Success at Great Taste Awards 2024

Our Taste Causeway Producers have had another successful year at the prestigious Guild of Fine Food Great Taste Awards 2024 winning a combined total of 28 Gold Stars.

The Guild of Fine Food’s mission is to support, celebrate and encourage independent food and drink retailers and the producers that supply them. They aim to promote excellence in all sectors of the trade and celebrate great tasting food and drink from the UK and worldwide.

The Great Taste Awards were announced on 30^th July and are the largest and most trusted food & drink accreditation scheme with the Great Taste stars being highly respected seals of approval. Every product submitted is blind tasted by selected chefs, cooks, buyers, retailers, restaurateurs, food critics and writers.

So what do the stars mean?

• Products awarded 1-star are “Simply delicious…a food that delivers fantastic flavour.”
• Products awarded 2 stars are “Outstanding…above and beyond delicious.”
• Products awarded 3 stars are “Exquisite…extraordinarily tasty food and drink.”

This year Broighter Gold scooped a 3 star award , the highest award given (only around 2% of total products entered attain this most prestigious award) for their pure cold pressed rapeseed oil and Morelli’s Ice Cream received an impressive total of 10 Gold Stars.

It was also great to see first time entrants making the grade with Paula McIntyre, Dunluce Distillery, Glens of Antrim Distillery and Chestnutt’s Farm all being awarded the coveted gold stars for their fantastic products.

For further information and where to buy the award-winning products from Taste Causeway members who were successful in this year’s awards see below:

Broighter Gold

3 star - Broighter Gold rapeseed oil

1 star - Broighter Gold "Basil" Rapeseed Oil

1 star - Broighter Gold "Hickory Smoked" Rapeseed Oil

Broighter Gold produce a range of multi award winning rapeseed oils and infused rapeseed oils from their family farm outside Limavady.

The Kane family has been farming the lands at Broglasco, near Limavady, for over 100 years. Broighter Gold was set up by Leona and Richard Kane in 2011 after recognising the versatility of their rapeseed oil.

Broighter Gold is today one of Ireland's and UK's best known rapeseed oil suppliers, with their premium quality rapeseed oils sold in stores and used in top restaurants and hotels throughout Ireland and further afield including in Liberty’s of London, La Grande Epicerie de Paris and Jones the Grocer in UAE.

For more information about Broighter Gold Rapeseed Oil visit https://www.tastecauseway.com/broighter-gold

Morelli Ice Cream

2 star - Clotted Cream / Devil’s Churn salted Caramel Ice Cream

2 star - Morelli's Mango Sorbet

2 star - White Chocolate with Pistachio Ice Cream

2 star - Milk Chocolate with Caramel & Whole Hazelnut Ice Cream

1 star – Dario’s Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream

1 star - Rum & Raisin Ice Cream.

The Morelli family have been making their multi award winning ice cream on the north coast of Ireland since 1911 producing over fifty flavours of scoop ice cream, frozen yogurt & sorbet at their factory in Coleraine

The Morelli family’s connection to Northern Ireland began when their great uncle Peter Morelli – left his southern Italian homeland in search of work and a better life. He and his brothers established cafes and ice cream parlours throughout Great Britain and Ireland and were so successful that, more than a hundred years later, the family name is synonymous with fantastic ice cream.

For more information about Morelli Ice Cream visit https://www.tastecauseway.com/morelli-ice-cream

Fidela Coffee Roasters

1 star – Fidela La Pradera coffee

Founded by husband and wife duo, Frank & Rachel, Fidela Coffee Roasters, situated in Coleraine, roast the best speciality coffee from their farms in Nariño, Colombia for you to enjoy in their coffee shop or at home. All their coffee has 100% traceability & is ethically sourced from their farms in Colombia.

For more information visit https://www.tastecauseway.com/fidela-coffee-roasters

Paula McIntyre

1 star - Paula McIntyre Gin

In collaboration with Basalt Distillery on the rugged north coast of Northern Ireland, state-of-the-art distilling technology, that delivers energy efficiency and ultimate precision, is used to create Paula McIntyre’s Gin.

Paula has designed this gin as a tribute to our country’s rich culinary history. It’s more than just a drink; it embodies the spirit of the stories and recipes that make Northern Ireland such a vibrant and extraordinary place.

Basalt Distillery

1 star - Basalt Volcanic Rock Gin (42.1%)

2 star - Basalt Volcanic Rock Gin (50.1%) - Giant's Edition

Basalt Distillery is based on the north coast of Ireland, near the iconic Giant's Causeway.  Giants Basalt Rock Gin was launched in 2022.

The distillery takes basalt purified water from their own 600ft well, use the most advanced distilling technology and apply molecular-level precision to create an unparalleled three-dimensional gin.

For more information about Basalt Distillery visit https://www.tastecauseway.com/basalt-distillery

Lacada Brewey

1 star – Slemish Mountain IPA
1 star – Sharmrock Pinancle

Lacada Brewery in Portrush began when a father and son started brewing together in 2015. They not only wanted to establish a brewery but wanted one that was ‘owned’ by the community on the North Coast.

The Great Taste Judges said about Slemish that it “presents very well, with a great head of foam. Restrained on the nose, but the juicy blood orange flavour is enjoyable on the palate, and the hop character is very well expressed. A curious and drinkable ale, combining fresh mango and orange aromas that follow through smoothly on the palate. It seems much lighter than its 6% ABV”

Shamrock has “a beautiful foam in the glass, the beer produces an assertive dark chocolate note on the nose, as well as pleasant roasty notes that entice. It’s very well balanced on the palate, with an appropriate level of bitterness, and the coffee and dark chocolate flavours join in harmony”

For more information about Lacada Brewery visit https://www.tastecauseway.com/lacada-brewery

Dunluce Distillery

2 star - La Riva Nata Caffè

1 star - La Riva Nata

Established in 2021, Dunluce Distillery pride themselves on creating hand crafted gin from the finest botanicals with love and care. With Eleanor, their 200-litre still, they can create small batches while ensuring quality and character in every bottle. All products are handcrafted, hand bottled and hand labelled by the company in Portaballintrae.

The judges’ comments included: “Rich mahogany in colour with pinkish tints and a caramel lightness at the rim. An invitingly appealing mocha nose with freshly brewed coffee notes, a touch of brown sugar and hints of dark cocoa nibs. Smooth and silken in texture with an elegant balance of sweetness and umami which finishes with an indulgent, chocolatey caramel and brown sugar richness. Well balanced with quality ingredients and utterly delicious to sip just on its own” and “the nose carries an extremely vibrant lemon/lime note. The liqueur has a good body and mouthfeel enhancing the taste experience; very fresh lemon character comes across with nicely judged sugar and slight pithy bitterness. Judges loved the natural rustic charm.”

For more information about Dunluce Distillery visit https://www.tastecauseway.com/dunluce-distillery

Glens of Antrim Distillery

1 star - LIR Irish Whiskey, Black Crest

Surrounded by nature and steeped in history, there could be no better setting to create whiskey than amongst the mountains and valleys in the Glens of Antrim overlooking the Irish Sea
The whiskey takes its name from the mythical tale ‘The Children of Lir’

Lir Black Crest embodies the spirit of the Glens of Antrim and the natural beauty that surrounds us. Crafted with care and attention to detail, Black Crest has been matured in a Oloroso Sherry Cask to create a whiskey that is truly unique. From the first sip, you'll be struck by the flavours of peels, honeyed cereals and sultanas all balanced perfectly with a refreshing hint of ginger. 

For more information about Glens of Antrim Distillery visit https://www.tastecauseway.com/glens-of-antrim-distillery

Chestnutt Farm

2 star - Chestnutt's Farm Greek Style Yoghurt

The Chestnutt Family have been been farming on their land near the coastal town of Portrush since 1913 and currently milk a herd of 250 cows which are bred using a 3 way cross of Holstein, Viking Red and Montbeliarde.

As well as producing milk which can be bought by customers directly from the Milk Hut on the farm, Chestnutt’s Farm also produce their own delicious Greek style Yogurt and have an honesty shop on the farm where customers can buy a wide range of local produce.

The Chestnutt’s launched their own luxurious, thick and creamy Greek style yogurt in July 2022. Made within their production unit on the farm from their own non homogenised milk and a tiny bit of culture; the yogurt is then incubated overnight before being strained through a Muslin Cloth to remove the whey!

For more information about Chestnutt's Farm visit https://www.tastecauseway.com/chestnutts-farm