A Cumbrian cake maker has been named The Dave Myers Cumbrian Food and Drink Hero at the county’s dedicated hospitality awards.
Lisa Smith, who founded Ginger Bakers nearly 20 years ago, received the top award at the 2025 Cumbria Food Awards, held in association with Caterite.
The awards took place yesterday, Thursday March 20, at Kendal College, hosted by TV presenter and chef Matt Tebbutt, of BBC’s Saturday Kitchen.
The Dave Myers Cumbrian Food and Drink Hero trophy is for someone who demonstrates excellence in what they do but beyond that, who is a force for good and a great ambassador for the county.
Lisa was recognised as a collaborative, supportive, positive influence, who is always willing to help others.
She has shown great resilience to overcome professional and personal challenges and is happy to take part in public events while continuing to push ahead with her business.
The 165 guests heard how Lisa’s Kendal cake making business premises – and her home – were inundated with floodwater almost 10 years ago in the devastating Storm Desmond.
She found herself both homeless and without a usable bakery. Soon after that ordeal, she underwent treatment for a serious illness.
She continued in new premises and now has a team of 10. Everything is still made by hand in small batches, for wholesale and retail.
The top award was renamed in honour of the late Hairy Biker and TV star Dave Myers, who was the host of the first Cumbria Food Awards in 2022.
Dave’s wife Lili and her son, Sergiu, were special guests at the awards.
The Cumbria Food Awards began with a canapés and drinks reception for sponsors, judges and special guests, followed by a two-course street food-style dinner.
Matt hosted the awards ceremony and trophy presentation for 13 categories, including cafés, pubs, producers, chefs and restaurants from throughout the county.
Chef of the Year was Paul Leonard, of The Forest Side in Grasmere; the winner of the Casual Dining Venue of the Year was Keswick’s Barua Street Food; Rogan & Co took home the trophy for Acclaimed Restaurant of the Year and The Pie Mill at Threlkeld, near Keswick, was named Food Producer of the Year.
The independent awards, held in association with headline sponsor Caterite and judged by a panel of 15 industry experts, are designed to recognise and celebrate excellence in Cumbria’s hospitality industry.
This year they attracted more than 1,000 business entries and public nominations.
Matt, who is a popular guest chef at Westmorland County Show, is known for Saturday Kitchen, Food Unwrapped on Channel 4 and more.
With his wife, Lisa, he ran the award-winning The Foxhunter in Monmouthshire and now focuses on his television career and cookery book writing.
He told the audience how he’d had a tour of the college kitchens, met staff and students and had had a sneak preview of dinner, which he said looked amazing.
“The students were singing in the kitchens – that’s a good sign isn’t it?”
A team of students from the college prepared, cooked and served the canapés and dinner under the guidance of head of faculty for leisure and service industries Richard Axford and his team.
Cumbria Food Awards are made possible thanks to sponsors: headline sponsor Caterite; Academy by Simon Rogan; Booths; Cranstons; Enterprise Answers; Grapevine; Hawkshead Relish; Herdwick Cottages; Kendal College; Lamont Pridmore; More? The Artisan Bakery; Porsche Centre South Lakes; Thomson Hayton Winkley Solicitors and Westmorland Farmshop.
Caterite provided the ingredients for the awards dinner and its drinks business, Grapevine, supplied reception drinks and wine.
We are the event’s media partner and Simon Rogan is CFA patron.
Northern grocer Booths supplied the food for the canapés and drinks reception; Reeds provided printing services; bread was by More? The Artisan Bakery and Shortridge laundry supplied table linen.
The awards are organised by Michaela Robinson-Tate and Harry Atkinson.
Cumbria Food Awards 2025 winners
Dave Myers Cumbrian Food and Drink Hero
Sponsored by Caterite
- Lisa Smith
Rising Star Award
Sponsored by Kendal College
- Lewis Jackson
Specialist Retailer of the Year
Sponsored by Hawkshead Relish
- The Meat Hook, Sedbergh
Food Producer of the Year
Sponsored by Booths
- The Pie Mill, Threlkeld, Keswick
Drinks Producer of the Year
Sponsored by Grapevine
- Lakes Brew Co, Kendal
Pub, Bar or Taproom of the Year
Sponsored by Herdwick Cottages
- Lake District Wine, Keswick
Service of the Year
Sponsored by Academy by Simon Rogan
- Stacey Lee Raath, Ramble, Kendal
New Business of the Year
Sponsored by Thomson Hayton Winkley
- The Schelly, Ambleside
Sustainable Business of the Year
Sponsored by Porsche Centre South Lakes
- Torpenhow Farmhouse Dairy, near Wigton
Café of the Year
Sponsored by Cumbria Crack
- Mathilde’s, Grasmere
Takeaway or Street Food Trader of the Year
Sponsored by Cranstons
- Peace & Loaf Sourdough Pizza, Barrow-in-Furness
Casual Dining Venue of the Year
Sponsored by Enterprise Answers
- Barua Street Food, Keswick
Contemporary Restaurant of the Year
Sponsored by Lamont Pridmore
- The Oak, Curthwaite near Wigton
Chef of the Year
Sponsored by Westmorland Farmshop
- Paul Leonard, The Forest Side, Grasmere
Acclaimed Restaurant of the Year
Sponsored by More? The Artisan Bakery
- Rogan & Co, Cartmel
