Oxfordshire food awards honour top chefs and venues

The OXINABOX Food Awards 2026, which took place at The North Wall, brought together 200 finalists, sponsors, and VIPs for an evening honouring the county’s top culinary talent.

Witney’s Corn Room took home two awards, winning Best Restaurant and Best Newcomer.

Other winners included Waste2Taste in Cowley for Best Cafe, and Oxford Blue in East Oxford for Best Veggie/Vegan.

Dishoom Permit Room in Oxford was named Best Casual Dining, while Django’s Smokehouse in Didcot won Best International.

The White Hart in Fyfield was awarded Best Gastropub, and The Plough in West Hanney was named Best Pub/Bar.

Will Barker was named Young Chef of the Year by the Oxford Guild of Chefs, and James Erasmus of Feathered Nest was awarded Best Chef.

Special honours included Tess Taylor of Tap Social, who was named Oxfordshire Hospitality Woman of the Year, and Mike North of Nut Tree, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Over 200 hospitality businesses across Oxfordshire were nominated and nearly 40,000 public votes determined the over 40 finalists.

The awards were supported by sponsors including Wise Investment, Jolly Foods, and Oxford Fine Dining.

An after-party was held at OXTWO in Summertown.