses have adapted and survived. Throughout it all, they’ve flexed and found ways to do things differently.
I’d like to acknowledge on behalf of everyone who appreciates local food and drink, what our finalists and winners have achieved, and say “thank you”.
These awards wouldn’t be possible without the support of our sponsors, of course, and they also deserve our huge thanks, not just for jumping on board this year but, in some cases, for sticking with us even when we had to press pause for a while.
I’d like to thank Jon Matthews and Thomas Ridley Food Service, our headline sponsor. Jon has been a wonderful supporter, giving his time generously to judging and simply being a great ambassador for the awards.
Thanks also to our category sponsors, who’ve also given their time to help judge – Pier communications, Suffolk New College, The Hotel Folk, Veni – the Visitor Economy Network Initiative – and our beer partner, Woodfordes Brewery.
I must also thank our expert judges – we couldn’t do it without them.
Suffolk Magazine and the East Anglian Daily Times are all about celebrating the best of life in the county, and local food and drink are at the core of that. We will continue to champion it at every opportunity.
Keep an eye on the awards website at suffolkfada.co.uk for details on the 2025 awards.
The winners
Best Coffee Shop/ Café
Winner: The Greenhouse Café
Best Newcomer
Sponsored by Pier
Winner: ACRE Farm + Bakery
Best Suffolk Producer
Sponsored by The Hotel Folk
Winner: Fen Farm Dairy
Chef of the Year
Winner: Joey O’Hare – Husk
Field to Fork
Sponsored by Suffolk New College
Winner: Sunshine and Green
Food and Drink Retailer of the Year
Winner: Black Dog Deli Foods
Food/ Drink Experience
Winner: Husk
Front of House Experience
Winner: The Fox and Goose
Pub/Bar of the Year
Winner: The White Horse, Badwell Ash
Restaurant of the Year
Sponsored by The Visitor Economy Network Initiative (VENI)
Winner: The Lion
Outstanding Achievement
Sponsored by Thomas Ridley Foodservice
Winner: Sam and Clare Fairs (Hillfarm Oils)
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here