Food & Farming Awards 2009

We launched the BBC Radio 4 Food & Farming Awards in St James's Palace in 2000 with hoopla and grandeur - HRH The Prince of Wales and Stephen Fry commanded proceedings. We knew it was time to celebrate, beyond the bounds of The Food Programme, the people who keep our food system in good heart; the people who work under the radar of the mass media: farming, producing, campaigning, cooking. The people who know food isn't just pleasure with nutrients but also health, a vibrant economy, a stronger social fabric.

Ten years ago that wasn't a fashionable view and we had to search hard to produce our first long-list of possible winners. By last year we could have filled a large hall with winners from the thousands of nominations sent in by the public.

We hope in this 10th anniversary year to do even better... to find another dinner lady like Jeannette Orrey, a winner in 2003, who then with Jamie Oliver, sparked a revolution. More campaigners like Caroline Cranbrook and Bob Kennard who'll change government policy as they did in their campaign to save small abattoirs. More markets like Bury in Lancashire helping keep towns alive in the era of out-of-town shopping.

If you know any food revolutionaries, any great shops, markets, or cooks, we want to hear from you.

Sheila Dillon

Nominate someone for the 2009 Food & Farming Awards.