EVERY year more people look out for those little black stickers with one, two or three gold stars – Great Taste Awards from the Dorset-based Guild of Fine Food.

This year’s West Country results include 27 products gaining the top three-star status, and a finalist from the region for the overall national Golden Fork awards.

One of the three nominees for the Golden Fork from England is the multi-award-winning Sarah Churchill for her Seville Orange and Bergamot Marmalade, one of two three-star products for her brand, The Artisan Kitchen, based in rural Gloucestershire. The other was the Summer Citrus Marmalade Italian Orange Bitters.

Sarah also had ten two-stars and nine one-stars. It is an astonishing achievement, following her remarkable history of Great Taste star products, Golden Forks winners and even a supreme champion.

She says: “Even after all these years, hearing that two of my marmalades have been awarded Great Taste three stars still gives me butterflies. Those awards can never be taken for granted, which makes them incredibly special. I founded The Artisan Kitchen in 2011 after a career as a professional chef, inspired by a Mirabelle plum tree and a determination not to waste beautiful fruit. Since then I’ve spent every season experimenting, tasting and refining recipes to let exceptional ingredients speak for themselves. ”

The other England Gold Fork finalists are Eggleston soft cheese, made by Primrose Creamery near Sheffield, and the English Whisky Co’s The Norfolk PX.

The Bridport-based Baboo Gelato had three stars for its hazelnut gelato and two stars for pistachio. Two other West Country gelaterias won three stars – Panunzio’s Kitchen from Bristol for their saffron and rose water, dulce de leech, cremino al caffe and passion fruit gelati; and Bristol and Bath-based Swoon had three stars for their pistachio and salted caramel gelati.

One of the region’s most consistently successful cheesemakers, White Lake Cheese, based at Bagborough near Shepton Mallet, had three stars for their Moo’dy Blue and The English Pecorino.

The Dorset Wasabi Company, based near Wareham, had three stars for its sanbaizu, a classic Japanese seasoned vinegar sauce combining rice vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce.

Another regular Great Taste winner, the Dorset Pastry company had three stars for the All-Butter Sweet Shortcrust pastry. A new name on the top award list is Stony Groves, a Dorset-based company producing outstanding spices, winning three stars for the Rockfish Spice Blend.

Other two-star products were Dorset Coppa and Dorset Peperoni from Capreolus, Nutty Nutmeg from Chococo, Lucky Marcel and Rebel Nun cheeses from Flethams Farm Ltd, Black Pepper and Garlic Salami and Mutton, Rosemary and Garlic Salami from Somerset Charcuterie, Nepalese Timut Pepper and Black Kampot Pepper from Stony Groves, Burrow Hill Cider Bus Cider and Somerset Pomona from the Somerset Cider Brandy Co, and Worley’s Cider Special Reserve from Shepton Mallet.

The one-star winners included Baboo Gelato, Bath Soft Cheese, Chococo, Cranborne Chase Cider, the Book & Bucket cheese company, Hall & Woodhouse brewery, The Real Cure, and Lizzie Baking Bird, a favourite artisan baker at Dorset’s farmers markets and food festivals, for her Toffee Apple Cake.

Overall in this year’s Great Taste Awards, more than 15,000 products were entered, from 116 countries – a record number. Of these 4,286 received one star, 1,596 had two stars and 306 received three stars. For the 520 award winning entries from the South West there were a total of 336 one-star awards, 157 two-stars and 27 three-stars.

A December 2025 YouGov poll showed that the distinctive black and gold Great Taste logo is recognised by 58 per cent of the UK adult population. Of those, 74 per cent say a Great Taste award makes a product more tempting, 73 per cent say the logo is a trustworthy recommendation and 54 per cent use Great Taste as a signpost for discovering new products.

Over 105 days, in the Guild’s judging rooms in London, Dorset, Ireland and Italy, more than 800 industry experts took part in the unique judging process that makes Great Taste the most respected food and drink accreditation scheme in the world.

The panel included chefs, critics, product developers, retailers, writers, and other specialists from the world of food and drink. They were presented for blind judging – with each product stripped of all branding, packaging and other identifying features – and had to unanimously decide what rating to give it.

Taste is considered first and foremost, followed by appearance, aroma, texture and mouthfeel. Each entry is judged on its own merit and not compared to others in the same class. A short factual description from the producer helps guide the judgement with any relevant information.

The judges’ feedback is shared with the producers irrespective of whether or not they have achieved a star-rating. This can help with product development, helping producers refine recipes, improve consistency and understand how their products perform in a competitive market.

John Farrand, managing director, Guild of Fine Food, says: “Food security is becoming an increasingly pressing issue across the globe, so it feels more pertinent now than at any other time in our 30-year history to be supporting and promoting independent producers and retailers. Great Taste is all about celebrating craftsmanship and dedication to well-sourced local ingredients and traditional, often simple production methods which are more important now than ever.”

The Golden Fork award ceremony will take place at Battersea Arts Centre in London on 15th September, when the Great Taste 2026 Supreme Champion will also be announced.

Pictured: A White Lake cheese-board, Stony Groves’ three-star Rockfish Spice Blend, Lizzie Crow (Lizzie Baking Bird) in her bakery.