Nine food and drink companies have been touted as top places to work in the UK by Best Companies. The list is divided into regions, sectors and size.
Cook – the manufacturer and retailer of frozen meals and puddings – topped the charts in the food and beverage category.
Cook was set up by Edward Perry and Dale Penfold in 1997. Since its humble beginnings in Surrey when it was just a single shop in Farnham, the business now has 100+ stores and more than 1,000 independent stockists.
Cook’s meals are British made, with a lot of its desserts coming from the puddings kitchen in Somerset, and the rest of its meals being handmade in its Sittingbourne kitchens.
Overall, the business came in at number 12 in the 2025 Best Large Companies to Work for list.
The Leeds-based independent brewery, Northern Monk, was second in the food and drink rankings (#50 in Best Mid-Sized Company).
The business was founded in 2013 by Russell Bisset. Today it boasts a workforce of around 140 across four sites, with a fifth to come.
Premium beverage mixer brand, Fever Tree, was placed third (#52 mid-sized), whilst hospitality firm Kerb came fourth (#64 in mid-sized).
Lincolnshire-based Sleaford Quality Foods (#68 mid-sized) – a previous winner at the Food Manufacture Excellence Awards for its outstanding factory management and business leadership – was awarded fifth place in the food and drink list.
Creed Foodservice came in sixth, followed by Noble Foods in seventh, Hilltop in eight, and AMFresh in ninth.
