Colin Reekie and Billy Morris, East Neuk Kilnhouse
East Neuk, Scotland
Great Taste case study – Golden Fork for Scotland and Supreme Champion
East Neuk Kilnhouse has been consistently winning Great Taste awards since their first entry in 2021. In 2025, they achieved two 3-star awards and three 2-stars, but it was their Hot Smoked Mackerel Fillets that really stood out, making it through to the Golden Forks. It took home the trophy for Scotland and went on to win the title of Supreme Champion, the highest rated product of the 14,340 entries of 2025.
The family run team have over seventy years’ industry knowledge between them and continue to use traditional smoking methods, filleting all their fish by hand.
Colin Reekie, director and owner of East Neuk Kilnhouse, says: “We enter Great Taste each year, because its really important to us to demonstrate consistency in our products.
We love how the awards are focussed entirely on taste and not how fancy your packaging is, or where your premises are.
“It’s huge to be recognised at Great Taste, with any star. We love how the awards are focussed entirely on taste and not how fancy your packaging is, or where your premises are. Big companies can flex their marketing muscles, but the proof is in the pudding. We also really value the feedback that we get on each product. We take it all in, digest it as a team and use it in our product development. All round, it’s like a seal of approval which helps our small company stand out amongst much bigger brands.
The impact to date on our business has been amazing – we’ve never experienced anything like it before.
“Landing the Golden Fork for Scotland and the Supreme Champion accolade has been unbelievable. The impact to date on our business has been amazing – we’ve never experienced anything like it before. We’ve had so many people reaching out with messages of kindness and our online sales have been fantastic, even if a little stressful! If I’m completely honest, our little company has been slightly overwhelmed by all the interest.
Great Taste is the best awards scheme in the world and this is just the best validation for all the hard work that the team puts in…
“I have to give huge thanks to my son Calum, and his wife Gillian, it was their belief in what we do that gave me the faith to put our products through such a rigorous judging process. Great Taste is the best awards scheme in the world and this is just the best validation for all the hard work that the team puts in to everything we do.”
