Aidan Monks and Catherine Connor, co-owners of North West-based artisan bakery Lovingly Artisan, have been invited to join the ranks of an esteemed panel of judges involved with the annual Farm Shop & Deli Retailer Awards.
Earlier this year, the couple scooped several prestigious titles at this year’s awards themselves including the coveted title of Retailer of the Year, as well as the Baker of the Year and North England regional winner accolades.
As a result, the organisers of the annual awards asked the couple if they would consider joining the overall judging panel.
Catherine said: ‘’It’s a total honour for us both to be asked to become part of the judging panel for the Farm Shop & Deli Retailer Awards. We’ve entered the awards for several years now and have been fortunate to win a couple of awards in that time.
“The whole experience we’ve had up to now has given us an invaluable insight into the whole process, which coupled with the very different things Aidan and I both bring to the judging panel should hopefully prove very useful and will hopefully fully complement the already highly experienced judging panel who we are looking forward to working with them in the coming months.’’
The free to enter 2025 awards, in partnership with the Grocer, are now open for entry until September 27.
This year, the awards are all about celebrating specialist retailers and recognising their achievements in the independent sector – championing the champions in each of the specialist categories.
Categories for 2025 include Delicatessen, Farm Shop Large, Farm Shop Small, Independent local shop/Village store, Online business and, new for 2025, Other Specialist Retailers (encompassing Baker, Butcher, Cheesemonger, Fishmonger, Food hall and Greengrocer).
There are also seven Best in Region awards for Anglia, Midlands, North of England, Northern Ireland, South of England, Scotland, and Wales up for grabs too.
To find out more and to enter visit https://event.farmshopanddelishow.co.uk
