Salted Honey Artisan Ice Cream produced by Granny Gothards in Willand, Devon has been crowned Taste of the West’s Supreme Champion Product of 2021. This product was selected from a group of 27 champion products from the Taste of the West Awards, and judges were blown away by the inspired mixture of simple ingredients used to create a sophisticated and utterly delicious ice cream. The panel of Taste of the West judges commended its elegance in both presentation and flavour profile; a smooth, creamy ice cream in which the sweetness of honey is expertly balanced with the delicate addition of salt – an outstanding product in every way.
The Granny Gothards team create and churn their ice creams and sorbets in the heart of the South West, nestled in the green countryside of Devon. As artisan ice cream makers, they believe in adding nothing artificial and using only the very finest natural ingredients to make their amazing ices. Fresh milk, combined with thick double cream from the West Country, hand blended with fresh egg yolks and sugars for their ice creams (a little water and sugar for their sorbets) plus plenty of fresh, natural flavours and a lot of passion goes into each and every pot they produce.
Susie Hodgkins from Granny Gothards commented “We are absolutely blown away by this. To get Champion Ice Cream was a great result for us, but to be crowned overall winner out of 1,100 products which were entered into this competition is unbelievable!”.
Granny Gothards’ products are free from additives, flavourings and artificial colourings. All are suitable for gluten-free diets, and for those with dairy intolerances they offer a full range of fruit and alcoholic sorbets, together with a range of 3 dairy-free ice creams that are vegan friendly. Granny Gothards also produce a full range of ice creams made from milk locally sourced from South West farmers; Buffalo Milk (Somerset) Ewes Milk (Dorset) and Goats Milk (Somerset). They produce a range of ice creams suitable for diabetics too – all as creamy and delicious as their regular range, just made with Fructose sugar instead. All of their packaging is fully recyclable, FSC and made in England.
Taste of the West’s Supreme Champion Product Award of 2021 is sponsored by Black & White Asset Finance Ltd. Tim Shears, Managing Director of Black and White Asset Finance commented “As we come towards the end of a very strange two years with some very tragic times, it is great to see the amazing spirit and resilience of food and drink producers in the West Country. The final judging was intense and caused some good debates, with judges having strong preferences and valued opinions. The finals were separated by wafer thin votes but worthy winners in our great food producing and retailing part of the country. All entries should be congratulated, and I look forward to celebrating with them in due course.”
The Reserve Supreme Champion Product of 2021 has been awarded to the Maple Cured Streaky Bacon made by Duchy Charcuterie in Redruth, Cornwall. The Taste of the West judging panel described this bacon as an outstanding example of a truly delicious artisan product; deliciously soft pork, cleverly cured in a recipe that has taken two years to develop, not too smoky and just enough sweetness from the maple. Cooks to a perfectly crisp rasher of deliciously moreish flavoursome bacon. It’s fair to say it was a hit with the judges from the very first taste.
The Taste of the West Awards have been running for over 25 years and the annual programme rewards the very best food and drink made by producers from across the South West – in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. It’s the largest regional food and drink awards programme in the UK, helping food and drink businesses in the South West to thrive and succeed. It’s fair to say the Taste of the West Awards logo is widely regarded as a benchmark for excellence across the whole South West region.
The Taste of the West Awards 2021 are title sponsored by financial experts Old Mill, who share Taste of the West’s passion for supporting local food and drink businesses from the West Country. Phil Mills, Head of Food & Drink at Old Mill commented “There’s no doubting the resilience of the South West’s food & drink sector which has responded magnificently to a range of significant challenges over the past couple of years. So, it’s always exciting for us at Old Mill to be involved with positive initiatives such as Taste of the West’s Awards, especially the pinnacle Supreme Champion Product. This year, we raise a glass to both Granny Gothards’ artisan salted honey ice cream as the winning product, as well as the reserve supreme champion, Duchy Charcuterie, for their maple cured streaky bacon. We recognise all the other entrants who continue to keep the region at the forefront of the UK’s thriving food & drink industry by consistently putting some incredible products on our tables. We also look forward to maintaining our continued support for the sector through our partnership with Taste of the West in 2022.”
John Sheaves, Chief Executive of Taste of the West, commented “At a time when we are all being significantly challenged, this is a superb result. Not least because the top two products are fantastic representatives and ambassadors for our wonderful artisan food and drink sector here in the South West. At a time when this important sector is being asked some serious questions about sustainability, it is heartening to see two brilliant products being produced locally with minimal impact on the environment, and being rightly recognised for their quality, integrity and provenance.”
A full list of all product winners, champion finalists and winners from the Taste of the West Awards 2021 is available here: https://www.tasteofthewest.co.uk/awards
Entries into the Taste of the West Product Awards 2022 are now open. Visit Taste of the West’s website to find out how you can enter your business or simply complete the online entry form. The closing date for all Early Bird entries – and reduced entry fees – is 15 December 2021.
Entries into the Taste of the West Hospitality & Retail Awards 2022 are also open. To find out more please visit the website or send an email to awards@tasteofthewest.co.uk.
