Winners Announced At Highlands & Islands Food & Drink Awards 2024

5th November 2024

The winners of the Highlands and Islands Food & Drink Awards (HIFAD) 2024 were announced on Friday 1 November at a prestigious ceremony at the Kingsmills Hotel, Inverness.

Supported by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), the awards celebrate the talent, quality and diversity across food, drink and hospitality in the Highlands and Islands.

With a total of 16 award categories recognising a range of diverse businesses from best products to food and drink experiences to outstanding retailers and more, these winners represent some of the best from the region.

Ambassador of the Year, sponsored by Saffery, was awarded to Fraser Campbell from Cobbs Group, and Elliott Sabor from Orrin Restaurant in Elgin, awarded the title of Young Ambassador of the Year, sponsored by Scotland Food & Drink.

Other awards included Best Food & Drink Tourism Experience won by Islay Sea Adventures; Best Drink won by Downpour Coast & Croft Gin from North Uist Distillery; Independent Retailer of the Year, won by Brodie Countryfare near Forres; Restaurant of the Year sponsored by Highland Industrial Supplies won by Flavour on the Isle of Harris; Best Eatery sponsored by Highland News and Media was won by IV10 in Fortrose; and Best Street food went to Lochmaddy Bay Prawns 2GO.

Miele's Gelateria from Inverness took the prize of Primary Producer, sponsored by Salmon Scotland; Best Start Up, sponsored by Be Personnel, was awarded to Oban based Tiny Fish and the Innovation Award, sponsored by Food & Drink TechHUB, went to Hawthorne Dairy, also from Inverness.

The Best Food award, sponsored by Seafood Scotland, went to the Isle of Skye Sea Salt Company; and the Best Marketing Award went to Great Glen Charcuterie. The Supply Chain Award was won by Aquascot Ltd and the Sustainability Award, sponsored by Wester Ross Fisheries went to Threaplands Ltd.

Due to a standout performance, the judges this year awarded a Judges Award to Island Larder in Shetland for their dedication to quality, sustainability, and community engagement and their performance across the board in a number of categories.

The categories were judged by a diverse mix of representatives from bodies including Scotland Food & Drink, IQ International, Salmon Scotland, Wester Ross Fisheries, Food & Drink TechHUB, and Seafood Scotland, Be Personnel, Saffery LLP, Highland Industrial Supplies and Highland News and Media.

Commenting on the awards, Jonathan Farmer from Wester Ross Fisheries, one of this year's judges, said: "It was an absolute pleasure to be involved in the judging process which saw a high level of entries across all categories. Myself, and my fellow judges really had our work out to select the winners, as many categories were very tight and hard fought. We hope we have done everyone who entered justice in our decisions."

Chair of the judging panel, Laura Robertson from Highlands and Islands Enterprise, said: "Huge congratulations to all the winners and finalists. It is fantastic to see the passion and commitment each and every one of you puts into this sector and we hope this recognition will help your businesses continue to grow and flourish."

Yvonne Crook, the 2023 HIFAD Ambassador of the Year, Founder of Good Highland Food and Executive Chair of Highland Tourism CIC, was a member of the Steering Committee for HIFAD 2024. She said: “Well done everyone on another successful HIFAD Awards! Along with being a really enjoyable occasion, with a delicious meal showcasing the amazing produce of this region, the HIFAD Awards Ceremony is a fantastic networking and learning opportunity for all involved. Our thanks go to everyone who attended, indeed everyone who took the time to enter these awards, along with the organisers, sponsors and judges, and to the Kingsmills Hotel for laying on such as a warm welcome.”

Commenting on his Ambassador of the Year Award, Fraser Campbell, from Cobbs Group, said: “Having been involved with the hospitality sector all of my working life, I am honoured and delighted to have been named an ambassador in these prestigious awards. Already heavily involved in mentoring young people in the industry, I am sure that the profile achieved by winning this award will enable me to not only continue this, but take it to a new level. I am absolutely committed to bringing the next generation through, especially as the past few years have been so challenging for our sector.”

“I'd like to thank the HIFAD judges for recognising me in this way. My family and I had a fantastic night at the awards ceremony, catching up with many friends from the industry, together with forging new connections. I'd like to say a huge well done to all the winners, and everyone who entered, whether shortlisted or not. We have so much to celebrate in this part of Scotland, with our fantastic local produce, our innovation, and our committed work ethic. It all combines to drive us forward, and long may that continue!.”

Read more here - www.hifoodanddrinkawards.com