‘Food Oscars’ sees record 5,000 nominations as finalists revealed for Marketing Derby Food and Drink Awards

Winners will be revealed at an awards ceremony at The Chocolate Factory on 9 October

The wait is nearly over for eateries who have been eagerly anticipating the shortlist announcement for this year’s Marketing Derby Food and Drink Awards, widely considered to be the ‘Food Oscars’ of the city.

Marketing Derby Food and Drink Awards is a popular event in the calendar of Derby’s hospitality contenders - here are the delighted winners from last year | Cactus Images

placeholder image — Marketing Derby Food and Drink Awards is a popular event in the calendar of Derby’s hospitality contenders - here are the delighted winners from last year | Cactus Images

More than 5,000 nominations came flooding in, which celebrate the very best places to eat and drink in the great city of Derby and beyond.

The judges have now whittled these down and decided on their shortlists.

Winners will be revealed at an awards ceremony, which is set to take place at The Chocolate Factory on Monday, 9 October.

The awards are made up of 12 categories including the coveted Restaurant of the Year title.

John Forkin, managing director of Marketing Derby, said: “The Marketing Derby Food and Drink Awards are celebrating their 15th anniversary – and, fittingly, this year we received a record 5,000-plus nominations.

“This made creating the shortlists a particularly tough task – but has resulted in a collection of high-quality finalists who really do demonstrate that Derby is home to some truly outstanding places to eat and drink.

“The judges now have the not-so-onerous task of visiting these establishments and choosing their winners.

“We hope as many people as possible can join us for the awards night and witness them being crowned.”

Nominations were received from members of the public, business leaders and food and drink establishment owners.

To celebrate the landmark of Marketing Derby Food and Drink Awards celebrating its 15th birthday, a special Anniversary Award will be presented to the establishment which has shown consistent excellence.

Partners for the awards include Derbion, Denby Pottery, Royal Crown Derby and more.

Representatives from each partner will judge their category, which involves ‘mystery shopping’ at all three finalists and scoring against defined criteria.

Here is the full list of shortlisted finalists for 2023.