Ashburton store named top deli in Taste of the West awards

Devon’s Ashburton Deli, run by mother-and-son team Sue and Robin Hudson, has been named Best Speciality Retailer in the annual Taste of the West awards.

The stylish but friendly high street store, in the small town of Ashburton on the south-eastern fringes of Dartmoor, beat off competition from Blue Quail in Bristol, Purbeck Deli in Dorset and – last year’s winner – Town Mill Cheesemonger in Lyme Regis to take the 2015 title.

Best Farm Shop at this year’s awards, staged for the 22nd year running by regional food group Taste of the West, was White Row Farm Shop at Beckington, near Frome, in Somerset.

Supreme Champion Product was a hand-picked white crab meat from family-owned fishing and processing business Favis of Salcombe.

The awards, which recognise producers, retailers and hospitality in a region stretching from Cornwall to Gloucestershire, were presented on September 28 at a lunch for 300 guests at Somerset Country Cricket Ground in Taunton.

Among other major trophy winners: Capreolus Fine Foods from Dorset topped the cured meats category with its Confit Duck Gésiers (gizzards); Shute Fruit & Produce in Devon took Best Savoury Preserve with its Bread & Butter Pickles; The Artisan Kitchen in Gloucestershire won Best Sweet Preserve with its Early River Prolific Plum Jam; and Wiltshire’s Lick The Spoon took Best Confectionery & Chocolate with its salted peanut bar.

The vegetarian rennet version of multi-award winning Cornish Blue from the Cornish Cheese Co was top cheese, beating fellow finalists Quicke’s vintage mature cheddar and Sharpham Partnership’s Ticklemore.

Nearly 1,000 products and over 300 retail and hospitality outlets entered this year’s awards. A full list of this year’s major trophy winners is available here.