The Chefs’ Choice Awards 2020

Are you a foodservice supplier or manufacturer that produces the best foods for restaurants but never gets any recognition for it? Then the Chef’s Choice Awards is just the thing for you. Now open for entries, the awards programme is designed to showcase the great work of foodservice suppliers, from wholesalers through to manufacturers.

Run in partnership with Restaurant magazine as well as its sister titles The Grocer, The Morning Advertiser, Food Manufacture and Food Spark, and in association with Food Innovation Solutions and Good Sense Research, the Chefs’ Choice Awards have been created to throw the spotlight on quality, innovation, creativity, value and great taste delivery in frozen, fresh, chilled and ambient products.

The awards are run to enhance the sector and highlight product credibility and the development work that takes place behind the scenes. They also allow businesses in the foodservice supply chain to compete in core product categories and secure a competitive advantage via independent assessment of eating quality and taste.

How it works

There are 25 categories, from across ambient, chilled, fresh, frozen and part-baked – including condiments, sweet and savoury sauces, meat and chilled salads, to name a handful – in which you can enter your product or products. These products are then prepared and cooked by qualified chefs in a professional kitchen following portion guidance and recommended preparation instructions, serving suggestions and cooking times.

The judging panel will put each entry through its paces on a stringent range of agreed criteria, including appearance, aroma, flavour, texture and value per portion, plus level of innovation. The quality assessment will be undertaken branding free with the packaging not visible. The products will also be rated by the cooking team on ease and speed of prep and speed of prep. The judging panel comprises chefs, nutritionists, food technologists and end users, such as restaurateurs and pub operators, meaning product excellence is recognised by the people who really matter to your business.

Last year’s judging panel included Glenn Evans (Casual Dining Group); Paul Lewis (Prezzo); Peter Sidwell (Simply Food TV); and Lindsey Solomons (NPD Edge).

How to enter

Entering the Chefs’ Choice Awards is easy. You will need to put forward a finished food product that is ambient, chilled, fresh, frozen or part-baked to take part. It costs £475 + VAT for companies with a turnover £5m or more; £285 + VAT for companies with a turnover of less than £5m; and £200 + VAT for companies with a turnover of less than £5m and which are first-time entrants.

The deadline is 11 November. Winners will be announced at a drinks reception at The Shangri-La Hotel at The Shard, London, on Tuesday 3 March.

The benefits of winning

All of the category winners and the highly rated entrants can use – for free – the high-profile logo endorsement supported by a number of William Reed brands. Winning or securing a highly rated standard is an independent validation of a product’s quality and suitability for the foodservice market. The products will gain recognition in market-leading brands Restaurant, The Grocer, The Morning Advertiser, Food Manufacture and Food Spark, supported by William Reed, as well as at the awards ceremony itself.

Success allows companies to stand out and obtain extensive positive marketing exposure to gain new business and to reinforce existing customer relationships.

To enter your product visit chefschoiceawards.co.uk, or call Rebecca George on 01293 610422. The deadline for entries is 11 November.