The mouth-watering Somerset produce winners at the Great Taste Awards

A judging panel of over 500 food and drink professionals have flexed their finely honed tastebuds at this year’s Great Taste Awards (GTA), blind-tasting 14,205 different products from 110 countries.

Established in 1994, Great Taste is organised by the Guild of Fine Food, who are based in Dorset, and is the world’s largest, longest standing and most respected food accreditation scheme for artisan and speciality food and drink producers – it is the highest global accolade based entirely on taste.

Taking place over 90 days in both Dorset, at the Guild of Fine Foods HQ in Gillingham, and London judging venues, a rotating panel of industry expert have taste tested everything from tea, beer and olive oil to cheese, marmalade and ready meals. Only 5,556 products – 39.1% of the total products entered this year – received either a Great Taste 1-, 2- or 3-star award.

The top rating is a Great Taste 3-star, which will have been sanctioned by over 20 expert palates, and this year just 241 products have been awarded this top accreditation, including nine from Somerset.

Three Star Winners

1. Mr Filbert's Fine Foods Ltd - Moroccan Spiced Almonds

Mr Filbert's Moroccan Spiced Almonds contain the finest pure and natural ingredients, combined in a unique way, to produce a warm chilli flavour with a contrast of cool mint.

2. Swoon Gelato Ltd - Crunchy Pistachio and Chocolate Sorbetto

Two three stars were awarded to this gelato maker with a bar in Bristol. Their Crunchy Pistachio flavour uses nuts from the slopes of Mount Etna, whilst the Sorbetto is made from 85% extra-bitter chocolate for extra indulgence.

3. Coombe Farm Organic Ltd - Organic Whole Goose

With tender, dark meat and delicious crispy skin, a goose on your table really is a taste of tradition. They also have a range of tips and recipes to help you cook your goose to perfection

Cakesmiths' three-star winner (Image: Cakesmiths)

4. Cakesmiths - Apricot & Pistachio Frangipane

This beautifully rustic round cake is both a mouth-wateringly complex combination of flavours and a total showstopper! Deliciously dense almond frangipane is studded throughout with nutty pistachios and baked with sweet halved apricots and blitzed almonds.

5. The Somerset Cider Brandy Company Ltd - Somerset Pomona

50cl 20% abv. It makes an exceptional digestif and is an ideal accompaniment to a cheese board. It makes an exceptional digestif and is an ideal accompaniment to a cheese board.

6. Artfarm Ltd t/a Durslade Farm Shop - Durslade Farm Air Dried Beef, Beef X Wagyu - Short Ribs, and Leg of Lamb

Durslade Farm Shop are a community farm shop which celebrates the best growers farmers, makers and artisans our local area has to offer. They share all that is fresh and seasonal with you from meat, fruit and vegetables to foraged finds.

Two Star Winners

1. Trethowan's Dairy Ltd - Pitchfork Cheddar and Gorwydd Caerphilly

2. White Lake Cheese Ltd - Katherine and Fetish

3. Brown Cow Organics - High Protein Greek Style Organic Yoghurt and Kefir Fermented Ginger Yoghurt

4. Mr Filbert's Fine Foods Ltd - French Rosemary Almonds and Somerset Applewood Smoked Mixed Nuts

5. Fussels Fine Foods Ltd - Fussels Garlic Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil

6. Blackmore Vale Butchery - Tomahawk Steak

7. Plum Duff & Stuff - Traditional Marmalade

8. Somerset Charcuterie Limited - Red Wine & Draycott Blue Cheese Pokers

9. Pure Punjabi Ltd - Pure Punjabi Butter Chicken

10. GingerBeard's Preserves - Original Lime Pickle

11. Swoon Gelato Ltd - Amaretto Gelato with Caramelised Almonds

12. Worley's Cider - Special Reserve Keeved Somerset Cider Bottle Conditioned

13. Moroccan and Yummy Ltd / Yumello - Crunchy Peanut Butter

14. Cakesmiths - Burnt Basque Cheesecake and Malted Chocolate Stout Torte

15. Bristol Syrup Company - Bristol Syrup Company Grapefruit Sherbet

16. "As Raw AS" Organic Raw Chocolate - Dark Chocolate Orange Truffle

17. Craft House Chocolate - 70% Papua New Guinea "Karkar Island" Dark Chocolate and Nicaragua O'Payo 100% Dark Chocoalate

18. The Somerset Cider Brandy Company Ltd - 10 year old Somerset Cider Brandy

19. Artfarm Ltd t/a Durslade Farm Shop - Durslade Farm Potted Beef with Wild Horseradish, Durslade Summer Honey, Piccalilli, Grass Fed Wagyu X Sirloin Steaks, Beef X Wagyu - Cote de Boeuf, Rack of Lamb, Boerewors,

20. Drinks Kitchen - Drinks Kitchen Non Alcoholic Aperitif Spiced Rhubarb

21. Bo Bom Gelato - Bo Bom Lemon and Bo Bok Cremino

All Great Taste 3-star award-winning products are re-judged to find this year’s regional Golden Fork Trophy winners and Great Taste Supreme Champion 2022 which will be announced at a live awards event at Southwark Cathedral in London on September 5th.

To see the full list of Somerset winners at the Great Taste Awards 2022, head to greattasteawards.co.uk/results.

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