Some evenings remind you exactly why you love this industry. Last Tuesday was one of them.

I had the pleasure of attending the 2026 Contract Catering Awards as a guest of H2O Publishing, the team behind Contract Catering Magazine and the people who make this event happen year after year. The venue was the opulent Park Plaza Westminster Bridge in London, and with 17 categories, a packed room and Mark Durden-Smith on hosting duties, it was exactly the kind of evening the sector deserves. An added bonus was getting to catch-up with industry contacts and friends (the photos on socials are testament to this!).

A Sector That Knows How to Recognise Its Own

Now in its 14th year, the Contract Catering Awards show no signs of going through the motions. If anything, the 2026 event felt sharper than ever. This year brought a new addition to the programme: the Judges’ Choice Award, introduced because the panel kept finding outstanding candidates who narrowly missed out on their nominated categories. It was a thoughtful call. The inaugural winner was Elisabeth Ortiz Kuefler from BM Caterers, and from the reaction in the room, she was a popular choice.

The traditional close to the evening, the Lifetime Achievement Award, went to Stephen Freeman of Freemans Event Partners, which has just marked its 50th anniversary. Stephen received the award with his wife Karen, who co-founded the still family-run business with him back in 1975, cheering on. It was one of those moments that cuts through all the noise of a big awards night. Fifty years of building something together from humble beginnings to the catering heavyweight it is today.

The Winners on the Night

Compass Group had a strong night, with four wins spread across its Dine, Eurest, Medirest and Vacherin brands. Lexington Catering and Mellors Catering Services both took home three awards each, with Mellors claiming both Contract Caterer of the Year and the Marketing Award, which is always a category close to my heart.

Delaware North picked up two awards, with Marco Galer-Reick winning Innovation and Ellie Gray taking the Rising Star Award. It was great to see so many smaller operators recognised alongside the bigger fish. The Area Manager of the Year went to Milda Burn from BM Caterers, and Katie Forsyth from Dine Contract Catering was named Unit Hero of the Year.

The evening also raised £4,560 for Only A Pavement Away and the Licensed Trade Charity adding to the feel-good factor of the night. Thank you once again to the team at H2O Publishing for another brilliant evening, the sponsor brands that make it possible and of course huge congratulations to all the nominees and winners!

Susan Wickes
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