The hunt is on for the county’s hospitality heroes as the 2026 Cumbria Food Awards open for entries.
Restaurateurs, chefs, café owners, producers, pub landlords, takeaway owners, service stars and speciality shop owners are invited to put themselves forward for the much-anticipated awards. Members of the public can nominate their favourite place or food hero for one of the coveted trophies.
The county’s independent awards, held in association with headline sponsor Caterite, are back for the fifth year.
Free to enter and judged by a panel of industry experts, they were established in 2022 to recognise and reward excellence in the county’s hospitality sector.
The 2026 awards are due to take place at Kendal College, one of the country’s leading providers of hospitality training, on Thursday March 12, hosted by TV presenter Chris Bavin, star of the BBC’s Eat Well For Less? and Best Home Cook.
Students from the college will cook and serve canapés for the networking reception, followed by a two-course street food style dinner for 165 finalists, sponsors, judges and special guests.
Chris Bavin will present trophies in 13 competitive categories and three special awards, including the top award for The Dave Myers Cumbrian Food and Drink Hero, sponsored by Caterite and the new Growing Strong Award, supported by associate sponsor The Cumberland.
The 2025 awards attracted more than 1,000 entries and nominations.
Co-organiser Harry Atkinson said: “We’re so happy that we can bring back the Cumbria Food Awards for their fifth year.
“Thanks to our headline sponsor Caterite and all our sponsors and supporters, the awards remain free to enter and are judged by our independent panel of industry experts.
“Our judges want to hear from anyone in the industry who believes they’re worthy of recognition and we also want to hear from everyone in Cumbria about their favourites. Please make sure our judges know about the county’s standout businesses and people by making an entry or nomination.”
How the awards nominations and entries work:
- People are invited to nominate their choices in as many categories as they wish. The awards are not decided by public vote but the nominations will inform the judges’ selection.
- Business owners can enter the appropriate category.
- The nominations and business entries are used to create a long list for the judges’ consideration.
- The long list will be whittled down to a shortlist of three or four finalists for each category, to be announced in January.
- Judging visits and tastings take place before the winners are selected.
Cumbria Food Awards are supported by headline sponsor Caterite, associate sponsor The Cumberland, media partner Cumbria Crack, Kendal College, Booths, Patron Simon Rogan and sponsors.
To enter, visit www.cumbriafoodawards.co.uk
Cumbria Food Awards 2026 categories
The following categories are open for nominations:
- Specialist Food Retailer of the Year – Sponsored by Hawkshead Relish
- Food Producer of the Year – Sponsored by Booths
- Drinks Producer of the Year – Sponsored by Grapevine
- Service of the Year – Sponsored by Academy by Simon Rogan
- Pub, Bar or Taproom of the Year – Sponsored by Herdwick Cottages
- Sustainable Business of the Year
- Casual Dining Venue of the Year – Sponsored by Enterprise Answers
- Takeaway or Street Food Trader of the Year
- New Business of the Year – Sponsored by Thomson Hayton Winkley
- Café of the Year – Sponsored by Cumbria Crack
- Contemporary Restaurant of the Year – Sponsored by Lamont Pridmore
- Chef of the Year – Sponsored by Westmorland Farmshop
- Acclaimed Restaurant of the Year – Sponsored by More? The Artisan Bakery
Special awards
No nominations are sought for these awards
- The Rising Star Award – Sponsored by Kendal College
- The Growing Strong Award – Sponsored by The Cumberland
- The Dave Myers Cumbrian Food and Drink Hero – Sponsored by Caterite
