Devon
Producers Win Prestigious
Taste of the West Food & Drink Awards 2006
Over
150 of Devon’s best food and drink products have been awarded Taste of the
West Food & Drink Awards in the 2006 competition dedicated to finding
the South West’s best quality products. A panel of 40 judges granted 36
Gold, 63 Silver and 54 Bronze Awards to the finest food and drink products
in Devon out of more than 400 awards given to producers from across the six
counties of the South West.
John
Sheaves, Chief Executive of Taste of the West
says, “The South West has an exceptional food identity and a passion for
quality food and drink. From this high standard the Taste of the West Food &
Drink Awards select the products that stand above the rest and are an important
endorsement of the quality and integrity of the product and the producer.
Winning a Taste of the West Award gives producers tremendous sales and marketing
opportunities and further promotes the South West as the best place for quality
food and drink to chefs, caterers, wholesalers, retailers and the public.”
From
Devon Blush cider to Devon Oke cheese and Organic South Devon Beef to Devonshire
Gold Organic Chicken, 153 products were awarded Taste of the West Food &
Drink Awards, sponsored by Budgens, in nineteen classes covering
bakery and confectionery, chilled and frozen deserts, ready meals and sauces,
dairy, meat, preserves, drinks and fish.
Long
established family business, Browse Bros., Paignton, Devon run by cousins
Ian, Ben and Peter Browse wins a Gold Award for Hand Picked
Crab Claw Meat caught in Dartmouth and Brixham. Ian Browse says, “Winning
a Gold Award is brilliant news, the company was established in 1947 but it is
still fantastic to win awards for products we are proud of. The judges would
have tasted the difference between hand picked crab meat and crab meat which is
extracted with machines using either water or air which affects the flavour and
texture of the meat. We don’t use any machines, our processes have stayed the
same since we started and we sell our crab meat to hotels and restaurants across
the UK, including Gleneagles and the new Arsenal stadium.”
All
of the Award entries were cooked and served to the panel of judges at St
Peter’s School, Lympstone, Devon
by Richie Abbott, Sous Chef at
Michael Caines Restaurant at the Royal Clarence Hotel, Exeter.
The Gold
award winners in each of the classes are judged to find the winners of the
overall category awards as well as Best
Organic Product, Best New Product and Best Packaging.
Winners of these categories are then judged again, and one will become
the Taste of the West Champion
product of 2006.
Judging
for the hospitality and retail classes of the Taste of the West Food & Drink
Awards is also underway with a panel of expert judges anonymously visiting each
outlet to look for quality of food and service, ambience, evidence of local
sourcing and the knowledge of the staff. Gold, Silver and Bronze awards are
given on a county by county basis in August with the Gold award winners going
forward to be judged again to find the Overall
Regional Winners for best B&B, Dining Pub, Tearoom, Restaurant and Local
Retail Outlet and Online Retail.
The
overall award winners in the food and drink, hospitality and retail classes are
announced at an awards ceremony in the autumn.