On Monday 7th April 2025 winners of the 2025 Farm Shop & Deli Retailer Awards were announced at the NEC and the Retailer of the Year accolade awarded to Delilah Fine Foods Ltd in Nottingham. Delilah Fine Foods not only claimed the top honour but also took home the award for Delicatessen of the Year and was recognized as the Midlands Regional Winner.
The Awards, presented in partnership with The Grocer and championed by Fieldfare, showcased nine category winners, six regional champions, and a Newcomer of the Year award. An audience of finalists, visitors, and exhibitors cheered as Delilah Fine Foods Ltd triumphed over fierce competition from across the UK and Northern Ireland.
The judging panel was particularly impressed by Delilah Fine Foods, with judges offering high praise@
• “This business is an inspiration to all in retail, hospitality, and service. Stunning, a well-thought-out environment and space.”
• “The commitment to the team and standard of training is to be admired.”
• “The sustainability element is evident with the promotion of refilling using customers’ own vessels—this is great.”
• “Great engagement with suppliers, helping them out while bringing in a new range. Clever.”
Field to Fork from Henley-In-Arden, Warwickshire was named the 2025 Newcomer of the Year. This category was fiercely competitive, with Kale & Corn from Belper, Derbyshire, and Must Be Crackers! Cheesemongers from Dunfermline, Scotland, receiving Highly Commended certificates.
The awards process involved a rigorous evaluation by a panel of leading experts who meticulously reviewed entries online before convening in November to shortlist contenders. Secret visits during January and February allowed judges to assess nominees first hand, culminating in the selection of this year’s winners.
Celebrating Excellence in Independent Retail
The coveted accolades celebrate the best specialist independent retailers with judges recognising retailers’ achievements in the independent sector.
Nigel Barden, Chairman of Judges and Food and Drink Journalist and Broadcaster, says: “Despite it being a cautious retail market, it’s still been another great year for the Farm Shop & Deli Awards and we are grateful for the quality of the entries and gratified that busy retailers still found time to take part. The quality of our judging panel certainly helps draw businesses in and I was delighted to welcome new judges from the Farm Retail Association.
“Twenty five extra visits were made to made to ensure there was no doubt as to who our winners were to be, and this included putting some of our online retailers through their paces. Alongside category winners, we handed out awards for regions, Best Newcomer and Highly Commended, for the very close calls.
“Our Retailer of the Year, Delilah Fine Foods of Nottingham, has been an overnight success of 20 years and the brilliant Sangita Tryner continues to motivate her team to run an excitingly ground breaking deli. The Best Newcomer, Field to Fork Farm Shop, in Henley-in-Arden, has shown the success of converting a car salesroom into an urban farm shop, that’s literally at the heart of the community.
“It’s been a privilege to see the hard graft and endeavour of all these talented retailers being acknowledged.”
Award champions and supporters
The Awards are championed for the second year by Fieldfare, a family-owned business based in Kent that started over 40 years ago. Fieldfare supplies delicious premium loose frozen food to farm shops, garden centres and independent stores across the UK and a perfect partner for the Retailer Awards. Other supporters included Cotswold Fayre, Cress Co, Diverse Fine Food, Fabulous Farm Shops, Farm Retail Association, GoJute and The Gorgeous Food Company.
Full list of category and regional winners and highly commended finalists:
Best Retailer: Butcher:
Perrys of Eccleshall Ltd, Stafford
Best Retailer: Delicatessen, Midlands regional winner and overall Retailer of the Year:
Delilah Fine Foods Ltd, Nottingham
Best Retailer: Farm Shop Large and North of England regional winner:
Farmer Copleys, Pontefract
Best Retailer: Farm Shop Small:
Brunswick Organic Nursery Shop (BON Shop), York
Best Retailer: Independent local shop/Village store:
The Village Refill, Yarnton, Oxford
Best Retailer: Online business:
Fordhall Farm Shop, Market Drayton
Highly Commended: Pipers Farm, Cullompton
Best Retailer: Other Specialist Retailer Cheesemonger:
Must Be Crackers!, Dunfermline
Best Retailer: Other Specialist Retailer Food Hall and South of England regional winner:
TEALS Somerset, South Cadbury
Best Retailer: Other Specialist Retailer Greengrocer:
Kale and Corn, Belper
Highly Commended Other Specialist Retailer: Aubrey Allen, Foodhall, Leamington Spa
Newcomer of the Year:
Field to Fork, Farm Shop Large, Henley-In-Arden
Highly Commended Newcomer of the Year: Kale and Corn, Greengrocers, Belper and Must Be Crackers! Cheesemongers, Dunfermline
Best Retailer Anglia:
Morgan’s Butchery Ltd, Halstead
Best Retailer Scotland:
Marshall’s Farm Shop, Inverurie
Best Retailer Wales:
Forage Farm Shop & Kitchen, Cowbridge
Take a look at all the winners here: http://event.farmshopanddelishow.co.uk/live/en/page/retailer-awards-winners-2025
