It was an unexpected thrill for all of us at Absolute Press to win the Independent Publisher Guild’s ‘Specialist Consumer Publisher of the Year’ award last night. A seamlessly well-organised and glamorous gala award dinner celebrated all that is special and singular about independent publishing, highlighting the many inspirational independent presses shortlisted in the 12 different categories, topped off with the main Award for Independent Publisher of the Year going to the legendary Peter Usborne and Usborne Publishing. A great night for all those who publish with passion!

You can read the judges’ comments at the IPG website here.

It’s been an incredible start to 2014. Absolute Press has been shortlisted for the Independent Publishing Awards ‘Worldwide Specialist Consumer Publisher Of The Year’ – an achievement which we are hugely proud of.

Absolute Press books were also winning awards in five separate UK categories of the prestigious World Gourmand Cookbook Awards:

‘Best UK Chef Cookbook’ awarded to Roast by Marcus Verberne

‘Best UK Wine Book of the Year’ awarded to Christie’s Encyclopedia of Champagne and Sparkling Wine by Tom Stevenson and Essi Avellan

‘Best UK TV Chef Cookbook’ awarded to Atul’s Curries of the World by Atul Kochhar

‘Best UK Food Photography’ awarded to Beyond Essence by David Everitt-Matthias (photography by Lisa Barber)

And last but not least…

‘Best UK Culinary Travel’ awarded to Proper Pub Food by Tom Kerridge.

All of the five individual UK-winning books above now go through to compete in the World category, against other national winners, in May.