All your eggs in one trolley
SW food and drink industry ‘raising its game’
EARLY signs have shown that South West food and drink producers are going “above and beyond” to raise their already high standards post-pandemic.
It comes as Taste of the West has announced the first phase of gold, silver and commended award winners for 2022.
The annual scheme, which has grown over the last two and a half decades to become the UK’s largest regional food and drink awards programme, helps food and drink businesses in the region – stretching from Cornwall to Wiltshire – to thrive and succeed.
The first of three phases saw approximately 450 products being judged by the Taste of the West panel, with the organisation handing out a total of 299 gold, 93 silver and 36 commended awards.
John Sheaves, chief executive of Taste of the West, based in Whimple near Exeter, said: “This is the year for getting back to normal, however so far we seem to be surpassing ‘normal’ with award product entries up on pre-Covid levels, which is fantastic to see.
“Similarly, the quality of food and drink products entered so far this year is above and beyond previous years – clearly a sign that producers have been working hard to improve products ready for a buoyant post-Covid marketplace. We’re looking forward to the next couple of phases of judging as we complete round one of our annual awards process. Game on!”
Working independently and in small groups due to ongoing Covid restrictions, the judges were bowled over by the standard of entries in the first phase of this year’s judging. Some new entrants from the South West’s food and drink sector proved to be very impressive, including The Gamekeeper’s Larder in Shepton Beauchamp, Somerset, with their fabulous range of venison products achieving a full house of four gold awards.
Robyn’s Roost from Launcells, Cornwall, and Rise Bakery from Saltash, Cornwall, both entered a selection of beautiful looking and delicious tasting sweet treats – including a Cronut (a first for Taste of the West) from Rise – and every single item received a gold award, making it four apiece.
Kefir, a product ever growing in popularity for its health benefits, saw Biokef from Dartington in Devon gain gold awards for two flavours in their range.
This first phase of judging also saw the return of some familiar faces: Granny Gothards in Willand, Devon, with yet another batch of delicious ice creams; Lynher Dairies in Truro, Cornwall, with a wonderful range of cheeses; and Duchy Charcuterie in Redruth, Cornwall with a classic but incredible range of charcuterie, all winning a plethora of gold awards.
Products entered into phase two will be judged at the beginning of April, with phase three entries still open and the final chance for producers to enter products in 2022.
Following publication of the third phase of results, all the highest scoring gold awardwinning products will be judged again to determine the top three products in each class. These top three products are then judged a third time to establish the overall champion product in each class. The 26 champion products then go on to battle it out for the supreme champion product of 2022.
The final deadline for all online entries is Friday, May 6. For further details, visit www. tasteofthewest.co.uk/awards2022-product-entry-form