For the second year running Countryfile Magazine has been celebrating the people who keep our food traditions alive by asking the movers and shakers of the food world to name their local food heroes. We had such a good response to last year’s nominations that this year we included three nominations from our readers as well. Thanks to all those who sent in suggestions.

This year’s heroes range from a woman who is restoring Kent’s cherry orchards to their former glory, to the man who established one of the country’s most successful vegetable box schemes and a blackcurrant grower who is now making cassis. Also nominated were the fish merchant who transformed the humble pilchard into a sexy sardine, and a school meals caterer who has weaned schoolchildren off chicken nuggets and got them eating high-quality locally sourced food.

You can read more about our heroes in the September issue, out now, but in the meantime here's a sneak peak at the list:

1. Julian Temperley,
Somerset Cider Brandy, Somerset

2. Lord Newborough
Rhug Estate Organic Farm, Denbighshire

3. Robert Hocking
Buttervilla Funky Leaves, Cornwall

4. Ian and Sue Whitehead
Suffolk Salami

5. Tim Lovett
President British Beekeepers’ Association

6. Nick Snelgar
Futurefarms, Martin, Hampshire – the village that’s feeding itself

7. Tim Lang
Food policy professor and government adviser

8. Jo Hilditch
Blackcurrant grower, Herefordshire

9. Jonathan Honeyman
Aberfoyle Butcher, Stirling

10. Annette Lee
Woolsery Cheese, Dorset

11. Nick Howell
Pilchard merchant, Cornwall

12. Dani Slatter
Cotswold Ice Cream Company, Cotswold

13. Elaine Williams
Madgett’s Farm, Monmouthshire

14. Jyoti Fernandes and David Saltmarsh
Fivepenny Farm, Dorset

15. James Swift and others
Trealy Farm Charcuterie, Monmouthshire

16. Colin Robinson
Colin M Robinson Butchers, North Yorkshire

17. Pippa Palmar
Mid Kent Downs Orchard Project

18. Donna Baines
Nottinghamshire County Council schools caterer

19. Guy Watson
Riverford Organic veg box scheme, Devon

20. Andrew Sharp
Herdwick mutton, Cumbria