Food and drink products made in Manchester win top awards

Recognised as a stamp of excellence, the Great Taste awards are blind judged by a panel of more than 500 judges

Today, thousands of artisan food producers from across the globe have discovered if any of their products have scooped a prestigious Great Taste award, after being blind judged by more than 500 judges.

Recognised as a stamp of excellence and actively sought out by food lovers and retailers alike, Great Taste, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, values taste above all else.

All products in the line-up for judging are blind-tasted: every product is removed from its packaging so it cannot be identified, before entering a robust, layered judging process.

This year’s line-up saw food and drink products submitted from a staggering 110 different countries from across the world, judged by over 500 judges including critics, chefs, recipe creators, buyers, retailers, journalists, broadcasters, and experts in the field.

Overall, an impressive 5,556 products received either a Great Taste 1-star “food & drink that delivers fantastic flavour”, a Great Taste 2-star “above and beyond delicious”, or a Great Taste 3-star “extraordinarily tasty food & drink” out of a staggering 14,205 entries.

And the North has performed well, winning a whopping 537 awards (22 x 3-star awards, 121 x 2-star awards and 394 x 1-star awards).

These are the winning products from across Greater Manchester.

3 stars

Only 1.7% of the 14,205 2022 entries received a 3-star award, for “extraordinarily tasty food and drink” – including three in Greater Manchester.

Curious Cat Mad Hatter Gin made by the Curious Cat Distillery, King Street, Manchester

M41 Honey by Manchester Honey Company, Sale

Root2Ginger Spiced by Root2Ginger, Manchester

2 stars

Only 8.7% of the 14,205 2022 entries received a 2-star award – “above and beyond delicious” – including several in Greater Manchester.

Toasted Cashews Dusted With Cacao, Vanilla & Sea Salt 22g by Excellent Gourmet Trading Ltd – I Love Snacks, based in Wigan

Salted Peanut Butter Ice Cream by Ice Cream Science/The Artisan Ice Cream Co/Rogue Artisan Ice Cream, Manchester

Kimchi by Loving Foods Ltd, Trafford Park

Traditional Melomakarona by Melianthos, Manchester

Vegetarian Spanakopita by Melianthos, Manchester

Root2Ginger Fierce and Root2Ginger Mint by by Root2Ginger, Manchester

Negin Saffron by Sara Saffron, Trafford Park

Sicilian Early Harvest extra virgin olive oil by The Gift of Oil Ltd., Bolton

Pure Pistachio by Grandpa Greenes Luxury Ice Cream Ltd, Diggle

1 star

28.7% of the 14,205 2022 entries received a 1-star award, for “food and drink that delivers fantastic flavour” – including these Greater Manchester products.

BrewBraganza Rare Ginger with Spiced Rum by Brew Braganza Limited, Salford

Buzzrocks Jerk Marinade by Buzzrocks Caribbean, Hulme

Passionstar Martini by Cocktails At Home UK LTD, Bolton

Chef Louisa Ellis Yuzu & Sichuan Pepper Gin by Curious Cat Distillery, King Street, Manchester

Curious Cat Dark Spiced Rum by Curious Cat Distillery, King Street, Manchester

Diablesse Clementine Spiced Rum by Diablesse Rum, Manchester

Clotted Cream Ice Cream by Ice Cream Science/The Artisan Ice Cream Co/Rogue Artisan Ice Cream, Manchester

Single-Origin Ecuadorian White Chocolate by Ice Cream Science/The Artisan Ice Cream Co/Rogue Artisan Ice Cream, Manchester

JD Seasonings Chips & Wedges by JD Seasonings, Wigan

JD Seasonings Cajan by JD Seasonings, Wigan

JD Seasonings Doner Kebab by JD Seasonings, Wigan

JD Seasonings Minted Lamb Rub by JD Seasonings, Wigan

Curse These Metal Hands by Lou’s Brews Ltd, Manchester

Matcha & Mint Kombucha by Loving Foods Ltd, Trafford Park

Spanakopitakia Kourou by by Melianthos, Manchester

Natural Brilliant Freeze-dried Pineapple by Natural Brilliant, Manchester

Air Nuts – Chilli by Real Handful, Hazel Grove

Colombia ‘Popayan Reserve’ by Salford Roasters, Salford

Chilli Infused balsamic Vinegar and Lime Infused olive oil by The Gift of Oil Ltd., Bolton

Punk’d Panda and Rhubarb & Blood Orange by Tea Punks, Oldham

Root2Ginger Fiery by Root2Ginger, Manchester

Bird Sauce by The Cole Men, Manchester

Biltong by This is Biltong, Bolton

Wignalls Yallo Cold Pressed Rape Seed Oil by Wignalls Yallo Ltd, Wigan

Regional finals

The highest scoring producers will now go through to the regional finals.

The Golden Fork Ceremony celebrates the best from each region (north west, south east etc), with the winner being awarded a Golden Fork trophy – there are ten up for grabs.

Plus, the ultimate winner of Great Taste 2022 – The Supreme Champion – will be crowned for winning the highest-scoring 3-star product of the year.

All will be announced at the Great Taste Golden Fork Ceremony on Monday 5th September 2022, held at Southwark Cathedral.

The full list of this year’s winners and where to buy them can be found at greattasteawards.co.uk.

This article was last updated 2 years ago.
It was first published on 1 August 2022 and is subject to be updated from time to time. Please refresh or return to see the latest version.

Did we miss something? Let us know: [email protected]

Want to be the first to receive all the latest news stories, what’s on and events from the heart of Manchester? Sign up here.

For the love of Manchester...

Manchester is a successful city, but many people suffer. I Love Manchester helps raise awareness and funds to help improve the lives and prospects of people across Greater Manchester – and we can’t do it without your help. So please support us with what you can so we can continue to spread the love. Thank you in advance!