Malt and malted ingredients company Muntons has claimed the top honour at the 2015 East Anglian Daily Times Business Awards.

Stowmarket-based Muntons won the overall Business of the Year title, having also been named winner of the Large Business category earlier in the evening.

The Business of the Year trophy, the recipient of which is chosen as the “best of the best” from among all the category winners, was presented by representatives from EDF Energy and Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, joint main sponsors of the awards for the fourth year running.

The Large Business category, sponsored by Larking Gowen, was open to businesses with annual turnover of more than £5million.

Runner-up for the Business of the Year award and winner of the Family Business category, sponsored by Birketts, was Sudbury-based aerospace engineering services company MEL Aviation.

And in third place overall was malted flours specialist EDME, based at Mistley, near Manningtree, which won the Food and Farming Excellence category, sponsored by the Suffolk Agricultural Association.

The Medium Business category, sponsored by the Alan Boswell Group and open to businesses with turnover of £1m to £5m, was won by The Hearing Care Centre, based in Ipswich, while the Small Business award, for firms with turnover of less than £1m and sponsored by PicassoHR, went to Mildenhall-based DJB Instruments.

The Future50 One to Watch award, sponsored by Nwes and open exclusively to members of the Suffolk Future50 listing of up-and-coming businesses, went to Smart Garden Offices, based at Thurston, near Bury St Edmunds, and the winner of the Customer Care category, sponsored by Abellio Greater Anglia, was Saxmundham-based Christies Care.

The Community Involvement award, sponsored by Adnams, went to Pound Gates, from Ipswich, the Corporate Social Responsibility category, sponsored by Brewin Dolphin, was won by Southwold-based Spring, and Groundwork Suffolk, also based in Ipswich, won the the Environment and Sustainability award, sponsored by the EADT.

The Raising the Bar education award, jointly sponsored by Norse and Suffolk County Council, went to Noise Solution, from Bury St Edmunds, and the Community Safety and Crime Prevention category, sponsored by Suffolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner, was won by Mark Filby of Ipswich-based Security Foiling.

The Director of the Year title, sponsored by Barclays, went to Des Smith, managing director of Aspall, based near Debenham, while the Young Business Person award, jointly sponsored by Suffolk New College and West Suffolk College, was won by Guy Taylor from The Granary Estates at Woodditton, near Newmarket.

The Outstanding Achievement award, sponsored by University Campus Suffolk, which is made at the discretion of the judges to an individual or organisation deemed to have made an exceptional contribution to the local or regional economy, this year went to the Latitude Festival, staged each July at Henham Park, near Southwold.

The EADT Business Awards, being staged for the 18th time this year, were held at Trinity Park, Ipswich, with the ceremony being hosted by Terry Baxter.

For full picture coverage of last night’s ceremony and details of all the winners and finalists, see next Tuesday’s EADT for a 20-page awards special, alongside our weekly BusinessEast supplement.