Winners revealed - Suffolk Food and Drink Awards 2024 sponsored by Thomas Ridley

Congratulations to all of the winners and finalists!

We had an amazing night celebrating with the top Suffolk talent at the Suffolk Food and Drink Awards! #SuffolkFADA

The event is organised by Suffolk Magazine and the East Anglian Daily Times and held at Snape Maltings. We were proud to be the headline sponsor, supporting these important awards for our industry.

Here are the winners and finalists. Well done to all.

Best Producer -
Winner - Fen Farm Dairy
Finalists - Heart of Suffolk Distillery, Hill Farm Oils and Marimba World Chocolate.
Sponsored by Hotel Folk.

Front of House Experience -
Winner - The Fox and Goose in Fressingfield
Finalists - The Bell Hotel in Saxmundham, Husk in Thorington and The Lion in East Bergholt.

Food and Drink Retailer of the Year -
Winner - Black Dog Deli Foods in Halesworth
Finalists - Alder Carr Farm in Creeting St Mary, Salter & King in Aldeburgh and the Two Magpies Bakery, originally in Southwold.

Best Newcomer -
Winner - ACRE Farm and Bakery near Woodbridge

Finalists - Husk in Thorington, The Suffolk Jungle Room in Metfield and Wissett and The Wine Cellar in Bury St Edmunds.
Sponsored by Pier.

Chef of the Year -
Winner - Joey O'Hare, Husk in Thorington
Finalists - Ethan Baker, The Bull Inn in Woodbridge, Daniel Russell-Poole, Chef White's Restaurant and Matthew Wyatt, The Fox and Goose in Fressingfield.

Pub/Bar of the Year -
Winner - The White Horse Inn in Badwell Ash.
Finalists - The Bull Inn in Woodbridge, Queen's Bar and Grill in Bury St Edmunds and The Ship Inn in Levington

Restaurant of the Year -
Winner - The Lion in East Bergholt

Finalists - Watson and Walpole in Framlingham, The Maybush in Waldringfield and Ocean Fish Platter in Ipswich.
Sponsored by VENI Partnership.

Best Coffee Shop/Café -
Winner - The Greenhouse Cafe in Felixstowe
Finalists - Chestnut & Rose in Kesgrave, The Suffolk Jungle Room in Metfield and Wissett and Willow Tree Farm Cafe in Glemsford.

Field to Fork -
Winner - Sunshine and Green in Cavendish
Finalists - A Passion for Seafood, near Woodbridge, The Bildeston Crown and Fen Farm Dairy, Bungay.
Sponsored by Suffolk New College.

Food/Drink Experience -
Winner - Husk in Thorington
Finalists - The Bull Inn in Woodbridge, The Food Hub Cookery School in Kenton, and The Lion in East Bergholt.

Outstanding Achievement –

Winner Sam and Clare Fairs at Hill Farm Oils, who we proudly stock at Thomas Ridley.

A few words from our Sales Director, Jon Matthews

We’re passionate about supporting The Suffolk Food and Drink Scene, wherever and however we can!

Suffolk has so much talent to celebrate. From passionate producers, a fine mix of hospitality outlets to hugely talented chefs and foodie entrepreneurs, all doing amazing things.

So, when I heard the awards were coming back, we jumped at the chance to get involved!

And it’s been fantastic to see the entries that we’ve had and to have so much passion and personality on our doorstep, creating exciting dining experiences, which are really putting Suffolk on the map as a foodie destination. And so, I applaud all of the finalists, for making yourselves stand out in this tough process.

For being unique, and for having the same passion for food and produce that I do - and all of us at Thomas Ridley do. And after being a judge myself for two of the awards tonight, I have to add – it was not easy to select a winner!

These awards are, personally, very close to my heart - having supported them in previous years. And, being a Suffolk boy myself, and working in the foodservice industry now for over 35 years, I’m very proud of what we do in our County.