The FreeFrom Food Awards – the party!

Well, it all happened – indeed it all went off with a great swing – buffet included, as you can see. A touch chaotic with Marble Mo-winning Lemon coconut ices nestling up to the award-winning tamari and two of the four award-winning-gluten-free pastas, but very much enjoyed by all.

And if I am somewhat tardy on reporting on it, I apologise, but the last few days have been crammed to the eyeballs with photos, video editing, sending out certificates and logos, dealing with press queries etc etc etc…

There is a full report of the event on the awards site from Twitter-king Alex plus the text of the presentation speech with all kinds of exciting plans for next year and, of course – all of the winners! Not to mention a video of short interviews with all the very excited winners…. Check in to the awards home page for the link.

The high point of the evening was, as always, the free gluten-free beer and, this year, sulphite-free wine, bar…

Other high points were Pig and Co’s dash for the podium… They were quite convinced that they had not won as they had read all about the buffet on the blog. Since their sausages are only available from their site and they knew that we had not ordered any, there was obviously no way that they could have won!!  The whoops that accompanied their dash for the podium had the whole room in stitches!!

Equally delightful were Indian Coeliac’s Inder Hira and her husband, also a very new, young company, very excited to have won an award. Not that small companies had it all their own way by a long chalk.

Sainsbury’s picked up two wins and Tesco and Waitrose one each, as did Doves Farm, Riso Gallo, Pizza Hut and Orgran while Warburtons new gluten-free Newburn Bakery, Provamel, Yes! You Can, Fria, DS Gluten-free and Amy’s Kitchen collected a slew of Highly commendeds between them.

However, the ‘gong of the evening’, Marble Mo, went to the delightful Emma Johnson, collecting him from Antony WT on behalf of Steve Bessant and Ian Drury, founders of the very successful Bessant and Drury, who were away on holiday. Do check in to the winners video on the site to see her kissing her ‘food Oscar’!! Here she is receiving Marble Mo from Antony.

 

But… I hear you ask…. What of velvety svelte Cressida and  Anna Belinda’s over-strained waist line?…. Well, I have to report that Cressida did look extremely svelte in her devoré velvet. Here she is talking about next year’s awards with Marble Mo by her side –  with Anna Belinda and I standing in the background. And please note that we do not look in the least strained! Indeed, thanks to a grumbling tooth for a week before the party, I had been on an enforced diet so, in the event, the waist-line was not an issue!!