Hardie Grant triumphs at André Simon Food & Drink Book Awards

Sydney chef Josh Niland and "Chef‚Äôs Table" presenter Musa Daƒüdeviren were among those honoured at the André Simon Food & Drink Book Awards, which saw publisher Hardie Grant Books triumph with two awards.

The awards, now in their 41st year, showcase the best of contemporary food and drink writing. The ceremony took place on Monday (20th January) at the Goring Hotel in London. The judging panel was guided by this year’s independent assessors: award-winning author Niki Segnit for the food books and wine expert Dan Jago for the drink titles.

Josh Niland‚Äôs The Whole Fish Cookbook (Hardie Grant Books) won the 2019 Food Award. "In this book Sydney‚Äôs ground-breaking seafood chef Josh Niland reveals an original way to think about all aspects of fish cookery for every skill level,” organisers said. Segnit said: “Josh Niland applies nose-to-tail principles to seafood. This remarkably creative and surprising book encourages us to waste less seafood by making meat-inspired dishes, like fish black pudding, marlin ham and sea-trout Wellington. An instant classic."

Former "MasterChef" champion Tim Anderson won the John Avery Award for Tokyo Stories (Hardie Grant Books). Anderson takes inspiration from the chefs, shopkeepers, and home cooks of Tokyo to showcase traditional and cutting-edge takes on classic dishes such as sushi and tempura. "Tokyo Stories takes us from street level to the summits of Tokyo cuisine," Segnit said. "A fun and uplifting read."

Special Commendation went to Musa Dağdeviren for The Turkish Cookbook (Phaidon Press), which celebrates the diversity of authentic Turkish cuisine, with 550 recipes that explore the country’s European and Asian culinary heritage. The book’s author is Turkey’s most acclaimed chef and featured in the latest series of the Netflix show "Chef’s Table". He also runs three restaurants in the heart of Istanbul. Segnit deemd it a "vast, bejewelled box of Turkish delights".

Meanwhile The World Atlas of Wine 8th edition (Mitchell Beazley) by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson won the Drink Award. To reflect all the changes in the global wine scene over the past six years, the atlas has grown to 416 pages and 22 new maps have been added to the wealth of cartography in the book. The text has been given a complete overhaul to address the topics of most vital interest to today’s winegrowers and drinkers.

Dago said: "With superior writing, detailed cartography and fine photography, it has always been recognised by the wine trade and critics alike as the essential and most authoritative wine reference work; it is totally deserving of this recognition, especially in Hugh’s 80th year, and his 60th year of wine writing."

André Louis Simon was a major figure in the English wine trade for almost the entire first half of the 20th century, wrote 104 books and was one of London's leading champagne shippers. The André Simon Memorial Fund was set up in 1972.