Bloomsbury dominates shortlist for André Simon Food & Drink Book Awards

Bloomsbury dominates the shortlist for this year’s André Simon Food and Drink Book Awards.

This year’s shortlist was chosen by two independent assessors; cook and scholar Fozia Ismail judged the food category while wine writer Matt Walls presided over the drinks category. 

Bloomsbury had three authors nominated on the food shortlist. Breadsong, by Kitty and Al Tait, tells the story of how baking changed the lives of the dad and daughter team behind The Orange Bakery in Oxfordshire. Motherland, by Melissa Thomson, celebrates Jamaican food and the island’s cultural history. Meanwhile Ella Risbridger’s The Year of Miracles is described as “a heartwarming mix of memoir and food writing”.

Joining them in the food category are Jeremy Lee for his book Cooking: Simply and Well, for One or Many (Fourth Estate), Kalpna Woolf for Eat, Share, Love (Meze Publishing), Kate Reid for Lune: Croissants All Day, All Night (Hardie Grant) and Mo Wilde for The Wilderness Cure (Simon & Schuster). 

Ismail said of the shortlist: “It’s been a really difficult decision shortlisting these wonderful books. Many of the shortlisted works have a strong narrative quality that speaks to the emotionally challenging times we live in today, as well as providing inspiring food stories and recipes that give solace, learning and joy. What an achievement for all the authors shortlisted and thank you for such wonderful work!” 

Four nominees appear in the drinks category: Dave Broom with A Sense of Place (Octopus), Andrew Jefford with Drinking with the Valkyries (Academie du Vin Library), Jennifer Regan-Lefebvre with Imperial Wine (University of California Press) and Camper English with The Perfect Tonic (William Collins). 

Walls said of his selection: “After much deliberation, our final drinks shortlist contains four contrasting styles of book, all of which are equally absorbing. Dave Broom’s A Sense of Place transports you to Scotland so vividly you can almost smell the whisky, as he looks at its links to people, place, culture and community. In The Perfect Tonic, Camper English covers the fascinating and peculiar medicinal history of beer, wines, spirits and cocktails with irrepressible flair and wit. In her eye-opening, meticulously-researched Imperial Wine Jennifer Regan-Lefebvre examines how deeply the roots of the international wine trade are embedded in Empire and settler colonialism. And finally, in Drinking with the Valkyries, Andrew Jefford lets us share his wonder of wine through his peerlessly precise use of the English language.” 

The André Simon Food & Drink Book Awards were founded in 1978 to honour the wine merchant and author André Louis Simon. Past winners include Elizabeth David, Michel Roux, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Nigel Slater, Rick Stein, Hugh Johnson and Oz Clarke. 

This year, the winner of each category will receive  £2,000. In addition, there are awards of £1,500 in honour of John Avery and the Special Commendation Award of £1,500 – both of these are at the discretion of the judges. The winners will be announced at an in-person awards ceremony on Tuesday 14th March.