BOOM awards judges

BOOM Awards: the judges 

We are thrilled to announce a stellar line up of professional judges for our 2025 awards, bringing a wealth of experience, knowledge and testing capabilities. All judging will be overseen by the Executive Judging Committee, who have the final say in judging panels, decisions and criteria.

Food and Drink Product Judges

The Food and Drink product awards will be judged on taste and quality. We are pleased to invite Andy Clarke, Jenny Chandler, Shonette Laffy, Xanthe Clay, Romy Gill and Briony May Williams back into the kitchen.

Read on to find out more about each judge. 

• Xanthe Clay: Chef and Author

  Xanthe Clay has written for The Telegraph for 25 years and pops up from time to time in other media including delicious. magazine and BBC Radio 4. She was President of the Guild of Food Writers 2014-2018 and is currently Academy Chair (UK and Ireland) for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, as well as a Trustee of the Andre Simon Awards. She has written several cookbooks including ‘Recipes to Know by Heart’, ‘10 Minutes to Table’ and ‘The Contented Cook’ and been a food judge for the Great Taste Awards, Young British Foodies Awards, British Street Food Awards, and the Marmalade Awards among others.

  

• Romy Gill: Chef, Author and Broadcaster

  Chef Romy Gill MBE is a British/Indian chef, food/travel writer and broadcaster based in the south-west of England. She was the owner and head chef at Romy’s Kitchen. Romy is one of the regular and much-loved chefs on BBC1's Ready Steady Cook and has appeared on many other TV programmes, including Sunday Brunch and Celebrity MasterChef. Romy is also a regular on James Martin’s Saturday Morning and BBC Radio 4's Food Programme. She writes regularly for BBC Food, The Telegraph, The Sunday Times and Ocado Magazine. She released her debut cookbook ‘Zaika – Vegan Recipes from India’ in September 2019 and her second book, ‘On The Himalayan Trail’, is out now and available from bookshops and online retailers.

  

• Briony May Williams: Baker and Presenter

  After years of baking at home and cultivating her creativity and skill, Briony first came to the public’s attention as she reached the semi-final of the 2018 series of The Great British Bake Off on Channel 4. Briony is one of the presenters of Morning Live, Escape To The Country and Food Unwrapped, among other TV credits. In addition, Briony is one of the presenting team on BBC Radio Bristol and BBC Radio Somerset. Briony has had regular recipe columns in Asda’s Good Living and Bristol Life magazines, and she has been featured in Hello! magazine. Briony is an ambassador for Reach, Bristol Mind and Paul's Place. In 2021 and 2022, Briony was named on The Shaw Trust's Disability Power 100 List of the UK's most influential disabled people.

  

• Jenny Chandler: Food Writer, Chef and Teacher

  Jenny Chandler is a freelance food writer and cooking teacher based in Bristol. She has published six cookbooks with a seventh on it’s way! Jenny works with a number of renowned food institutions including Borough Market and Leith’s School of Food and Wine. Jenny is a regular judge for both the Bristol and Bath Good Food Awards, and also judged the Crumbs Awards in 2018. She was also a judge for The Berga Wild Mushroom Cooking Championship, Catalonia, Spain, and is still here to tell the tale! In 2016 Jenny was nominated The United Nations FAO European Ambassador for the International Year of Pulses, and she continues working to promote sustainable diets. She leads the Forward Food Campaign workshops for The Humane Society International UK, working with catering industry chefs to create more environmentally friendly menus, putting more plants on plates. In 2016 Jenny was nominated The United Nations FAO European Ambassador for the International Year of Pulses, and she continues working to promote sustainable diets. She leads the Forward Food Campaign workshops for The Humane Society International UK, working with catering industry chefs to create more environmentally friendly menus, putting more plants on plates.

  

• Andy Clarke: Food and Drink Expert

  Andy Clarke, a professional eater and drinker, is a prominent figure in the UK's culinary scene. Andy's TV production credits include Saturday Kitchen Live, Gordon, Gino & Fred: Road Trip and The Great Cookbook Challenge with Jamie Oliver. He regularly hosts segments on ITV, including This Morning and Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh, and has been involved in various TV shows as a food and drink expert. Beyond television, Andy is a sought-after event host, cocktail consultant, and author of two books, Home Bar and House of Gin. His expertise extends to judging competitions like the Great Taste Awards and British Cheese Awards. Andy is a member of The Guild of Food Writers and writes about food and drink for many publications including an occasional column in The BBQ Magazine where Andy creates recipes and is drinks correspondent. He has also written for Craft Gin Club’s magazine ‘The Stir’, The Telegraph and has had cocktail recipes featured in The Guardian’s ‘Feast’ supplement.

  

• Shonette Laffy: Writer and Food Blogger

  Shonette Laffy is a digital marketing expert and writer who covers a range of subjects including food and drink, travel and tourism. She currently splits her time working across the websites and social media for Visit Bath, Visit Bristol and running events for Bristol Creative Industries. She has been a judge for the Bristol Good Food Awards in 2016 and 2017 and the Crumbs Awards in 2018. She has worked with various local food and drink businesses and festivals including Bristol Food Union, Bristol Food Connections, Valley Fest, the British Dal Festival and The Bristol Food Tour. In her spare time Shonette writes food guides on her blog A Life Less Organised and continues her quest to find the city's best roast dinners and rum cocktails.

  

Beauty and Wellbeing Product Judges

The Beauty and Wellbeing Product Awards will be judged by a panel of experts who will review all the information submitted by entrants, with the top 3 finalist products for each category then being put to the test.

Watch this space for updates about our judges.

Executive Judging Committee

• Alex Cullen: Commercial and Marketing Director, Soil Association Certification

  Alex is currently Commercial and Marketing Director at Soil Association Certification. From organic farming to natural capital, her role is to champion a sustainable transition to the UK's food, farming and forestry systems. Alex has a wealth of marketing and behaviour change experience across leading brands and causes in FMCG, retail and the NHS. She also chairs the Ufi Ventures Committee.

  

• Laura Fernandez: Senior Sustainability Manager, Ocado Retail

  Laura is the Senior Sustainability Manager at Ocado Retail, the world’s largest dedicated online supermarket. She is a Fellow of IMMM, a Board Member of INCPEN and RECOUP and has been a judge for the UK Packaging Awards and Foodservice Packaging Association for a number of years. Laura is an avid promoter of circular economy and driven to ensure we leave the planet better than we found it.

  

• Steve Ashworth, Director, PKF Francis Clark

  Though a tax specialist by trade, Steve’s foodie reputation was cemented in 2013 when he won the title of Best Dish at the South West Chef of the Year competition and was 2018 Somerset Life Food and Drink Hero. He's also a Board member of Feeding Bristol, an Ambassador for Hospitality Action and judges for Taste of the West and Guild of Fine Food.