Giffnock confectionery maker Aldomak is among the Great Taste winners of 2020

Out of 12,777 products sent in from 106 different countries, Aldomak in Glasgow was awarded a 2-star Great Taste award, for their humble Confectious Fudge bar, which means judges dubbed it above and beyond, for its rich butter flavour, caramel tones and luscious texture.

Aldomak also clinched another two 1-star Great Taste awards for both their Bonnie Glen Butter Tablet and Bonnie Glen Vanilla Fudge which follows up on last year for these products,

Judged by 144 of the most discerning palates, belonging to food critics, chefs, cooks, restaurateurs, buyers, retailers and producers, as well as food writers and journalists, Great Taste is the most coveted of all food and drink awards. As well as a badge of honour, the unmistakeable black and gold Great Taste label is a signpost to an outstanding product, which has been discovered through hours and hours of blind tasting.

This year’s winners have been found through a combination of remote judging and socially distanced judging sessions, after the lockdown began just one week into the schedule. This necessitated a swift and comprehensive reinvention of the Great Taste process to ensure that robust judging standards were maintained and the quality of feedback was not compromised, all in time to provide a much-needed boost for food and drink producers during the all-important Christmas period.

Dario Riccomini, Managing Director, explains: Over the years we have secured quite a few Great Taste Stars under our belt, and for our family business it always good have your process and product quality judged by experts and validated so you know you are still producing great quality products. We stick to our coveted recipes and artisanal process in the factory and when you hear a judge say ‘looks rustic and homemade’, we know the eating quality is going to be good.

Recognised as a stamp of excellence among consumers and retailers alike, Great Taste values taste above all else, with no regard for branding and packaging. Whether it is cake, coffee, kippers or kombucha being judged, all products are removed from their wrapper, jar, box or bottle before being tasted. The judges then savour, confer and re-taste to decide which products are worthy of a 1-, 2- or 3-star award.

There were 12,777 entries into Great Taste this year and of those products, 205 have been awarded a 3-star, 1,294 received a 2-star and 3,818 were awarded a 1-star accolade. The panel of judges this year included; cook, writer and champion of sustainable food.