Calling all the dreamers, the disruptors, the crazy geniuses, the misfits of food tech who are not afraid to try something new – it’s your time to shine at last!
New for 2017, The FoodTalk Show has launched a very special awards programme to celebrate the amazing innovation going on right here in the UK. Would you like to:
- Win a shiny award for the mantelpiece?
- Earn brilliant exposure on an internationally syndicated radio show?
- Feel really good because your fabulous work is being recognised?
Yes? Great, then read on…
Broadcasting weekly online, The FoodTalk Show has hosted some of the most innovative, visionary and downright bonkers figures in food tech. We’ve had the privilege of seeing what’s going on in the sector right now and our presenters’ taste buds have worked overtime as they’ve sampled the food, drink and technology that is shaping the future of dining. And you know what? The future tastes good!
So it’s only fair that you food tech heroes get the recognition – and glittering trophies – you richly deserve.
If your business is based in the UK, been trading at least a year and is doing something new and exciting in the food tech sector, you’re just what we’re looking for. Tell us why you’re a winner and you could be joining us for our glitzy awards ceremony at London’s Oxo Tower on 12 June, as part of London Tech Week. Tuxedos at the ready…
Show founder and presenter Sue Nelson is a published food writer, Leader of Tech London Advocates Food Tech Working Group and former CEO of NW Fine Foods. She’s also, to be honest, a bit of a gannet. After months of filling her face, she decided it was high time to shake up the awards scene, just as her guests had shaken up the world of food tech.
“One day I thought, ‘Why isn’t anyone handing out gongs to these utterly brilliant people?’” Sue said, between mouthfuls of gluten-free Bakewell Tart. “I mean, people who make cheese and chutneys are getting awards all the time. I love all food and I totally support the idea that superb traditional foods should be applauded. But what about the people who are pushing the boundaries and taking food forward? And what about the technology that’s actually changing the way we live and cook?
“Whether they’re innovating in the free-from market or making our kitchens smarter than we are, these are the ones who are truly breaking the jelly mould.”
Award categories include:
- It’s All In The Taste – unusual and delicious flavour combinations;
- Free-From Pioneer – food or drink products that taste great without allergens;
- Gourmet Guerrilla – cleaner or healthier options in factory-produced food;
- What’s In Store – smart gadgets and tech that rock our world;
- Outside The Box – packaging that’s more than just a pretty parcel;
- The Fabulous Fanny Award for Food Writing – our tribute to a culinary queen!
We’ll also have a very special award for the products that look completely bonkers on paper but are, in reality, smashing it out of the park. Plus, some short-listed entries will have the chance to garner audience votes on the night to win the coveted Big Apple Award.
If you win, you don’t just get a snazzy trophy to stick in the downstairs loo. We really believe in giving meaningful rewards in return for your game-changing innovation. So, the winners of each category will be featured in an hour-long The FoodTalk Show special, to be recorded and broadcast in 2017. Going out live online at 4pm every Thursday, The FoodTalk Show is also available as a podcast on iTunes and the Podcast app. Plus, it’s syndicated to ravenous foodies in Malta and the USA, so that’s one heck of a hungry audience just waiting to hear about your award-winning product.
“If you’re doing exciting things in food tech, you need to enter these awards,” Sue said. “Just by making it to the shortlist, you’ll be putting your product in front of influential food industry figures and journalists. And don’t you deserve that?”
Entries open on 7 March, so don’t forget to enter for your chance to win big. You can find further information and download the application form at www.foodtalkawards.com
Follow us on Twitter @foodtalkshow and tune into the show at 4pm every Thursday via www.foodtalkshow.co.uk or download the podcast for all the latest news.
Although the awards are open to businesses from all over the UK, the ceremony will be held at London’s iconic Oxo Tower for a very good reason. And no, it’s not because it’s got gravy on the top.
For millennia, London has literally been at the centre of Britain’s food business and that shows no sign of changing. These days, the city is a world leader in food tech and in her role as Leader of Tech London Advocates Food Tech Working Group, Sue is determined to have London recognised as the most innovative capital on the planet.
“From the day a Roman first throttled a chicken on the streets of Londinium, our city has been at the beating heart of Britain’s food and drink supply system,” Sue said. “As the global food landscape has changed, we no longer have herds of cattle marching down Cowcross Street but London’s food focus has simply moved on. Now we’re creating the food of the future, so we need to let the world know just how much we’re contributing to the food tech sector.
“Aptly enough, the awards ceremony venue has fabulous views of the Thames, plus the food and drink’s going to be epic – not your usual ‘meat and two veg’ awards fare – so there really is no excuse to not be there.”
Entries close at midnight on 7 April 2017, so don’t delay, enter today!
The FoodTalk Awards 2017 is run in partnership with Tech London Advocates Food Tech Working Group and is a London Tech Week event.