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Volcanic pili nuts erupt onto UK food scene, as next level nuts named Great Taste Supreme Champion

02/09/2018 Download PDF Download Plain Text

Great Taste Supreme Champion announced

Out of a record breaking 12,634 products entered into Great Taste 2018, the top honour of                Great Taste Supreme Champion has been awarded to Premium Pili Nuts with Ecuadorian Cacao from Mount Mayon Brand, based in Olongapo City in the Philippines, a product that also received the Golden Fork for Best Imported Food. The Great Taste judges were “nuts about these nuts”, which “explode in the mouth with a fun mouthfeel and warm nut flavour”.

Wild harvested from the volcanic soil surrounding Mount Mayon, using a sustainable and environmentally friendly process that goes back thousands of years, these Vitamin E and Omega-rich pili nuts are pre-sprouted in purified mountain water before undergoing a 17-step SloDry process to retain all the flavour and nutrients. Super-satiating and naturally high in fibre, protein and magnesium, these Ecuadorian cocoa dusted pili nuts have an “ethereal texture”, “toasty cereal flavour” and “incredible creaminess” making them a “stunning” and “moreish” healthy snack.

John Farrand, managing director of the Guild of Fine Food, explains: “Great Taste celebrates everything from good old-fashioned fodder to the fun and funky from far flung corners of the world, but it’s always so exciting when a new product bursts onto the scene and demands our judges’ attention. These pili nuts are a great example of the scope and diversity of food and drink available in the UK and Ireland today, demonstrating how fine food producers are evolving and experimenting to meet the changing tastes and dietary needs of consumers. Pili nuts are already very popular across Asia and Mount Mayon Brand clearly sees the UK as a vibrant and growing market to enter, even with the uncertainties of Brexit, which is positive news for us all in food. We wish them every success in cracking the UK market and are certain that the Great Taste Supreme Champion gong will help grab the attention of retailers, buyers and distributors alike”.

Celebrating the very best in food and drink, Great Taste, the world’s most coveted food awards, reached its grand finale at the Great Taste Golden Fork Dinner held on Sunday 2 September at the InterContinental Park Lane Hotel London, where over 350 guests from the world of fine food gathered to hear the results of many months of rigorous judging.

 

Contact: Mount Mayon Brand, Dr. Steven John Costello, 0063472 503572.

 

Attached picture caption:

The full list of Golden Fork trophies for 2018 Charcuterie Product of the Year sponsored by Fine Food Digest Charcuterie Campaign Carnicas Ibericas Mozarbez for Iberian Bellota Ham   Golden Fork for Best Imported Food sponsored by ABP Cahir Mount Mayon Brand for Premium Pili Nuts with Ecuadorian Cacao Nigel Barden Heritage Award sponsored by Dawn Meats Southport Potted Shrimps for Southport Potted Shrimps by James Peet   Ambient Product of the Year sponsored by Petty Wood The Quirky Cook for Honeyed Fig Relish with Black Garlic Golden Fork from Ireland sponsored by Bord Bia Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland for Signature Tastes Smoked Rack of Bacon   Golden Fork from Northern Ireland sponsored by Invest Northern Ireland Natural Umber for Natural Umber Organic Apple Cider Vinegar   Golden Fork from the Midlands Macneil's Smokehouse for Macneil’s Beech Wood Smoked Salmon   Golden Fork from the South West sponsored by Fresh Montgomery Pipers Farm for Saddleback Neck Steak Golden Fork from Wales sponsored by Food and Drink Wales Caws Teifi Cheese for Celtic Promise Golden Fork from Scotland sponsored by Scotland Food & Drink The Argyll Smokery for Kiln Roasted Salmon   Golden Fork from East Anglia sponsored by Shire Foods of Norfolk Capsicana for Brazilian Chilli and Coconut Sauce Golden Fork from the North of England sponsored by Fine Food Show North Rogue Artisan Ice Cream for Sicilian Bronte Pistachio Ice Cream   Golden Fork from London & the South East sponsored by Tenuta Marmorelle Terra Rossa for Terra Rossa Baba's Rashi & Dibis with Sesame Seeds Small Artisan Producer of the Year sponsored by Selfridges Tea Shirt Tailored Refreshments Great Taste Producer of the Year sponsored by Partridges Wessex Mill Contribution to Fine Food Charles Campion   Images are available to view in the press room on the Guild of Fine Food website and high resolution images are available from amy@freshlygroundpr.co.uk.   For further information, please contact any of the following:  Amy Brice at Freshly Ground PR on +44 (0) 7717 893123 or at amy@freshlygroundpr.co.uk. Tortie Farrand at the Guild of Fine Food on +44 (0) 1747 825200 or at tortie.farrand@gff.co.uk. www.gff.co.uk www.greattasteawards.co.uk   What is Great Taste?  Great Taste, founded in 1994 and organised by the Guild of Fine Food, has judged over 134,000 products in the last 24 years; each one has been blind-tasted by a team of judges who are dedicated to finding the most exquisite tasting food and drink regardless of branding or packaging. The panel of judges this year included; MasterChef 2018 champion, Kenny Tutt, chef and food writer, Elly Curshen, eco chef and food writer, Tom Hunt, author and chef, Zoe Adjonyoh, baker Tom Herbert, author and blogger, Izy Hossack, and baker and recipe writer, Martha Collison, as well as food buyers from Harrods, Selfridges and Sourced Market. These esteemed palates have together tasted and re-judged the 3-star winners to finally agree on the Golden Fork Trophy winners and the Great Taste 2018 Supreme Champion.   Great Taste ratings 3-star: Extraordinarily tasty foods – less than 3% of products are awarded a 3-star each year – don’t leave the shop without buying it! 2-star:  Above and beyond delicious – less than 10% of entries will achieve this rating 1-star: A food that delivers fantastic flavour. Approximately 25% of entries will achieve this rating each year.   Facts and figures about Great Taste 2018
  • Great Taste is widely acknowledged as the most respected food accreditation scheme for artisan and speciality food producers
  • A record breaking 12,634 different products were entered in 2018
  • Over 500 of the most demanding palates, belonging to food critics, chefs, restaurateurs, cooks, producers and a host of food writers, journalists and social media influencers, blind taste each product
  • Judging took place at the following locations:
    • Guild HQ in Gillingham, Dorset, as well several other Dorset venues
    • The Guild of Fine Food’s London home, No. 42 Southwark Street, SE1
  • 192 awarded 3-star
  • 1,207 awarded 2-star
  • 3,254 awarded 1-star
What are Great Taste judges looking for? They’re looking for great texture and appearance. They judge the quality of ingredients and how well the maker has put the food or drink together. But above all, they are looking for truly great taste.   How do they work? Each team of four judges blind-tastes around 25 products per session, discussing each product as a coordinating food writer transcribes their comments directly onto the Great Taste website which producers access after judging is completed. Over the years, numerous food businesses, start-ups and well-established producers have been advised how to modify their foods and have subsequently gone on to achieve Great Taste stars. Food or drink that is deemed worthy of Great Taste stars is also tasted by a team of arbitrators, who taste, confer and agree on the final award given. If judges feel that a product needs some adjustment, and is therefore not likely to receive an award, the food or drink gets a second chance on a referral table, where another team blind-tastes and deliberates. For a Great Taste 3-star award, the vast majority in the room - which can be as many as 30-40 experts - must agree that the food or drink delivers that indescribable ‘wow’ factor.   What do the stars mean for producers? Recognised as a reliable stamp of excellence among consumers, retailers and major food buyers alike, Great Taste success can be the gateway to exciting opportunities for food and drink producers. As well as seeing an uplift in sales and revenue, award-winning producers also get to enjoy raised awareness by appearing in the Great Taste book, a unique directory used by many food retailers, supplying samples for high profile events and exhibiting as part of Great Taste Markets at events including RHS Hampton Court Flower Show, CarFest and Countryfile Live. Receiving a 3-, 2- or 1-star rating for products really puts producers on the map, while opening doors to investment and export opportunities.   What should consumers look for? The logo. The Great Taste symbol is their guarantee a product has been through a rigorous and independent judging process. It’s not about smart packaging or clever marketing – it’s all about taste. 3 September 2018

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