Leamington Spa’s Aubrey Allen was crowned Retailer of the Year at the Farm Shop & Deli Retailer Awards 2026, taking the top title as well as being named Best Butcher.
The awards were announced on the first day of the William Reed-run Farm Shop & Deli Show, held at the NEC in Birmingham from 13th-15th April, as part of the long-running UK Food & Drink Shows.
In the ‘Large’ farm shop category, Ludlow Farm Shop in Shropshire, founded by the Ludlow Food Centre team, emerged as the victor, while the ‘Small’ award went to Mains of Glassaugh Vegetables in Moray, a family-run farm shop and grower. London’s Mouse & Grape, the cheese and wine shop run by Jessica Summer, was named Best Cheesemonger, and Flourish in Bristol took the title of Best Food Hall.
The organic retailer with sites across Sussex and Kent, Seasons Wholefoods, was the regional winner for South East England, while George & Joseph in Allerton, Leeds, established in 2012 by Stephen Fleming, was deemed the best retailer in the North East. Conwy’s Dylan’s Baked Goods & General Store, an offshoot of the wider Dylan’s business, took the top title for Wales.
The awards were chaired by food and drink broadcaster and presenter Nigel Barden and Elaine Lemm, the Yorkshire-born food writer, and judged by a panel of industry figures including Sangita Tryner of Delilah Fine Foods, Matt Whelan of Fieldfare and Carla Mills of Booths, among others. Entries were recognised on the basis of performance, innovation, sustainability and customer engagement.
Barden said that despite a fraught trading environment, the awards had “continued to thrive”.On Aubrey Allen, he added: “They demonstrate so much of what a retail food business needs to be doing to survive and thrive in today’s challenging retail landscape,” pointing to the “dedication” shown over more than four decades, as well as the way the business supports its team.
Alongside the retail awards were the Producer Awards, awarding Gold, Silver and Bronze medals to the best products available in independent retail. Kursat’s, a chef-founded condiments brand, scooped three Gold medals for its Enchilada, Ezme and Pickled Garlic Confit Paste, as did French preserve maker Léonce Blanc for its Pear and Vanilla, Blueberry and Apricot lines. Others included Makan Malaysia for its Rendang Paste and Ferment Fizz for its probiotic take on classic fizzy pop, Lemon & Raspberry Lemonade.
This article first appeared in the May 2026 issue of Fine Food Digest.
