M&S announces massive Newcastle store transformation with £13 million investment in North East

Today, M&S announced a £13 million investment in its North East stores for the coming year, with confirmation the interior of the retailer’s Northumberland Street store will be transformed in a top-to-bottom, multi-million pound redesign, offering Newcastle city centre shoppers the very best of M&S with a fresh-market style Foodhall and a new, refreshed Clothing, Home & Beauty department.

Works at the M&S Newcastle store, which has been a fixture of the city’s high street since it first opened its doors way back in 1932, will begin later this month. The redesign will be undertaken in stages so the store will be able to remain trading, serving customer as normal throughout, with the new Foodhall expected to be fully finished later this year. Improvements to the Clothing, Home & Beauty department will follow and be completed by early next year, 2024.

The news follows the announcement the retailer is set to open a brand-new, bigger M&S store at the Galleries Retail Park in Washington. The exciting new store will offer customers a bigger and better range of M&S products than ever before, with the retailer relocating from its existing Simply Food store into a 47,000 sq ft space with a new Clothing, Home & Beauty department and a bigger M&S Foodhall, almost double the size of the current store.

Construction work is already happening to bring together three previously separate units on the Galleries Retail Park to create the special new space. 

Ahead of the relocation, the existing M&S Simply Food store in Washington will stay open as normal until the new story is ready, expected to be next spring, 2024. There will be chances for all colleagues working in the current store to transfer to the new M&S Washington Galleries or other local M&S stores and M&S confirms the new store will create extra new jobs for the local community when it opens in 2024.

The £13 million announcement follows investment in the North East by M&S last year to update its store in Newcastle’s Silverlink Shopping Park and the M&S Foodhall in Gosforth.

M&S has 21 owned stores throughout the North East, spanning the region from Berwick-upon-Tweed to Teesside, supporting over 2,100 jobs in local communities, plus an additional 6 M&S stores in hospitals and travel settings including rail and fuel stations. 

This latest round of investment will enable M&S to reach even more customers in the North East, delivering the very best of M&S with the latest store designs and new in-store technology.

Helen Cowie, who is the Regional Manager for the North East at M&S, said: “M&S has been a part of local communities across the North East for well in excess 100 years, and throughout that time we’ve always been innovating to keep delivering an excellent shopping experience for our customers, be it the opening of one of our first ever Penny Bazaars in Newcastle’s famous Grainger Market in 1895, or launching our first ever shopping centre site in the country at the Metro Centre back in 1986.  

“We’re proud to have been trading from our store on Northumberland Street since 1932. Over the years we’ve undertaken plenty of refurbishments and extensions to make sure the store keeps delivering for local customers and today’s investment – as well as our plans for an exciting new store at Washington Galleries – shows that we’re as committed as ever to offering shoppers in the North East the very best of M&S.”

When noise annoys, Aldi is here to help

Aldi is trialling sensory-friendly shopping hours in selected stores. From next week until the end of October, almost 100 stores across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire will offer a quieter shopping experiences every Tuesday between 6pm and 8.30pm.

If this proves to be a success with customers, the scheme will be rolled out to all Aldi’s UK stores, with changes including stopping tannoy announcements, quieter till scan sounds, and signposting the dedicated times to all customers.

Vicky Metcalf, who is Diversity and Inclusion Director at Aldi UK, said: “Our new sensory-friendly shopping hours aim to help those who prefer a quieter shopping experience or struggle with noisy environments.

“We are committed to ensuring we are as accessible and inclusive as possible, this is both for shoppers and colleagues, and we look forward to receiving customer feedback on this trial to help inform our approach on a national level.”

Britain’s fourth-largest supermarket also recognises the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower to help support customers and colleagues with non-visible disabilities.

Colleagues at Aldi have also undergone training around hidden disabilities and the Sunflower symbol, so they can offer additional assistance to those who may require it.

People who suffer from conditions such as tinnitus, or who are on the Autistic Spectrum, could well benefit from quieter times in supermarkets. Hopefully the trial will prove a success. 

www.aldi.co.uk 

Great Taste Scotland

Thousands of artisan food and drink producers from around the world are discovering if any of their products achieved a distinguished 1-,2- or 3-star from Great Taste - the world's largest food and drink accreditation scheme entirely on taste.

Across 89 judging days in Dorset and London, a group of over 500 judges conducted comprehensive blind taste tests on 14,195 entries submitted from a staggering 109 different countries. Each producer will also receive invaluable feedback on their submissions from an array of food experts.

Scottish products have won not one, but an impressive 388 awards. 277 x 1-stars, 99 x 2-stars and 12 x 3-stars have been scooped including the following:

Great Taste 3-star – Hot Smoked Trout by East Neuk Kilnhouse (only 1.8% of entries received a 3-star – “extraordinarily tasty food & drink”)

Great Taste 2-star – Drinks Biscuits: Lancashire Cheese & Spring Onion by The Drinks Bakery (only 11% of entries received a 2-star – “above and beyond delicious”)

Great Taste 1-star – Honeyberry Jam by Jack & Jills Jam(28.8% of entries received a 1-star – “food & drink that delivers fantastic flavour”)

John Farrand, MD at the Guild of Fine Food said: “We offer an absolutely huge congratulations to the Scottish producers who were awarded Great Taste stars for 2023 with their outstanding food and drink.

“Every year, we welcome new and established producers making fantastic products around the world and this year has been no exception. The breadth and quality of food and drink has been outstanding, and we wish everyone who entered huge success and hope they find the feedback from our expert judging panel beneficial as they continue in their onward journey.”

Tesco reveals hot new trend for cooking adventurous global meals at home

Tesco, the UK’s biggest supermarket chain, has revealed sales of ingredients and meal kits for a range of global cuisines have been consistently rising over the last year, as customers look for alternatives to takeaways and learn to cook their own versions at home.

Ingredients to make familiar favourites like Indian curry are top of the charts, increasing by 33%, with items to cook a Chinese meal second, up by 32%. However it should also be noted that pan-Asian products to help make Korean, Japanese or Thai meals are also up by 15%. And Caribbean meal kits and ingredients are also high up in the charts, up 14% over the last year.

The demand for global ingredients as part of the cooking-at-home trend has been so strong Tesco has has taken the decision to extend its range of World Foods in by 35% to satisfy customer demand. The grocer has also introduced World Foods displays in 8% more stores.

To help customers looking to cook at home find great value, Tesco has launched its largest ever promotion for the category, with nearly 2,000 products offered at a 20% discount for customers with a Clubcard until August 8.

Shoppers have been stocking up on basmati rice for Indian cooking, plus record sales of Tesco chapatti flour, as customers make their own versions of the flatbread that's popular with curry.

The trend for pan-Asian cooking at home has been fuelled by increasing sales of spice pastes used to make authentic Thai cuisine, like Thai green curries, pad thai noodles and massaman curries.

Tesco customers have been experimenting more with meal kits to make themselves delicious treats like Donburi rice bowls or Yakisoba noodles from Japan, and Bibimbap, which is a delicious Korean rice dish.

Tesco has been offering inspiration to encourage its customers to continue experimenting with new global dishes, with in-aisle displays in recent months featuring Middle Eastern, Latin American, Japanese & Korean foods. The current theme highlights Caribbean food and features products from celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott.

Abigail Wilkinson, who is the Tesco Category Buying Manager for cooking ingredients and global cuisine, said: “We've seen a significant trend for customers looking to save money by cooking for themselves, rather than eating out as much as before. And they are being more adventurous in the kind of meals they are cooking at home.

“Shoppers are buying more ingredients or kits to make popular classics such as curry or Chinese stir fry, but we’ve also seen them branching out into cuisines such as Japanese, Thai or Korean. We are trying to expand our offering to meet this demand and to inspire home cooks with new ingredients and kits to help them to feel confident in making something new and delicious.”

www.tesco.com

Tesco unveils fresh mince ‘pillow packs’ that uses less plastic

Tesco Customers picking up fresh mince in some Tesco stores will notice a big change in how it’s packaged. Instead of the traditional tray/top wrap pack, shoppers will see two lines of mince in new ‘pillow packs’.

The supermarket is testing  the new packaging which uses an incredible 70% less plastic, on two products: 500g Tesco Beef Lean Steak Mince 5% fat (£3.49) and Tesco Beef Mince 500g 20% fat (£2.49). If customers like the new pillow packs, Tesco will roll them out to more stores and across more products, too.

Pillow packs are the opposite to vacuum packs. The slightly inflated ‘pillow’ keeps the mince in perfect condition and prevents it being compressed at all.

While the new packs still contain the same amount of mince as the older packs, the packaging is smaller in size, meaning fewer lorries are needed to transport them, and stores can fit more on shelves, increasing availability, too.

The new packaging is recyclable. Customers can put it into the front of store recycling units with their other soft plastic.

Dom Morrey, who is the Tesco Commercial Director for Fresh, said: “As well as looking for great value when they are shopping, customers want to see less plastic packaging on the products they buy. Pillow packs are a win-win: they keep the mince in perfect condition, whilst also requiring much less plastic. 

“Removing or reducing unnecessary plastic is a vital way we at Tesco can reduce environmental impact. We're proud of what we've been able to do so far, but we'll continue to look for ways to do more."

Tesco’s 4Rs packaging strategy aims to remove plastic where it can, reduce where it can't, reuse more and recycle what's left. To date, Tesco has removed around 2.2 billion pieces of plastic from its UK business, including: 

200+ million bags from Tesco.com deliveries

100+ million extra lids from products such as wipes, creams, yogurts and desserts

50 million pieces of plastic wrapping from cans of branded beers and ciders

www.tesco.com

Top Tasting Food and Drink Products from Wales Revealed for Great Taste 2023!

The land of my Fathers, Wales, has done extremely well in the Great Taste Awards. 

Thousands of artisan food and drink producers from around the world discover if their products achieved a distinguished 1-,2- or 3-star from Great Taste - the world's largest food and drink accreditation scheme based entirely on taste.

Across 89 judging days in Dorset and London, a group of over 500 judges conducted comprehensive blind taste tests on 14,195 entries which were submitted from a staggering 109 different countries. Each producer will also receive invaluable feedback on their submissions from an array of food experts.

Welsh products have won not one, but an impressive 242 awards. 151 x 1-stars, 77 x 2-stars and 14 x 3-starshave been scooped including the following:

Great Taste 3-star – Smoked Chicken Breast by Black Mountains Smokery (only 1.8% of entries received a 3-star – “extraordinarily tasty food & drink”)

Great Taste 2-star – Dragon Welsh Salted Butter by South Caernarfon Creameries (only 11% of entries received a 2-star – “above and beyond delicious”)

Great Taste 1-star – Plum Caramel and Pistachio praline by Brecon Chocolates (28.8% of entries received a 1-star – “food & drink that delivers fantastic flavour”)

John Farrand, managing director at the Guild of Fine Food comments: “A huge congratulations to the Welsh producers who have been awarded  Great Taste stars for 2023 with their outstanding food and drink.

“Every year, we welcome new and established producers making fantastic products around the world and this year has been no exception. The breadth and quality of food and drink has been outstanding, and we wish everyone who entered huge success and hope they find the feedback from our expert judging panel beneficial as they continue in their onward journey.”

So, what, exactly, 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 can't 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.   

The Great Taste 2023 judging panel:

“When I come across a product with the iconic black and gold Great Taste logo, I see it as a badge of honour and feel compelled to purchase it. Having knowledge of the effort required to attain such a rating and the exceptional flavour that accompanies it, I am confident the product will not disappoint.” said a regular of the Great Taste judging panel.

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 Andy Clarke and Juliet Sear (ITV), Felicity Cloake (The Guardian), Xanthe Clay (Telegraph) and Joanna Blythman were involved this year, among many others. 

What 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.

Great Taste Golden Fork ceremony 

The excitement of Great Taste 2023 doesn't stop there, 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 (this is a special, trade event only).

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

As my Welsh relatives would say: "da iawn!"

That's Christmas: Coming Soon to Mandira's Kitchen – Saffron Soirée ...

That's Christmas: Coming Soon to Mandira's Kitchen – Saffron Soirée ...: Mandira's Kitchen are celebrating this year's festive season with a magical pop-up restaurant! From mid-October right through until ...

Mandira's Kitchen Makes Christmas Entertaining Unforgettable

Mandira's Kitchen is again ready to make Christmas unforgettable with a delightful array of gifts and food for your celebrations.

This year, they have curated their best dishes to ensure your Christmas party is an absolute breeze, with the hostess or host spending a minimal amount of time in the kitchen. 

To add spice to your gathering, indulge in Party Platters  featuring crispy samosas and Indian canape delights, which can be conveniently delivered anywhere in Mainland UK or collected and added two new seasonal products to the range.

For larger gatherings, Mandira's Kitchen offers catering size packs of your favourite dishes, available in meat, vegetarian, and vegan options. These packs are perfect for catering to bigger groups, and you can order them in advance, keeping them in the freezer 'til the day of your celebration or party.

A quick four-minute microwave heating will have the food ready, allowing more precious moments with family and friends.  To really savour the essence of Indian cuisine, opt for specially curated Indian Banquets, presenting a three-course Family Feast, or choose the Dine-in-for-Two boxes for a romantic dining experience.

This year, Mandira's Kitchen is thrilled to introduce two exciting new festive additions to their freezer meals menu. Turkey Samosas, a perfect fusion of traditional holiday flavours that are a perfect canape for guests at a party.

To complement the festive spirit, Mandira's Kitchen presents a tantalising Cranberry & Spiced Rum Chutney. Bursting with the tangy sweetness of cranberries and infused with the warmth of locally sourced spiced rum, this chutney is the ideal accompaniment to the Turkey Samosas. Both of which will be available from November 2023.

Mandira's Kitchen has a range of Christmas Gift ideas including gift vouchers which can be redeemed for Cookery Lessons and Spice Tours, so they make perfect treats for the gourmet enthusiasts in your life. This year they have also extended the range of Indian-inspired giftware, with insulated dishes, spice tins, and candle holders.

Mandira's Kitchen can also provide larger packs for Hospitality and other Catering establishments, at special trade prices, for businesses wanting to enhance their own offerings and keep food preparation to the minimum to help with current potential staff shortages in the hospitality industry. 

For those planning a traditional turkey dinner on Christmas Day, to ensure no food is wasted, the Leftover Christmas Feast Spice Kit is a genuine must-have. This kit equips you with everything necessary to create a three-course Indian meal employing your Christmas leftovers, along with two chutneys and ghee. Cook-along videos available also on the MK YouTube channel.

Mandira Sarkar said: “I'm excited to introduce our newest festive additions - the Turkey Samosas and Cranberry & Spiced Rum Chutney. These flavours are a perfect fusion of holiday traditions and Indian cuisine, and I can't wait for you to experience them”

You can explore the full range of Christmas offerings and place orders at  https://www.mandiraskitchen.com/pages/festive-2023.

Mandira's Kitchen delivers to all UK Mainland addresses.

Where is Mandira's Kitchen? It's nestled within the heart of the Surrey Hills, overlooking the serene Silent Pool, is Mandira's Kitchen, an award-winning artisan business known for its absolutely exquisite Indian food and captivating experiences. The brainchild of Mandira Sarkar, the establishment has become synonymous with culinary excellence and offers a diverse range of exciting offerings.

At Mandira's Kitchen, guests are treated to a delightful array of mouth-watering dishes, each infused with a personal touch and a heart-warming story. From Mandira's mother's cherished Kaju Chicken to the finest Kaali Dal sourced from a quaint spot in Amritsar, every dish comes with a rich tapestry of love, joy, and cherished memories of sharing meals with friends and family amidst lively animated conversations and laughter.

Beyond their delectable menu, Mandira's Kitchen is also known for providing unforgettable culinary experiences. With offerings including cookery lessons, spice tours, and supper clubs, they immerse patrons in the authentic flavours and traditions of Indian cuisine, making each encounter an educational and delightful journey.

Situated within the Surrey Food Hub, Mandira's Kitchen shares its space with esteemed partners like Albury Organic Vineyard and Silent Pool Gin Distillery. This makes a visit to the hub a unique opportunity to not only savour the best of Indian cuisine but also to explore and indulge in an array of high-quality local produce.

Whether you're sipping on the finest Malabar coffee, enjoying freshly brewed chai, or relishing the crispiest samosas in town, every moment spent at Mandira's Kitchen promises an experience that will linger in your memory. Their dedication to crafting exceptional food and creating an ambiance that resonates with warmth and hospitality ensures that every guest leaves with a sense of satisfaction and a desire to return.

Join Mandira Sarkar and her team at Mandira's Kitchen for an unforgettable culinary adventure, where the vibrant flavours of India come to life, and the heart of each dish is filled with love, tradition, and the joy of shared meals. Experience a world where food and memories intertwine, celebrating the rich heritage of Indian cuisine in all its splendour.

https://www.mandiraskitchen.com/pages/festive-2023

The Farm Table Restaurant at Darts Farm Celebrates Its First Anniversary With Legendary Chefs

Darts Farm, which is just outside Exeter, celebrated the first anniversary of its new restaurant, The Farm Table, in July by welcoming two iconic chefs to take over the kitchen for the evening. 

Great British Menu winner, Mark Hix and local seafood hero, Mitch Tonks, created a unique 5-course seasonal menu, combining their celebrated styles with produce from the fields at Darts Farm and incredible artisan ingredients from the food hall; whilst sharing their stories about a lifetime of friendship through food.

Hosting two such culinary giants represents a huge accolade for the new Devon restaurant which opened its doors in Summer 2022 and has gone from strength to strength in spite of a period of unprecedented challenges for the industry.

Michael Dart, who runs Darts Farm with his two brothers, James and Paul, said: “It's been a very tough couple of years for hospitality businesses and not the ideal climate for launching a new restaurant, but as we mark the first anniversary of The Farm Table, we are so proud of what we have achieved in the last 12 months. Following hot on the heels of winning Food Magazine's Reader Awards as 'The Best Newcomer', The Farm Table has just hosted two world-renowned chefs who share our passion for championing local and sustainable food. 

"Our team, led by my son George and our Head Chef Tom, has worked incredibly hard to achieve so much in such a short time and having the seal of approval from two of the country's most eminent chefs is a fantastic reward for all their efforts.”

Michael's son, George, has been instrumental in bringing the original concept of The Farm Table to life and creating the new flagship restaurant. He explains: “Our aim with the launch of The Farm Table was to create a restaurant that would celebrate the simplicity of beautiful ingredients grown, reared, caught and crafted on our doorstep. 

"Produce that cannot be sourced from the farm is provided by our vibrant community of like-minded artisan producers, farmers and fisherman who share our passion for flavour. A year ago I couldn't have dreamt of hosting two such prestigious chefs in our kitchen but this event marks the culmination of all our efforts to deliver a world class dining experience that showcases the very best of Devon's produce.”

The Farm Table is open seven days a week for lunch (12-3pm) and for dinner (6-9pm) Thursday to Saturday. The menu includes Darts Farm's iconic Ruby Red beef, dayboat fish and seasonal vegetables, all cooked over charcoal and accompanied by a huge selection of wines, beers, ciders and spirits from the cellar. 

For further information on The Farm Table and Darts Farm please visit www.dartsfarm.co.uk and follow Darts Farm on Facebook and Instagram.  

  

Ed Baker Celebrates a Host of Great Taste Awards Using Matthews Cotswold Flour

South East London's Ed Baker is celebrating scooping a plethora of Great Taste Awards including 3 stars for their White Sourdough made with Matthews Cotswold Flour's premium organic white flour as well as 2 stars for their Wholemeal Sourdough made with Matthews Cotswold Flour's premium organic white, organic premium wholegrain and organic dark rye, and Baba au Rum made with Matthews Cotswold Flour's T55.

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