Two Cumbrian chefs have won through in their respective categories in the Olive Chef Awards, and as a result have been recognised as being among the leading lights in the UK's food industry.

Their respective wins were announced in the newly released Christmas edition of national foodie bible Olive… Unlike most restaurant awards, the Olive Chef Awards are all about hard-working chefs that have dedicated their lives to having a positive impact on the way we eat and what we eat.

Launched in 2018 they celebrate the UK’s unsung chefs, who had been quietly doing what they do under the radar quietly bringing culinary joy to the nation through the food they create.

Over the summer thousands of people up and down the UK voted for their food heroes, celebrating their unsung foodie heroes and encourage them to step out from behind the curtain into the limelight.

These nominations were whittled down to a shortlist of 30 and then this year’s judges; including Samyukta Nair, Zoe Adjonyoh, Mark Taylor and Olive editor Laura Rowe took to the road to take an even more detailed look at each of these shortlisted local food heroes.

Over several months the judges travelled up and down the country as they sought to identify Britain’s ultimate professional cooks, visiting each in turn to hear their stories to really get under their skin and find out what makes each of them tick.

Two Cumbrian’s shone through during this process in their respective categories and these were…

Aidan Monks, from Lovingly Artisan, Plumgarth’s, who was crowned the UK’s Best Baker, winning through in a category brim full of dedicated people who exist on only a few hours of sleep a night and simply leave you wanting more of their bread…

Laura Rowe Editor of Olive said: ‘’the strength of this category, standalone for the first time this year, was staggering but it was Aidan’s experience and knack for flavours – from an umami-bomb of cheese and Marmite, to a sweet spiced apple - that really shone for us.’’

The other Cumbrian winner was head chef Nina Matsunaga, from Sedbergh’s Black Bull, who was jointly crowned the UK’s most Innovative Chef, alongside Gareth Ward from Ynyshir, Wales. Nina won through in a category in which the judges left no stone unturned to find a chef doing something totally different from everyone else in the industry…

Head judge Laura Rowe commented: ‘’Nina couldn’t be more humble - saying that she’s only doing ‘’what everyone does in the Lake District’’ - but she’s truly carving her own path. From jellyfish fritters with rhubarb ponzu, to cured beef powder used as seasoning for steak - this is pub cooking like you never tasted it before.

Both have joined a long list of talented Cumbrian chefs who are making a huge difference to the way we eat across the UK.