Triumph at the Great Taste Awards 2019

by Andrea King August 14, 2019

We are delighted and proud to have received 9 Great Taste Awards, the most

awarded to a Cumbrian producer for 2019 and taking our total Great Taste

accreditations to 45.

The Great Taste Awards are the world’s most coveted food awards, which celebrates the very best of the food and drink industry. Out of over 12,772 products to be judged this year, we were awarded the highest of all producers in Cumbria, with three 2-star and six 1-star Great Taste awards, which is a great achievement for us.

The 2-star awards, “Above and beyond delicious” which less than 10% of entries will be achieved, where for our:-

Lakeland Herbaceous Strawberry Gin Liqueur – “Strawberry, basil and mint are in perfect harmony”
Lakeland Sloe Gin Liqueur – “A smooth drink that goes down easily, and provides a bright burst of sloe, filling the mouth with flavour”
Mawson’s Ginger Cordial – “The cordial is delicious, deeply warming, great balance of almost toffeeish sweetness and the zing of the ginger”

1-star awards, which means judges dubbed them “simply delicious” were for our:-

Lakeland Damson Gin Liqueur – “the taste was warming, with well-balanced sweetness, with a rich depth from the damsons”.
Mawson’s Sarsaparilla Cordial – “A nostalgic flavour, earthy, sweet and with a hint of warmth”
Mawson’s Dandelion & Burdock – “Delightfully aromatic and perfectly refreshing, with well-judged sweetness and indeed concentrate. Great authentic flavours and pleasing balance”.
Orange marmalade with Ginger – “The ginger is giving excellent flavour profile which is well-matched with the oranges to give an excellent overall tasting experience”
Damson Extra Jam – “We adore the beautiful deep rich shine you have on your Damson jam, A wonderful depth of colour, with a distinct aroma of damsons and a rich fruity flavour.”
Sticky Toffee Sauce – “A glossy sauce with good pouring consistency. Buttery on the nose with caramel notes. Syrupy, with hints of butterscotch”.

All the products entered are judged by over 500 of the most demanding palates,

belonging to food critics, chefs, cooks, restaurateurs and producers, as well as a

whole host of food writers and journalists, Great Taste is widely acknowledged as

the most respected food accreditation scheme for artisan and speciality food

producers. As well as a badge of honour, the unmistakeable black and gold Great

Taste label is a signpost to a wonderful tasting, quality product, which has been

discovered through hours and hours of blind-tasting by hundreds of judges.

Recognised as a stamp of excellence amongst consumers and retailers alike, The

Great Taste Awards values taste above all else, with no regard for branding and

packaging. Whether it is gin, biscuits, sausages or coffee being judged, all products are removed from their wrapper, jar, box or bottle 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.

“The awards mean so much to the whole team as we are all passionate about the

artisan food and drink industry and very proud to showcase and represent the

Cumbrian region. Our awards this year continue to reaffirm that we are consistent in creating handcrafted products of superior quality and amazing taste!” Andrea King, Sales and Marketing Manager.

“From humble beginnings 13 years ago with myself and a friend producing preserves at home in my kitchen, to have grown a team of over 10 staff and producing our wide range of handmade products from my own production kitchen and bottling plant, together with our new retail shop in Windermere, the future is exciting! With further investment and expansion plans and lots of new ideas in the pipeline, there is so much more to do, happy days”! Geoff Monkman.