The 2021 Soil Association BOOM Awards celebrated the UK’s vibrant organic market in a stylish hybrid awards ceremony last week.
The event, hosted by food writer and broadcaster Andy Clarke, recognised innovation and commitment across the broadest range of organic categories and business types, with new awards for farming, fashion and textiles, and beauty added to the mix in 2021.
Speaking from a small in-person event in central London, with hundreds logging on online, Soil Association business development manager, Clare McDermott, said: “The return of the BOOM awards in 2021 has landed at a time when the organic market is simply booming.
“It’s clear that habits made in the last year’s first lockdown – for example with demand in organic veg and fruit box schemes soaring, people increasingly chose to shop in their local independent retailers or buying direct online for choice – have stuck.”
McDermott said that the 2021 BOOMs had attracted “more entries and more sponsors the ever”, and that over 10,000 people took part in this year’s public vote categories.
Book-ended with DJ sets (“pop your requests in the chat box”) and brought instantly to life by the engaging and awards-savvy Clarke, the event brilliantly created a real sense of occasion in these, still, unreal times.
Among the evening’s biggest awards, Maddocks Farm Organics’ floral salad took the Winner of Winner’s prize, which comes with a possible listing with Ocado, Zaytoun Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil took the Nation’s Favourite award – one of only two accolades at the BOOM Awards voted for by the public, while the Organic Ambassador award went to Superdry co-founder Julian Dunkerton.
The BOOM Award winners 2021 in full are:
Food & Drink Category Winners 2021:
- Chocolate: Patisserie Conseil – Premium Organic Single Estate Zorzal Dominican Republic 81% Cacao
- Snacks: Organico Realfoods – Organico Organic Rosemary Ciappe
- New Food & Drink Products: Willy’s ACV – Willy’s Live Organic Fire Cider with Freshly Ground Turmeric, Ginger, Garlic & Horseradish
- Alcoholic Drinks: Dunkerton’s Organic Cider – Black Fox Organic Cider
- Free-From: Good Grain Bakery Sourdough
- Store Cupboard: Huntly Herbs Hot Lemon Relish
- Vegan: Dragonfly Foods – Dragonfly Organic Marinated Tofu
- Meat & Poultry: Rare & Pasture – Fowlescombe Longhorn Beef Bresaola
- Bakery: Hobbs House Bakery – Organic Light Rye Sourdough
- Dairy: Cropwell Bishop Creamery – Organic Blue Stilton
- Non-Alcoholic Drinks: Hampstead Tea – Organic Fairtrade English Breakfast Tea Bags
- Baby & Children’s Food & Drink: Pip Organic Sparkling Apple
- Fresh Produce: Maddocks Farm Organics – Organic Floral Salad
- Chilled & Frozen – Savoury: Daylesford Organic Lamb Massman Curry with Speckled Lentils
- Chilled & Frozen – Sweet: Luscious Organic Peppermint Choc Chip Ice Cream
Business Award Winners 2021
- Eating Out: The Wheatsheaf, Hungerford
- Independent Retailer: Better Food
- Online Retailing: Abel & Cole
- Supermarkets: Waitrose & Partners
- Box Schemes: Coombe Farm Organic
- Innovations: UpCircle Beauty
- Sustainable Packaging: Abel & Cole
- Marketing Campaign: Arla Foods (Yeo Valley Organic ‘Put Nature First’ Biodiversity Campaign)
- Food & Drink Start Ups: Norlo
- Fashion & Textiles Brands: Frugi (Cut4Cloth)
- Home Brands: Skär Organics
- Hair Care Brands: Tabitha James Kraan
- Skin Care Brands: Neal’s Yard Remedies
- Pregnancy & Baby Brands: Green People Organic Babies
- Health & Personal Care Brands: Natracare
- Farms (over 10 Hectares): Godminster Farm
- Farms (under 10 Hectares): Falkland Kitchen Farm
- Ocado Winner of Winners Award (WOW): Maddocks Farm Organics
- Ambassadors (public vote): Julian Dunkerton (Superdry Co-Founder & CEO)
- Nation’s Favourite (public vote): Zaytoun – Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
