'Genuine' success at Great Taste Awards

Saturday 11 August 2018

The number of Genuine Jersey producers recognised at the prestigious ‘Great Taste Awards’ is higher than ever this year, with four local producers being awarded 'gold star' ratings.

Sue’s Fudge, The Chili Kitchen, Wild Health and Jersey Sea Salt were recognised for the outstanding quality of their products and ingredients.

'Sue’s Fudge' has won a total of 11 prizes at the awards. Her Christmas Pudding Fudge and Black Butter Fudge were recognised by the judges for their "melt in the mouth" quality.

Pictured: Sue le Gresley, of Sue's Fudge

For Jersey Sea Salt and Wild Health this year’s competition was a new experience as they only became Genuine Jersey members in 2017. David Miles, from Jersey Sea Salt, said of their salt and crushed pepper infusion, which won a gold rating: "We truly believe our salt delivers a superior taste due to Jersey’s rich mineral waters, the length of time the ingredients are infused and of course the TLC we put into all of our products."

Wild Health's Gemma Bartlett, was excited to have received an award for her "tasty fresh and leafy" Kale Crisps, as they promote jersey kale. 

Pictured: Wild Health's jersey kale crisps.

Lesley Garton of The Chili Kitchen, explains the significance of winning a Great Taste award: "I do tastings at markets all the time and get great feedback from customers, but when a panel of experts tell you you’re doing all the right things, you really start to believe it."

All 12,000 entries in the competition, open to competitors from all around the world, were judged by a panel of over 500 judges in a blind tasting.

According to John Garton, Executive Officer of Genuine Jersey, the results of this year’s awards not only prove the high standards of Genuine Jersey products, but the increased number of entries from Genuine Jersey suppliers show that, "...people are recognising the importance of investing in local produce and the value in buying local." He praised the participants of the awards, saying that, "...the Association is extremely proud of these members’ achievements."

Watch: The Great Taste Awards began in 1994.