André Simon Food and Drink Book Awards announce new assessors

We love working with the prestigious André Simon Food and Drink Book Awards and are delighted to announce this year's assessors. Fozia Ismail will judge the food books and Matt Walls will judge the drink books for the 2022 awards. We are really excited to be working alongside such inspiring and enthusiastic individuals who will help guide the trustees through dozens of entries. Each year opens our eyes to new recipes, brilliant writing and diverse cultures.

Fozia is a scholar, cook and founder of Arawelo Eats (@arawelo_eats), a platform for exploring politics, identity and colonialism through East African food. She has worked with a range of cultural institutions on links between food, power and empire in the arts. "I hope I can bring a fresh perspective to the assessment process and thank the trustees for this opportunity."

Matt (@mrmattwalls) is an award-winning freelance wine writer, author and consultant who contributes to various UK and international publications such as Imbibe, Club Oenologique and Decanter, where he is a contributing editor. He also helps restaurants develop exceptional wine lists, judges wine and food competitions and presents trade and consumer tastings and masterclasses. "We have a wealth of drinks writing talent in the UK at the moment. It's an honour to help shine a light on authors who enrich our drinking culture by sharing their knowledge."