The winners of the 2024 Highlands and Islands Food & Drink Awards (HIFAD) were announced last night (Friday 1 November) at a prestigious ceremony at the Kingsmills Hotel in Inverness.

Supported by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the awards celebrate the talent, quality and diversity of food, drink and hospitality in the Highlands and Islands.

With a total of 16 award categories recognizing a range of diverse businesses, from Best Products to Culinary Experiences to Outstanding Retailers and much more, these winners represent some of the region’s best.

Ambassador of the Year, sponsored by Saffery, was awarded to Fraser Campbell of the Cobbs Group, and Elliott Sabor of Orrin Restaurant in Elgin, was awarded Young Ambassador of the Year, sponsored by Scotland Food & Drink.

Gelateria Miele from Inverness won the primary producer award and the innovation award went to Hawthorne Dairy, also from Inverness.

The Best Marketing award went to Great Glen Charcuterie.

The full list of winners is as follows:

Best drink

North Uist Distillery – Downpour Coast and Croft Gin

Best Restaurant Award

IV10

Best Gastronomic Tourist Experience

Islay Sea Adventures

Best Sponsored Food

Isle of Skye Sea Salt Company

Best Street Food Award

Lochmaddy Bay Prawns 2GO

Independent Retailer of the Year Award

Brodie Countryfare

Innovation Award

Hawthorne Dairy

Best Marketing Award

Great Glen Charcuterie

Best start-up

Tiny Fish Ltd

Primary Producer Price

Miele Gelateria

Restaurant of the year

Flavor

Supply Chain Company Awards

Aquascot Ltd

Sustainability Award

Thraplans Ltd

Young Ambassador of the Year

Elliott Sabor, Restaurant Orrin

Judges’ Awards

Island Pantry

Ambassador of the Year Award

Fraser Campbell, Cobbs Group

The categories were judged by a diverse mix of representatives from organizations including Scotland Food & Drink, IQ International, Salmon Scotland, Wester Ross Fisheries, Food & Drink TechHUB and Seafood Scotland, Be Personnel, Saffery LLP, Highland Industrial Supplies and Highland News and Media.

Commenting on the awards, Jonathan Farmer of Wester Ross Fisheries, one of this year’s judges, said: “It was an absolute pleasure to be part of the judging process which saw a high standard of entries across all categories.

“Myself and my fellow judges really worked hard to select the winners, as many of the categories were very close and hard-fought. We hope that we have done justice to all those who have taken legal action in our decisions.

Chair of the judging panel, Laura Robertson from Highlands and Islands Enterprise, said: “Huge congratulations to all the winners and finalists. It’s fantastic to see the passion and commitment each of you have in this sector and we hope this recognition helps your businesses continue to grow and prosper.

Yvonne Crook, HIFAD 2023 Ambassador of the Year, founder of Good Highland Food and Executive Chair of Highland Tourism CIC, was a member of the HIFAD 2024 Steering Committee.

She said: “Congratulations to everyone for this new success of the HIFAD Awards! As well as being a truly enjoyable occasion, with a delicious meal showcasing the incredible produce of this region, the HIFAD Awards Ceremony is a fantastic networking and learning opportunity for everyone involved.

“Our thanks go to everyone who took part, indeed to everyone who took the time to enter these awards, as well as to the organisers, sponsors and judges, and to the Kingsmills Hotel for their hospitality warm.”

Commenting on his Ambassador of the Year award, Fraser Campbell, Cobbs Group, said: “Having been involved in the hospitality sector all my working life, I am honored and delighted to have been named Ambassador for these prestigious awards.

“Already heavily involved in mentoring young people in the industry, I am sure that the profile achieved by winning this award will allow me not only to continue on this path, but also to take it to a new level. I am absolutely determined to keep the next generation going, especially as the last few years have been very difficult for our sector.

“I would like to thank the HIFAD judges for recognizing me in this way. My family and I had a fantastic evening at the awards ceremony, meeting up with many industry friends and making new connections. I would like to say a huge congratulations to all the winners and everyone who entered, whether they were shortlisted or not. We have so much to celebrate in this part of Scotland, with our fantastic local produce, innovation and committed work ethic. All this keeps us moving forward, and long may it continue! »

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