The winners of the 14th annual Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards were announced last night at The Royal Exchange in London, with spirits writers prominent among the winners.

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At the Andi Oliver and Angela Hartnett-hosted ceremony, Joel Harrison (pictured) won Drink Writer of the Year, for pieces on hotel bars and peated scotch whisky.

Tristan Stephenson won Drink Book for The Curious Bartender’s Agave Safari, while Debut Drink Book went to Millie Milliken for Tequila: A Tasting Course.

Hamish Smith, one of Fortnum’s drinks writer judges for 2026 (alongside beer writer Johnny Garret and wine writer Tamlyn Currin) and last year’s Drink Writer of the Year, said: “Spirits writing – which has historically played second fiddle to wine – has never been stronger than it is right now.

“Through the lens of the ancient art of distillation, the best spirits writing tells untold stories and brings culture to life."

The winners of all the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards categories are listed below.

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FORTNUM & MASON FOOD AND DRINK AWARDS 2026 WINNERS

FOOD BOOK

WINNER: All Consuming: Why We Eat the Way We Eat Now by Ruby Tandoh (Serpent’s Tail, Profile)

SHORTLIST: Food Fight: From Plunder and Profit to People and Planet by Stuart Gillespie (Canongate)

SHORTLIST: The Heart-Shaped Tin by Bee Wilson (Fourth Estate)

DEBUT FOOD BOOK

WINNER: Foreign Fruit: A Personal History of the Orange by Katie Goh (Canongate)

SHORTLIST: Bread & War by Felicity Spector (Duckworth Books)

SHORTLIST: An A-Z of Chinese Food (Recipes Not Included) by Jenny Lau (Renegade Books, John Murray Group)

COOKERY BOOK

WINNER: Indian Kitchens by Roopa Gulati (Bloomsbury)

SHORTLIST: Lugma by Noor Murad (Quadrille)

SHORTLIST: The Irish Kitchen by Cherie Denham and Andrew Montgomery (Montgomery Press)

SHORTLIST: The Japanese Pantry by Emiko Davies (Smith Street Books)

DEBUT COOKERY BOOK

WINNER: The Sudanese Kitchen by Omer Al Tijani (Almas Art Foundation)

SHORTLIST: FERMENT: A Cookbook by Kenji Morimoto (One Boat, Pan Macmillan)

SHORTLIST: Silk Roads by Anna Ansari (DK)

DRINK BOOK

WINNER: The Curious Bartender’s Agave Safari by Tristan Stephenson (Ryland Peters & Small)

SHORTLIST: Filthy Queens: A History of Beer in Ireland by Dr Christina Wade (Nine Bean Rows)

SHORTLIST: The Madrusan Cocktail Companion by Michael and Zara Madrusan (Murdoch Books)

DEBUT DRINK BOOK

WINNER: Tequila: A Tasting Course by Millie Milliken (DK)

SHORTLIST: The Cynic’s Guide to Wine by Sunny Hodge (Académie du Vin Library)

SHORTLIST: Thirsty by Tom Gilbey (Square Peg)

FOOD WRITER

WINNER: Yemisí Aríbisálà for work in Vittles and Scribehound Food

SHORTLIST: James Morton for work in Scribehound Food

SHORTLIST: Safiya Robinson for work in Chicken + Bread Zine and Sisterwoman

COOKERY WRITER

WINNER: Nick Bramham for work in Vittles

SHORTLIST: Jay Rayner for work in FT Weekend Magazine

SHORTLIST: Olivia Potts for work in The Spectator

DRINK WRITER

WINNER: Joel Harrison for work in Club Oenologique

SHORTLIST: Imran Rahman-Jones for work in Eaten Magazine and Pellicle Magazine

SHORTLIST: Kristiane Westray for work in Whisky Magazine and Club Oenologique

RESTAURANT WRITER

WINNER: Joanna Taylor for work in Foodism and The Telegraph

SHORTLIST: David Ellis for work in The London Standard

SHORTLIST: Tim Hayward for work in FT Weekend Magazine

PROGRAMME

WINNER: Hebridean Baker: Nordic Islands

SHORTLIST: Jeremy Pang’s Hong Kong Kitchen

SHORTLIST: Mr Lyan’s Taste Trips: Japan

AUDIO

WINNER: The Food Chain: A Place at the Table: Fostering and Adoption, BBC World Service

SHORTLIST: The Food Foundation Podcast: 10th Anniversary

SHORTLIST: The Kitchen Cabinet, Sony Music Podcasts

PHOTOGRAPHER - presented in partnership with the World Food Photography Awards, sponsored by Tenderstem® - judged by Caroline Kenyon, founder of the WFPA; Eliza Williams, editor of Creative Review; and Ange Loftus, Head of Brand and Creative Production at Fortnum & Mason

WINNER: Kim Lightbody

SHORTLIST: Robert Billington

SHORTLIST: Ruth Calder-Potts

FORTNUM’S IMPACT AWARD - celebrating individuals and organisations making a transformative and positive contribution to the world of food and drink in the UK - judged by Mallika Basu, chef and author; Maria Bradford, writer and board adviser in food, drink and hospitality and Tom Athron, CEO of Fortnum & Mason

WINNER: Food Behind Bars

FORTNUM’S SPECIAL AWARD

WINNER: Sheila Dillon

Voted for by the public:

CONTENT CREATOR OF THE YEAR

WINNER: Ash Baber @ash_baber

RISING STAR CONTENT CREATOR OF THE YEAR

WINNER: Luke Flunder @luke_flunders_wine_world