A west Wales honey producer is celebrating after receiving a top accolade in the Great Taste Golden Fork awards.
From the three Welsh products that received the top honour of 3-gold stars in the Great Taste awards 2020, the Golden Fork from Wales was awarded to Wenallt Hive for their Honey Vinegar with Raspberries.
The judges praised it for its “beautiful flavour, delicate and vibrantly coloured”, which took them on “a fine flavour journey – fruity and sweet and sour and rich and fun.”
Wenallt Hive, located near Newcastle Emlyn are beekeepers and small-scale producers of top quality food and skin care products. Products include a range of honeys and vinegars as well as skin balms and creams. All products are handmade using 100% natural ingredients.
Commenting on their achievement Marion Dunn of Wenallt Hive said,
“We use only the best ingredients and strive to produce only premium quality products. Our wild flower honey is natural, pure and raw. It is spun from the comb, lightly filtered and bottled, nothing is added.
“We are especially proud of our Honey Vinegar. Taking over 18 months to make using just Welsh honey, Welsh water and our unique vinegar mother, a gentle fermentation creates a subtle vinegar appreciated not just for its taste but also for its natural goodness.
“It was wonderful to receive recognition in the form of a Great Taste 3-star award for the raspberry vinegar this year but to go on to win the Golden Fork from Wales is fantastic.”
Congratulating Wenallt Hive on their achievements, the Welsh Government’s Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs Lesley Griffiths said,
“I would like to congratulate Wenallt Hive on their achievements in this year’s Great Taste Awards, firstly for achieving 3 stars and now winning the Golden Fork from Wales award.
“The judges from the Guild of Fine Foods have identified produce of the highest quality from every part of Wales, reflecting the hard work and creativity which is characteristic of our world class food industry.”
Recognised as a stamp of excellence among consumers and retailers alike, Great Taste, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, is widely acknowledged as the most respected food accreditation scheme for artisan and speciality food producers, and is described as the ‘Oscars’ of the food world.
An exceptional 161 Welsh products ranging from small independent artisan producers to large scale distributors have been deemed worthy of this prestigious award, with 115 products achieving 1-star, 43 receiving 2-stars and 3 earning the gold stamp of approval with 3-stars.
This year’s winners were chosen through a combination of remote judging and socially distanced judging sessions, as the lockdown began just one week into the schedule. This necessitated a swift and comprehensive reinvention of the Great Taste process to ensure that robust judging standards were maintained and the quality of feedback was not compromised, all in time to provide a much-needed boost for food and drink producers during the all-important Christmas period.
Great Taste values taste above all else, with no regard for branding or packaging. 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.
A full list of this year’s Great Taste Award winners can be viewed at www.greattasteawards.co.uk
