Nigel is a food & drink broadcaster, BBC London and Scala Radio. He specialises in promoting British ingredients & artisan producers and returns as our Chair of Judges for the Farm Shop & Deli Retailer Awards.

Nigel said: “It continues to be a great honour to chair our fabulous panel of judges and be involved in celebrating the champions of the specialist retail food and drink sector. Alongside the regional accolades, Newcomer of the Year and Retailer of the Year we can highlight the finest retailers across the UK and I’m looking forward to announcing the finalists in early March.”

Elaine is a Yorkshire born former chef-restaurateur turned national food and travel writer and voted one of the Top 50 Food and Drink Journalists in the UK. She writes for many leading food titles, newspapers and websites including BBC Good Food, Spruce Eats and Food 52 and is the author of three books, with her fourth published this year.

Elaine says her primary consideration when judging is that it is imperative to take each entrant judged on their merits and what they do, regardless of size, turnover, large or small.

Matt joined Fieldfare as MD in October 2020 and has a wealth of experience within the food industry, having spent the past twenty years working across confectionery, meals, seafood and bakery.

Matt is extremely proud of the seven awards that Fieldfare bagged at last year’s Farm Shop and Deli Show and he is passionate about the role unique propositions, such as Fieldfare’s loose premium frozen foods, have to play within independent stores. Matt confesses to having a bit of a sweet tooth and Fieldfare chocolate twists are a family favourite in his household. Luckily Matt loves running too!

Lovingly Artisan are our Farm Shop & Deli Retailer of the Year winners and we are thrilled to have husband and wife team, Aidan Monks and Catherine Connor, join our judging panel. Lovingly Artisan is a bakery dedicated to crafting high-quality, handmade bread using traditional techniques and locally sourced ingredients. Founded by Aidan and Catherine, the company emphasises sustainability, innovation, and a passion for the art of baking. Lovingly Artisan aims to connect communities through the joy of exceptional bread, promoting a deep appreciation for artisanal craftsmanship.

"Radley is one of the Directors of award-winning Moseley Farmers’ Market. He joined MFM in 2019 as a passionate supporter. On weekdays, Radley is a TV Producer with the BBC and at weekends he helps to run MFM. Last year MFM celebrated 24 years of proudly running a successful market and also picked up its 4th FARMA ‘Best in UK’ award, the only Farmers’ Market to have won four times. This monthly market has up to 60 stalls and has put Moseley Village firmly on the map, so much so that it was judged ‘Sunday Times Best Place to Live’ in 2015. Due to its FRA accreditation, MFM is guaranteeing quality and locality of fresh produce. With thousands of visitors throughout the year, our little ‘village in a city’ is now a destination of high reputation. Radley proudly now sits on Farm Retail Association Council - bringing all his knowledge & expertise on making the Farmers Market platform better for all FMS’. Including having access to the World Farmers’ Market Coalition"

James and the team behind Cunningham's won both the Best Retailer Northern Ireland (Large) and overall Retailer of the Year in the Farm Shop & Deli Retailer Awards 2023! Cunningham's butchers in Killkeel, Northern Ireland, are a family owned business extending back four generations. 

We are thrilled to have James join us as a Judge for the Retailer Awards 2024. 

With over 30 years’ hospitality management experience Grahame entered the speciality & fine food sector when he and business partner Richard Fennell (now Commercial Director at The Gorgeous Food Company) opened their delicatessen in 2008. Whilst owning the deli, Grahame and Richard were asked by one of their suppliers if they could support them with some wholesale distribution, and the duo started wholesaling tea to cafes, coffee shops and other delicatessens. In 2013 they decided to sell the deli to concentrate on wholesale distribution and The Gorgeous Food Company was born. Ten years later with a range of over 1700 products, The Gorgeous Food Company is going from strength to strength supplying delicatessens, farm shops and independent food stores across the UK.

Eleanor O’Brien, the Managing Director of National Craft Butchers (NCB), joined the organization in 2018, bringing a wealth of experience in operations, retail, and hospitality management. Eleanor was the winner of the Woman in Meat Awards Trade Body category in 2021 and we are thrilled to have her on our judging panel for the Farm Shop & Deli Retailer Awards this year.

Over the last 18 years, Sanjay has helped to source and market fine food and drinks brands into the grocery, speciality, and independent retail channels.  Gaining experience with some well-known premium brands, his biggest passion however comes from connecting new and artisanal brands with independent customers to reach the right audience.  Sanjay is really looking forward to joining the judges panel this year. 

Matt has been involved in the food retail sector for 16 years – Initially as a cheese shop and deli owner and now as the Sales Manager at award winning distributor Cress Co, serving independent fine food retailers in the UK. Matt spends a lot of his spare time in the kitchen fuelling his passion for food and cooking from scratch.

Matt is thrilled to join our panel of judges, leveraging his industry knowledge to recognise and reward innovation, quality, and exceptional service among our amazing farm shops and delis across the UK.

Arthur Howell is a Butcher from Wells-on-Sea, Norfolk. He runs two butcher’s shops in Wells-next-the-Sea and Burnham Market, an abattoir, a wet fish shop, a delicatessen, a bakery unit and shop and he also has a small farm. One of Arthur’s proudest moments came in 2016 when he was named Retailer of the Year at the Farm Shop & Deli Awards. This is his sixth year as a judge with us.

Karen Dear has been with the Craft Bakers Association (CBA) for over 22 years, during which she has held various roles and now manages the day-to-day operations. Karen enjoys working with members, addressing their business issues, and advocating for the craft bakery sector. She is passionate about raising the industry's profile and ensuring its voice is heard in governmental consultations.

John Foster MBE DL DUni, a board director of the Craft Bakers Association, was raised in a family bakery of which he became Managing Director of, in 1990. From here, he expanded the business from retail and catering into a global wholesale bakery. John is an advocate for scratch baking and innovation, often lecturing on bakery business. John has chaired government food industry initiatives, frequently appears on TV and starred in the television series Victorian Bakers. He has an Honorary Doctorate from Sheffield Hallam University, an MBE for services to unemployed people and is a Deputy Lieutenant for South Yorkshire.

Casually known as the Duchess of Doughnuts, Amy is responsible for leading and developing all aspects of British Baker’s editorial coverage, from breaking online news to in-depth features and analyses. She has a decade of experience as a journalist, over six years of which have been spent at British Baker.

A seasoned industry and awards judge Nicki is the co-founder and Director of Diverse Fine Food.

Nicki has spent over 15 years in the F&B industry as a food buyer and has a special interest in great branding, origin and ethics.

Nicki is a has been a Dragon on the Farm, Shop & deli Show's Dragons Pantry for the past 8 years sharing her passion for new producers and insight to help new brands flourish.

Nicki is an experienced judge of several industry awards including Great Taste Awards, Nourish Awards and the Farm Shop & Deli Product Awards. She brings extensive experience from the food & beverage industry with the latest insights and eye for innovation and great taste.

Ian Nottage is a classically trained Chef with over 40 years experience in the foodservice and hospitality industry and a Fellow of the Craft Guild of Chefs. He is Head of Food Development at Fresh Direct where he works with their extensive customer base to forge meaningful links between grower, farmer, producer, manufacturer, chefs and buyers to deliver profitable, relevant and innovative menu solutions and to help develop the understanding and appreciation in the trade about how our produce arrives from field to fork. During his time in professional kitchens Ian held positions as Executive Chef at such prestigious venues as Hampton Court Palace, Stoll Moss theatres and The London Coliseum. He is also co-founder and event director of The Universal Cookery and Food Festival.

Co-Founder & Director at Diverse Fine Food (@diversefinefood), New Zealander, Ironman, Sport Enthusiast, Food Judge, Seed Fund Mentor and always searching for amazing Artisan products!

Mark has a background working for global manufacturers with well know global brands over the past 30 years.

Mark is an experienced judge of several industry awards including Great Taste Awards, Nourish Awards and the Farm Shop & Deli Product Awards. He brings extensive experience from the food & beverage industry with the latest insights and eye for quality and innovation.

John Gill has been involved in selecting, procuring and retailing great food and drink for 15 years with Booths. In this time John has experienced the arrival and emergence of some wonderful food and drink brands and is always keen to support and encourage new and exciting products to market. With a wealth of experience in food and drink awards judging, John can’t wait to get involved again in the Retailer Awards.

Nikki Storrar has successfully run award winning Ardross Farm Shop since it opened in 2005. Starting with just their own beef the shop has grown from strength to strength and now supports hundreds of local producers as well as selling all of their own beef, lamb, mutton, honey and vegetables direct. Nikki is currently a Destination Leader for Scottish Agritourism and is passionate about farming and local food.

Richard is the oldest son of the three Nicholson brothers who run the multi award winning Cannon Hall Farm visitor attraction in Yorkshire. The family farm has played host to Channel 5’s On the Farm TV shows for the past five years. He’s worked in many areas of the business including on the farm, the farm shop and butchery department. Richard is a keen home cook and online food blogger, broadcasting live on Facebook every week on the Cannon Hall Farm Shop Facebook page. He is enthusiastic about promoting the farm shop's quality beef, pork and lamb. A graduate in graphic design and photography, he now spends most of his time in the farm’s marketing department.

Simon Hurley, Managing Director, P2P Food Solutions has written pieces for Fine Food Digest and Speciality Food Magazine and consults for several food brands including Tyrrells Crisps, Australian Wagyu, Silver and Green Olives, Piltons Cider and Granny Gothards Icecream. He also works with a number of local authorities looking at healthy alternatives for their school meals offering.

Claire Mortimer is a co-founder of Fabulous Farm Shops, an extensive online directory featuring farm shops throughout England. The platform's goal is to list every farm shop in the country and has recently expanded efforts to include shops in Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. We are thrilled to have Claire join us on the Farm Shop & Deli Retailer Awards judging panel. 

"Having completed a university degree and not seeking out a desk job I found my way onto the cheese counter at Daylesford Organic in Notting hill and fell in love with the art of cheesemongery.

From this role I joined Mons Cheesemongers and learnt the craft of affinage, how to taste cheese correctly and honed my skills as a cheese specialist as I managed their Borough Market stall for three years. I loved this market and was always enthralled and fascinated by all the good food and products surrounding me on a daily basis but seeking a new challenge during covid I transitioned into a new role as the company's first head of online sales. Here I managed all online related sales as the company launched a national home delivery service.

After a brief foray into teaching in primary education I'm now back in the dairy world as the retail manager of Paxton and Whitfield's flagship shop in the iconic Jermyn Street in Piccadilly, London."