2020’s Great Taste Awards has seen several of our region’s finest food companies win prestigious gold stars for their produce. Huntingdon-based Olive Olive’s cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, made using handpicked olives, also made the cut, along with its Cyprus Village halloumi cheese. Cambridge Bake Off’s 2015 winner The Baking Jin made the list, winning a gold star for his strawberry cake roll, a deliciously fresh and fruity Japanese swiss roll. Carrying on the baking success, Jigsaw Bakery won a gold star for its Bakewell tart, with the judges deeming it to be a ‘perfectly pitched’ mixture of squidgy filling, crisp pastry and tangy raspberry jam.
There were a few local companies who really shone at this year’s awards
But there were a few local companies who really shone at this year’s awards. No stranger to a Great Taste gold star (or twenty!), Corkers Crisps added to its impressive list of awards with another five wins this year. Based just outside Ely, Corkers is showing no signs of letting its crisp crown slip, and pretty much every flavour of its sunflower oil hand-cooked potato crisps earned another star from the judges.
Owing to its stellar creations, Linden Leaf Botanicals – a spirit and essence distiller – garnered three gold stars for its organic molecular gin and absinthe (that’s top marks to you and me). Crafted and finely tuned at a molecular level, Linden Leaf combines traditional craft distillation with state-of-the-art technology to create exquisite spirits and unique single note essences. The Great Taste Awards dubbed its absinthe ‘a non plus ultra’, so if you’re looking for a unique gift for a cocktail connoisseur, you might want to give it a try!
And last but not least, The Saffron Ice Cream Company in Saffron Walden scooped up another two awards this year, its Traditional Chocolate and Summerdown Farm Mint Choc Chip proving to be winners with the judges. Production manager Harry Bond commented: “we’re very proud to have won at this year’s awards. We strive to source the very best ingredients from producers as passionate as us and we think it shows in our products. A lot of time and effort is put into every single batch and it’s nice to have the recognition of our dedication.”
If you’re interested in seeing the full list of gold star winners across Cambridgeshire, head over to the Great Taste Awards website. greattasteawards.co.uk
