Across 89 judging days in Dorset and London, a group in excess of 500 judges conducted comprehensive blind taste tests on the 14,195 entries which were submitted from a staggering 109 different countries all over the world.
Each producer will receive highly valuable feedback on their submissions from an array of food experts and find out if they've earned Great Taste 1-, 2-, or 3-star award.
This year, only 5,904 products of the total products entered received an award (41.6%) and of the 2,516 winning companies, 1,837 (73%) are based in the UK and 679 (27%) span all corners of the globe.
Says John Farrand, who is the MD at the Guild of Fine Food: “It's always incredibly exciting to be able to share fantastic tasting food and drink from across the world after so many judging days. We have witnessed an outstanding year of exceptional quality, innovation, and creativity once again.
"High-quality, straight forward food and drink including meat, fish and dairy products continue to stand out, and highly impressive ingredients, from fermented sauces to spices carry on making their mark. Often simple does best, it's been absolutely brilliant to hear our judges discover the delicious tastes of really well-made ice creams, coffees, chocolate and sourdough bread.
“What's truly remarkable is to see the Great Taste entrants continue to thrive amid one of the toughest economic and social periods, it's nothing short of inspirational. It takes courage and perseverance to establish or grow a food or drink business, and these producers have done an exceptional job.
"From adhering to strict standards and policies to mastering marketing and sales, not to mention achieving excellent taste and flavour. We want to thank them for their continued passion and skill and look forward to seeing more gold and black Great Taste stickers on shelves around the world over the next year.” Farrand concludes.
So, who are the Great Taste 2023 3-star winners?
To achieve a Great Taste star rating of any level is a really significant achievement. With the highest rating being a Great Taste 3-star, determined by over 65 expert palates collectively during the final judging days, products of this calibre are sought out by food lovers across the nation. This year, just 248 (1.8% of entries) products have been awarded this top accreditation.
Of the 3-star winners, 139 have come from the UK and 109 from international producers, including oak honeys from Greece and Spain, cold brew tea from Germany, Lebanese chilli sea salt, Cambodian flower sugar and cheeses from Hungary, France, Norway, Bulgaria, and Spain, among many other interesting and innovative products.
There were 248 Great Taste 3-star winners this year, including:
VOG Jackson's Black Oyster Shell IPA from Vale of Glamorgan Brewery, one of Wales' oldest microbreweries, who have been brewing in Barry since 2005 and have no plans to stop any time soon! https://www.vogbrewery.co.uk/
Chocolatia, which is a Scottish business set up by former Gleneagles chef Chloe Oswald as a creative outlet during lockdown, impressed judges with a grand total of three 3-stars for their Hazelnut Latte Bonbon, Pecan Pie Bonbon and Sea Salt Caramel Filled Bar. https://www.chocolatia.co.uk/
Hannan Meats, which is one of Northern Ireland's leading butchers and previous Supreme Champion winner continued their winning streak with 3-star for both their Buttermilk Pork Chop and Koji Pork Chop. https://www.hannanmeats.com/
Sarah Churchill from The Artisan Kitchen achieved the highest number of 3-stars from any one company with a staggering 8 x 3-stars for her jams and marmalades produced in Gloucester. https://www.theartisankitchen.co.uk/
A Croatian mint cordial from small family company Imanje Kapronca delighted judges with its “green, verdant freshness”. https://www.imanjekapronca.hr/
Scúp Gelato, an Irish family business and Golden Fork winner from 2022, carried their success into 2023, winning a second 3-star for one of their sorbets, this time for their Natural Yogurt & Blackcurrant Sorbet. https://scupgelato.com/
Anchoas Hazas won another 3 x 3-stars for their anchovy products. A family business in Asturias in Northern Spain, anchovies are often preserved for 26 months before every part of the fish is meticulously used to ensure nothing goes to waste. Sadly no longer able to import to the UK due to Brexit, Anchoas Hazas is a multiple Great Taste winner. https://anchoashazas.com/
A relative newcomer to Great Taste, Finnish distillery Kyrö is awared a 3-star for its Kyrö Rye Malt Whisky, produced in an old dairy in Isokyrö. https://www.kyrodistillery.co.uk/
Taiwanese tea company, Archome Ent. Int'l Co., entered for the first time and came away with 3 x 3-stars for their Oriental Beauty, Sunrise Hike and Spring Blossom teas. https://yoosheetea.com/
The distinguished judging panel consisting of over 500 food & drink experts, included chefs, critics, recipe developers, buyers, journalists, retailers, broadcasters, and reputable industry professionals. The Great Taste 2023 judging line-up included senior buyers and coordinators from Selfridges, Whole Foods Market, Fortnum & Mason, Harrods, Waitrose and Westmorland Family.
MasterChef 2022 winner Eddie Scott, olive oil sommelier and author Irini Tzortzoglou, food writer and owner of Violet Cakes Claire Ptak, chef and co-founder of Island Social Club Marie Mitchell, chef turned farmer Julius Roberts, pastry chef and author Ravneet Gill, restaurateur and producer Amy Poon from Poon's, baker and author Kitty Tait - the youngest and newest judge to join this year. Finally, broadcasters and journalists Nigel Barden and Lotte Duncan (BBC), Andy Clarke and Juliet Sear (ITV), Felicity Cloake (The Guardian), Xanthe Clay (Telegraph) and Joanna Blythman were involved this year, among many others.
What happens next?
These Great Taste award-winners can now proudly display the iconic black and gold Great Taste logo as a badge of honour on their award-winning products. The logo states whether the product was awarded 1-, 2- or 3- stars and that it was awarded in 2023, so make sure to look out for them in your local stockist!
Past winners have stated that displaying a Great Taste sticker has increased sales by as much as 50%, as consumers from around the world are enthused to taste the best food and drink products available each year. In the UK, 55% of all adults are familiar with the Great Taste logo, with 80% saying an award would make them consider a product, according to YouGov research from December 2022 (sample size: 2,021).
Great Taste Golden Fork ceremony
The excitement of Great Taste 2023 doesn't stop here, for the highest scoring winners it's just the beginning. All 3-star winning products were tasted and judged again by the knowledgeable judging panel to crown the Golden Fork trophy winners and the 2023 Supreme Champion – the highest accolade of all.
The Golden Fork ceremony celebrates the best of the best from producers around the world, awarding them with a Golden Fork trophy. Further Golden Fork trophies are given for various categories, including the Guild of Fine Food Lifetime Achievement award, the Great Taste Startisan of the Year award and Nigel Barden's Heritage Award.
All will be announced at the Great Taste Golden Fork Ceremony on Monday 11 September 2023 at the Battersea Arts Centre (trade only event).
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.
New for this year and to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Great Taste, the Guild of Fine Food offered 50 micro producers the chance to put one new product in front of its expert panel of Great Taste judges for free. The bursary was aimed at micro producers who have never entered Great Taste before or have a new product, which has never been entered before. The bursary panel, which consisted of Adrian Boswell, buyer at Selfridges, industry commentator and food entrepreneur Mallika Basu, and PR & marketing expert AJ Sharp, selected the 50 most eligible entries.
2023 saw 21 products entered through the bursary scheme win a Great Taste award including Karobi's Ghee from Karobi's (3-star), New Alt from Antur Brew Co. (3-star), Shoogle Junniperous Scottish Navy Strength Gin from Shoogle Spirits (2-star) and Traditional Napa Cabbage Kimchi from The Ferm (1-star).
Food & Drink Wales is the headline sponsor of Great Taste 2023. Great Taste Golden Fork trophy sponsors include: Andrew Ingredients, Bord Bia, Food & Drink Wales, Invest NI, Italian Trade Agency, Maltby & Greek, Mevalco, Partridges, Scotland Food and Drink, ShireFoods, and Speciality and Fine Food Fair. Great Taste is supported by Henderson Group, Horgans, and Peter Green Chilled.
For the full list of this year's winners and where to buy them, head to www.greattasteawards.co.uk from 2pm today where you will also find a wide range of the award-winning products available to buy in delis, farm shops and independent retail outlets across the country.
Keep up to date on socials: @guildoffinefood #ISpyGreatTaste
Visit – https://gff.co.uk