Spanish chef José Pizarro, two-Michelin-starred Tom Kerridge and Raymond Blanc protégée Ollie Dabbous were among the big winners at the inaugural Food and Travel Reader Awards – of which Just a Drop was a beneficiary – held at The Royal Automobile Club on London’s Pall Mall on 3rd September.

In total 29 awards were handed out during a glittering evening hosted by comedian Simon Evans, with categories ranging from Hotel of the Year to Restaurant of the Year – the latter won by a jubilant José Pizarro for Pizarro. Crowd favourite Kerridge picked up Chef of the Year while Dabbous won Breakthrough Chef of the Year. Others honoured on the night included Istanbul, which picked up Destination of the Year, Gidleigh Park (Hotel of the Year), Singapore Airlines (Airline of the Year), Viking River Cruises (Cruise Line of the Year), The Ginger Pig (Specialist Retailer of the Year) and Ashburton Cookery School (Cookery School of the Year).

“More than 20,000 votes were cast by our readers to nominate the best of the best across the food and travel industries and so we have thoroughly deserved winners,” said Alex Mead, editor of Food and Travel. “It really was a celebration of some incredible people, places and companies and to have a menu created by Fergus Henderson, Angela Hartnett and Anthony Demetre made it even more special for everyone who attended.”

The awards coincided with the magazine’s 150th issue and as such attracted a stellar cast of chefs including Wolfgang Puck, Alan Murchison, Fergus and Margot Henderson, Anthony Demetre, Will Holland, plus award winners Michael Caines, Tom Kerridge, Ollie Dabbous and José Pizarro.

Our thanks to everyone who participated in the raffle, which raised a fantastic £1,721 for Just a Drop!