Local producers Durslade Farm and Hollis Mead Organic Dairy are among the star turns in this year’s awards, reports Fanny Charles
THE results of the 2022 Great Taste Awards, organised by the Gillingham-based Guild of Fine Food, include 529 Great Taste star products from the south west, with multiple awards for Durslade Farm Shop at Hauser & Wirth’s contemporary art centre at Bruton and a coveted three stars for Hollis Mead Organic Dairy at Corscombe.
From blood orange marmalade to hot and cold smoked salmon and kimchi, the awards demonstrate the amazing variety and creativity of food producers around the country and the world. The south west’s food producers have won 29 three-star awards, 159 two-star awards and 341 one-star awards. Less than two per cent of the 14,205 entries in 2022 received three stars, given for ‘extraordinarily tasty food and drink’.
The panel
The Great Taste judging panel is made up of more than 500 food and drink professionals, including critics, chefs, recipe creators, buyers, retailers, journalists, broadcasters and other experts in the field. This year, they included buyers from Selfridges, Whole Foods, Fortnum & Mason and Waitrose, delicious magazine editor Karen Barnes, Bake Off contestant and author Chetna Makan, MasterChef Professionals finalist Santosh Shah, the BBC’s Nigel Bardem, restaurateurs Kavi Thakrar (Dishoom) and Amy Poon (Poon’s), journalists Felicity Cloake, Xanthe Clay and Joanna Blythman and food-writers Gill Meller, Melissa Thompson and Georgina Hayden.
Guild managing director John Farrand says: “We are chuffed to be unveiling the list of award-winners for 2022 today. It’s been another exceptional year of high quality, innovation and creativity. We’re seeing a steady increase in plant-based products year-on-year and the fermented and functional foods are really starting to hold their own in terms of taste. I was extremely impressed to see that many of the entries have come from businesses which started trading in the last year or two. It isn’t easy doing what these producers do, neither for the start-ups nor the established businesses. I have the utmost admiration for them all.”
Overall, 5,556 products received either one, two or three stars. The highest scoring producers go through to the regional finals and the winners (and the supreme champion) will be announced at the Golden Fork ceremony on Monday 5th September at Southwark Cathedral.
Local winners
Local three-star winners include:
- Durslade Farm Shop t/a Artfarm Ltd, Bruton for air dried beef, beef x wagyu short ribs, and leg of lamb;
- Beanpress Coffee of Winterborne Kingston for Rainbow Juice
- Coombe Farm Organic, Roundham near Crewkerne, for whole goose
- Hollis Mead Organic Dairy, Corscombe for Benville organic triple cream Brie-style cheese (and two one-star awards).
Local two-star winners include:
Ajar Of, Hazelbury Bryan, Jumbleberry Jam with Cassis (and one-star awards for Dorset Raspberry Jam and Black Garlic Ketchup); Durslade Farm Shop, Durslade Summer Honey, piccalilli, beef x Wagyu Cote de Boeu, rack of lamb, grass-fed Wagyu x sirloin steaks, Boerewors, Durslade Farm potted beef with wild horseradish (and 14 one-star awards); Baboo Gelato, West Bay, Madagascan Vanilla Gelato, Strawberry Gelato, Brandy Gelato; Bad Hand Coffee, Bournemouth, Shaka Espresso;
BeanCraft Chocolate, Bradford on Avon, Orangettes; Blackmore Vale Butchery, Henstridge, Tomahawk Steak; Capreolus, Rampisham, Guanciale; and seven one-star awards; Chococo, Wareham, 80% Uganda origin hot chocolate flakes, Speculoos Caramel, Molasses and Brown Butter Caramel; and three one-star products; Fussells, Frome, garlic extra virgin rapeseed oil; Madjeston Milk Station, Gillingham, pasteurised unhomogenised whole milk; Meggy Moo’s Dairy, Iwerne Courtney, sea-salted butter and peppered butter; Mure Liqueurs, by Mat Follas, Dorchester, Properly Bitter Lemon Liqueur and Old Tom Liqueur; Purbeck Ice Cream, Corfe Castle, Ecuadorian Dark 72% Chocolate Bar with Natural Peppermint; Somerset Cider Brandy Company, 10-year-old Somerset Cider Brandy; The Dorset Ginger Company, Lytchett Matravers, Dorset Ginger Original, Dorset Ginger Extra Strong; The Wasabi Company, Wareham, Dried Donko Organic Shiitake Mushrooms.
The full list of this year’s winners and where to buy them can be found at www.greattasteawards.co.uk – a wide range of the award-winning products are available to buy in delis, farm shops and independent retail outlets across the country.
