Fred Sirieix announced as host for major Scottish food and drink event

The leading lights of Scotland’s food and drink industry now have until 5pm on Monday 8 May to enter the 2023 Excellence Awards. This year’s Excellence Awards are taking place at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on 7 September, and will be hosted by TV personality Fred Sirieix, star of Channel 4’s First Dates and ITV’s Gordon, Gino and Fred: Road Trip.

Fred grew up in Limoges, France and trained to work in front of house in a Michelin-starred restaurant in France before working at La Tante Claire in London.

The not-to-be missed event has been running for over 22 years, championing products and services across multiple categories. The new deadline gives businesses an extra two weeks to enter across the 21 product and business categories, including two new awards showcasing the quality and range of Scottish produce.

Vault City won the 2022 Excellence Award for Brewing Product of the Year. Richard Wardrop, Head of Marketing at Vault City shared his thoughts on the company’s win. He said: “Winning Brewing Product of the year has had a phenomenal impact for Vault City, helping to grow our brand awareness and sales across our sour beers range.

“The Excellence Awards is an important night for our industry to come together, share ideas, and celebrate our success. Last year’s winners are businesses from all sizes, proving fantastic and innovative businesses have the potential to win. I would encourage all Scottish food and drink producers to enter this year and help champion the breadth of Scottish produce.”

Fred Sirieix, TV presenter and host for the 2023 Excellence Awards said, “I’m thrilled to be hosting Scotland Food & Drink’s Excellence Awards in Edinburgh later this year. Scottish food and drink is loved the world over, and for good reason! It will be wonderful to celebrate the achievements of the Awards’ finalists and winners on the night. See you all there!”

Award entries will now close on Monday 8 May at 5pm. To find out more about the Excellence Awards and to enter, please visit:

https://excellenceawards.foodanddrink.scot/

The full range of categories includes:

• Artisan Product of the Year
• Bakery Product of the Year
• Beer & Cider Product of the Year
• Confectionery Product of the Year
• Soft Drink Product of the Year
• Dairy Product of the Year
• Distilling Product of the Year- white spirits
• Distilling Product of the Year- dark spirits
• Fish & Seafood Product of the Year
• Meat Product of the Year
• Free From Award
• Healthier Choice Product of the Year
• Snacks & Accompaniments Product of the Year
• Scotch Brand Product of the Year
• Best for Scottish (Independent)
• Best for Scottish (Multiple)
• Employer of the Year
• Regional Food and Drink Award
• Sustainability Award
• Young Talent
• Primary Producer