Celebrating the Golden Fork award: Sergio, Sarah and Leila Furno, from Cashel Farmhouse Cheesemakers, accompanied by Marian O’Higgins from Bord Bia who sponsored the award. Photo: Guild of Fine Food, Richard Faulks.

The winners of the Great Taste Golden Forks 2024 were announced at a glittering awards ceremony last month in London’s Battersea Arts Centre where the very best of the food and drink world celebrated at the grand finale of the Guild of Fine Food’s Great Taste awards scheme.

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Irish contenders

The Golden Fork from Ireland was hotly contested with Cashel Blue, Truly Dark from Bon Chocolatiers and Burren Smoked Eel from Burren Smokehouse all making it through to the final round. But it was the cow’s milk blue cheese that rose to the top.

The judges said of the cheese: “It was just gorgeous, with a wonderful buttercup yellow flavour. It was soft, and creamy with just the right level of salt, it melted on the tongue and would be the highlight of any cheeseboard”.

 

New Golden Fork awards

There were 16 Great Taste Golden Forks presented at this year’s awards, with two new trophies for Sustainability and Better Business joining the line up. The additional awards this year recognise the substantial efforts of many companies to ensure they also look after their communities, teams, environment and supply chain. The 16 Golden Fork winners were the standout products from nearly 14,000 to enter this year’s Great Taste awards.

John Farrand, managing director of the Guild of Fine Food said: “It is important to understand that Great Taste is merely the process that identifies 1-, 2- and 3-star winners and, in doing so, encourages makers to improve. Now at its climax, in announcing the Golden Forks we are celebrating the very best producers; those who take care to ensure their products hit the markers of trusted raw ingredients, simple production methods, and food and drink that has personality, but ultimately, that tastes great.

“We’re particularly chuffed to be doing our thing for international trade and relations by welcoming entries from 115 countries this year and, in addition, bestowing two new awards, one to a company that demonstrates inspiring business acumen, and the other to an organisation showing genuine commitment to sustainability. These winners must at the same time, be making outstanding food and drink.”

 

What is Great Taste?

Great Taste is recognised across the globe as a stamp of excellence. Sought out by both food lovers and retailers, it is the world’s most trusted food and drink accreditation scheme and values taste above all else. Each year, a panel of 500 industry experts meticulously judge a maximum of 14,000 products over 90 days to unveil the tastiest food from across the globe. All products are anonymised before entering a robust, layered blind-judging process.