The results have been announced from this year’s Guild of Fine Food ‘Great Taste Awards’. One of Cumbria’s best loved family food businesses, Hawkshead Relish have continued with their winning ways by collecting eight new awards from this year’s judges.

Out of a total of 12,777 products sent in to be judged from 106 countries, Hawkshead Relish collected three 2-star Great Taste awards and alongside that they also collected five 1-star Great Taste awards, bringing their total tally up to 72 Great Taste awards won in recent years.

This year’s award-winning products were:

• Smoky Mustard Sauce – two stars
• Spiced Mango Ketchup – two stars
• Sour Cherry & Prosecco Jam – two stars
• Salted Caramel Sauce – one star
• Posh Pickle Sauce – one star
• Mango Chutney – one star
• Hot Garlic Pickle – one star
• Hawkshead Relish Worcester Style Sauce – one star

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, judging was carried out a little differently this year, but as you would expect to the same rigorously high standards by utilising a combination of remote and socially distanced judging sessions. With no less than 144 judges taking part this year including the likes of  cook, writer and champion of sustainable food, Melissa Hemsley, cook, writer, stylist and voice of modern vegetarian cooking, Anna Jones, celebrated Spanish chef, José Pizarro, Kavi Thakrar co-founder of Dishoom, food writer and cook, Xanthe Clay, and baker and author, Martha Collison, as well as some of the UK’s leading food buyers from Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason and Waitrose.

Below are a selection of the judges’ comments, which certainly show why Hawkshead Relish’s products deservedly won their awards:

·         Smoky Mustard Sauce: ‘’This mustard is piquant and fiery, and the acidity leaves you salivating.’’

·         Spiced Mango Ketchup: ‘’A really well-made blend of flavours that just ticks all of the boxes.’’

·         Sour Cherry and Prosecco Jam: ‘’The splash of prosecco gives it an interesting deep ruby colour and perfect soft texture.‘’

Maria Whitehead co-owner of Hawkshead Relish commented: ‘’With 2020 being such a challenging year it is fabulous to finally receive some good news, with no less than eleven stars over 8 winning products at the Great Taste Awards to add to our haul, we are beyond thrilled.  It’s wonderful to receive the judges feedback too especially as we decided to enter three products from our new sauce range, which we launched earlier this month, happily they were all awarded Great Taste awards, which is just fantastic, especially as the whole team here have worked so hard, it’s a huge pat on the back for us all to receive so many awards this year.”