Vegetarian for Life (VfL) has announced the winners of its 2023 Awards for Excellence in Veg*n Care Catering.

On 18 October, 12 rising stars in vegan and vegetarian care catering were honoured in a ceremony held in the Houses of Parliament.

Categories ranged from Veggie Care Chef of the Year to Hospital Caterer of the Year, and with more nominations made than ever before the competition was fierce.  

Amanda Woodvine, Chief Executive, Vegetarian for Life said: "It was really inspiring to hear the difference that people are making in care and hospital settings, and Vegetarian for Life’s honour to celebrate their achievements. We had a record number of entries for this year’s awards. One entrant even fought off competition to reach the finals not once but twice in the same category for his innovative vegan dishes. This is an outstanding achievement, and unheard of to date!" 

The theme for this year's ceremony was 'Sustainability in the Care Sector', and proceedings commenced with inspiring talks and workshops on how care catering can be environmentally sustainable.

This year’s winners were:

Veggie Care Chef of the Year: Attila Volosinovszki, Cinnamon Care Collection

Veggie Wholesaler of the Year: Bidfood

Most Innovative Veggie Dish: Vegan lemon panna cotta with blackberry-basil coulis. Juan Lopez, Birchwood Grange, Avery Healthcare

Hospital Caterer of the Year: NHS Supply Chain: Food

This year's Beulah Charity Trust Special Recognition Award was presented by special guest, writer and presenter Wendy Turner-Webster. The winners were HC-One Catering & Housekeeping Support Service Team, who were described as having an unwavering commitment to enhancing the quality of life for older vegans and vegetarians. Over the past year, their efforts have both raised awareness and initiated tangible change within their organisation and beyond.

Click here for a look at our past winners.

First launched in 2016, the Annual Awards highlight the importance of catering well for older vegans and vegetarians. We recently surveyed 1,000 care homes to find out how many residents are vegan or vegetarian. Since the survey was last commissioned in 2014, the number of vegans in residential care has increased by a whopping 167%!

With growing numbers of vegans and vegetarians being supported by the care sector, it is no surprise that news of the awards has been positively received by care organisations. Articles about the awards have been published by the NACC, Care Home Catering, Hospitality Assured and more.

It’s becoming impossible to ignore the demand for top-notch veggie care catering.