Farmer and TV personality Jimmy Doherty has named a Kent-made pesto as the best savoury preserve in Britain as part of Great British Food magazine’s Farm Produce Awards.
Horsmonden-based Wild At Heart’s Wild Garlic Pesto beat off stiff competition from some of the UK’s most prestigious producers to be ranked top in the Savoury Preserve category.
The Suffolk-based pork farmer said: “An astonishing blend of taste and inventiveness. I can certainly say this was one of the best products I’ve tasted in a long time – notably better than any other traditional pesto I have tried. A truly local product making incredible use of wild findings – utterly delectable and a credit to the ingenuity of the producer.”
Jimmy Doherty has a monthly column in Great British Food magazine and is known for his various TV collaborations with Jamie Oliver.
Launched for the first time last year, the awards were set up to provide a platform for the skilled, passionate – and often unsung – artisans behind the nation’s finest speciality food and drink.
All entries were initially short-listed based on the producer’s commitment to provenance and local souring, then taste tested by a selection of some of the top names in British food, including Nathan Outlaw, Rosemary Shrager, Valentine Warner, Richard Corrigan and Sophie Atherton.
The winners and runners up of the Farm Produce Awards are listed in the press release. The full list will be featured in the September issue of Great British Food, on sale tomorrow.
The 14 categories were chosen to represent the length and breadth of food and drink produced in the UK, from pies and cider to bacon and smoked fish.
“I’ve been absolutely delighted with this year’s results,” says Natasha Lovell-Smith, editor of Great British Food magazine and chair of the judging panel. “We had entries from producers of all sizes, from every corner of the UK, and the quality of food was just outstanding. Our judges are experts in their fields, and all of our winners, runners up and finalists should feel very proud indeed!”
There were also six reader-voted categories, including Best Cookbook – won by Mary Berry Cooks The Perfect –, Best British Food Brand – won by Gressingham Duck – and Best Independent Retailer, won by Padstow Farm Shop. See below for full results.
Great British Food magazine has a circulation of 44,700 and is the only national food title 100% dedicated to British produce, with top chef interviews, amazing food stories and over 50 mouth-watering recipes per issue. Find us in Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Morrisons, Lakeland and selected independents, follow us at @buybritishfood or like us at www.facebook.com/GreatBritishFood
For more information about the awards or comments please contact Natasha Lovell-Smith natasha@aceville.co.uk or Tom Shingler tom.shingler@aceville.co.uk
