Devon's best places to eat and drink step into the spotlight
A prestigious awards honouring the very best food and drink Devon has to offer is now open for entries for 2025. The Food Drink Devon Awards celebrate the county's top food and drink producers as well as hospitality and retail establishments.
This year judges will be looking for winners in categories including food product of the year, drink product of the year, best new food and best new drink. The Devon Wine of the Year award is also returning to shine a spotlight on wines grown, produced and bottled in Devon.
Retail awards will include nest large retailer, best small retailer and best online retailer. In hospitality, firms will be battling it out in categories ranging from chef of the year to best restaurant, best hotel restaurant, best pub and best takeaway or street food. Judges also want to find Devon's best bar, new for 2025 and created to champion Devon's drink-led venues.
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Every entrant into the awards will have the chance to win a bronze, silver, gold or platinum award. Platinum awards represent a perfect score of 100%, gold awards recognise scores of 90-99%, silver 80-89% and bronze 70-79%.
Greg Parsons, chair of Food Drink Devon, said: "Over the past 13 years, the Food Drink Devon Awards has continued to grow and thrive and its success reflects the incredible passion and dedication within our region for producing outstanding food and drink. We’re proud that our awards celebrate the producers, retailers and hospitality establishments who are making a real difference in the county, nationwide and also internationally to the food and drink sector."
Judging is carried out by a panel of "independent and unbiased experts" including a number of celebrated names from the region. Judging is conducted blind, with all product labels obscured and hospitality and retail judging taking place anonymously.
Results will then be verified by an independent adjudicator, with entrants receiving a feedback report they can use to help their business grow.
Food Drink Devon is also launched its first consumer awards later this year. They will be voted for by members of the public, giving people the chance to vote for their favourite hospitality venue, community project as well as food and drink products.
Food Drink Devon Awards 2025 categories in full
Best Training School
Sustainability Pioneer Award
Producer Awards - for individual items
Food Product of the Year
Drink Product of the Year
New Food Product of the Year
New Drink Product of the Year
Devon Wine of the Year - selected from wine entries into Drink Product of the Year award
Hospitality Awards - restaurants, hotels, cafés, bistros, pubs, bars, takeaways and street food
Chef of the Year
Best Fine Dining Restaurant
Best Restaurant
Best Hotel Restaurant
Best Pub’ (food-led)
Best Bar’ (wet-led)
Best Café
Best Takeaway or Street Food
Retailer Awards - food and drink shops
Best Large Retailer
Best Small Retailer
Best Online Retailer
How to enter
Applications are open to both Food Drink Devon members and non-members and close on Monday, March 31. The winners will be revealed at an awards ceremony in October.
For further information about the awards visit https://members.fooddrinkdevon.co.uk/awards/