Shortlists revealed for the Manchester Food & Drink Festival Awards 2022

The MFDF awards are back for 2022, showcasing Manchester’s diverse food and drink scene...

By Manchester's Finest | 28 July 2022

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The Manchester Food and Drink Festival has today announced the shortlists for its 2022 Awards. There are 113 nominees shortlisted across 16 award categories, including the brand new Great Service Award. This year’s MFDF Awards are sponsored for the first time by Bruntwood.

2022’s shortlist reflects another extraordinary year for the city’s thriving hospitality industry. As the city continues its post-COVID recovery, the awards showcasing Manchester’s dining and drinking scene are back and bigger than ever for Manchester Food and Drink Festival’s 25th Anniversary. As always, the awards intend to highlight as many excellent food and drink businesses and talented hospitality professionals as possible.

This year, the winners will be decided by both the public and a judging panel of Manchester hospitality experts. For the public awards, the city’s food and drinks fans can vote for their hospitality heroes via the MFDF website.

Some of the categories will be decided entirely by public vote this year, with some made up from the public votes alongside a mystery shopping visit from one of the judging panel. The Independent Drinks Producer of the Year and the Independent Food Producer of the Year Awards will also be judged by a panel taste test.

All the shortlists have been compiled by the MFDF judging panel, consisting of the region’s leading food and drink critics, writers and experts.  Businesses were able to self-nominate for their chance to gain a spot on the shortlist and the categories have been carefully considered and curated with an absolute passion for the city’s industry at their heart.

Voting for the awards is now open and the winners will be announced at the MFDF Gala Dinner and Awards sponsored by Bruntwood and taking place at Escape to Freight Island on 26th September.

Alexa Stratton-Powell, Director of MFDF said: “This is an incredible list of brilliant businesses that we are proud to celebrate. As we look forward to our 25th year it’s all about the talent that has shaped this last quarter century and made the city’s food scene the world-class destination that it is today. Please get involved, vote for your favourites and visit the amazing venues on the shortlist for yourselves!”

Charlotte Wild, Head of Retail & Leisure at Bruntwood commented: “We’re proud to become headline sponsor for these important awards. Manchester’s hospitality scene is phenomenal and the industry is absolutely central to our vision of creating thriving cities. We’re excited to celebrate 25 years of the Manchester Food and Drink Festival this Autumn, alongside all the talented nominees and winners at the Awards on 26th September. Congratulations to all those shortlisted!”

Vote for the Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards here…

Vote Now

The closing date for votes is 16th September 2022

The 2022 Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards Nominations

PLANT BASED OFFERING OF THE YEAR

  • Four Side Pizza
  • Herbivorous
  • Otto Vegan Empire
  • Ruyi Chorlton
  • Sanskruti
  • The Walled Garden
  • Wholesome Junkies

INDEPENDENT DRINKS PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

  • Bundobust Brewery
  • Cloudwater
  • Hip Pop
  • Into the Gathering Dusk
  • Stockport Gin
  • Steep Soda
  • Track Brewing

 

INDEPENDENT FOOD PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

  • Dormouse Chocolates
  • Great North Pie Co
  • Holy Grain
  • La Choquette
  • Long Boi’s Bakehouse
  • Polyspore
  • Yellowhammer

Polyspore

FOODIE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF THE YEAR

  • Ancoats
  • Chapel Street, Salford
  • Monton
  • Prestwich
  • Ramsbottom
  • Sale
  • Stockport

 

COFFEE SHOP OF THE YEAR

  • Cafe Sanjuan
  • Factory Coffee
  • Grind and Tamp
  • Grapefruit
  • Just Between Friends
  • Station South
  • Pollen

 

FOOD TRADER OF THE YEAR

  • Burgerism
  • House of Habesha
  • The Little Sri Lankan
  • Lovingly Artisan
  • Mira
  • New Wave Ramen
  • Pico’s Tacos

Burgerism

AFFORDABLE EATS VENUE OF THE YEAR

  • Aunty Ji’s
  • Bahn Mi Co Ba
  • Cafe Sanjuan
  • Levenshulme Bakery
  • Go Falafel
  • Mama Flo’s
  • Salt & Pepper MCR

 

POP-UP OR PROJECT OF THE YEAR

  • Platt Fields Market Garden
  • Sao Paulo
  • Suppher
  • Eat Well Spring Festival
  • Bungalow at Kampus
  • Heart and Parcel
  • Foodie Friday

 

PUB OR BEER BAR OF THE YEAR

  • Bridge Beers, Staylbridge
  • Heaton Hops
  • House of Hops
  • The Kings Arms
  • Nordie
  • Track Taproom
  • Station Hop

 

The Kings Arms

BAR OF THE YEAR

  • Blinker Bar
  • Flawd
  • Henry C
  • Ramona
  • Schofield’s Bar
  • Speak in Code
  • 10 Tib Lane

 

NEIGHBOURHOOD VENUE OF THE YEAR

  • Baratuxi Bar
  • Bar San Juan
  • The Easy Fish Co.
  • Nilas Burmese Kitchen
  • Ornellas Kitchen
  • Osma
  • The Perfect Match

 

FOOD AND DRINK RETAILER OF THE YEAR

  • Ad Hoc
  • Chorlton Cheesemongers
  • Hello Oriental
  • Coopers Lets Fress Deli
  • Le Social
  • Out of the Blue
  • Wandering Palate

 

Nila's Burmese Cafe

GREAT SERVICE AWARD

  • Bull & Bear
  • Dishoom
  • Hawksmoor
  • Flawd
  • Schofield’s Bar
  • Speak in Code
  • 10 Tib Lane

 

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

  • Another Hand
  • The Alan
  • The Black Friar
  • Bundobust
  • Flawd
  • Yellowhammer
  • 10 Tib Lane

CHEF OF THE YEAR

  • Caroline Martins
  • Eddie Shepherd
  • Joseph Otway
  • Sam Buckley
  • Patrick Withington
  • Adam Reid
  • Julian Pizer

Eddie Shepherd

RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR

  • 10 Tib Lane
  • Erst
  • The Sparrows
  • Another Hand
  • Mana
  • Where the Light Gets In
  • The Firehouse

Vote for the Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards here…

Vote Now

The closing date for votes is 16th September 2022