Once again Cheshire is proven to have the Greatest Taste! #GreatTasteAwards2021 #News

Victoria Hayes
27th September 2021

Every year, Cheshire local producers are among those achieving success in the Guild of Fine food’s Great Taste Awards.

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.  The award scheme saw more that 14,000 different products entered 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

A Great Taste 1-star = “A food that delivers fantastic flavour”. Approximately 30% of entries will achieve this rating each year.

A Great Taste 2-star = “Above and beyond delicious” – less than 10% of entries will achieve this rating.

A Great Taste 3-star = “Extraordinarily tasty foods” – less than 2% of products are awarded a 3-star each year – don’t leave a shop without buying it!

It is wonderful to see these local businesses receiving these fabulous accolades, recognising their hard work and of course their marvellous taste!

This year, Taste Cheshire members have once again been top of the list and it gives us a real thrill to see just how well they have done.

Topping the charts this year, with not one, not two but THREE Gold Stars at The Great Taste Awards is Three Wrens Gin.

Three Wrens Apple Crumble Gin, which is distilled in Cholmondeley, Cheshire, has taken home a 3-star award from Great Taste, one of the world’s largest and most trusted food and drink awards. 

The artisan distiller also received stars for three of its other gins in this year’s awards, including the popular Bloody Apricot, Original Dry & Bison Grass flavours – a significant achievement for the business’ very first award entry.

Less than 2% of the 14,000+ entrants achieved 3-stars, highlighting the formidable achievement for such a small Cheshire producer. Three Wrens Gin will now be able to display the unmistakable black and gold logo – a stamp of excellence that is recognised by retailers and consumers alike – with pride.

Three Wrens master distiller Nick Wadeson took 6 months to complete the trials for the gin, which has also won two international gold medals at the world gin masters and world gin awards respectively.  Although the exact recipe remains a secret, the flavour is made by macerating toasted oats in the base spirit before distilling with Juniper, Cheshire apples, nutmeg, cinnamon and sweet orange peel.  Each batch takes 3 days to make by hand.

Master Distiller Nick Wadeson explains: “This is without doubt our biggest accolade yet, a 3-star rating is incredibly rare, and the holy grail for every food and drink producer. We are incredibly proud to be one of a small handful of craft gin producers ever to achieve it. The fact that we are small family business distilling everything ourselves makes it even more special!”

The entries are blind-tasted, with this year’s judges commenting on the Apple Crumble Gin: “What a fascinating concept, brilliantly executed. Toasty buckwheat porridge with a drizzle of honey and a lift of citrus – and then waves of undulating smoke, toast, barley-sugar, honey, and something intriguing. We didn’t want to spoil it with tonic, but in the interest of research we did add some. And it wasn’t spoilt – rather there was a lift of citrus and a grounding earthiness combined with inspiring sippability. Quite extraordinary. 

“A very interesting aroma, sweet notes of oat bringing a suggestion of buttery popcorn. We found it a fascinating, unique flavour: sweet oaten notes again on the palate, which bring out strawberry milkshake and dried apricot flavours whilst the juniper is not hidden but provides a surprisingly harmonious balance to the wonderfully unusual combination of ingredients.”

Three Wrens Gin operates an open-door policy at the distillery, allowing customers to drop in during the week, watch the award-winning gin production and sample the ranges for free. The company also offers a gin distilling experience where visitors are able to create their own unique gin under their expert guidance.

The Great Taste 3-star award winning product, Three Wrens Apple Crumble Gin, is available to buy direct from www.threewrensgin.com and from most notable Cheshire retailers including the Hollies Farm Shops, RD Wines, Cheerbrook farm Shop, Tanners Wines Chester, Dexter & Jones Knutsford, Whitmore & White Frodsham, Vin Santo Chester, The Emporium Chester, Hopley House farm shop and most good pubs and bars.

Mrs Darlington’s are veterans at the Great Taste Awards but were once again thrilled to announce the receipt of multiple awards.

Their Beetroot Ketchup has won 2 stars!  

The judges said this had a “light & velvety texture & was moreish & tasty”.

Mrs Darlington’s Extra Blackcurrant Jam also won 1 star  the judges comments were “A great set with a bold flavour” and the Spicy Sweetcorn Relish won 1 star , and this was described as “well balanced with rounded warmth, full of flavour & crunch”.

Mrs Darlington’s products are available from a whole host of retailers nationwide as well as direct from their website http://www.mrsdarlingtons.com/

The Lost Barn Coffee Roasters have been recognised previously not just with gold stars but also with a Golden Fork Award (this year’s will be announced later this month) and once again this year they have excelled.

This brings the total of award winning Lost Barn coffees to five and we are thrilled they have also achieved the accolade of Great Taste Producer, which is a testament to their consistent success over the past three years.

Great Drams have also returned to the Great Taste Awards and following successes in previous years THE GREATDRAMS BENRINNES RARE CASK SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY nabbed a gold star, A rather meaty whisky, with a thick, creamy mouthfeel owing to the wormtubs used in the process decreasing the copper contact with the spirit. This was matured initially in a second fill Oloroso sherry cask for over eight years then finished for nine months in a first fill Pedro Ximénez cask to amp up the spiciness and the deep, dark winter fruity notes too.  This Whisky has previously achieved amazing success in the International and World Spirits Awards. 

Another Gold Star for Great Drams was for THE GREATDRAMS ISLAY SINGLE CASK SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY.

The Islay Single cask is a heavily peated whisky from the mystical island of Islay, matured in First Fill Bourbon Barrel and laden with beautifully balanced, classic Islay peated whisky notes as well as lovely soothing vanilla and citrus fruit notes along with cinnamon and warming spice notes too.

Spice Kitchen, is a lovely family business and they are over the moon to have received a Great Taste Award for their Chai Hot Chocolate! Definitely one to try this winter!