Cornwall and the South West land 520 Great Taste awards

A jar of marmalade, a slice of toffee apple cake and a cider bus have something in common this summer. Judges tasted them blind, knowing nothing about who made them or what the labels said, and marked every one of them out as some of the best food and drink the South West has to offer.

The results of Great Taste 2026 were announced today, 28 July, by the Guild of Fine Food, and the South West came away with 520 award-winning entries.

What the region won

Across those 520 entries the region picked up 336 1-star awards, 157 2-star awards and 27 3-star awards. Among the products singled out were a Seville Orange & Bergamot Marmalade from The Artisan Kitchen, the Burrow Hill Cider Bus from The Somerset Cider Brandy Company, and a Toffee Apple Cake from Lizzie Baking Bird.

The stars are a shorthand. A 1-star means the judges found a product “simply delicious”. A 2-star lifts it to “outstanding”. A 3-star, the rarest of the three, is reserved for the “exquisite and extraordinary”.

A record year

This was the biggest Great Taste on record. More than 15,000 products were entered by 3,919 companies across 116 countries, with producers from nine countries taking part for the first time, including Armenia, Bermuda, Bolivia, Burundi, Ethiopia, Grenada, Libya, Mozambique and Sierra Leone.

Of everything entered, 4,286 products (28.50%) took a 1-star, 1,596 (10.61%) reached 2-star, and just 306 (2.03%) were awarded the coveted 3-star. Set against those numbers, the South West’s 27 3-star wins start to look like quite a haul.

How the judging works

The black and gold Great Taste logo is a familiar sight on deli shelves, and there is a reason for that. YouGov research from December 2025 found that 58% of UK adults recognise it. Of those who do, 74% say it makes a product more tempting, 73% treat it as a trustworthy recommendation, and 54% use it to find products they have not tried before.

Behind the logo is a long process. Over 105 days, more than 800 experts judged across the Guild’s rooms in London, Dorset, Ireland and Italy. The panel drew in chefs, critics, product developers, retailers, writers and other specialists. Each product arrived stripped of branding, packaging and anything else that might give it away, and the judges had to reach a unanimous verdict on its rating.

Taste comes first, followed by appearance, aroma, texture and mouthfeel. Nothing is marked against its rivals in the same class. Every entry stands on its own, with a short factual description from the producer as the only steer.

One part of the scheme rarely gets talked about. Every producer receives written feedback from the judges, whether their product earns a star or not. That analysis can shape what happens next in the kitchen, helping producers tighten recipes, sharpen consistency and see how they measure up in a crowded market.

“It still gives me butterflies”

John Farrand, managing director of the Guild of Fine Food, put this year in the context of a wider worry. “Food security is becoming an increasingly pressing issue across the globe, so it feels more pertinent now than at any other time in our thirty-year history to be supporting and promoting independent producers and retailers,” he said. “Our directory of award recipients is a rich source of data, guiding people from all walks of life to make informed decisions about their food & drink choices. Great Taste is all about celebrating craftmanship and dedication to well-sourced local ingredients and traditional, often simple production methods which is more important now than ever.”

For the producers, the pull is more personal. Sarah Churchill, founder and owner of The Artisan Kitchen, took two 3-star awards this year. “Even after all these years, hearing that two of my marmalades have been awarded Great Taste 3 stars still gives me butterflies,” she said. “Those awards can never be taken for granted, which makes them incredibly special.”

Sarah started the business in 2011 after a career as a professional chef, set off by a Mirabelle plum tree and a refusal to waste good fruit. “Since then I’ve spent every season experimenting, tasting and refining recipes to let exceptional ingredients speak for themselves,” she said. “To receive two 3-star awards in one year, from such a large proportion of entries, is something I’m enormously proud of. It’s a wonderful reminder that dedication to flavour, quality and craftsmanship really does make a difference.”

The Oscars of food and drink

For the 306 products that reached 3-star, the tasting is not quite over. All of them go forward to a further round of judging to decide which deserve a Golden Fork nomination. The Golden Forks, affectionately called the “Oscars of food and drink”, crown the most highly rated products in the world.

Those winners, along with the Great Taste 2026 Supreme Champion, will be named at Battersea Arts Centre in London on 15 September. The full list of valid award holders, and where to buy them, sits in the Great Taste directory, with many of the 1-, 2- and 3-star products stocked in delis, farm shops and independent retailers. Each star-rating stays valid for three years, so this year’s logos can be displayed right up until the Great Taste 2029 results land.