The BBC Food & Farming Awards 2026 Winners
Best Food Producer – Judged by Paula Mcintyre and Sheila Dillon
Dun Flashadder Cottage Croft (Skye)
Based on croft land on the Isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides, Jake, Aoife and their daughter Corran breed native Hebridean hogget.
They are dedicated to whole-animal butchery and sustainability. Alongside livestock farming, they manage a mature fruit orchard producing blackcurrants and blueberries which are supplied directly to consumers, chefs and local gin distillers in Portree.
The judges were impressed with their knowledge of, and commitment to, crofting – a unique form of food production in the Scottish Highlands.
Best Drinks Producer – Judged by Jaega Wise
MOMO Kombucha (London)
MOMO makes authentic kombucha the traditional way, fermenting sweetened tea into a naturally healthy drink using only the finest ingredients. MOMO keeps its kombucha raw to deliver its flavour, ensuring every bottle is packed with live cultures and remains true to what kombucha should be.
The taste and marketing of the product set MOMO apart for the judges, as the brand helps to bring kombucha into the mainstream, introducing more people to a drink once seen as niche.
The Digital Creator Award – Judged by Leyla Kazim
Jade Greenhalgh @jadesbites
Jade is a self-taught chef, passionate recipe developer, and the winner of Next Level Chef UK 2023, mentored by Gordon Ramsay. With a natural flair for flavour and creativity in the kitchen, Jade has captured the hearts - and stomachs - of food lovers across the UK with achievable, wholesome, and budge friendly recipes designed for real life.
The judge chose Jade a winner for the impact she has had, inspiring people to cook from scratch on a budget but also to think seriously about the ingredients they use.
The Archers and Farming Today Farming for the Future Award 2026 – Judged by Charlotte Smith and Mali Harries
Bronagh O’Kane (County Tyrone)
Bronagh returned to the family farm in Co Tyrone after an engineering career in the Royal Air Force. Driven by a desire to improve the farm’s resilience and future legacy, and troubled by the decline in Northern Ireland’s biodiversity, Bronagh made it her mission to find practical, nature-based solutions to the challenge of degraded, sticky, compacted soil and to farm in a new and more sustainable way.
The judges chose Bronagh because of her confidence to innovate and embrace regenerative principals and they were inspired by the change that one person can make.
The Food Innovation Award – Judged by Dan Saladino
Tilda Sustainable Rice Programme
Tilda’s Sustainable Rice Programme (TSRP) is a pioneering supply chain transformation initiative designed to make rice cultivation more sustainable while improving farmer livelihoods and strengthening long-term supply resilience.
Launched in 2021 as a pilot involving just 50 farms in northern India, the programme was created to address one of the biggest environmental challenges in rice production: the high greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption and energy use associated with traditional flooded paddy cultivation.
The judge was impressed by the relatively simple innovation of using a plastic tube to evaluate water levels in a rice field that had a huge impact on the environment.
Countryfile Young Countryside Champion – judged by Adam Henson
Lily Herniman (Devon)
Lily is a dedicated young conservationist and volunteer with the UK Wild Otter Trust, where she has been involved since the age of 15. With a strong farming background and an impressive knowledge of wildlife, she is passionate about protecting and restoring natural habitats.
The judge chose Lily because she brings together her farming background with a real passion for nature recovery and understands that farming and conservation don’t have to sit on opposite sides, and is actively trying to bring those two worlds closer together.
The BBC Radio Ulster Food Hero Award - judged by Your Place and Mine presenter Eve Blair
Sean McDermott and Rory Blight (Belfast)
Rory and Sean are owners and directors of Source Grow and co-founders and directors of Keen 2B Green. The company aims to promote a fairer food system by providing local growers with a direct route to market.
The organisation operates through a variety of channels and is a social enterprise dedicated to connecting people with their local environment through wildlife and food.
The judge chose Sean and Rory because they are connecting the dots between nature, people and good food and because they are championing their local area.
The Derek Cooper Outstanding Achievement Award – judged by whole judging team
Claire and Michael Morpurgo
Claire and Michael Morpurgo founded Farms for City Children in 1976. The charity has given more than 100,000 children the opportunity to experience life on its farms at Nethercott House in Devon, Lower Treginnis in Pembrokeshire and Wick Court in Gloucestershire.
This award recognises the charity’s exceptional contribution to connecting young people with farming, food production and the natural world, and its dedication to enriching the lives of generations of children.
