We're on the lookout for 2026's rising stars in vegan and vegetarian care catering.

At VfL, we think that care caterers who make a special effort to create delicious and nutritious vegan and vegetarian meals deserve special recognition.

This year marks 10 years since the first VfL Awards for Excellence in Veg*n Care Catering. With more vegans and vegetarians moving into residential care every year, this annual award recognises those who are pioneering the way in modern care catering. We're delighted to be returning to the Houses of Parliament for this year's ceremony, which will be held on the afternoon of Wednesday 4 November.

The categories for this year’s awards are:

Vegan/Vegetarian Care/Hospital Caterer of the Year sponsored by Greetwell Purchasing Solutions. We want to find a care/hospital caterer who is making a wide range of delicious and nutritious meals for older vegans or veggies in a care setting (open to individuals and teams).

Vegan/Vegetarian Supplier of the Year sponsored by Procurement for Care. We want to find a supplier that is offering either a great range of veg*n products OR a single veg*n product that shows innovation, taste and variety. Your product(s) may be standalone or used as a key ingredient in a recipe and must be specifically available to care/hospital caterers.

Chefs’ Hero Product. We’re looking for chefs to nominate their favourite go-to hero product when developing menus and recipes for vegans and vegetarians in care homes and hospitals.

Most Innovative Vegan/Vegetarian Recipe sponsored by Greencity Wholefoods. We’re looking for a recipe that can be used within a care or hospital setting or simply cooked at home. We’re looking for great taste, value and innovative use of ingredients.

(Submitted recipes will be shared with VfL members and stakeholders and featured on all media platforms.)

The Beulah Charity Trust Special Recognition Award sponsored by Brakes. This is for that special someone who strives to make the UK a better place for older vegans and vegetarians. This could be a volunteer, a resident, a staff member or anyone pursuing this objective.

All you need to do is fill in the short form here, letting us know who you want to nominate and why. Be quick though, the deadline for entries is fast approaching and we'll need all submissions by 12pm on Friday 21 August.

Click here for a look at our past winners.

We've been hard at work uncovering how dietary preferences are changing in UK care homes. Our survey carried out last year revealed there's been a 24% increase in vegan and vegetarian care home residents over the past decade.

First launched in 2016, the Annual Awards highlight the importance of catering well for older vegans and vegetarians. 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.