Love Spoon Awards 2019

Love Spoon Awards 2019 Ceremony

Paul enters the stage. He's even brushed his hair.

Paul: "That’s right, a post full of bad jokes in honour of your most-loved content created by us. Don’t worry, as we are vegan they won’t be cheesy…

"Our first year in the world of food blogging has been exciting and full of flavour, but it can be hard at times. Like when you have to test yourself through four different versions of the same cake, but you can only choose one to end up as a recipe... Jokes aside, running a food blog might seem like a piece of cake on some days, but it can be tough to motivate yourself again and again. Therefore it is ever more important from time to time to keep a sense of hummus, erm, humour, and from time to time shine some light on your accomplishments and the great work you have put into a project.

"Let me hand you over now to Sophie, who will present the award in our first category."

Sophie enters the stage. She's wearing a gorgeous vintage dress... or is it really one of her own creations? (Cameras capture the glamorous gown she's wearing... Oh wait, it's just her pyjamas.) Anyway, let's focus back on more important things than what clothes women are wearing... It's 2019, people!

Sophie: "Thank you Paul, and might I say you look rather tasty tonight... *wink*

"It's such an honour just to be nominated for... oh wait, this award's not for me. Nonetheless, I am excited to be presenting you today with the web content we created that stirred up the most heat among our ever growing audience. Our first category in the Love Spoon Awards 2019 is...

Best Instagram Post

Sophie: "While we generate most website traffic via search engines like Google or the tree-planting Ecosia, a lot of our audience engage with us over social media. Instagram has been a great way for us to reach people, and it's always been our most entertained social media channel. So it makes sense to honor our Instagram post most loved by users, with both most likes and engagement by followers. And, with the Love Spoon in the category Best Instagram Post goes to...

Launch of Responsible Vanlife Contribution

Sophie and Paul took this picture to be a part of a mosaic of photos for the launch of Responsible Vanlife, a community page for inspiration and ideas to live vanlife more responsibly and sustainably. This post was closely followed by Sophie presenting a crate full of plastic free vegetable shopping. Third place are Sophie and Paul, literally hanging out in their campervan.

You don't want to know how much work it was to scroll through all these posts to find the winner, so let's move on to Paul the second category...

Best Pin

Paul: "It took me a while to understand the purpose of Pinterest. The only time I came across it was when a few years back a bandmate showed me a collection of very, very hot ... cars. Very hot cars!

"Anyway, now I am a food blogger, and I love Pinterest! It is so useful! Who would not like to have a vision board full of mouthwatering food to inspire you for your next vegan dinner party? Pure food porn!

"The winner of the Love Spoon Award 2019 in the category Best Pin is..."

Vegan Chocolate Pear Cake!

Paul: "You might have seen this one before! Just yesterday it was in the Top 5 most popular Vegan On Board Recipes. People just love it! The whole pears peek out of the cake so cute, that we named it the 'Peekaboo pear cake'. It has been pinned to 385 boards, which we find amazing!

"With the upcoming award categories, we move on away from content itself and towards all the work that needs to be done to create it."

Best Supporting Act

Sophie: "Paul and myself might be getting all the credit for all the content published on Vegan On Board. But whether it's a new tasty vegan recipe we created, a blog post that is finished writing after hours of work, or a stunning photograph with a breathtaking landscape as a backdrop... There is a silent contributor without whom, none of it would be possible. In fact, Vegan On Board wouldn't even exist in this form as a vegan campervan food blog... Ladies and Gents, give it up for our Best Supporting Act... Ronnie the campervan!

Sophie: "Our Ronnie is more than a car, more than a van. When we are touring around the continent, getting inspired to cook up some delicious foraged food, getting lost in beautiful nature or cosying up at the end of the day... Ronnie takes us everywhere and enables us to do all these things. Ronnie is our kitchen and dining room, our living room, our music studio, office and our bedroom... Ronnie gives us the peace, space, the facilities and the right atmosphere to after our business and hobbies. In short, Ronnie the campervan is our life. And we are so happy to be On Board. We hope that Ronnie will be with us and give us pleasure for years to come!"

Paul: "That's right. Now, the winner of the next category is someone who I hope to be with for years to come... It's my pleasure to give out the Love Spoon Award 2019 in the category...

Best Food Photographer and Social Media Manager

Paul: "The winner of this award has worked harder than anyone to make Vegan On Board what it is today. I might sometimes get a tiny bit impatient when dinner is on the plates, but I must not start eating just yet. However, this person's job is harder than that. Whether it's a cake, a bowl of soup, a plate of risotto or a mug of hot chocolate. The winner of this category works tirelessly to put any of our food creations into the best light, and won't stop before we have the best picture of it that you can get.

"I don't mind eating my food cold. But even while I do, her work is not done. Every single day she works to get our recipes and stories out into the public, sharing them on various channels that I have lost count of months ago... If that does not deserve a Love Spoon, what does? The winner in the category Best Food Photographer and Social Media Manager is...

Sophie Collins!

Paul about Sophie: "Who said you need a full photo studio to take stunning pictures? With Sophie's simple but highly efficient setup, we are flexible and always ready to photograph our food when inspiration strikes. All without a lot of equipment and artificial lighting. It is mindblowing what Sophie can get out of just the sun's natural light, a simple diffusor and a thin wooden board... And here she is... Sophie Collins!"

Sophie: "Oh wow, thank you! I certainly did not expect that! To be honest, I don't often know how things are going to turn out. But it's nice to feel that all the effort is recognised at the end of the day… Anyway, I feel embarassed to be singled out here on stage, so let's swiftly move on to the next category."

Best Chef

Sophie: "Of course, in order for me to take pictures of food, there needs to be food in the first place. As important it is in the world of food blogging to know how to 'sell' your product, it is always easier when you know that the product you are selling is great. Meaning, the food just tastes amazing. After all, great food is what a food blog is all about. I am honoured to announce the winner in the category Best Chef... And the Love Spoon goes to...

Paul Collins!

Sophie: "Paul has shown a continual commitment to making food the best it can be. His creative flair for vegan cookery first came to fame with his Infamous Apple Curry and he hasn’t let us down since. When you use a Paul Collins recipe, you know you are getting a quality dish that will delight your tastebuds.

"With his scientific training and artistic personality, Paul Collins has the perfect recipe to be Best Chef."

Paul: "Thank you so much, I don't know what to say... Honestly, I feel humbled when I see and taste what so many great cooks out there plate up every day. I am actually just an amateur. But I've always enjoyed tasty food, and it's one of the most satisfying things to make other people happy with food. And now with Vegan On Board, I don't even have to cook it myself anymore... People around the world have cooked and liked our recipes. It is quite surreal still, so thank you, thank you thank you."

Sophie: "Which brings us to our next and final category tonight... The Vegan On Board Love Spoon Award 2019 for the Best Reader goes to..."

Best Reader

You!

For making it to the end of this post! Whether you’ve been with us for the whole year or you’ve just jumped on board, we’re so happy to have you with us!

Maybe you're a fellow vegan, maybe travelling in a van. Maybe you want to add more plants into your diet. Maybe you have vegan friend, maybe they're us! Maybe you're just related to us. HI MUM!

Each one of you is part of the Vegan on Board Community and it means a lot to us to have you here. This one, as all the other posts this week, goes out to you!

Have a good night (or day), and see you next year at the Love Spoon Awards 2020!

Lots of love,