Sticky, Sweet and Smothered in Sauce, Classic Treats from Ireland Seduce Great Taste Judges Ireland Great Taste results for 2016 available



Following months of judging, the results of the world's most coveted blind-tasted food awards, Great Taste, have just been released, with many producers in Ireland now able to celebrate. Out of the 10,000 products to be judged, 3,539 were awarded a highly prized Great Taste accolade and a remarkable 430 are based in Ireland, including 3-star award-winning: The Tipperary Kitchen's Holycross Original Butterscotch Sauce, which was thought to be “beautifully made and executed perfectly” to create “heaven in a bowl”, Nobó's “creamy and attractive” vegan and dairy free Irish Salted Caramel ice cream and an “unctuous and moreish, squidgy and moist” Irish Handmade All Butter Sticky Toffee Pudding, from Dunnes Stores.

While these producers revel in their success and begin displaying the unmistakable gold and black Great Taste logo with 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 awards will be announced at the Great Taste Golden Fork Awards Dinner at The Royal Garden Hotel in London on Monday 5 September. 

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 jam, gin, beef or butter being judged, all products are removed from their wrapper, jar or bottle 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.

Judged by over 500 of the most demanding palates, belonging to food critics, chefs, restaurateurs, cooks, producers and a host of food writers and journalists, Great Taste is widely acknowledged as the most respected food accreditation scheme for artisan and speciality food producers. In the words of highly regarded restaurant and food critic Charles Campion, “Great Taste is the only food award worth having”.

The panel of judges, including: TV chef and author, Valentine Warner, MasterChef judge and restaurant critic, Charles Campion, fifth generation baker, Tom Herbert from Hobbs House Bakery, food buyers from Harrods, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Waitrose, James Golding, chef director of THE PIG Hotels, and Kevin Gratton, chef director of HIX Restaurants, have together re-judged the 3-star winners to agree on the Top 50 Foods, the Golden Fork Trophy winners and the Great Taste Supreme Champion for 2016.

Regular Great Taste judge and MasterChef the Professionals finalist, Adam Handling, hosted the judges at his brand new restaurant, The Frog in Shoreditch, after the final round of judging, to enjoy a menu made up of some of the Great Taste 3-star award-winning products of 2016.

As these judges searched for the stars of 2016, waste was kept to a minimum, with unused products being donated to local food banks and hampers made up for local businesses to raffle in aid of local charities. 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.

Details of this year's winners can be found at www.greattasteawards.co.uk and a select range of products will also be made available via Taste Distribution (www.tastedistribution.co.uk), which has been established exclusively to distribute Great Taste award-winning products to independent retailers.

Facts and figures about Great Taste 2016:

10,000 different products entered in 2016 and judged by more than 500 palates.

Judging took place across the UK and Ireland, including many sessions at the Guild HQ in Gillingham, Dorset, as well as several other Dorset venues. This year's Great Taste Roadshows saw Great Taste judged at Fulham Palace in London, Hotel Minella in Clonmel, Tipperary and Belfast Metropolitan College's Titanic Quarter Campus.

2,520 awarded 1-star

878 awarded 2-star

141 awarded 3-star

The next stage involves: the Top 50 Foods being announced on Saturday 6 August on Twitter @guildoffinefood #Top50Foods. Then the final announcement of the winner of Great Taste Supreme Champion 2016, sponsored by Harrods, and the regional Golden Fork Awards will be made at The Royal Garden Hotel in London on Monday 5 September.

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