Prue Leith made a dame in Queen's Birthday Honours

Restaurateur and television presenter Prue Leith has been honoured with a damehood for her services to food, broadcasting and charity in the Queen’s Birthday honours.

The Great British Bake Off and former Great British Menu judge set up Leiths School of Food and Wine with Caroline Waldegrave in 1974 and was the chair of the School Food Trust from its inception in 2006 to 2010. A champion of food education, she has also been the chair of the Royal Society of Arts and the Children’s Food Trust.

Leith received a CBE in 2010 and was awarded an OBE for services to the industry in 1989.

Other recipients of OBEs for their services to the industry during the Covid-19 crisis including Joanna Dyson, head of food at FareShare, which redistributes surplus food; and Christopher Skeith, chief executive of the Association of Event Organisers.

Alexandra Hoskyn was awarded an OBE for her services to tackling loneliness during Covid-19. Hoskyn, founder of charity the Chatty Café Scheme, encourages hospitality venues to have a table dedicated for customers who are happy to chat to others.

MBEs were awarded to Peter Waters, executive director of Visit East of England, for services to the tourism industry during Covid-19; and Zillur Hussain, owner of Tavan restaurant in Peterborough, for services to the community. Hussain founded the Zi Foundation to support people in the city who were homeless, vulnerable or self-isolating by providing meals, essential packages and handing out free facemasks.

British Empire Medals were also handed out to Tarek Thoma, owner of the Oven restaurant in Middlesbrough, who provided care packages to the vulnerable and shielding in the town during the pandemic; caterer Philip Small for services to hospitality, vulnerable people and charity in London; and Nikhil Santos, catering manager at St Mary's University in London.

Similarly honoured were Hensol Castle Distillery managing director Rhys Mallows, whose company pivoted to producing hand sanitiser for the NHS; and Amanda Guest, owner of the Guest Dining catering company, who co-founded Food4Heroes, which delivered meals to thousands of frontline NHS workers.

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