Judging the 2022 Great Taste Awards — The Adventurous Glutton

Every now and again, a dream job comes my way. This summer, being a judge coordinator for the Guild of Fine Food’s Great Taste Awards was certainly one. Meeting industry experts + tasting a WHOLE load of interesting food and drink + writing about it concisely = my idea of heaven.

The Great Taste logo is a stamp of approval. It gives the consumer a genuine steer on great-tasting, quality products. For the producers that enter the awards, the feedback they receive helps them to improve their products and increase sales.

There are specialist judging days for tea, espresso, beer and cider, chilli, filter coffee, herbal infusions and matcha. As I’m not an expert in any of the above (although surely I’ve drunk enough beer in my lifetime to be able to pass comment) I judged three general days.

I turned up to the Guild’s HQ in Shaftesbury, Dorset, to coffee and a friendly welcome from the team. They had everything organised with military precision - an essential when managing 87 days of judging between March and June, 500 judges split between London and Dorset, and over 14,000 products to be tasted.

I was paired with one or two other judges for each morning and afternoon session. These included buyers, chefs, a tea expert and an ice-cream maker. I had a lot to learn from all of them.

Everything is tasted blind, so all the product code reveals is a very short description. You start the day with a certain number of products on your table, and when hot food arrives you have to taste it right away so it can go to the next table. The team kept everything moving beautifully, and the chefs do a fantastic job of preparing and cooking all the tasters. Judges certainly can’t afford to be fussy. One morning I started the day with haggis, syrup, salsa and pâté, washed down with truffle-infused oil.

I loved the challenge of tasting and discussing, then quickly and concisely summarising our feedback. I made sure I gave constructive comments, as these producers have taken the time to enter the awards. Also, the feedback has to fairly reflect the rating you award them (three stars being the highest right down to no award).

As I got more experienced writing the feedback, I was able to work more quickly. On my final day of judging, myself and my partner tasted no fewer than 90 products! There were botanical drinks, biscuits, sourdough loaves, cakes, meringues, chocolate, honey, nut butters, granola, oil, pesto, salt, chorizo, fillet of beef, shoulder of hogget, black pudding, sausages, burgers, pies, milkshakes, cheese, ice-cream, gelato - and so on. It wouldn’t be for everyone, but it gave me the chance to live up to my name: The Adventurous Glutton.

Of course, whether something tastes great can be subjective. But the Guild has a rigorous and fair judging system in place. Many items were awarded one and two stars, but only one product on each of my judging days got a three star. There was even a bell when it happened, as it’s such a special moment. I can’t wait to find out who made those exceptional products - and then stock up on them.

The winners will be announced on Monday 1st August, and Golden Fork Status announced on Monday 5th September.