Carlingford Oysters land Great Taste Golden Fork with natural treasure from the Irish Sea

Carlingford Oysters land Great Taste Golden Fork with natural treasure from the Irish Sea 

 

On Sunday 17 October, the Great Taste Golden Fork from Ireland was presented to Carlingford Oysters from Mullatee, for its Louet Feisser Select Carlingford Oysters. Sponsored by Bord Bia, the trophy for the best food or drink from Ireland was announced at the Great Taste Golden Fork Reception at the Yorkshire Event Centre in Harrogate, as the largest and most trusted food and drink awards on the planet reached its exciting finale.  

 

Out of 218 Great Taste 3-star award-winning products to be re-judged to find this year’s Golden Fork Trophy winners and the Great Taste Supreme Champion 2021, these beautifully plump and creamy oysters were one of 13 products to pick up the coveted trophy for their respective country or region.  

 

Grown in the A classified waters of Carlingford Lough, these beautiful oysters take their perfect tear drop shape and smooth pearly white shell from the natural flow of the water. With unspoilt growing conditions, the oysters feed on the naturally occurring plankton and unique minerals, which flow down from the mountain streams, giving them a unique flavour, colour and texture.  

 

For more information about Carlingford Oysters, please visit www.carlingfordoystercompany.ie. 

 

Facts and figures about Great Taste 2021: 

• 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 
• 14,113 different products were entered in 2021 from 108 countries 
• 355 judges blind-tasted this year’s entries, including; Joanna Blythman, investigative journalist and food writer, cook, writer, stylist and voice of modern vegetarian cooking, Anna Jones, author, Olia Hercules, Kenny Tutt, MasterChef 2018 champion and restaurateur, food writer and cook, Xanthe Clay, presenter, author and tutor, Steven Lamb, baker and author, Martha Collison, and Kavi Thakrar from Dishoom, as well as food buyers from Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason and Partridges 
• Socially distanced judging took place over 86 days at four venues, including Guild HQ in Gillingham, Dorset and the Guild of Fine Food’s London home, No. 42 Southwark Street, SE1 
• 4,027 awarded a Great Taste 1-star - A food that delivers fantastic flavour. Approximately 30% of entries will achieve this rating each year 
• 1,138 awarded a Great Taste 2-star - Above and beyond delicious – less than 10% of entries will achieve this rating 
• 218 awarded a Great Taste 3-star - Extraordinarily tasty foods – less than 2% of products are awarded a 3-star each year – don’t leave the shop without buying it! 

press release

Great Taste announces Golden Fork nominations

 P R E S S  R E L E A S E 

Great Taste announces Golden Fork nominations 

 

Great Taste, the largest and most trusted food and drink awards on the planet, will reveal its Supreme Champion 2021 on Sunday 17 October, during a ceremony held at the Yorkshire Event Centre in Harrogate, following the first day of Fine Food Show North. Out of 218 Great Taste 3-star award-winning products to be rejudged, just 14 will receive a Great Taste Golden Fork Trophy and these will all be announced at the Great Taste Golden Fork Reception before the presentation of this year’s biggest prize in food and drink. 

 

The following products from the UK, Ireland and beyond, are nominated for the Golden Fork trophies from their region and are all in with a chance of scooping the top honour of Great Taste Supreme Champion 2021. 

 

From East Anglia: 

• S J Frederick & Sons from Roydon in Essex for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning Temple Farm Bronze Free Range Turkey 
• Stokes Sauces in Rendlesham, Suffolk for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning Blackcurrant Jam  
• The Krafty Braumeister in Leiston, Suffolk for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning Schwarz&Weiss beer  

 

From Ireland: 

• Carlingford Oyster Company in Carlingford for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning Louet Feisser Select Carlingford Oysters 
• Greenbean Coffee Roasters in Dundalk for its Great Taste 3-star award-wining Torero 
• Oliver Carty & Family in Athlone for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning SuperValu Signature Taste Irish Hampshire Easycarve Ham Fillet 

 

From London: 

• La Tua Pasta near Park Royal for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning Handmade Black Truffle & Ricotta Tortelloni 
• Sublime Butter in Twickenham for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning Ridiculous No55 Lobster & Crab Butter 
• The Randy's Sauce Company near Hackney Wick for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning Randy's Korean Sauce 

 

From the Midlands:  

• Hogg Norton Fruit Liqueurs in Chesterfield, Derbyshire for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning Seville Orange Fruit Liqueur 
• Prices Spices from Warwick for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning Chipotle Coppa 
• Willy's from Ledbury, Hertfordshire for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning Willy’s Live Apple Balsamic Vinegar 

 

From the North of England: 

• Mr Vikki's in Penrith, Cumbria for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning Chilli Jam 
• Rosebud Preserves in Masham, North Yorkshire for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning Damson Fruit Cheese 
• Three Wrens Gin in Malpas, Cheshire for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning Apple Crumble Edition  

 

From Northern Ireland: 

• Lisdergan Butchery in Omagh, Tyrone for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning Murley Mountain Rack of Lamb 
• Morelli Ice Cream in Coleraine, Derry for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning Caramelised Hazelnut Ice Cream 
• Rooney Fish in Newry, Down for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning Millbay Oysters 

 

From Scotland: 

• J. Lawrie & Sons in Mallaig, Highland for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning Jaffy's Mallaig Kippers 
• Macleod & Macleod in Stornoway, Western Isles for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning Stornoway Black Pudding 
• The Scottish Salmon Company in Edinburgh for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning Harris and Lewis Smoked Scottish Salmon 

 

From the South East:  

• Bean Smitten in Flimwell, East Sussex for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning Classic Blend 
• Slake Spirits in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning Sussex Dry Gin  
• Spirit of the Downs in Hove, East Sussex for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning Spirit of the Downs - Pinot Grape Spirit 

 

From the South West: 

• Eversfield Organic in Okehampton, Devon for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning 28 Day Dry Aged Organic Rib of Beef 
• The Artisan Kitchen in Gloucester for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning Tropical Marmalade 
• Twisting Spirits in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning Kimchi Gin 

 

From Wales: 

• Pantri Swswen in Caersws, Powys for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning Welsh Blackcurrant Conserve 
• Pembrokeshire Lamb in Haverfordwest for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning Hogget Shoulder 
• Silver Circle Distillery in Chepstow, Monmouthshire for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning Damson Negroni 

 

From around the world: 

• .pepper..field in Prague, Czech Republic for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning Freeze-dried Green Kampot Pepper 
• The Bush Rum Co. in Witham, Essex for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning Bush Rum Original Spiced from Guyana, South America 
• Valdresmeieriet AS in Leira i Valdres, Norway for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning cheese, Bufar Valdres Ost 12 mnd+ 

Ummera Organic Salmon Reels in a Golden Fork

 P R E S S  R E L E A S E

Organic salmon makes a splash at Great Taste, reeling in a Golden Fork for the smokehouse

 

Golden Fork from Ireland announced

 

Great Taste, the world’s most trusted food and drink awards, has reached its grand finale for 2020, with the Great Taste Golden Fork from Ireland presented to Ummera Smoked Products from Inchy Bridge, Co. Cork for its Smoked Irish Organic Salmon. 

 

Smoking salmon in Co. Cork for nearly half a century, making the transition from wild Atlantic salmon to organically grown Atlantic salmon 14 years ago, Ummera Smoked Products impressed the Great Taste panel with its organic salmon’s “lovely texture”, “great mouthfeel” and “a level of smoke that is measured to perfection.” As the praise rolled in for this product, one judge said, “this is as good a piece of smoked salmon as I've had in years.” 

 

Having impressed at every stage of the blind-tasted judging process, as a record-breaking 12,777 entries were assessed over 14 weeks of remote judging and socially distanced judging sessions, the Smoked Irish Organic Salmon, grown in the pristine waters off the west coast of Ireland, was celebrated as the best tasting product in Ireland during the virtual Great Taste Golden Fork award ceremony on Thursday 22 October.  

 

Taking place across the Guild of Fine Food’s social media channels and website, the online event brought together food lovers, producers, retailers, buyers and chefs to discover this year’s stars of food and drink, providing a vital boost for the industry as the nation moves towards the most important Christmas period in a generation. Held later in the year than usual, after the lockdown interrupted judging just one week into the schedule, the Golden Fork trophy announcements are the final instalment in a Great Taste calendar that has been reinvented at every stage, in order to stimulate much-needed consumer support for independent retail and hospitality over the challenging months ahead.  

 

This year’s panel of judges included; cook, writer and champion of sustainable food, Melissa Hemsley, cook, writer, stylist and voice of modern vegetarian cooking, Anna Jones, celebrated Spanish chef, José Pizarro, Kavi Thakrar from Dishoom, food writer and cook, Xanthe Clay, and baker and author, Martha Collison, as well as food buyers from Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason and Waitrose. These esteemed palates tasted and re-judged the 3-star winners to finally agree on the Golden Fork trophy winners and the Great Taste 2020 Supreme Champion.   

 

The Golden Fork from Ireland was sponsored by Bord Bia and also nominated this year were the Great Taste 3-star winners; Gooseberry Spread from Crossogue Preserves in Thurles, Co. Tipperary and Heritage Cure Ham from James Whelan Butchers in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. 

 

Great Taste reveals trophy nominations, as Golden Forks go virtual on October 22nd

 

​

Great Taste reveals trophy nominations,

as Golden Forks go virtual

 

Following a record-breaking 12,777 entries judged over 14 weeks, Great Taste has named this year’s Golden Fork nominees, with the big winners set to be announced during a virtual ceremony on Thursday 22 October. Taking place across the Guild of Fine Food’s social media channels and website from 10am – 6pm, this online event will allow more people than ever to share in the drama and excitement of Great Taste’s grand finale, as the world’s most trusted food and drink awards shines a spotlight on the best of the best. 

 

Coming later in the year than usual, after the lockdown interrupted judging just one week into the schedule, the Golden Fork trophy announcements will provide a vital boost for the industry during the all-important run-up to Christmas. Following many weeks of remote judging, followed by socially distanced judging in London and Dorset, the virtual Golden Fork event will be the final instalment in a Great Taste calendar that has been reinvented at every stage, in order to stimulate much-needed consumer support for independent retail and hospitality over the challenging months ahead. 

 

Beginning at 10am with the first regional trophy, the Golden Fork winners will be shared at 30 minute intervals throughout the day, building to the announcement of the Great Taste Supreme Champion 2020 at 6pm. A host of Great Taste supporters and judges will reveal the winners, with a line-up including food writer and cook, Xanthe Clay, baker and author, Martha Collison, wine writer and presenter, Jane Parkinson, food and drink broadcaster, Nigel Barden, and James Golding, Chef Director of THE PIG hotel group. 

 

Food lovers, producers, retailers, buyers and chefs can keep up with all the Great Taste Golden Fork announcements via the following channels: 

Facebook: @greattasteawards 

Instagram: guildoffinefood 

Twitter: @guildoffinefood 

YouTube: Guild of Fine Food 

Website: gff.co.uk/greattaste 

#GreatTasteAwards 

 

Great Taste 2020 Golden Fork awards and nominations: 

 

10:00 Golden Fork from London & the South East, sponsored by Stoke Park 

Bermondsey Street Honey for Royal Albert Dock Honey 

Iain Spigs for Cumberland Sausage 

Moving Mountains Foods for Moving Mountains® Sausage Burger 

 

10:30 Golden Fork from East Anglia 

Alder Tree for Blackcurrant Fruit Cream Ice 

Linden Leaf Botanicals for Le Rêve Organic Molecular Absinthe 

SO Drinks for Seville Orange Gin 

 

11:00 Golden Fork from the Midlands 

47 Degrees Coffee for Colombian Supremo 

The Coffee Collaborative for Coffee Collaborative Genius Blend 

Redhill Farm Free Range Pork for Free Range Pork Shoulder 

 

11:30 Golden Fork from the North of England, sponsored by Fine Food Show North 

Di Meo's Ice Cream for 100% Pure Bronte Pistachio Gelato 

The Lost Barn Coffee Roasters for Bloomsbury Blend 

Poetic License Distillery for Northern Dry Gin 

 

12:00 Golden Fork from Scotland 

Sarah Gray’s for Sarah Gray’s Raspberry Jam 

Shortbread House of Edinburgh for Pea Green Boat Cheese Sablés - Fennel and Chilli 

Tayport Distillery for 1992 Raspberry Liqueur 

 

12:30 Golden Fork from Northern Ireland, sponsored by Invest NI 

Baronscourt Estate for Wild Sika Venison French Rack 

Craic Foods for Black Garlic & Porcini Sea Salt 

The Little Bakehouse for Abernethy Lemon Curd  

 

13:00 Golden Fork from Ireland, sponsored by Bord Bia 

Crossogue Preserves for Gooseberry Spread 

James Whelan Butchers for Heritage Cure Ham 

Ummera Smoked Products for Smoked Irish Organic Salmon 

 

13:30 Golden Fork from Wales, sponsored by Food and Drink Wales 

Conwy Kombucha for Blighty Booch Kombucha Organic Ginger 

Mario's Luxury Dairy Ice Cream for Mario’s Red Cherry Sorbet 

Wenallt Hive for Honey Vinegar with Raspberries 

 

14:00 Golden Fork from the South West, sponsored by Bishop Fleming 

The Artisan Kitchen for Pink Gin Marmalade 

Capreolus Fine Foods for Smoked Pancetta 

Jess's Ladies Organic Farm Milk for Jess's Ladies Organic Double Cream 

 

14:30 Golden Fork for Best Imported Food, sponsored by Speciality & Fine Food Fair 

Anchoas Hazas for Anchoas Hazas | Anchovies (Spain) 

Caseificio Il Fiorino Srl for Riserva del Fondatore Fiorini Duilio (Italy) 

Embutidos Ferju for Cecina de León IGP (Spain) 

 

15:00 Ambient Product of the Year 

 

15:30 Nigel Barden Heritage Award, sponsored by Dunbia 

 

16:00 Great Taste Startisan of the Year, sponsored by Partridges 

 

16:30 Charcuterie Product of the Year, sponsored by Fine Food Digest 

 

17:00 Small Artisan Producer of the Year 

 

17:30 Contribution to Fine Food, sponsored by the Guild of Fine Food 

 

18:00 Great Taste Supreme Champion 2020 

 

Details of this year’s 1-, 2- and 3-star winners can be found at www.greattasteawards.co.uk and a wide range of award winning products are available to buy in delis, farm shops and independent retail outlets across the country. 

press release

 

 

Ummera's Anthony Cresswell (right) is a happy man today as his Irish Smoked Irish Organic Salmon is awarded 3-stars at the Great Taste Awards. Ten years ago, his Smoked Duck won a similar award. Ummera is just one of an amazing 396 Irish based winners this year.

The Press release 

Time-honoured tradition takes top honours, as Great Taste stars go to Ireland’s coastline, pastures and hedgerows  

 

Following 14 weeks of judging, the results of the world’s most trusted food and drink awards, Great Taste, have been released, with many producers in Ireland now celebrating. Out of a record breaking 12,777 entries from 106 different countries, 42% were awarded a highly prized Great Taste accolade and a remarkable 396 are based in Ireland. 

 

Among the Great Taste 3-star winners from Ireland are a number of traditional products that make the most of what the land and sea provides, including; the “plump, glossy, soft and remarkably sweet” Carlingford Oysters from Carlingford Oyster Co, “a real taste of the sea” that led one judge to say, “it is hard to imagine better tasting, better looking oysters”; a “simple but really well made” Gooseberry Spread from Crossogue Preserves in Thurles, Co. Tipperary, praised for having “notes from the flesh, skins and pips all present” and ending in style with a “lovely hedgerow finish”; and Traditional Ham on the Bone from James Whelan Butchers in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, a “whopper of a ham with a light piggy aroma” and “oozing pig flavour”, with the judges agreeing that this “was obviously a happy pig.” 

 

While these producers enjoy their success and begin displaying the unmistakable gold and black Great Taste logo, with 1-, 2- or 3- stars, on their award-winning products, they will wait with much anticipation to see if they also scoop the top awards for their region. These final honours, including the Great Taste 2020 Supreme Champion, will be announced at the virtual Great Taste Golden Fork awards event, set to take place in October. 

 

Recognised as a stamp of excellence among consumers and retailers alike, Great Taste, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, values taste above all else, with no regard for branding or packaging. Whether it is cake, coffee, kippers or kombucha being judged, all products are removed from their packaging before being tasted. The judges then savour, confer and re-taste to decide which products are worthy of a 1-, 2- or 3-star award. 

 

This year’s winners have been found through a combination of remote judging and socially distanced judging sessions, after the lockdown began just one week into the schedule. This necessitated a swift and comprehensive reinvention of the Great Taste process to ensure that robust judging standards were maintained and the quality of feedback was not compromised, all in time to provide a much-needed boost for food and drink producers during the all-important Christmas period. 

 

The panel of judges included; cook, writer and champion of sustainable food, Melissa Hemsley, cook, writer, stylist and voice of modern vegetarian cooking, Anna Jones, celebrated Spanish chef, José Pizarro, Kavi Thakrar from Dishoom, food writer and cook, Xanthe Clay, and baker and author, Martha Collison, as well as food buyers from Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason and Waitrose. These esteemed palates have together tasted and re-judged the 3-star winners to finally agree on the Golden Fork Trophy winners and the Great Taste 2020 Supreme Champion.   

 

Details of this year’s winners can be found at www.greattasteawards.co.uk and a wide range of award winning products are available to buy in delis, farm shops and independent retail outlets across the country. 

 

Facts and figures about Great Taste 2020: 

• Great Taste is widely acknowledged as the most respected food accreditation scheme for artisan and speciality food producers 
• A record breaking 12,777 different products were entered in 2020 
• Entries were sent in from 106 different countries, including Estonia, Greece, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Madagascar, the Philippines, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, the USA and Vietnam 
• 144 judges took part this year. Less than usual, due to the pandemic and to ensure social distancing in both locations. However, the same number of judging layers were applied, to maintain the rigorous and robust process. Judges included the most demanding palates, belonging to food critics, chefs, restaurateurs, retail buyers, cooks, producers and a host of food writers, journalists and social media influencers 
• Judging took place over a total of 14 weeks. Having begun as planned in March 2020, the process was then halted due to COVID-19. Judging resumed in early May, when remote judging was able to take place in judges’ homes, before Great Taste returned to the judging rooms in both Dorset and London during July 
• Judging took place at the following locations: 
• Guild HQ in Gillingham, Dorset, as well several other Dorset venues 
• The Guild of Fine Food’s London home, No. 42 Southwark Street, SE1 
• The homes of regular judges, as Great Taste continued during lockdown 
• 3,818 awarded 1-star  
• 1,294 awarded 2-star 
• 205 awarded 3-star 

 

As the judges searched for the stars of 2020, waste was kept to a minimum, with unused products being donated to local food banks and hampers made up of excess products for local businesses to raffle in aid of charities. No plastic plates or cutlery were used during the judging rounds, reducing plastic waste by almost 100%. The Guild of Fine Food also donates surplus computer equipment, used to record the judges’ comments, to community-based projects across the UK, which are then refurbished and used to facilitate after school clubs and many other initiatives designed to support underprivileged families.  

 

A full list of winners is available from sam@freshlygroundpr.co.uk.

Congrats Mór to Longueville House

P R E S S  R E L E A S E

Congrats Mór to Longueville House

(L to R) John Farrand, Guild of Fine Food, Estelle Alley from Bord Bia and William O’Callaghan, Longueville House Beverages

Roll out the barrel… Longueville Mór Cider wins Golden Fork for Ireland

Golden Fork from Ireland announced

Following a record-breaking 12,772 entries judged over 75 days, Great Taste, the world’s most revered food and drink awards, has reached its grand finale for 2019. The Great Taste Golden Fork for the best food or drink from Ireland was presented to Longueville House Beverages from Cork for its Longueville Mór Cider. A “perfectly balanced” 8% ABV cider made using Dabinett and Michelin apples from the cider maker’s own orchards, this is the only brandy cask fermented cider currently produced in Ireland.

With an “amazing aroma of sweet apples on the nose, followed by a fresh and crisp taste with depth and a clean finish”, the Longueville Mór Cider impressed at every stage of the blind-tasted judging process. Rising to the top among hundreds of other entries from Ireland, the cider was celebrated as the best tasting product in its region at the Great Taste Golden Fork Dinner held on Sunday 1 September at the InterContinental Park Lane Hotel, London, where over 350 guests from the world of fine food gathered to discover this year’s stars of food and drink.

Contact: Longueville House Beverages, 00353 2247156 / www.longuevillehouse.ie.

The Golden Fork from Ireland was sponsored by Bord Bia and also nominated this year was a Great Taste 3-star Specially Selected Irish Free-Range Whole Goose from Aldi Stores Ireland and a Great Taste 3-star Star Anise Balsamic Vinegar by Wildwood Vinegars in County Mayo.

A full list of all Golden Fork trophy winners is available from amy@freshlygroundpr.co.uk.

What is Great Taste? 

Great Taste, founded in 1994 and organised by the Guild of Fine Food, has judged over 146,000 products in the last 25 years; each one has been blind-tasted by a team of judges who are dedicated to finding the most exquisite tasting food and drink regardless of branding or packaging. The panel of judges this year included; cook, writer and champion of sustainable food, Melissa Hemsley, Kenny Tutt, MasterChef 2018 champion, author, Olia Hercules, chef and food writer, Gill Meller, Kavi Thakar from Dishoom, food writer and stylist, Georgina Hayden and author and chef, Zoe Adjonyoh, as well as food buyers from Selfridges, Sourced Market and Partridges. These esteemed palates have together tasted and re-judged the 3-star winners to finally agree on the Golden Fork Trophy winners and the Great Taste 2019 Supreme Champion. 

Great Taste ratings

3-star: Extraordinarily tasty foods – less than 3% of products are awarded a 3-star each year – don’t

leave the shop without buying it!

2-star:  Above and beyond delicious – less than 10% of entries will achieve this rating

1-star: A food that delivers fantastic flavour. Approximately 25% of entries will achieve this rating each year.