It is with sadness that Archant announces today the cancellation of the ceremony evening for the Eat Suffolk Awards 2020 - but with finalists and winners still to be celebrated later this year as planned.

The Archant events team said: “Initially following the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, as a contingency, the awards evening was postponed from April to September. Unfortunately it is now clear that it will not be possible to hold a dinner for almost 300 people sitting in close proximity, therefore we have made the decision to cancel the awards event for 2020. Archant as a business is very passionate in supporting the food and drink industry and with no option other than to cancel these awards has certainly not been an easy decision.

“We want to do all that we can to champion and support the industry and above all our finalists deserve to be celebrated. With this in mind we will be announcing our winners on social media on Wednesday, September 9, and producing a luxury magazine (available with Suffolk Magazine) which focuses on Suffolk food and drink and will feature all of our finalists, winners and sponsor partners. We are here to help support the industry to thrive again.”

Group food and drink editor Charlotte Smith-Jarvis said: “The past few months have been unprecedented for the hospitality industry. Food and drink - our farmers, producers, restaurants, cafes, pubs, brewers - are a huge thread through the fabric of our county, and it has been difficult for all of us to witness their struggles. While we will not have a ceremony in 2020, as a business we will be waving the flag vigorously for the industry as it gets back on its feet, and the announcement and celebration of our award winners and finalists in September will be a huge part of that. A big thankyou to our remarkable, supportive sponsors for this year: Bidfood, Caribbean Blinds, The Suffolk Shutter Company, Castlemeadow Care, Prosper Hospitality, Ashtons Legal, Marketplace Amp, East of England Co-op, Fisher and Woods, The KBB Centre, and Cory Brothers Shipping Agency.”