Five three-star winners that wowed this year’s Great Taste Awards judges
Gorwydd Caerphilly from Trethowan’s Dairy, trethowanbrothers. com, £27 per kg
Three-month aged
Caerphilly cheese made with raw milk from a single herd of Friesian cows. “This is
heavenly. It looks wonderful, with that crunchy rind and the
smooth paste. It is rich, and the depth of
flavour just keeps unfolding, with lactic notes and hints of
grassy pastures. Brilliant, traditional Caerphilly,” wrote one judging panel. “Simply
superb,” said another.
Spiced Rum from ginbothy.co.uk, £35 a bottle
Distilled with
molasses and flavoured with oranges, spice and Scottish-grown
saffron. Not a traditional rum flavour, said the
judges, instead “Christmas has exploded from the
glass in a very gorgeous way. Orange and spice… sweet but balanced, warm and
comforting. The vanilla keeps it all lovely and smooth. This is just wonderful
in every way.”
Hogget (sheep over a year old but less than two years) has a richer
and deeper flavour than lamb. This one, from a family farm in north Pembrokeshire, is hung for two weeks. “Properly reared and
hung, creating a delicious, creamy meat, with tasty fat,
and real depth of flavour. It is tender and moist,” said the judges. “Stunningly
juicy… it gets no better than this.”
for 500g
One example of the
many non-UK products which entered the Great Taste Awards, this organic Korean chilli
paste wowed the judges, who said: “The
fermentation adds a strong umami-noted,
meaty layer of flavour… The chilli is
subtle but brings all the flavours together.
A great cook’s ingredient and also excellent for dipping.”
Caramelised hazelnut ice cream from morellisices.
com, £2 per scoop
You’ll have to visit one of the Morelli family
ice cream shops in Northern Ireland (I can recommend the Portstewart branch on the sea front) to try this
lavish mix of Irish cream and Piedmont
hazelnuts, but other flavours are available
in England from Morrisons in the North and Midlands. Judges remarked on “a deep,
deep flavour of hazelnuts which… are
of excellent quality. Very well made with
thought and care.”