What’s it like to be one of the judges for the Great Taste Awards?
Imagine a location near Shaftesbury where close to 14,500 products from all over the world are sent to be judged by passionate food lovers. This year, for the second time, I was lucky enough to be one of the judges.
Products at the Great Taste Awards
Over a period of months, producers submit their products for review. The products come from all over the world. This year some 14,340 products were received from 110 countries, catalogued and prepared for judging.
Great Taste is the world’s largest and most trusted food and drink accreditation scheme.
For the products that need to be eaten hot, Scarlett and her team prepare the samples. Carefully following the cooking instructions provided by the producers. Other products including cheese are kept at the optimum temperature.
By the time the judges arrive, the description for each product submitted by the producer has been entered into the database. Some descriptions are fulsome, others short and to the point.
Judging begins
The judges arrive and are tempted by coffee and biscuits but you learn not to indulge too much. It is all too easy to forget how many products we’ll be tasting during the day – usually about 30 per table.
Each table has a coordinator and two or three judges. The coordinator will introduce the product and will gather the judges’ reactions into useful prose. We focus on tasting any hot food first and tick off our list as we go. The aim is always to give fair, balanced feedback. Sometimes, just a small tweak would make all the difference to the product. All comments are fed back to the producers. It’s very gratifying to hear that the producers take the comments on board and re-submit the product the following year.
New judges often wonder how they can distinguish between a one, two or three star rating – or indeed not rated. After a few tastes, it becomes much clearer. The other judges and coordinator are on hand to help of course.
At no point do we have any information on the producer!
Once a table has judged a product, it is collected by one of the Great Taste team and sent to another table for their comments. Of course, this table might rate it quite differently. I particularly enjoy judging on the referral table. Products are sent here when there is no clear consensus on the rating.
We break for lunch. A refreshing selection of salads and the chance to chat with other judges. “Did you taste that …?” Wasn’t it fabulous?
A 3-star Great Taste Award is announced
The most exciting moment, is when a 3-star award is declared by the peel of a bell. This is often the chance to taste the product if it had not already reached our table.
I judged on several sessions and tasted 171 products that received a reward. As you can imagine, it is difficult to remember all those I thought particularly fine. But this year is different. I can log into the list of products and filter the results to show the items I judged. I’ll share just a few of them with you below.
You might wonder about the judges. Some are producers themselves. Some are chefs, buyers. retailers and food writers. Others, such as myself, trained were trained by the Women’s Institute. Everyone is passionate about food. Everyone is generous about sharing their expertise too. Imagine gaining an insight into what makes a great chocolate bar, for example, from someone who makes them every week.
For the producers, it is validation of all the hard work they have put in to creating a product that truly has a Great Taste.
For you the consumer, it means that the hard work of choosing has been done for you. Simply look for the star rating on the shelf. You can also search the database of products and where to purchase them.
For buyers, it’s a great way to discover and stock something new. Some producers are so new that they don’t yet have stockists. What a wonderful way to get discovered and stocked.
My favourites
There were so many fabulous products in 2025 Here are few of this year’s favourites:
Cinnamon. We taste all manner of products, and it might seem odd to taste cinnamon powder. This spice presented by BoTree and originating from Vietnam is fabulous with a well rounded spiciness and sweetness: Three Star Award.
Chocolate. Ocelot Craft Chocolate earned two coveted Three-Star awards for their dark cherry and dark blood orange creations. The chocolates are so well balanced that even those who don’t usually gravitate toward flavoured dark chocolate will be tempted. The juicy, tart cherry and bright, zesty orange flavours are beautifully integrated into the rich dark chocolate. My personal favourite was the dark cherry. They also received awards for White Chocolate with Lemon Oil, Dark Chocolate with toasted buckwheat, and Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt,
We tasted many mueslis and granolas. The ones that truly stood out were a revelation: grain-free granolas from The Paleo Foods Co. Instead of oats, they were packed with crunchy nuts, seeds, and dried fruit, creating a texture and flavour that was both satisfying and delicious. The Paleo Foods Co have created a range of delicious flavours that anyone in the family would love to eat. My favourite was the Berry and Almond Granola.
Plain rice? Cambodian Premium Aromatic Rice Malys Angkor was delicious. Sometimes it’s the simplest products that surprise you most. The Cambodian Premium Aromatic Rice Malys Angkor was truly delicious. Its delicate, lightly floral aroma was enticing and the texture was satisfying. It’s a shame this particular organic rice isn’t currently listed on their website.
Herb Fed Poultry. The Wilkinsons have a unique and brilliant system: they work with their neighbour (who happens to be their aunt) and use any excess or damaged herbs from her business to feed their hens. The resulting chicken is incredibly juicy with a complex, full-bodied flavour that’s missing in many birds.
Cashews. Oh my goodness, these proved to be the largest cashews I have ever seen. Handcrafted Cashew Nuts Stung Treng , is a “woman-owned company that champions deforestation-free practices, ethical sourcing, and environmental care while crafting premium, healthy, and delicious snacks”. The taste is clean, rounded and savoury. A packet of these would disappear very quickly in my house. Choose from Kampot Pepper (my favourite), Lightly Salted or Cinnamon Cashews.
Freeze Dried Fruit. Brix Products Freeze Dried Fruit from Brix Products offered a textural surprise. We’re all used to the soft, chewy texture of traditional dried fruit, but these were entirely different—crispy and crunchy! We tasted a fruit salad-like selection of vibrant pieces that retained their natural flavour beautifully. A guilt-free snack and a great addition to cereals or desserts.
There were so many more great tastes. Check out the Great Taste Awards directory to discover more.