Durham Food and Drink Producers have ‘Great Taste’

County Durham food and drink producers have come out on top in the 2020 Great Taste Awards with 15 regional products receiving accolades.

Delicious products to secure awards this year include a rich toffee pudding and products from the Teesdale Cheesemakers.

Great Taste awards are held in high regard and are seen as one of the world’s most trusted food and drink awards, the winners wearing the coveted logo with pride. 

Out of a huge 12,777 entries, just 42% were awarded with a Great Taste accolade with 459 of them based in Northern England alone.

This year’s food, drinks and treats were found by a group of judges who have been putting their tastebuds to the test since the first week of lockdown.

Awards are based on a variety of factors, from the texture and appearance to the quality of ingredients.

3-star: Extraordinarily tasty foods – only around 1.5% of products are awarded a 3-star each year – don’t leave the shop without buying it!

2-star:  Above and beyond delicious – 10% of entries will achieve this rating

1-star: A food that delivers fantastic flavour. Approximately 30% of entries will achieve this rating each year.

Burtree Puddings’ Rich Toffee Pudding with Butterscotch & Pecan sauce was deemed ‘above and beyond delicious’ by the judges and received two gold stars. The Darlington-based company’s pudding was described as “so good you have to go back for seconds” by the Great Taste judges. It also received one gold star for its Deluxe Christmas Pudding and Gluten Free Sticky Toffee Pudding & Sticky Toffee Sauce.

Another two-star product was Nanny Blue by the Teesdale Cheesemakers, the same company also grabbed a one-star award for Allison’s Garlic Cheese.

Beau’s Ice Cream also managed to scoop two awards for its Raspberry Gelato and Pistachio Gelato, with these flavours described as ‘moorish’ ‘zingy’ and ‘creamy’ and you should definitely try them.

Plant-based company M*lkman also fared well at the Great Taste Awards with its Coconut M*ilk achieving two gold stars. It was described as “creamy, dreamy and totally tropical”. Even if you’re not vegan, it’s worth giving this product a try- it might actually improve the taste of your next cup of tea.

Local brands such as Parlourmade Cheese and The Tea Enthusiasts were also praised for their quality products, both receiving a gold star – Parlourmade for its Farmhouse White and The Tea Enthusiasts for its Tyne Brew. 

So many of the food and drink traders who attend both Bishop Auckland Food Festival and Seaham Food Festival are award winning and having tasted their produce, it is easy to understand why.