FOOD and drink lovers in Worcestershire and Herefordshire are being invited to nominate their favourite producers, workplace cooks, local markets, drinks producer, takeaways and food heroes for an annual awards scheme.

BBC Radio 4’s The Food Programme is opening nominations for the corporation’s 16th annual Food and Farming Awards.

Last year Vale of Evesham farmer 83-year-old Joan Bomford won the Countryfile Farming Hero Award and Dunkertons Cider in Herefordshire was shortlisted for the Best Drinks Producer Award.

Joan from South Littleton, who was nominated by her son Colin, has farmed since the 1930s. She grew up in Inkberrow and wanted to be a farmer so much she ran away from school whenerver she could to help her dad. As an eight-year-old she was the first person in the family to drive a tractor and no job was ever too tough for her. Last October she published a book of her memories called Up With The Lark, My Life On The Land.

Dunkertons Cider is a family company started in 1980 by Susie and Ivor Dunkerton. They choose traditional varieties of cider apple each autumn for their particular characteristics, before allowing a long, slow fermentation process to encourage diverse, interesting flavours to emerge.

This year the food award judges include London-based chef, food writer and restauranteur Yotam Ottolenghi who was born and grew up in Jerusalem.

Joining Yotam Ottolenghi, and the BBC, in a mission to find the cream of British food and farming are some of the most respected experts on food and drink in the UK – including Angela Hartnett, Diana Henry, Allegra McEvedy, Stefan Gates and Charlotte Smith.

Yotam said: “This is my first year judging the BBC Food & Farming Awards and I can’t wait to see where the nominations take me.

“There’s so much happening throughout the UK and I think the really exciting ideas aren’t to be found at top end restaurants anymore, they’re in the trucks serving street food and in the food markets at the heart of many towns and cities

“From cheesemakers to school cooks, brewers to bakers, we don’t give enough recognition and thanks to the people who produce our food and drink. These awards give us all a chance to not only say thanks, but also celebrate their work.”

This year the panel will be looking for winners in a range of categories: Best Food Producer, Best Drinks Producer, Best Food Market, Best Local Food Retailer, Cook of The Year (for public caterers including dinner ladies and men), Countryfile’s Farming Hero Award, and a new BBC Future Food award to find the best new idea in the UK food supply chain. Also, for the first time, The One Show will be leading the search for the Best Takeaway/Street food in the country.

Anyone wishing to make nominations for the awards, which are open from January 10 to 24, should visit www.bbc.co.uk/foodawards

Once the judges have selected a shortlist for each of the categories, they will visit each finalist in person. Winners will be announced at the BBC Food & Farming Awards ceremony in Bristol on Thursday April 28.