Island Delight employee celebrated at food and drink industry awards ceremony  

The technical manager at Birmingham-based Jamaican patty brand Island Delight who has gone above and beyond has been honoured with the Quality & Technical Lead Award at the Women in Food & Drink Awards 2026. 

The awards, which took place at The Hilton Bankside on Wednesday 6 May, recognised Khushwant Kaur’s contribution to quality, innovation, and leadership within the FMCG industry. 

Based at Cleone Foods Hockley, Khushwant has consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to maintaining the highest standards, while inspiring those around her with her passion, expertise, and collaborative approach. 

Her dedication to continuous improvement and excellence has played a significant role in driving quality across the business, helping to create products and processes that customers can trust.  

Khushi has taken the BRCGS standards and consistently achieved the highest grades AA, AA+ (unannounced inspection) and AA with zero non-conformances (announced).   

Throughout her career, Khushwant has played a pivotal role in strengthening quality culture across the business, ensuring that food safety, compliance, and customer expectations remain at the heart of every operation.  

Her ability to balance technical expertise with strong people leadership has enabled her to empower her teams to deliver consistently high standards while fostering a culture of accountability and innovation. 

Khushwant was also recognised for her proactive and solutions-focused approach.  

She has successfully led initiatives that have improved operational performance, enhanced product quality, and driven measurable improvements in compliance and efficiency.  

Wade Lyn, CEO of Island Delight, said: “We are all immensely proud of Khushi’s achievements, we have the highest obtainable standards in our industry and we consistently maintain them under her technical leadership”

Pictured from left to right: Wade Lyn and Khushwant Kaur