The Trustees of the André Simon Food and Drink book awards are ‘delighted to announce the 2020 shortlist in the 50th anniversary year of André Simon’s death.’
This year’s panel was guided by independent assessors, food editor of The Sunday Times, Lisa Markwell, for the food books and wine expert and restaurateur, John Hoskins MW, for the drink books. The other judges are Nicholas Lander (Chair), Sarah Jane Evans MW, David Gleave MW and Xanthe Clay.
Celebrating the best of food and drink writing, the shortlist comprises 11 nominees: seven food books and four drink books selected from a longlist of 22 titles and over 170 initial entries. This is the first year in the awards’ history that judges have selected a longlist.
Nick Lander, chair of the André Simon Memorial Fund, said: “This year’s food nominees takes us on a culinary journey around the world from the comfort of our own kitchens: from Afghanistan (Parwana) to Central Asia (Red Sands). Others take a scientific look at food including Mark Kurlansky’s Salmon, which explores how the fish is a marker for the health of our planet and Harold McGee’s Nose Dive, an extraordinary examination of our sense of smell.”
The wine-centred drinks books shortlist also include regional explorations from the classic wines of Bordeaux (Inside Bordeaux) to the ancient viticulture of Georgia (The Wines of Georgia) and the drinks that shaped Australia (Intoxicating) as well as ‘a bold, modern wine guide for the new generation (Wine from Another Galaxy: Noble Rot).’
The André Simon Food and Drink Book Awards 2020 will be announced on 3 March in a virtual awards’ ceremony.
Shortlisted food books 2020
Jikoni by Ravinder Bhogal (Bloomsbury)
Summer Kitchens by Olia Hercules (Bloomsbury)
Falastin: A Cookbook by Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley (Ebury)
Nose Dive by Harold McGee (John Murray)
Parwana by Durkhanai Ayubi (Murdoch Books)
Salmon by Mark Kurlansky (Oneworld)
Red Sands by Caroline Eden (Quadrille)
Shortlisted drinks books 2020
Inside Bordeaux: the châteaux, their wines and the terroir by Jane Anson (Berry Bros. & Rudd Press)
The Wines of Georgia by Lisa Granik (Infinite Ideas)
Wine from Another Galaxy: Noble Rot by Dan Keeling and Mark Andrew (Quadrille)
Intoxicating: Ten Drinks that Shaped Australia by Max Allen (Thames & Hudson Australia)