North East’s golden taste

Jul 31 2008 by Jane Hall, The Journal

JUDGES have shown a taste for the North East in the Oscars of the world of fine food and drink. Fourteen regional producers have walked away with prestigious gold Great Taste Awards presented by the Guild of Fine Food.

Notable successes include Mark Toney and Artisan Foods – makers of the Beckleberry’s range of luxury ice creams and sorbets – who have both won coveted three gold star awards.

Artisan Foods, based in Blaydon, Gateshead, has also walked away with the most number of honours – seven in total. The impressive list of winners will help spread the word to the rest of the UK how good North East food is. Meanwhile, the region’s food lovers will be able to find out what dazzled the judges for themselves on August 30 as many of the award winners will be attending The Journal Taste 2 festival in association with Tesco.

The event at the Macdonald Linden Hall hotel, golf and country club at Longhorsley, near Morpeth, Northumberland, promises to be the biggest food and drink festival of its kind ever held in the region with around 100 producers signed up.

Now in their 15th year, the Great Taste Awards are seen as the benchmark for fine food in the UK. Organised by the Guild of Fine Food – the UK’s trade association for anyone making or selling quality local, regional and speciality produce – this year’s awards attracted the biggest number of entries ever with 2,011 small artisan businesses putting up just under 4,800 products for judging.

In total there were over 1,150 gold awards of which 847 achieved one star, 220 were awarded two stars and 72 received the much desired three stars. All entries undergo rigorous tests by a specially selected panel of experts, including chefs, buyers, food critics and deli owners. All the products awarded three stars are now short listed for the final round of judging to find the Supreme Champion 2008, the winner of which will be announced in London on September 8.

Last night Ian Craig of Artisan Foods said he was “proud and pleased” to be flying the flag for the North East.

Since entering the Great Taste Awards for the first time in 2002, the Beckleberry’s range has scooped an incredible 43 – 21 of them gold. Mr Craig said: “The standard since we first started entering has gone up and up, and it is getting harder to produce an award-winning product. It says a lot for how good North East food now is that we have so many winners in these awards.” Mr Craig, who will be attending Taste 2, puts Beckleberry’s success down to the quality local ingredients used.

Another award winner and Taste 2 supporter is Borderfields, whose Oleifera Rapeseed Oil has walked off with one gold star. It has been a memorable few months for the farmers’ co-operative based at Coldstream Mains in north Northumberland. Tesco has just started stocking its Border Fields Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil in nearly 130 of its stores.

Jill McGregor, chairman and founder of Borderfields Ltd, said: “It is testament to the hard work we’ve put into producing Oleifera Rapeseed Oil to the highest standards possible and it’s great to see that this has been recognised.”

Rivals Yellow Fields of Stanton, Northumberland, also picked up a single gold star for their Infused Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil.

For Steve Ramshaw of Northumbrian Quality Meats based at West Woodburn, it is the first time he has entered the Good Taste Awards – and he has walked off with a gold star for his Luganera Italian-style sausage developed by North East chef Terry Laybourne for his Cafe Vivo restaurant on Newcastle Quayside.

It says a lot for how good North East food now is that we have so many winners in these awards