Observer Food Monthly Awards 2015

Another delighted winner, whose feet barely touched the ground all night, was the irrepressible Max Halley, who runs the glorious Max's Sandwich Shop in Crouch Hill, north London. His frankly astonishing creations, like ham hock with fried duck egg, shoestring fries, piccalilli and mustard mayo, are stuffed between vast wedges of homemade focaccia. ‘Focaccia is the only bread for it’, he said, ‘it holds everything together and really soaks up the goodness!’ And they're just £7: little wonder there was a resounding cheer when he picked up the award for best cheap eats.

There was recognition too for Veggies Galore – Amanda Stradling's family-run fruit and veg business in Ross-on-Wye, for Beanies Wholefood shop in Sheffield, which was named best independent retailer, and the Clink restaurant in Brixton prison – which won best ethical restaurant. And more huge cheers for Yotam Ottolenghi, as Plenty More picked up the cookbook award, and Tom Kerridge – who after slightly surreally picking up Mary Berry's lifetime achievement award on her behalf, got to win his own – as food personality of the year.

But the most poignant award of the night was perhaps the readers' recipe: a wonderfully composed Masala chai banana bread with coconut cardamon cream cheese icing, created by Selma Jeevanjee from the Selma's Table blog. The award was picked up by her son: Selma sadly passed away earlier this year. Her banana bread, made to serve at the ceremony, was delicious: the award, richly deserved.

And so: a night of celebrating food heroes and feasting on all kinds of Swedish-themed dishes, from ash-smoked char with broccoli purée cooked outside on that wood fire, to a bowl of hazelnut cake with yoghurt and cloudberry butter which was both revelatory and unforgettable. This month's OFM magazine is dedicated to all the winners, from the big names to those you'll be hearing a lot more of in future. They are the very best in British food and drink: and we can all raise a cheer, or three, to that.

All images courtesy of The Guardian Press Office.