When it comes to food and drink PR, success starts with knowing exactly who to pitch to – and that’s where Roxhill comes in.
With our best-in-class media database and the information we glean directly from journalists in our events programme, we track the food journalists that matter across leading titles like The Telegraph, The Times, The Financial Times, The London Standard, Good Food, Olive, and beyond.
These writers have the relevance and credibility to shape where people eat, drink and spend. From agenda-setting restaurant critics to specialist drinks writers and opinion-forming freelance voices, the UK’s top food journalists are driving conversations that directly impact brands, venues and reputations.
We’ve curated this list of the ten food journalists PRs need to know in 2026. Backed by Roxhill’s data and editorial insight, these are the names worth having on your radar – and in your contact list – right now.
The UK's top food journalists
* The journalists’ job titles and publications are correct as of March 2026.
Hannah Evans, Deputy Food Editor, The Times and The Sunday Times
Hannah Evans
Deputy Food Editor
The Times and The Sunday Times
Hannah started as an intern at The Times and has worked her way up to Deputy Food Editor. She interviews foodie personalities and writes food features, as well as sharing recipes and conducting taste tests.
Make sure you don’t pitch her a straight restaurant review as those are done by either Giles Coren or Camilla Long, but restaurants can be featured creatively in the food pages – a chef can provide top tips for home entertaining or making the perfect roast potatoes, for instance.
Hannah is always on the lookout for food trends, and chefs, restaurateurs, or founders with a fascinating story.
p.s. You can hear more from Hannah in our On the Rox podcast interview. In this episode, she talks about the recipes that perform best, how to get press for cookbooks, and the kind of pitches that always cut through.
Stacey Smith, Senior Food and Drink Editor, Good Housekeeping
Stacey Smith
Senior Food and Drink Editor
Good Housekeeping
Stacey looks after all food and drink reviews at the Good Housekeeping Institute — from coffee pods and veg boxes, to natural wine and tequila. Prior to this, Stacey was the Food and Drink Editor at Hearst.
The Good Housekeeping Institute is extremely rigorous in its testing – they try every single product they write about. For PRs, it’s crucial to find out when the relevant test is coming up, then get product into her hands, and emphasise any key USPs.
p.s. To find out more about Stacey and how she likes to work with PRs, listen to our On the Rox podcast interview about pitching food stories to the Good Housekeeping Institute.
Amy Bryant, Food Editor, The Telegraph
Amy Bryant
Food editor
The Sunday Telegraph
Amy is responsible for commissioning the majority of the food and drink content for The Telegraph.
Amy manages the entire team of Telegraph food and drink columnists and can send ideas on to the wider team, so feel free to send all pitches to her for restaurant reviews, food and drink product, interviews and features.
Angles to consider are how to help readers live a healthier life (so think healthiest versions of an indulgent food or smart supermarket swaps) and anything value-driven as their readers are savvy about their spending. Brilliant photographs are a necessity.
Samuel Goldsmith, Senior Food Editor, Good Food Magazine
Samuel Goldsmith
Senior Food Editor
Good Food Magazine
Good Food (formerly BBC Good Food) is the UK’s number one food media brand.
As well as being Senior Food Editor, Samuel Goldsmith also hosts the weekly Good Food podcast where he chats with chefs, cooks and food lovers.
The Good Food magazine covers everything to do with food including health, meal planning, smart budgeting, drinks and reviews. The publication provides information on topics such as healthy recipes, how-to cook advice, kitchen gadget reviews, easy family recipes, budget meal plans and shopping lists, the latest foodie travel inspiration or the perfect recipe for dinner.
Clare Finney, Freelance Food and Drink Writer, The London Standard, The Times, Vogue and more.
Clare Finney
Freelance Food and Drink Writer
The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Times, and more.
A freelance journalist since 2016, Clare has written about food and drink for top publications such as The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Times, The I, ES, Vogue, Time Out, BBC Good Food and Foodism. She was Fortnum & Mason’s food writer of the year 2019 and is the author of two books.
Clare has recently written features on eggs for the FT, hyper-local menus for House and Garden, and jacket potatoes for The Telegraph.
Hannah Twiggs, Food and Drink Editor, The Independent
Hannah Twiggs
Food and drink editor
The Independent
Hannah’s food stories are aimed mainly at The Independent’s older subscription readers, who pay for its content.
The biggest driver of traffic for The Independent’s food section are stories that sit at the intersection of food and health – topics like UPFs, fibre, protein and cholesterol perform well.
Recipes are run in two formats: themed bundles (i.e. 10 of the best chicken recipes), and cookbook extracts. If you’re pitching recipes, it’s helpful to hook these to health, a superfood ingredient or something trending.
Hannah also sends out the free ‘IndyEats’ food newsletter, which includes:
- A restaurant slot – one single restaurant she’s recently visited with a small review and bookings link.
- Food-health – a newsy piece around this intersection.
- New cookbooks.
- Recipes
- Product slots – could feature both new and existing products, this may be pulled from IndyBest (their product reviews section) or relate to the web articles.
For more tips on how to send personalised pitches Hannah, click on the ‘Interview’ tab on her profile in the Roxhill database.
Lucy Roxburgh, Digital Commissioning Editor, Good Food Magazine and Olive Magazine
Lucy Roxburgh
Digital commissioning editor
Good Food Magazine
Working across digital for Good Food and its sister publication, Olive, Lucy is the best contact for food and drink product. She is in charge of their awards, product round-ups, and gift guides, including Christmas gifts, hampers, advent calendars, and Easter eggs.
Lucy also looks after travel and restaurant reviews content for both Good Food and Olive.
Holly O'Neill, Food Editor, The Observer
Holly O’Neill
Food Editor
The Observer
Holly oversees all of the Observer’s print and digital food content, including in The Observer Magazine.
The Observer hosts restaurant reviews, features and interviews, drinks, recipes, and columns in its food vertical.
Ajesh Patalay, Food Columnist, The Financial Times
Ajesh Patalay
Food columnist
The Financial Times
Ajesh Patalay is a contributing writer for How To Spend It, The Financial Times’ luxury lifestyle magazine. He was named Food Writer of the Year (2024) at the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards and shortlisted for Columnist of the Year (2024) by the British Society of Magazine Editors.
In addition to his day job, Ajesh is also a Roxhill Roxstar, a group of four top consumer journalists who write weekly columns full of pitching tips and advice for PRs. Read his whole archive of columns for free to get the inside edge on the biggest stories and happenings in the world of UK food media.
Josh Barrie, Food and Drink Writer, The London Standard
Josh Barrie
Food and Drink Writer
The London Standard
Josh’s writes news and features on the London food, bar and nightlife scene for the London Standard. He also writes a feature called ‘Country Pub of the Week‘, which is an opportunity for pubs outside London to attract weekend visitors from the capital.
Quick practical tips for PRs to use now
- Don’t be transactional: invest in genuine, long-term relationships with food journalists. Take the time to get to know what your target journalist cares about and personalise your pitches, rather than sending blanket emails.
- Timing is everything: Align your pitches with a food journalist’s editorial calendar and lead times.
- Offer genuine access: Exclusive interviews with chefs and founders, behind-the-scenes visits, and tasting opportunities all add real editorial value and make a pitch far harder to ignore.
FOOD JOURNALISTS
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I track food journalists that have covered my story?
With Roxhill’s Press Release Tracker you can see where your story landed and who covered it, from the moment you hit send.
Our media database and monitoring are fully integrated, so you can get a clear picture of your results – and add journalists to your media lists instantly.
What’s the best way to align my pitch with food trends?
Use resources like Roxhill Pinpoint to monitor trends and align your pitches with keywords that are trending in the industry.
For instance, you could see that mentions of ‘Easter eggs’ start picking up around 19 February and time your pitches accordingly to get ahead of the news cycle.
How do I build rewarding relationships with food journalists
Engage with journalists on social media, attend industry events, and offer valuable insights that align with their beat. Roxhill’s media database can help you identify and connect with key journalists in your sector. You can also attend Roxhill events to meet the UK’s leading journalists in person.
What makes a pitch stand out to food journalists?
A strong pitch offers exclusive insights, relevant data, and aligns with current trends. Personalise your pitch to the journalist’s interests and include clear, compelling visuals to support your story.
How do I find food journalist's contact details?
You can find up-to-date contact details, social profiles and recent headlines for every journalist in this guide via Roxhill’s Media Database.
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We’re with you, every step of the way
One login. Multiple solutions.
Roxhill’s all-in-one media intelligence platform will save you time, highlight your impact, and drive your business forward.
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