Following an afternoon business programme delegates attended the awards dinner hosted by Simon Rimmer. He entertained everyone before dinner and he created a celebratory atmosphere for the awards themselves, putting excellence in university hospitality under the spotlight.

The Outstanding Contribution Award for the sector was presented to Gavin Brown, chief executive at Leicester Services Partnership, a subsidiary of The University of Leicester. Gavin's career has seen him work at three universities including Nottingham and Sheffield before taking up his current post at Leicester.

Gavin commented: "It was a very proud and humbling experience to be recognised by colleagues and my peers.”

The full list of award winners include:

• University Bar Award sponsored by NUSLL: Leeds University Union 
• Cafe Concept Award sponsored by The Soho Sandwich Co.: University of Edinburgh 
• University Hotel Award sponsored by The Social Hub: Wivenhoe House at the University of Essex
• Sustainability Award sponsored by Adande Refrigeration: University of Sussex
• Social Dining Menu Award sponsored by Birds Eye Foodservice: Loughborough University 
• Campus Hospitality Award sponsored by Violife: Liverpool Hope University 
• On Trend Food Award sponsored by Mission Foods: King's College , London 
• Plant Based Menu Award sponsored by Green Cuisine: University College London 
• Marketing Award sponsored by HGEM: University of Birmingham 
• International U Dine Award Winner: DSU Toscana 

All the award winners will embark on a Study Tour to Barcelona, staying at The Social Hub. For further details on the U Dine Awards visit: www.udineawards.co.uk.