Welsh food and drink businesses triumph in this year’s Great Taste awards

WELSH FOOD AND DRINK BUSINESSES TRIUMPH IN THIS YEAR’S GREAT TASTE AWARDS

Food and drink companies across Wales are celebrating after securing success in this year’s UK Great Taste awards, proving once again that food and drink from Wales has a deserved reputation for quality and taste.

An outstanding 153 products from Wales, from independent artisan producers to larger distributors, were recognised in this year’s prestigious Great Taste awards, with 110 Welsh products achieving 1-star, 31 getting 2-stars and 12 being deemed worthy of the 3-stars accolade.

The Great Taste, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, is the acknowledged benchmark for fine food and drink, and is described as the ‘Oscars’ of the food world.

The twelve Welsh products that the judges unanimously agreed delivered the “Exquisite! Wow! Taste that! acknowledgment and were awarded 3-stars were:

• Apple County Cider Company – Dabinett Medium Cider

• Bill King Artisan Baker – Sticky Gingerbread

• Caws Teifi Cheese – Celtic Promise

• Coaltown Coffee Roasters – Anthracite No2

• Coedcanlas – Coedcanlas Delton Martins Ontario Maple Syrup

• Eat my Flowers – Crystalised Edible Flowers

• Fire and Ice – Blackcurrant Sorbet

• Forte’s Ice Cream – Mascarpone and Caramelised Fig Ice Cream

• Monty’s Brewery Ltd – Monty’s Dark Secret

• Pant-Du Cyf – Pant Du Cider Medium Dry

• Seidr Y Mynydd – Seidr y Mynydd Keeved Cider

• Tropical Forest Products Ltd – Organic Zambian Forest Honey

Congratulating all Welsh producers, the Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths AM said,

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“IT IS FANTASTIC TO SEE SO MANY OF OUR PRODUCTS DESERVEDLY ACKNOWLEDGED IN THE 2018 GREAT TASTE AWARDS. IT IS VERY ENCOURAGING THAT OUR COMMITMENT TO QUALITY HAS BEEN RECOGNISED BY THE JUDGES FROM THE MUCH RESPECTED GUILD OF FINE FOODS. _

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“THE AWARDS ARE AN IMPORTANT SHOWCASE OF QUALITY, INNOVATION AND OUTSTANDING TASTE FROM WELSH COMPANIES – BOTH LARGE AND SMALL. I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO CONGRATULATE THEM ALL ON THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS.”_

John Farrand, managing director of the Guild of Fine Food, organisers of Great Taste, was delighted at the strength of the Welsh winners,

“THE STANDARD OF WELSH ENTRIES THIS YEAR HAS BEEN OUTSTANDING. A GREAT TASTE AWARD, WHETHER IT’S A 1-, 2- OR 3-STAR, IS A FANTASTIC ACHIEVEMENT AND A TANGIBLE SIGN OF QUALITY AND EXCELLENCE, WHICH REFLECTS THE EVER INCREASING COMMITMENT TO PRODUCING TOP NOTCH FOOD AND DRINK EMANATING FROM THE COUNTRY._

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All twelve of the 3-star Welsh products are now up for the regional title of ‘Golden Fork from Wales’ which will be announced on Sunday night, 2nd September 2018 in London, as part of the Speciality & Fine Food Fair.

A full list of Welsh Great Taste winners can be viewed here https://businesswales.gov.wales/foodanddrink/sites/foodanddrink/files/Taste%20Welsh%20Greats%202018_0.pdf [1]

A full list of this year’s winners can be viewed at www.greattasteawards.co.uk [2]