Said a "delighted" Eddy Sleiman, owner of artisan bakery, Ed Baker: “I'm absolutely thrilled to have won Great Taste awards for all five of the products I entered into this prestigious competition.
"I'm on a mission to deliver authentic flavours employing only real, organic ingredients and these accolades are a fantastic reward for the hard work and passion I put into each and every of my recipes. It's also recognition for the outstanding ingredients I use. I can honestly say the quality of my loaves changed dramatically when I began working with Matthews Cotswold Flour and I strongly believe I wouldn't have collected these awards without using their flour, as I'm certain that both the bread and the pastry wouldn't have been the same.”
Bertie Matthews, who is the MD of Matthews Cotswold Flour added: "We're obviously very delighted to see the fruits of Ed's labours being celebrated by these awards. Ed's dedicated a huge amount of time and effort, combined with science, to create these fabulous products which demonstrate how great ingredients in the hands of outstanding artisans can be turned into award-winning, popular products.”
14,195 products were put through the competition's rigorous blind judging process with only 1,568 being awarded a Great Taste 2-star 'above and beyond delicious', and 248 received a Great Taste 3-star – 'extraordinarily tasty food and drink'. 4,088 products were awarded a Great Taste 1-star 'food and drink that delivers fantastic flavour'.
White Sourdough made using Cotswold Premium Organic White Flour won 3 stars and was described by the judges as 'a beautifully crafted loaf with a crisp crust, perfect rise and a soft, open crumb' with a 'delightful' sourdough flavour.
Wholemeal Sourdough made with Cotswold Premium Organic White, Cotswold Organic Premium Wholemeal and Organic Dark Rye won 2 stars and was described by the judges as 'a gorgeous looking loaf with good colour on the crust and a lovely and moist crumb with good aeration'.
Baba au Rum made with Cotswold T55 won 2 stars and the judges commented that 'it's very clear that a skilful baker is responsible for this wonderful yeast bake. It was a delicious dessert'.
Ed Baker also won 1 star for their Mushroom Quiche with white wine and cheddar and their Onion Quiche with Lancashire cheese and jalapeno.
Ed Baker is a new artisan bakery situated between Hither Green and Ladywell, in South East London. The baker (Ed) is a sourdough purist and bakes his bread on site daily. He is self-taught and develops all his own recipes.
Driven by the love and passion Eddy has for good food, his recipes are influenced by the richness and diversity of the East Mediterranean and European cuisines. Ed Baker was founded with the promise to always; provide healthy choices, deliver authentic flavours, and use real, organic ingredients. For more information about Ed Baker visit www.iamedbaker.com or follow @iamedbaker on Instagram.
Matthews Cotswold Flour is a family business that has been trading grain and milling flour in the heart of the Cotswolds since the 1800s. Matthews Cotswold Flour is committed to supporting regenerative food sources, developing an unparalleled range of top quality, award-winning, products and inspiring, educating and partnering with the nation's artisan and home bakers. For more information visit www.cotswoldflour.com or follow @CotswoldFlour on Instagram or Facebook.
Established in 1994, Great Taste is organised by the Guild of Fine Food and is the world's largest, longest standing and most respected food accreditation scheme for artisan and speciality food producers. This year, judging took place over 89 days in Dorset and London, with a panel of more than 500 judges putting the products to the test. The line-up saw food and drink products submitted from an extraordinary 109 different countries across the world. For more information visit www.greattasteawards.co.uk