The Deliveroo Restaurant Awards, the programme designed to champion restaurants across the country, are back for 2025. This year the delivery app has recruited a guest judge – Celebrity Masterchef finalist, TV personality, culinary school graduate, and the daughter of multi-Michelin star restaurant royalty, Tilly Ramsay.
Having been raised on top-tier tastes before she could walk and now forging her own way in the industry having recently graduated from the prestigious Ballymaloe culinary school, TikTok sensation and next generation of Ramsay talent Tilly, 23, is perfectly placed to help judge the UK and Ireland’s most-loved local eats.
Celebrating the best local restaurants that have had the very opposite of a ‘Kitchen Nightmare’ thanks to their rave reviews on the app, Tilly will help crown the coveted 2025 Deliveroo Independent Restaurant of the Year title, won by Yeeros in Dublin in 2024. She’ll sit alongside a panel of experts that include Deliveroo’s CEO and Founder Will Shu and esteemed food critic and returning judge, Jimi Famurewa – making her the awards’ youngest ever judge.
Having seen her star rise in the culinary world from just 12 years old, Tilly is also perfectly placed to judge Deliveroo’s new for 2025 ‘Rising Star Award’ title, one which will see her celebrating and supporting the next generation of chef talent.
On recruiting Tilly Ramsay as the newest Deliveroo Restaurant Awards judge, Will Shu, CEO & Founder at Deliveroo said: “The Deliveroo Restaurant Awards is about championing the local restaurants who provide incredible selection and quality food in their communities. These restaurants are the beating heart of our towns and cities and they obsess over making sure every food delivery is a special moment for our customers – that’s something worth celebrating.
We’re excited to have Tilly Ramsay join our judging panel this year – whilst her family history has no doubt helped hone her tastes, it’s great to be working with the next generation of food talent. Make sure you vote for your favourite restaurants if you want to see them take home a title.”
Tilly Ramsay said: “I can’t wait to take my taste buds on a tour as I rate some of the most loved local eats from around the UK and Ireland as part of the Deliveroo Restaurant Awards. The shortlist of restaurants looks epic and I’m excited to get stuck into deliberating the dishes for the top title, Independent Restaurant of the Year, with my co-judges.”
“It’s also a huge honour to be supporting the next generation of restaurateur talent as part of the Rising Star award – as a recent culinary school graduate and someone still early in my career, it feels very special to celebrate new and exceptional talent in the food industry!”
Deliveroo’s Restaurant Awards celebrate and recognise the very best and most-loved restaurants across the country – from local independent burger joints to neighbourhood sushi restaurants and all the dishes and flavours in between, with 65 award categories in total, including 50 regional cuisine-led awards and the coveted Independent Restaurant of the Year award. As well as the ‘Rising Star Award’, other new categories introduced this year celebrating pioneers in the industry include the ‘Lifetime Achievement’, ‘Changing the Game’, and ‘Role Model’ awards.
