The small, but mighty, peppercorns packed a massive punch and impressed the judges at every stage of the blind-tasting process, earning Kadode Kampot Pepper UK the highest honour for taste. Described as “an extremely interesting product with a delicate scent of salt on the nose”, the judges enjoyed the “soft crunch of the peppercorns and the layers of flavour that started salty, then fruity then have a kick of heat”.
John Farrand, the MD at the Guild of Fine Food said: “These Kadode punchy peppercorns are probably one of our most interesting winners so far. I'm impressed, but not surprised, to see a fermented product take home the Supreme Champion trophy this year. For many years, we've seen meat, fish and cheese doing very well in Great Taste, but every year is different, palates changes, flavour fashions evolve, and we're seeing a new desire for fermented and plant-based foods. These peppercorns are both.”
“It's such an honour to celebrate the Supreme Champion. We really saw that there was noticeably more innovation and creativity in the entries this year, and ingredients - like these peppercorns - certainly captured our judges. They really do taste exceptional.”
In the final stage of the awards, 241 Great Taste 3-star award-winning products were re-judged to find this year's Supreme Champion and regional Golden Fork trophy winners.
The Fermented Fresh Green Kampot Peppercorns come from southwest Cambodia, in the shadows of the Phnom Voir mountain range in Kampot Province. They undergo a unique natural process where young peppercorns are picked from the vine before being lacto-fermented – similar to that of yogurt, kimchi or pickles, producing a dark, juicy and almost snackable peppercorn. In the final stages of production, the peppercorns are preserved in Kampot fleur de sel. Tasting notes suggest heat, fruit, and citrus, and they can be served whole or crushed.
Food writer Melissa Thompson judged the peppercorns during the Great Taste 3-star final panel process and comments “I thought they were incredible. I think pepper for so long has been maligned as this sort of 'one note flavour', which we don't pay enough attention to, but these fermented peppercorns bring out the best of the already-loved ingredient. The fruitiness, the tang, the heat, - they are really addictive. I can eat them as is, but I'd love to cook with them or just sprinkle them over some cheese. I'm really excited by this product.”
As the top scoring product, the Fermented Fresh Green Kampot Peppercorns were also awarded the Great Taste Golden Fork for Best International Food and Drink – a double whammy of a win!
For more information about this year's Supreme Champion, please visit www.kadodepepper.co.uk.
Along with the Supreme Champion, 14 Great Taste Golden Fork trophies were also awarded:
Great Taste Golden Fork for Best International Food and Drink - Kadode Kampot Pepper UK for Fermented Fresh Green Kampot Peppercorns
Great Taste Golden Fork for Charcuterie Product of the Year - Highland Charcuterie and Smoke House for Wild Highland Venison Salami with Juniper, Smoked with Peat
Great Taste Golden Fork from East Anglia – Alder Tree for Blackcurrant Ice Cream
Great Taste Golden Fork from Ireland – Scúp Gelato for Natural Yogurt
Great Taste Golden Fork from London – Jemima's Deli for Jemima's Tahini Granola
Great Taste Golden Fork from the Midlands – GCL Food Ingredients for Nduja & Honey Mezzaluna
Great Taste Golden Fork from the North of England – Mr Vikki's for Black Lime Chutney
Great Taste Golden Fork from Northern Ireland – Baronscourt Estate for Wild Sika Venison Loin
Great Taste Golden Fork from Scotland – Heather Hills Farm for Scottish Heather Comb Honey
Great Taste Golden Fork from the South East and Great Taste Startisan of the Year – Sozye for Noya Sauce - Soya Sauce Alternative
Great Taste Golden Fork from the South West and Great Taste Small Artisan Producer of the Year – The Artisan Kitchen for Blaisdon Red Plum Jam
Great Taste Golden Fork from Wales – Bay Coffee Roasters for Indonesian Sumatran Fairtrade Organic
Nigel Barden Heritage Award – Martins Meats for Dry-aged Lamb Hogget Chops
The Guild of Fine Food also awarded its annual Lifetime Achievement award for contribution to the food and drink industry to Stuart Gates, former managing director of Fortnum & Mason and former director of Daylesford Organic and Harrods.
So... what is Great Taste?
Recognised as a stamp of excellence and actively sought out by food lovers and retailers alike, Great Taste, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, values taste above all else. All products in the line-up for judging are blind tasted: every product is removed from its packaging so it cannot be identified, before entering a robust, layered judging process. This year, the judging took place over 90 days across two judging locations (Dorset and London).
Great Taste's prestigious judging panel is made up of over 500 food & drink professionals, including critics, chefs, recipe creators, buyers, retailers, journalists, broadcasters, and experts in the field. This experienced panel, each with trusted palates, have together tasted and re-judged the 3-star winning products to crown the Golden Fork trophy winners as well as the Great Taste 2022 Supreme Champion.
This year, food and drink products from 110 different countries were entered into the Great Taste accreditation scheme. Only 5,556 products – that's 39.1% of the total products entered this year – received either a Great Taste 1-, 2- or 3-star award, and of the 2,344 winning companies, 27% were based outside of the UK.
Information on where to buy the Fermented Fresh Green Kampot Peppercorns and all other 2022 winners can be found at www.greattasteawards.co.uk.
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