Following 75 days of judging, the results of the world’s most coveted food and drink awards, Great Taste, have been released, with many producers in London now celebrating. Out of a record breaking 12,772 entries sent in from over 100 different countries, 4,943 were awarded a highly prized Great Taste accolade and a remarkable 730 are based in London. It is evident that people love to eat, and who could blame them. The number of beautiful flavours from across the world would take a lifetime to eat them all. So if you are traveling to any one of these countries listed here, then you’ll have to check out their dishes, from a restaurant warrnambool eatery to a Brazillian BBQ, there are plenty of choices.

Great Taste 3-star winners from London include; Belazu’s “moreish, complex and delicious” Truffle & Pecorino Luxury Nut Mix, a selection of hand-roasted almonds, cashews, macadamias, and pecans; Deep Roast Crunchy, a “super grown-up” peanut butter made by ManíLife using high oleic peanuts from an Argentinian single family-run farm, which has an exceptional texture, with “satisfying chunks of nuts suspended in a smooth paste”; and Hackney Gelato’s “sublime” Bronte Pistachio Gelato, “sweet, salty and nutty perfection with faultless pistachio capture and tongue-caressing texture”.

While these producers revel in 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 2019 Supreme Champion, will be announced at the Great Taste Golden Fork Dinner on Sunday 1 September, to be held at the InterContinental Park Lane Hotel,London.

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 honey, kombucha, coffee or bread 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.

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, Fortnum & Mason, 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.

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 2019:

• Great Taste is widely acknowledged as the most respected food accreditation scheme for artisan and speciality food producers
• A record breaking 12,772 different products were entered in 2019
• Entries were sent in from 104 different countries, including Australia, Brazil, Botswana, China, Indonesia, Russia and the USA, as well as 27 member countries of the EU
• Over 500 of 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, blind tasted each product over 75 days
• 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
• 3,409 awarded 1-star
• 1,326 awarded 2-star
• 208 awarded 3-star

As the judges searched for the stars of 2019, 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.