Awards 2024
In 1972, soon after the death of André Simon, the André Simon Memorial Fund was set up. It was started as a charitable fund by a group of people who felt that the memory of André Simon should be perpetuated. One objective of the Fund is to benefit the public generally in the fields of food and drink, and one of the ways in which the Fund meets this objective is through its Book Awards.The first two Awards were given to Elizabeth David and Rosemary Hume for their outstanding contribution in the field of food and cooking.
THE 2024 FOOD AND DRINK BOOK AWARDS
The Trustees of the André Simon Memorial Fund are delighted to announce that they will make awards to the winning authors of new works published in 2024.Entries can be published in any part of the world, the only stipulation is that they are published in 2024 and in the English language.
There are two categories for entry:FOOD
WINE, DRINKS and BEVERAGES
For the winner of each category there will be an award of £2000. In addition there will be an award of £1500 in honour of John Avery and the Special Commendation Award of £1500 - both of these are at the discretion of the judges.
The main criteria against which the works are judged are:
- The work shall contain a substantial proportion of original research and not simply be a re-arrangement of existing material.
- Great importance will be attached to the educational value of the work.
- The books chosen are likely to be ones that are pleasurable to read and not just professional text books.
- The book should be well produced.
The Special Commendation will be awarded to one of the short-listed books in either the food or drink category. The book may be on a specific subject considered too specialised for the main award. It may also be a book with a limited life such as a guide or similar book. The John Avery Award is in the gift of the trustees.
When judging the books the Trustees have the help and advice of two independent assessors. In 2024 Lennie Ware has kindly agreed to assess the food books and Dawn Davies will assess the drink books.
Judging will be in the hands of the Trustees. The Trustees' decision will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
Authors/Publishers who wish to submit a book for consideration should forward a copy to the Chairman, to each of the Trustees, to the Secretary of the Fund, and to the Assessor for the category in which the book is entered. All the names and addresses for the books will be forwarded on request to Katie Lander katie@andresimon.co.uk. An entry form should be completed for each book and sent to Katie either with the book or via email.
It is requested that a copy of each short-listed book is donated to the André Simon Library at the Guildhall.
Closing date for submissions is, 22 November 2024. In order to give the Trustees and Assessors time to assess the books properly it is requested that the books are submitted as early as practical and, if possible, well before the closing date.
The long list will be announced in early December 2024 followed by a short list at the end of January 2025. The awards will be presented toward the end of March 2025.
Food Assessor Lennie Ware.
This year, we are delighted to welcome Lennie Ware as the assessor for the food books. Lennie is co-host of the award-winning podcast 'Table Manners' alongside her daughter, singer-songwriter Jessie Ware. Hilarious and hugely lovable, Table Manners has hit over 8 million listens since launching in 2017 and is consistently rated the most popular arts and food podcast in the UK, featuring A-list celebrities including Cher, Ed Sheeran, and Kylie Minogue. In 2020, the mother-daughter team published 'Table Manners: The Cookbook'. Filled with recipes made for celebrities on the Table Manners podcast, the book was well-received, with The Telegraph deeming it "damned good food."
Drink Assessor Dawn Davies.
Dawn Davies will be in charge of assessing the drink books for 2024. Dawn has worked as a Head Sommelier at some of London's top restaurants, including Zuma, Boxwood Café and The Ledbury, which she previously managed. In 2007, Dawn left restaurants to join Selfridges as their Head Wine and Spirits buyer, establishing it as one of the top award-winning wine and spirit outlets in the UK. In 2014, Dawn won the Julian Brind Memorial Trophy for Outstanding Achievement in the Wine Industry. In 2015, she achieved her Master of Wine and joined Speciality Drinks as their head buyer, where she works with brands to launch new, quirky and interesting products, predicting the next big trends in the drink industry.