Cateys 2026 winners: David Moore, Mary-Ellen McTague, Sir Rocco Forte and Lady Olga Polizzi win top accolades

Renowned restaurateur and founder of Pied à Terre in London’s Fitzrovia David Moore and celebrated Manchester chef Mary-Ellen McTague took home two of the top accolades at the 2026 Cateys, held in partnership with Square.

Meanwhile, Sir Rocco Forte and Lady Olga Polizzi were awarded the International Outstanding Achievement Award for their creation of a collection of industry leading design-led hotels. Presenting the award, Jacobs Media chairman Clive Jacobs said the pair were "visionary hoteliers who have built a collection of award winning, design-led properties while redefining the delivery of luxury hospitality". 

The awards were presented during a glittering ceremony at JW Marriott Grosvenor House London, attended by more than 1,000 of the UK’s leading hospitality professionals on Tuesday evening (7 July).

In a Cateys first, Exclusive Collection was event partner, bringing its focus on sustainable luxury to the awards with a tree-lined entranceway, seed paper used for all printed material, a spa experience in the bathrooms and a menu created using only produce sourced in the UK.

Moore picked up the Lifetime Achievement Award for a career spanning more than three decades at the forefront of British hospitality. He opened his acclaimed restaurant on Charlotte Street in London in 1991, and it remains the capital’s longest-standing Michelin-starred restaurant, having retained its star for more than 30 years.

The Special Award was presented to Manchester chef Mary-Ellen McTague in recognition of her outstanding work establishing charity Eat Well MCR. Since its inception in 2020 the organisation has grown to deliver some 2,500 meals a month to families living in temporary accommodation, women taking refuge in sheltered accommodation and families experiencing food poverty and inequality.

Sir Rocco Forte and his sister Lady Olga Polizzi were honoured with the International Outstanding Achievement Award for their intuitive approach to service and unwavering commitment to developing their people. Their influence extends far beyond their landmark hotels themselves, with former colleagues praising the pair for nurturing talent and creating opportunities for others.

The 2026 Chef Award was won by John Williams, executive chef at the Ritz London. Williams, who oversees a kitchen of more than 60 chefs, joined the famous London hotel in 2004. No stranger to the Cateys, he won the Special Award in 2017 and devised the menu for the event in a milestone year when the Cateys celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2023.

Meanwhile, Alice Bussi, who won Food and Beverage Manager of the Year at the 2018 Hotel Cateys, and Acorn alumnus Allister Barsby, won Restaurateur of the Year – Independent for their Kent restaurant Hide and Fox. The restaurant won a second Michelin star in last year’s guide.

Flat Iron’s Tom Byng, who has led the steak chain restaurant since 2021, took home the gong for Restaurateur of the Year – Group.

This year saw the introduction of a new award, the Pastry Chef of the Year, launched to celebrate creativity and distinction within the discipline. The inaugural winner was Ross Sneddon, executive pastry chef at the Balmoral, Edinburgh, and Brown’s hotel, London.

A one-off prize was given to recognise a business demonstrating all the qualities of The Caterer’s This is Hospitality campaign. The worthy winner was south-west, family-run hospitality company the Pony Group, founded by siblings Josh and Holly Eggleton. The Caterer readers voted for the group having been inspired by its unwavering commitment to giving back, which include taking its Pony Bus to schools and events to provide food education as part of the work of its Community Interest Company.

The Caterer editor James Stagg said: “Congratulations to all of our outstanding winners. It has been special to be able to celebrate such excellence in hospitality at an event that demonstrates just what the best of the best can deliver.

“For that we are truly grateful to event partner Square for its support and the team at Exclusive Hotels for their determination to use the Cateys as a force for good, delivering an outstanding menu and a memorable overall experience.

“From driving the seasonality and local sourcing of the menu – including growing the elderflower for our ‘Hugo Spritz’ dessert wine and the mint for the mint tea – to bringing a taste of its spa experiences, Exclusive Collection elevated the awards to new levels.

“Thanks also to Matthew Clark Bibendum, which rose to the challenge by supplying English wine that partnered perfectly with the Exclusive Collection menu.  

“It’s a night all of our guests will cherish.”

Cateys guests enjoyed a feast designed by six chefs from hotel group Exclusive Collection. All ingredients were sourced from the British Isles and surrounding waters, with many grown or foraged from the group’s estate grounds.

The menu included dishes such as a starter of Cornish crab, custard, cucumber, apple and cultured cream from Steve Smith, head chef at one-Michelin-starred Latymer restaurant at Pennyhill Park.

Ben Wilkinson, head chef at one-Michelin-starred the Pass at South Lodge, cooked an exquisite main course of roast loin of lamb with dumpling of lamb shoulder and liver, grilled gem lettuce and roasted new potatoes.

For dessert, guests were treated to Sarah Frankland’s Eton Mess, which included Pennyhill Park honey, New Forest strawberries and an English apple cider balsamic sorbet.