Every year we honour people within the local community who do so much to help producers, restaurateurs, cafes, pubs, chefs and those in the hospitality industry

The Cotswolds has a food scene which is more vibrant than many others across the UK. This category celebrates the individual who has made the most impact on the food community. They will be someone who goes the extra mile to promote the Cotswolds to a wider audience and is passionate about local produce throughout.

Congratulations to our worthy winner of the ‘Cotswold Food & Drink Hero Award’, sponsored by Hazlewoods.

Our Cotswold Food Hero 2018 is...

Daniel Szor, CEO of Cotswold Distillery

Occasionally, just occasionally, our Food Hero is a relative newcomer who has stormed the Cotswolds with a burst of innovation and energy. Maybe it took someone whose roots are street-level 1970s New York to arrive in the Cotswolds, smell the clean air, watch the barley in the field and think: “Hmm... you could make whisky here.”

Ex-currency trader Dan Szor is that New Yorker. His craft distillery began production in 2014. The law decrees that whisky must be aged for three years and a day, so meanwhile Cotswolds Dry Gin was released to acclaim - and a ‘Best London Dry Gin’ award at the World Gin Awards. Dan’s main objective, however, is the creation of very high quality Cotswold Whisky. The first release, in 2017, made the whisky world sit up and take notice and the future is bright. Meanwhile, The Cotswold Distillery has also become a popular local attraction in its own right with nearly 30,000 visitors a year.

To find out more about our Cotswold Food and Drink Awards 2018 and our sponsors, visit foodawards.cotswoldlife.co.uk.

Were you at the awards last night? Tweet us your pictures @CotswoldLife and tag us on Instagram @CotswoldLife #CLFDA

Click here to take a look at last year’s winners!