Country Range celebrates members and suppliers at An Evening With…

More than 200 guests attended Country Range Group’s annual ‘An Evening With…’ event and awards ceremony at the National Gallery on 11 December.

The sell-out event is always one of the key dates in CRG’s calendar and highlights successes of the group, its supplier partners and member wholesalers over the past year.

This year, for the first time in the event’s 12-year history, two people-focused awards were presented: a Rising Star award, recognising an individual in the early stages of their foodservice career who has quickly adapted, exceeded expectations, or introduced fresh ideas making a real impact; and a Foodservice Champion award, which honours an individual who consistently delivers excellence and embodies the values of professionalism, teamwork and service.

In addition to the awards ceremony, which was hosted by TV personality Vernon Kay, guests were treated to a drinks reception with special access to some of the most famous artworks in the Gallery’s collection, a bespoke three-course dinner that had been created by caterers Rhubarb, and an after-party within The Annenberg Court.

Alys Baxter of Harlech Foodservice accepts the Rising Star award.

2025 Member Award Winners:

Best Own Brand Performance – Harlech Foodservice

Best Branded Performance – Savona Foodservice

Best Digital Activation – Birchall Foodservice

Best New Wholesaler – First Choice Foodservice

Member of the Year – Birchall Foodservice

Rising Star – Alys Baxter of Harlech Foodservice

Foodservice Champion – Jason Gold of Europ Foods

Jason Gold of Europ Foods celebrates being named Foodservice Champion.

2025 Supplier Award Winners:

Marketing Excellence – PepsiCo

Business Relationship – Radnor Hills

Service Performance – darta

CRG Insight Data Champion – pladis Global

Best New Supplier – Pan Euro Foods

Frozen Supplier of the Year – Proper Cornish

Own Brand Supplier of the Year – Kings Fine Cooked Meats

Branded Supplier of the Year – Premier Foods

Country Range Group chief executive Martin Ward said: “It’s always a highlight of our year bringing together our dedicated members and valued supplier partners for our annual ‘An Evening With…’ awards evening, and this year’s celebration was certainly no different. The National Gallery is a stunningly iconic venue steeped in history and provided the perfect backdrop for the night’s entertainment.

“It’s been a hugely positive 12 months for the group and as we have just finalised our next five-year strategy development, we are ensuring that the group and our membership are well positioned to grow profitably in the coming years in spite of a difficult marketplace. A huge congratulations to all the award winners and a heartfelt thank you to every single person who has contributed to the group’s successes over the past year.”

Whilst the focus of the evening was on recognition and celebration, it was also an opportunity to make a difference: a charity raffle raised £5,000 for The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, working to transform the lives of people living with food allergies, and The Mines Advisory Group (MAG), helping communities around the world rebuild safely after conflict.