100% Environmentally Friendly Coffee Wins Great Taste Golden Fork Award for Wales

Following a record-breaking 14,205 food and drink entries from 110 countries all over the globe, Great Taste, the world's largest food and drink accreditation scheme based entirely on taste, has reached its grand finale for 2022.  

Announced last night at the Great Taste Golden Forks ceremony held at Southwark Cathedral, the Great Taste Golden Fork trophy for Wales has been awarded to Bay Coffee Roasters from Ceredigion, for its Indonesian Sumatran Fairtrade Organic coffee beans, described as having aromas “redolent of the cedar veneer found in quality cigar tubes” and a “full bodied coffee with spice notes at the front”. The Bay Coffee Roasters Indonesian Sumatran Fairtrade Organic is also made using 100% environmentally friendly energy.

Impressing the Great Taste judges with its “gentle, sweet, spicy flavours which dance around the mouth and then come together in a balanced harmony that finishes with a sweet, slightly fermented linger”, the Indonesian Sumatran Fairtrade Organic made an impression at every stage of the blind-tasted judging process across the 90 days.

Rising to the top among hundreds of other entries from Wales, this “complex but wholly approachable” coffee was celebrated as the best tasting product in its region at the highly anticipated ceremony the culmination of Great Taste, the world's largest and most trusted food and drink accreditation scheme, dubbed the 'Oscars' of the food & drink world and attended by food industry experts and influencers.

John Farrand, who is the MD at the Guild of Fine Food said: “Unveiling the Great Taste Golden Fork winners is a huge honour. After months of rigorous blind-tasting and judging, it is fantastic to reveal the award-winning products and celebrate the producers' hard work and innovation. It's been an exceptional year for creativity and inspirational food and drink entries. Huge congratulations from all of us at GFF to all the award winners, it really isn't easy to do what you do - I have the utmost admiration for you all. And thank you to everyone who was involved in Great Taste 2022.”   

For more information on Bay Tree Roasters, you can visit them here: https://www.baycoffeeroasters.com

The Great Taste Golden Fork from Wales was sponsored by Food and Drink Wales. Also nominated this year were the Great Taste 3-star Espresso Martini Ice Cream by Mario's Luxury Dairy Ice Cream from Carmarthenshire and the Curried Goat Pattis from Tasty Bites @ Ionas Kitchen which is based in Gwent.

Get Britain Cooking: Cookable Launches a New Way to Learn to Cook

Cookable is on a special mission to Get Britain Cooking, and make learning to cook more accessible to more people.  The company has launched a 4 week course - Cooking Essentials - that is affordable, accessible, and effective -  bringing new learning opportunities to millions more people.

Cooking good food more often at home has never been more important.  Knowing how to cook will: 

Reduce food bills 

Reduce reliance on take outs/convenience 

Improve diet and health

Cooking Essentials is a dedicated 4 week online course.  It's designed for everyday home-cooks, it teaches how to cook quicker, healthier, and more affordable meals.  Crucially, it ticks all the boxes:

Effective: All the teaching is live and interactive, taken from your kitchen - the best way to learn.  

Flexible: Each weekly class is run multiple times through the week.  Every student can choose what time suits them best.  (Choices are weekday evenings and Sunday afternoons)

Affordable: The course - with the 4 live & interactive classes, plus the additional resources of recipes, how-to's and guides - sells for £50.

Cooking Essentials is for everyone: 

Anyone who wants to learn the basics, and cook more often at home 

Anyone who wants to rely less on take-outs and convenience meals 

Anyone who wants to feel confident, and conquer their kitchen 

Launched this summer, 2022, Cookable was born out of a lack of learning opportunities when it comes to cooking.  The company's flagship course Cooking Essentials - and the entire business model - is designed to make a significant difference to Britain's cooking ability: 

Scalable: Cookable's business model can scale to whatever the demand from the British public.  Allowing us to make a tangible improvement to our country's cooking habits. 

Effective: Live and interactive teaching is the best, most effective way to learn. 

Accessible: The course is at an affordable price point, and runs in a flexible format - taking classes from home, and at a time that suits the student.   

Jack Deane, founder said: “Particularly in our cost of living crisis, knowing how to cook is more important than ever.  Cookable is here to give everyone the chance to learn.  We're ready to bring our cooking course to anyone who wants it, and we're working with charities and educational bodies to bring it to those who need it most.  Let's Get Britain Cooking and reduce our bills, waste less food - and have more fun whilst we do it!”

https://cookable.co.uk.

That's Christmas: Planning ahead for a fantastic Christmas this year

That's Christmas: Planning ahead for a fantastic Christmas this year: Everyone will probably be feeling the pinch this year as we head toward Christmas. So how can you make sure that you, you family and your fr...

Aimia Foods Spice Up Their Range of 1883 Syrups With Pumpkin Spice, Gingerbread and Cinnamon

This is an amazing and ideal option for baristas and foodservice operators who want to create top quality, seasonal beverages, 1883 Pumpkin Spice, Gingerbread and Cinnamon syrups can be used to transform standard beverages into a seasonal, limited-edition options.

As Karen Green, Marketing Manager at Aimia Foods, enthused: “Consumers love to get into the spirit of the season, particularly as we approach Halloween and Christmas when customers crave the taste of exotic, wintery spices.

By adding a shot of 1883 Cinnamon syrup, baristas can satisfy this demand, transforming a standard latte, cappuccino or hot chocolate into a wintery delight, one that packs a spicy and sweet punch and can be charged for at a premium, especially when served in an aesthetic way.

With all the aromas and irresistible taste of a classic gingerbread recipe, 1883 Gingerbread syrup can be used in the same way, with subtle notes of cinnamon and ginger powering through, making it an ideal addition to many hot beverages.

Particularly popular in the run-up to Halloween, Pumpkin Spice 1883 syrup captures all the intensity of pumpkin, enhanced by notes of cinnamon, ginger, clove and nutmeg, making it an ideal option for baristas that want to share a slice of the profit opportunity that pumpkin spiced lattes have to offer.”

Steeped in history, every 1883 syrup has been expertly crafted since 1883 and are always made with the finest ingredients available including pure cane sugar and water from the French Alps in which surround 1883's home. What's more, the natural properties of 1883 syrups ensure consistent quality without the need for any preservatives.

Due to the impressive high concentration of 1883 syrups, a bottle has an extremely good yield compared to competitor syrups, with just 8ml per pump. 

How to put this into perspective? From a single 1 litre bottle of Pumpkin Spice syrup, baristas can create up to 125 pumpkin spice hot drinks or 63 cold drinks based on an 8oz cup.

To find your nearest stockist, or for more information on 1883, contact Aimia Foods on 01942 4086000 or visit www.aimiafoods.com

 

Great Taste First, as Fermented Fresh Green Kampot Peppercorns Revealed as Supreme Champion of 2022

The Great Taste Supreme Champion is the highest award for taste in the world, there is only one and it's the best of the best, the highest-scoring product in the whole competition. And it was revealed last night at the Golden Forks ceremony, the culmination of Great Taste, the world's largest and most trusted food and drink accreditation scheme, dubbed the 'Oscars' of the food & drink world and attended by food industry experts and influencers.

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.

 

Final Call for Entries: World Cheese Awards 2022

Today, the Guild of Fine Food, organisers of the World Cheese Awards, would like to remind cheesemakers of the entry closing date for this year's awards; reveal more details about the World Cheese Market for trade; and announce important information for the Academy of Cheeses' Young Cheesemonger of the Year competition.

World Cheese Awards: Call for final entries

The entry closing date is Tuesday 20 September. Spaces are being quickly filled, with cheese entries coming in online from over 40 countries across the world. Cheesemakers shouldn't delay in submitting their entry forms, as the closing date will be brought forward if capacity is met.

This year will be the 34th edition of the World Cheese Awards, which is the largest 'cheese-only' event of its kind globally. The awards will be held at the International Convention Centre Wales (ICC Wales), Newport, Wednesday 2 November.

John Farrand, who is the managing director of the Guild of Fine Food, the organisers of the competition, says: “We've seen some impressive entries already this year and look forward to those yet to come. With limited entry places, we're encouraging cheesemakers to get their submissions in as soon as possible to be part of this year's World Cheese Awards.

“For anyone involved in making, buying, or selling cheese, come and see us in Wales at the World Cheese Market and explore an array of exceptional cheeses and cheese people, from around the world. We look forward to having you join us and introducing the rich food and drink culture, history, and beauty of Wales.”

World Cheese Market: Trade visitors are welcome

The awards will also play host to the World Cheese Market on Tuesday 2 November. A total of 32 stalls surrounding the judging arena will be manned by cheesemakers, affineurs and a range of cheese accessories, so that trade visitors can take in the atmosphere of the judging spectacle whilst also enjoying a valuable day out from their business connecting with other industry professionals. Award-winning cheesemakers exhibiting at the market will include Cornish Cheese, Shepherds Purse Cheeses, Quesos Rey Silo, Quickes, Treur Kass and White Lake Cheese. For any trade wishing to attend the market, please visit: gff.co.uk/world-cheese-market-2022/ to book your free trade tickets.

Young Cheesemonger of the Year 2022 – Run by the Academy of Cheese, the Young Cheesemonger of the Year competition will take place at this year's World Cheese Awards in Wales. An innovative contest to find the brightest, freshest talent in the world of cheese retail. The competition has been established to celebrate rising talent, promote cheese knowledge, and provide career development opportunities within the industry.

Tracey Colley, director of the Academy of Cheese, comments “The Academy are thrilled to once again support the search for Young Cheesemonger of the Year. It's an award that is completely aligned to the Academy's ethos of championing skills and knowledge within the industry. I hope that in years to come, many more young cheesemongers will develop their passion for the sector through our accreditation programme. Previous contestants have gone onto great jobs in the cheese industry, including Senior Buyer, Head Cheesemaker and Cheese Grader”.

Free to enter, the competition is open to any cheesemonger under the age of 30, with applicants being asked initially to provide a short biography and submit recommendations for their perfect cheeseboard. Shortlisted entrants will be invited to attend the World Cheese Awards in Wales and compete against their peers across four testing rounds. The rounds will comprise of delivery of the rationale behind their cheeseboard selection; demonstration of their “cut and wrap” skills; a cheese identification round, and the final round - MasterRind - a quiz about cheeses from around the world. Sure to be a highlight of the competition, MasterRind will be hosted by Justin Tunstall, an award-winning cheesemonger-turned cheese judge, consultant, and food champion.

The winner of the award will be announced at the World Cheese Awards dinner on Wednesday 2 November. Full details of this, along with the application form, can be found on the Academy of Cheese's website: academyofcheese.org/young-cheesemonger-of-the-year/

As well as a bright future and the coveted title of Young Cheesemonger of the Year 2022, the winner will receive a trophy and will also be invited to judge at the World Cheese Awards 2023. International contestants are welcome, and all entries are to be submitted by Friday 9 September.

Keep up to date on socials: @guildoffinefood #WorldCheeseAwards

Scottish Heather Comb Honey Wins Great Taste Golden Fork Award for Scotland

Following a somewhat staggering and record-breaking 14,205 food and drink entries from 110 countries across the world, Great Taste, the world's largest food and drink accreditation scheme based entirely on taste, has reached its grand finale for 2022.

Announced last night at the Great Taste Golden Forks ceremony held at Southwark Cathedral, the Great Taste Golden Fork trophy for Scotland has been awarded to Heather Hills Farm from Perth and Kinross for its Scottish Heather Comb Honey, described as having “a wonderful deep rich caramel edge that lingers on the palate beautifully” and suggesting flavours of “lavender and subtle fruit alongside pure heather loveliness”.

The Scottish Heather Comb Honey is only available in limited supply after each heather honey harvest season which occurs at the end of November of each year.

You can find Scottish Heather Comb Honey here http://www.heatherhills.co.uk.

Impressing the Great Taste judges with its “rich golden colour, and remarkably floral aroma with the character of sweet alyssum”, the Scottish Heather Comb Honey made an impression at every stage of the blind-tasted judging process across the 90 days.

Rising to the top among hundreds of other entries from Scotland, this “delightful, rich and pleasing” Comb Honey was celebrated as the best tasting product in its region at the highly anticipated ceremony – the culmination of Great Taste – the largest and most trusted food and drink accreditation scheme on the planet - dubbed the 'Oscars' of the food & drink world and attended by food industry experts and influencers.

John Farrand, managing director at the Guild of Fine Food comments: “Unveiling the Great Taste Golden Fork winners is a huge honour. After months of rigorous blind-tasting and judging, it is fantastic to reveal the award-winning products and celebrate the producers' hard work and innovation. It's been an exceptional year for creativity and inspirational food and drink entries. Huge congratulations from all of us at GFF to all the award winners, it really isn't easy to do what you do - I have the utmost admiration for you all. And thank you to everyone who was involved in Great Taste 2022.”   

The Great Taste Golden Fork from Scotland was sponsored by Scotland Food & Drink. Also nominated this year were the Great Taste 3-star Orkney Akvavit from Orkney Gin Company based in the Orkney Islands and Scotch Reserve Pure Royal Filet from St James Smokehouse based in Dumfries and Galloway.

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 Forks 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% are based outside of the UK. 

The full list of this year's winners can be found at www.greattasteawards.co.uk and a wide range of the award-winning products are available to buy in delis, farm shops and independent retail outlets.

Keep up to date on socials: @guildoffinefood #ISpyGreatTaste

Visit – https://gff.co.uk.

Eat Real Snacks Extends Hummus Chips Range With the Launch of New Sea Salt & Balsamic Vinegar Flavour

Highly-popular and award-winning snacks brand, Eat Real, is aiming at increasing and broadening its appeal to a wider snacking audience of foodies, food lovers and flavour explorers by launching its brand-new flavour, Sea Salt & Balsamic Vinegar.

Following the growing movement toward healthier yet still delicious plant-based snacking options, the snack brand intends to accelerate its growth, yet still keeping its pioneering roots at the forefront, through its big bold flavours and 'better for you' credentials.

As with all Eat Real products, Sea Salt & Balsamic Vinegar is vegan in addition to being free from gluten, artificial colours, flavours and ingredients, and containing 30% less fat than regular potato chips.  

The new flavour, currently available as part of the Hummus Chip range, joins other hero flavours including Tomato & Basil and Salted.

The launch coincides with Eat Real's rebrand, that not only reveals new pack designs across the full range but also the revamp of its Hummus Chips selection. Now, five of the Hummus Chips flavours are HFSS compliant thanks to a reduction of their salt content by more than 50%.

Says Eat Real Marketing Director, Helen Pomphrey: “Eat Real has become pioneers in better-for-you thanks to its unusual ingredients layered with bold, unexpected flavours inspired by the combinations you find in your own cooking.  

"Balancing the moreish taste of sea salt with the sweetness of balsamic vinegar, the Sea Salt & Balsamic Vinegar offers a new Eat Real snacking choice that provides maximum snacking satisfaction.

"We've found that Eat Real's flavours are a key driver to consumer purchase, as more people are opting for delicious, yet healthier alternatives.” 

 Eat Real's new packs will be available nationally at stockists including Sainsbury's from September and other retailers including Tesco from October 2022.

Grab bags, Hummus (45g), RRP £1.20. Sharing bags, Hummus (135g), RRP £2.00. 

https://www.eatreal.co.uk.

Warm up the colder evenings with Shwen Shwen Hot Sauces

With Shwen Shwen Sauces you can give a spicy boost to the autumn and colder evenings with some hot chilli sauces from Shwen Shwen.

They are the perfect accompaniment to fish and meat dishes. It's said that once you've tried them, you'll want to add them to very nearly everything!

The Shwen Shwen Hot Sauces are crafted in Kent by chef Maria Bradford. 

Having grown up in Sierra Leone, Maria takes flavour influences from her homeland and incorporates them into her private dining catering business and her range of products. With the heat of scotch bonnet chillies as a base, these sauces are sure to add fire and flavour to any dish.

Shwen Shwen Hot Sauces - £4.00 per 300g jar

Salone Spark - Fire and flavour dance together in this jar, paying homage to Sierra Leone's immensely loved ingredient: chillies.

Salone Fire - Fire and bite in one jar. Flavour that's seriously off the heat scale.

Chef's Tips

Maria recommends mixing her delicious hot sauces with mayo as a dip for chips or crudites, adding to grilled vegetables, spicing up a grilled cheese sandwich, or a versatile condiment for savoury foods.

For those who already have a taste for the hot stuff, a Chilli Sauce Gift Box is a sure way to their heart. Featuring a gorgeous gift box filled with 6 jars of the two best-selling chilli sauces, Salone Spark and Salone Fire.

For further information about the Shwen Shwen products visit www.shwenshwen.com or follow @shwenshwenbymaria

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That's Books and Entertainment: Stepping Into My Shoes

That's Books and Entertainment: Stepping Into My Shoes: Stepping Into My Shoes is an truly amazing autobiographical book by businesswoman, entrepreneur and business coach by Dr Catherine A Baudino...