MFDF Awards 2021 – Vote now for your favourite Manchester food and drink hot spots

18 August 2021 by Deanna Thomas

The Manchester Food and Drink Festival (MFDF) awards are back and are all about showcasing the region’s fabulous food and drink scene. The final shortlists have just been revealed with a record 113 businesses nominated over 15 different award categories and this year, the winners will be decided entirely by public vote.

The shortlists have been compiled by the MFDF judging panel, made up of the region's leading food and drink critics, writers and experts. Reflecting a turbulent and unpredictable time for the industry, the categories have been carefully considered and created with an absolute passion for the city’s industry at their heart. The list represents the best of Manchester’s wonderfully resilient hospitality industry which has been through an extraordinary 18 months.

With more award nominees than ever before, the Festival highlights as many excellent food businesses, bars, producers, chefs and talented hospitality professionals as possible.

As the industry continues to battle the effects of the pandemic, with staff shortages, supply issue and the like, the Festival team decided to pause the ‘mystery shopping’ element of the judging process this year which is usually undertaken by the judging panel. Instead, they are handing the final decision over to Manchester’s restaurant-loving public who can vote for their hospitality heroes via the MFDF website or app.

The awards, which will be presented in partnership with Festival headline sponsors Just Eat, act as the culmination of the Manchester Food and Drink Festival. This year the 24th annual event will take place on 27th September at the Ticket Hall at Freight Island. The event will be a huge celebration of innovation, hard work, resilience, altruism and successes since the last awards, particularly in light of the vast challenges that the industry has faced. Tickets are on sale HERE.

“This Festival was set up to celebrate the city’s food and drink scene, particularly to support and champion local and independent businesses and talented individuals across the entire hospitality industry,” says Festival Director Alexa Stratton-Powell. Now, that manifesto is more crucial than ever as we find ourselves in uncharted territory and the most challenging of times. The festival is about supporting the recovery of our industry - and we’re proud to use that platform to shout about these incredible businesses who have not only survived but thrived. Please do get involved and vote for your favourite places via the MFDF app and use the festival as an excuse to visit and try these places for yourself.”

The app can be downloaded on the App Store here and Google Play here. The closing date for votes is 11.59pm on Monday 20th September, so make sure you vote for your favourite venues before the deadline.

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Here are the 2021 Manchester Food and Drink Awards Nominations: