Top 50 2013

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A SPECIAL REPORT FROM

With thanks to our sponsors & supporters Harrods Trophy Supreme Champion 2013 Best First Time Entrant

Best Speciality from the South West

Ambient Product of the Year

Best Welsh Speciality

Best Speciality from the Midlands and East Anglia

Speciality Producer of the Year

Best Speciality from the North of England

Best Scottish Speciality

Best Imported Speciality

Best Speciality from London & the South East

Best Speciality from Northern Ireland

Woman & Home Great Taste VIP Award

Great Taste Shop of the Year

Best Irish Speciality

Lifetime Achievement

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Feel Good Food Small Artisan Producer

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Charcuterie Product of the Year

great taste 2013

I

t was another record-breaking year for Great Taste with the number of entries in 2013 cruising past 2012’s 8,807 and breaking the 9,000 barrier. In fact, there were nearly 1,000 more products to assess this year and it took 405 judges more than 50 days to get through it all. While the bulk of judging was carried out at organiser the Guild of Fine Food’s new HQ in Dorset, there was also a week of judging in Ireland and three days at the Royal Garden Hotel in London as well as sessions at specialist test centres for tea, filter coffee, espresso and olive oil.

Between April and July, the 9,738 food and drink products entered were whittled down to 2,524 one-stars, 645 two-stars, and 125 three-stars. These three-star products were all assessed for a second time by 41 expert palates to determine the list of Top 50 products that follows over the next few pages.

Many readers will already be familiar with some of the producers on the list as the line-up has been steadily unveiled by the Guild on Twitter and www.greattasteawards.co.uk over the last month.

Those that want to know more about the Top 50 can also view 60-second reviews of each product, carried out by a number of experts, on the Great Taste website. The reviews will also be available to download as an app.

Reviewers include food writers Glynn Christian and Xanthe Clay, Woman & Home food editor Jane Curran and Harrods’ director of food Bruce Langlands.

“In the same way as Jilly Goolden brings wine alive for those who want to understand more about it, our 60-second reviews will be telling you how to taste the food, how to use it and bring you closer to the producer who makes it,” said Guild managing director John Farrand.

“Expert reviewers will help find flavours and help you understand what makes this food better than the mass-produced things you can buy.”

To discover every product that has achieved one-, two-, and three-star accreditation and to keep up to date with all of the Great Taste Golden Fork winners, visit www.greattasteawards.co.uk

Edinburgh Gin infused with elderflower

Stornoway water biscuit with Hebridean seaweed STAG BAKERIES

SPENCERFIELD SPIRIT CO

www.stagbakeries.co.uk

www.spencerfieldspirit.com

Baked on the Isle of Lewis, these traditional Stornoway water biscuits are flavoured with Hebridean seaweed harvested from local sea lochs. The biscuits have been developed to evoke a taste of the sea and the judges thought this was delivered in both aroma and flavour with just the right amount of salt. They also thought the biscuits would be a good carrier for cheese or paté.

Spencerfield has taken its Edinburgh Gin and infused it with fresh elderflower. The drink’s fresh, citrusy taste impressed the judges, who labelled it “a joy to drink”. The producer says the gin can be served on its own over ice, added to soda or used in a variety of cocktails.

Scotland

Green pepper venison salami

GREAT GLEN GAME

www.greatglengame.co.uk

This salami is made with sustainably sourced wild Venison from the Scottish Highlands and flavoured with green peppercorns. “Very appetising aroma and a fine, soft, moist texture,” said the judges. “The balance of pepper is just right. It is powerful but not over-powering.”

Smoked salmon over oak UIG LODGE

www.uiglodge.co.uk

When it comes to its curing and smoking process, the smokehouse at Uig Lodge on the Isle of Lewis says it treats each fish independently, even taking the weather into account. Judges praised the colour and buttery texture of the fish but were also wowed by its balanced oaky flavour and the touch of sweetness in the finish.

www.ashridgecider.co.uk | e: drinks@ashridgecider.co.uk | t: 01364 654749

great taste 2013 National Trust blackcurrant curd THURSDAY COTTAGE

www.thursday-cottage.com

Pure UBU ale

PURITY BREWING COMPANY

Prepared by hand at Thursday Cottage’s Essex HQ, the main ingredients in this curd are free range eggs, free range butter, blackcurrant juice and cane sugar. Great Taste judges praised the product’s smoothness, colour and buttery texture as well as the balance between sharp blackcurrant and sweetness.

www.puritybrewing. com

east anglIa & the MIdlands

At 4.5% ABV, this amber ale is Purity’s strongest and darkest beer. Pure UBU is brewed with English Maris Otter, Crystal, Black and Wheat malts and Hallertau Northern Brewer and Cascade hops. Judges enjoyed the precision with which this beer delivers its malt, toffee and orange flavours.

QUALITY AND EXCELLENCE

www.qualityandexcellence. co.uk

Described by judges as “very handsome”, this shortcrust pastry pie is made by hand at Theydon Boisbased butcher shop Quality and Excellence. The judges also commended the texture of the pastry, generous amount of meat in the filling and the judicious use of Stilton to complement, rather than overpower, the other ingredients.

Marybelle Greek-style yoghurt

Colston Bassett Shropshire Blue

MARYBELLE DAIRY

COLSTON BASSETT DAIRY

www.marybelle.co.uk

This smooth Greek-style yoghurt is made using a blend of local milk sourced from Norfolk and Suffolk.

“Beautiful colour and creamy consistency and a lovely acidic aroma that makes you want to dive in,” said the judges. “Full, rich and deeply creamy flavour with a refreshing tang.”

www.colstonbassettdairy.com

This traditional creamy blue is made from pasteurised cows’ milk and has a distinctive orange body and a milder flavour than the Stilton for which Colston Bassett is best known. Each cheese is matured for 6-8 weeks to make a product that judges thought was “divine”.

Dutch Mistress

Damson cream ice

BROCK HALL FARM DAIRY

Stonewell dry cider STONEWELL CIDER

Ireland

Steak & Stilton pie

www.brockhallfarm.com

ALDER TREE

After last year’s Top 50 triumph with her Capra Nouveau, goats’ cheese specialist Sarah Hampton has made the list this year with her semi-hard rind-washed Dutch Mistress. As with all of her cheese, it is made with milk from Brock Hall’s own herd of pedigree, free-range Pure Saanen goats. Judges said: “Nice creamy texture with great grassy notes and a pleasing acidic tang with a long, lingering finish.”

www.alder-tree.co.uk

Suffolk-based Alder Tree’s ice cream-style dessert is made with just three ingredients: damsons (36%), British cream and sugar.

Judges raved about the texture of the product (“light and creamy at the same time”) and the sharpness of the fruit coming through.

Stonewell medium dry cider

www.stonewellcider. com

STONEWELL CIDER

Made by the small team at County Cork-based Stonewell, this dry cider is made with Dabinett and Michelin apples, which are sorted manually, milled, pressed and fermented separately. The judges said it was “impressive and sophisticated with a Prosecco-like effervescence”.

www.stonewellcider. com

This is the second of two ciders in the Top 50 from County Cork’s Stonewell. It is produced using a blend of Dabinett, Michelin, Elstar, Jonagored and Falstaff apples, which are all sorted manually, milled, pressed and fermented separately. Judges called it “light, refreshing, well balanced and delicious”.

Burren smoked Irish organic salmon with seaweed marinade

BURREN SMOKEHOUSE www.burrensmokehouse.ie

Port jelly

CORLEGGY CHEESES www.corleggycheeses.com

Having won two stars for three of its raw milk cheeses last year, Corleggy Cheese has produced a cheeseboard accompaniment that is “delicious and crystal clear with a good depth of flavour”, according to judges, who also praised the balance of sweetness and alcohol.

Burren has taken its traditionally oak-smoked salmon and marinated it in a mixture of green, red and brown seaweed, including nori, dillisk and kombu varieties.

Judges hailed the addition of seaweed as a “stroke of genius” which marries well with the smoke.

great taste 2013 teapigs liquorice & peppermint tea

Harrods saffron cream chocolates MARASU’S

Acacia honey, rosemary & orange zest gelato

TEAPIGS

www.marasu.co.uk

LA GELATIERA

www.teapigs.co.uk

London-based chocolatier and petit fours specialist Marasu’s produces these for Harrods. Each milk chocolate-decorated teardrop is filled with white chocolate ganache infused with Spanish saffron. “They have a delightfully creamy texture,” said judges.

www.lagelatiera.co.uk

This tea, made from pure liquorice root and whole peppermint leaves, is in the Great Taste Top 50 for a second year running.

Described by teapigs as a naturally sweet and refreshing drink, this year’s judges concurred.

“We could hear the cows mooing in the far distance, such was the artisan character and freshness,” read the judges comments on this gelato. It is made with organic Jersey milk and organic Jersey pouring cream using a traditional bain marie method.

Turner’s steak & Stilton pie TURNER’S PIES www.turnerspies.co.uk

LoNdoN & South EaSt

Mövenpick pear sorbet

Duck leg confit MR DUCKS DELICACIES

MÖVENPICK ICE CREAM

www.mrducksdelicacies.co.uk

www.moevenpick-icecream.co.uk

Following up on last year’s gizzards confit (Great Taste’s Best Speciality from the South East 2012), Mr Duck aka chef Tom Maieli continues to live up to his moniker with this duck leg confit. They are cooked to a traditional French recipe, which has previously gained them two stars in both 2011 and 2010.

This is made using purée and whole pieces of tender Williams pears to create “a refreshing and creamy sorbet”, with a fruit content of 43%. Judges liked every aspect of the product, from the colour and varied texture through to the clean pear flavour.

Malvern basil and wild marjoram pesto WELL SEASONED www.wellseasoned.co.uk

Described by one judge as “the BMW of pesto”, this product is part of Well Seasoned’s summer pesto range. It is made with British basil and wild marjoram as well as cold pressed extra virgin rapeseed oil, hard cheese and roasted hazelnuts. It is ready to eat, hot or cold.

Lakeland treacle bread with walnuts & raisins

Banana habanero chutney

Cumberland mutton pie

MORE? THE ARTISAN BAKERY

www.mrvikkis.co.uk

www.moreartisan.co.uk

Hot condiment specialist Mr Vikki’s makes this sweet, sour, hot and tangy chutney with fresh bananas, ginger and habanero chillies. Judges said they enjoyed the layers of flavour coming through from the individual ingredients as the chilli heat grows.

www.themanchestertartcompany. co.uk

This moist, slowly fermented 100% wholemeal loaf, from Cumbriabased artisan baker and serial Great Taste award-winner Patrick Moore, has been enhanced with treacle and walnuts to boost its texture.

Judges certainly agreed and they also applauded the loaf’s “deep, complex flavours”.

North

Made in Bognor Regis, this creation from Turner’s won favour with the judges for the texture of its handmade shortcrust pastry, the tenderness of the Highland top rump steak and the subtle addition of blue cheese.

MR. VIKKI’S

Marc de Champagne chocolate LAUDEN CHOCOLATE www.laudenchocolate.com

Lauden Chocolate uses Valrhona chocolate for the shell and combines real Marc de Champagne with Valrhona chocolate to make the ganache for this product, which had the judges requesting more on their comment sheets.

THE MANCHESTER TART CO The “superb” all-butter shortcrust pastry for this pie was a revelation to all of the judges while the filling proved equally popular. “Mutton flavour sings along with the mushroom,” said one judge.

www.hannanmeats.com

• 5 Top 50 food products chosen in 2013 • 7 Three Gold Star Awards • 44 Gold Stars Awarded • 34 Gold Stars for our Himalayan Salt Dry Aged Beef • 25 Products awarded in total

great taste 2013 Sea salted caramel with fennel pollen

Sea buckthorn berry & lime jam EN PLACE FOODS UK

EN PLACE FOODS UK

McCARTNEY’S OF MOIRA

www.en-placefoods.com

www.en-placefoods.com

www.mccartneysofmoira.com

Co Tyrone’s En Place Foods makes this vivid orange seedless sea buckthorn berry jam in small open pan batches. Judges were blown away by its colour, the texture and especially the “wonderful freshness and good balance of sweetness and sharpness”.

The second of En Place Foods’ Top 50 products. It was the balance of flavours, particularly the subtle fennel, that convinced judges to award three stars to this caramel sauce with added Irish sea salt and handpicked fennel pollen. “A riot of flavours in remarkable balance,” said judges. “Unctuous and unbelievably moreish.“

Salt-aged rack of Glenarm Shorthorn beef

Salt-aged Euro Angus sirloin HANNAN MEATS

HANNAN MEATS

www.hannanmeats.com

www.hannanmeats.com

NortherN IrelaNd

Salt-aged Euro Angus Fiorentina T-bone HANNAN MEATS

www.hannanmeats.com

Hannan’s investment in its salt-aging chamber certainly paid dividends.

This cut was said to be“tasty with exceptional fat: nutty almost like marrow”. One judge went even further, exclaiming: “It’s difficult to imagine how a steak could get any better than this.”

Having taken the UK by storm with its 2011 Supreme Champion corned beef, McCartney’s of Moira has proven to be equally adept in the meat-free category. This tart is made with breakfast mushrooms, leeks, smoked garlic, shallots and fresh thyme. The Great Taste panel described it as “very attractive” and they liked every mouthful from the crunchy topping and short pastry to the plentiful filling.

This sirloin, dry-aged on the bone, had judges begging to know who made it. “A good layer of fat and lovely colour, really appealing,” they said. “Superb, full flavour that keeps going in the mouth.

Succulent, moist and outstanding.”

Having revolutionised the pig’s cheek with last year’s Supreme Champion guanciale, Hannan Meats has turned its attention to beef. This rack is prepared in Hannan’s recently constructed dry-aging chamber using a 12ft high solid wall of handcut Himalayan rock salt bricks. Judges said it was “very tender and soft, a lovely texture and deep mature flavour”.

Ewing’s traditionally pale smoked cod

Seasoned Fiorentina T-bone

EWING SEAFOODS

HANNAN MEATS

www.ewingseafoods.com

www.hannanmeats.com

These cod loins are prepared and smoked to a 100-yearold family recipe by Belfast fishmonger Ewing‘s. “The texture is perfectly flaky, almost gelatinous,” said judges. “The wood smokiness is well balanced with salt and fish flavour. A stunning piece of smoked cod.”

“A monster of a steak,” said the judges of Hannan’s T-bone. “The steak delivers a very good beefy aroma and judges love the subtle, lingering flavours.”

Salt-aged Euro Angus cote de boeuf HANNAN MEATS www.hannanmeats.com

Another salt-aged triumph from Peter Hannan and his team. This cote de boeuf spends at least 28 days in the Himalayan salt chamber and Great Taste experts branded it “exceptional”.

Ginger & fennel chocolate

Lemon curd

Halen Môn umami sea salt

WELSH LADY PRESERVES

THE ANGLESEY SEA SALT CO

www.welshladypreserves.com

www.halenmon.com

According to Welsh Lady Preserves, there is little to its lemon curd: lemon, eggs and butter. But there’s clearly a secret as it’s won three stars for a second year in a row. Every judging table that tried this product was unanimous about the quality of its lemon flavour and its excellent consistency.

FREDERICKS CHOCOLATERIE

Wales

Mushroom, leek & smoked garlic tart

www.frederickschocolaterie.com

The Grenadian 60% truffle filling for these chocolates is infused with Chinese stem ginger while the 40% Javan shell includes organic fennel seeds. Judges noted that all of these flavours were well-balanced but the appearance also grabbed them. “A fine product in a very crowded market,” they said. “The beauty of these chocolates makes them stand out above many others.”

This blend of pure sea salt harvested on Anglesey, seaweed and shitake mushroom powder is an ingredient designed to enhance meat and fish.

The Great Taste experts saw its cooking potential, especially in Japanese dishes, and commended the quality of the individual components in the mix.

great taste 2013 Ashridge organic Devon Blush cider

Marmalade & whiskey bread pudding @11s KINGSBRIDGE

ASHRIDGE CIDER

www.dartfinefood.co.uk

www.ashridgecider.co.uk

Described by judges as “an honest, homely product made very special indeed”, this bread pudding is soaked in whiskey and topped with orange marmalade. Those that tasted the product loved every aspect, whether it was the citrus on the tongue, the succulent fruit, the level of spice or the final hit of whiskey.

This fruity, lightly carbonated mediumsweet cider is made with a blend of organic cider apples from old Devon orchards but Ashridge has also added blackberries to the recipe. The resulting blush has “a great dark, golden brown colour and a wonderful deep flavour with a traditional cider finish,” according to judges.

Blood orange marmalade

CRANFIELDS FOODS

Traditional vintage cheddar

www.teastudio.co.uk

QUICKES TRADITIONAL

Cold pressed rapeseed oil

Tea Studio’s camomile tea contains only dried flower blossoms grown in Croatia.

The producer says this caffeine-free tea has an intense aroma and a soothing honey flavour. The judges certainly enjoyed it: “Delivers its promise on the palate, with powerful, buttery chamomile notes.

Delicate, yet long. A quality blossom yielding a delightful tea.”

www.quickes.co.uk

www.bellandloxton.co.uk

Mary Quicke’s vintage cheddar is matured for over two years to develop its full-bodied taste and a crumbly texture that Great Taste’s panel of experts really enjoyed. “Its flavour is superb, beautiful and savoury with a long finish in the mouth,” they said.

The rapeseed is grown on a family farm in South Devon and pressed at low temperatures to extract the oil naturally before it is filtered and bottled. “Fresh shelled peas on the nose and peanuts in the mouth,” said tasters. “Clean, fresh and rounded with a delicious buttery finish.”

Camomile tea TEA STUDIO

28-day dry aged Longhorn cote de boeuf

www.cranfieldsfoods.com

Exmoor-based Cranfields is well-known for impressing judges with preserves and this year it was its marmalade, made with hand cut fresh blood oranges, that wowed Great Taste’s experts most of all. Comments included: “Great balance of sweet and bitter notes, intense orange flavour and deep, rich colour. A good set and dense texture, but a very pleasant mouthfeel.”

BELL & LOXTON

Fig & sherry frozen yoghurt

MARTINS MEATS

South WeSt

www.martinsmeats.com

This rare breed Longhorn cote de boeuf is aged for 28 days by Cotswold business Martin’s Meats, a retail and catering butcher set up by farmer Martin Gilder 10 years ago. The first-time entrant’s beef impressed judges with its attractive marbling and, above all, its flavour.

“Juicy and well flavoured with a long finish,” they said.

“The fat has a wonderful sweetness.”

SALCOMBE DAIRY It’s the second year in a row that a Salcombe Dairy frozen yoghurt has made the Top 50.

This combination of frozen yoghurt, sherry and chewy figs found favour with food experts for its smoothness, balance of acidity and sweetness and the large pieces of fig.

DENHAY FARMS

www.denhay.co.uk

This cloth-bound West Country Farmhouse Cheddar from Denhay is made with vegetarian rennet, hit the mark with judges for its “appealing, musky” aroma, “sweet, buttery” flavour and a creamy finish.

Jasmine green tea pearls (Grade A) WAN LING TEA HOUSE

www.wanlingteahouse.com

Imported

www.salcombedairy.co.uk

Traditional West Country Farmhouse Cheddar

Each individual “pearl” is blended by hand from fine loose leaf green tea and top quality jasmine flowers. “Well made,” said expert tasters.

“Delicate, sweet, light flavour with excellent length.”

Kilcree Gold organic honey

Virgin pistachio oil

ALDI STORES IRELAND

AZADA

www.aldi.ie

www.azadaorganic.com

This certified 100% organic honey impressed judges with its “gorgeous amber colour and lovely caramel aroma”. It also delivered on taste with a complex natural sweetness and “a lovely length of flavour that sings in the mouth”.

Last year, it was Azada’s hazelnut oil that made the Top 50. This year, it’s the pistachio oil’s turn. Made entirely from lightly roasted and cold-pressed pistachios, the oil has a vibrant green colour which caught the judges’ eyes. They also rated it highly on smell and taste: “Great aroma, excellent fresh pistachio flavour, rich but not greasy.

A great product.”

Specialising in 28-day aged Longhorn Beef, reared in the Cotswolds, we take pride in the vital process that produces the highest quality beef

martinsmeats.com

Meat reared in the Cotswolds

01242 621493

QUALITY & EXCELLENCE Award winning pie makers since 2004

“There’s nothing simple about our pies”

Steak & Stilton Pie

“Simply….Quality and Excellence!”

Steak & Ale pie

Quality and Excellence Ltd 12 Forest Drive Theydon Bois Essex CM16 7EY

Chicken, Ham & Leek pie

Steak & Stilton pie

www.qualityandexcellence.co.uk sales@qualityandexcellence.co.uk Tel: 01992 813283