Borders chef, Yorkshire star and squirrel canapé light up game awards

Champion of Champions crowned in London

A Scottish Borders chef who thought his table’s luck had run out claimed the top prize at the 2026 Eat Game Awards. 

Ross Horrocks, owner and head chef at The Caddy Mann in Jedburgh, won the public vote for Champion of Champions at a ceremony at Soane Hall, London, on 19 March. Having seen three of the five businesses on his table collect awards, Mr Horrocks told Shooting Times “it was a complete shock when my name was read out. No way on earth did I think we would win anything.” 

Mr Horrocks has run The Caddy Mann for 25 years, sourcing game directly from local shoots, estates and dealers. Among his longest-standing suppliers is Burnside Farm Foods, which took home Best Game Product. His approach to putting game in front of diners is built on familiarity. “We try to cook game in a way that people recognise but wouldn’t automatically put together,” he said. 

The Caddy Mann runs a daily-changing menu throughout the season, including species rarely seen on other menus. “We’ve always used what’s on our doorstep,” Mr Horrock said. “Why import things when everything’s here already?”

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Yorkshire chef takes top culinary honours

Also at his table was Callum Leslie, who was crowned Best Game Chef, and Maisebrooke Farm Shop, who claimed Best Retailer for the third consecutive year. 

Mr Leslie, executive chef at the Michelin-starred The Black Swan at Oldstead, ended a two-year run of victories by Mark Kempson. At 29, he was the Yorkshire & North East regional winner on last year’s Great British Menu. He commented: “Getting to work closely with our surrounding estates brings me so much joy, and being able to educate both the team and our guests on all the benefits of cooking game will never get boring.”

Mr Leslie also paid tribute to the wider community gathered at Soane Hall. “To win in a room full of amazing people who do so much for shooting and conservation makes it even more special,” he said, thanking both Eat Game and BASC “for all the hard work they do protecting the things I love”.

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Awards celebrate industry leaders

Elsewhere on the night, Della Kimmins of The Farm Butchery was named Best Game Butcher, Chris Marney of Game for Anything took Best Game Educator/Influencer, and The Boat at Erbistock claimed Best Pub/Restaurant on their first appearance at the awards. The Rising Star award went to Josh Zitha of City of Oxford College.

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Game is the star of the show

Guests were treated to southern fried squirrel and other canapés that set the tone for the evening, before tucking into confit rabbit parfait, trio of roe deer and jugged hare. Eat Game Awards organiser Sandra Forkin, a member of BASC’s executive team, said game meat had been the true star of the show. She added: “It was great to see so many new faces as well as our ‘regulars’ who continue year-on-year to help us educate, inspire and encourage more people to eat game and I would like to congratulate all the winners and finalists on the work they do.”