The Taste of the West Awards champions food and drink producers across the West Country, with Somerset businesses annually scooping their fair share of the top gongs
This family run microbrewery is very much a community-led business with its Tap Room which has become a social focus for the village.
All recipes have been created over the last 15 years by owner, Graham Catley. The gold winning Badgworth IPA has a more traditional English style ‘specifically to rebel against the wave of heavily hopped beers’. Exceptionally refreshing on the nose and palate it has been described as a very easy drinking and flavoursome IPA. badgworthbrewhouse.com
Becky Wright first created Dryad Gin in 2022 in celebration of where she lives at the foot of the Quantock Hills, an area rooted in natural mythology. The small-batch Somerset London Dry gin, distilled in traditional copper stills, is handcrafted with a delicate selection of 11 botanicals, using oak bark ‘to encapsulate the essence of the forest in every sip’. It is finished with subtle hints of cardamom, cinnamon, orange peel and almond for a rich, earthy edge. dryadgin.co.uk
Originally from Bruton, the freshness of the milk and sustainable approach to farming is considered a major contributor to the taste of this organic cheddar which the company says, ‘brings the spirit of Somerset to the cheeseboard’.
They have won an impressive seven gold awards with one for Golden Honey & Oat Crackers, two for chutneys and four for different cheddars, including Black Truffle Howling Hound Organic Vintage Cheddar and Vintage Bruton Beauty Organic Cheddar. godminster.com
This father and daughter team of craft cider makers use classic Somerset apple varieties and techniques on the family farm near Bath. The traditional grazed orchards were revived in 2002, with widely spaced trees providing sheep and cattle with shade and shelter.
They won gold for Brown Snout Single Variety Cider, a mild bittersweet cider with soft tannin. Brown Snout is a late-flowering yellow-green bittersweet apple, apparently named after the distinctive russet patch around the eye.honeyscider.co.uk
Rutab was founded by Ross and Bader, inspired by their travels across the Middle East. Determined to showcase the finest Jordanian Medjool dates, they are infused with luxurious fillings, enrobed with hand tempered Belgian chocolate and finished with innovative toppings.
There is a choice of 14 fillings, but gold was won for the Luxury Selection Box of Six including dates infused with mango pate de fruits, hazelnut almond praline, ginger, rose, coffee praline and mint crunch. rutab.co.uk
Somerset Charcuterie was started in 2014 by friends Andy and James who turned their hobby and passion into a full-blown business. They make salamis and cured meats following authentic Mediterranean methods but utilising Somerset ingredients and free-range, rare breed pigs.
Two products won a gold including a best-seller, Black Pepper & Garlic Salami, and Xalapa Coppa which took two years to develop in order to achieve a perfect balance of heat with the other flavours. somersetcharcuterie.com
Bo Bom Gelato
Founded by Luca Narbora in 2018 in Mallorca, he moved the gelato business back to his childhood home in Weston-super-Mare after COVID.
With over 100 flavours made using only the finest natural and seasonal ingredients, Bo Bom offers different gelato flavours all year round. The two gold winners bring a real taste of Mediterranean sunshine: Tangerine, made with freshly squeezed tangerines, and Bo Bom Ananas which blends pineapple with organic herbs picked from their garden. bobomgelato.com
Dowding's
Organic farmer, Oliver Dowding, prides himself on upholding one of Somerset's finest artisan traditions, producing cider and apple juice from his orchard fruit or from surplus local apples which could otherwise go to waste.
It began in 2016 and, roll on nine years, the company has won 10 gold awards this year including Dowding’s Apple Cider Vinegar, two for apple juice and seven for cider, both carbonated and still, along with a low alcohol Somerset Breakfast Cider. dowdings.co.uk
Filbert’s Fine Foods
The company began creating hand-made gourmet snacks in 2010, using fresh herbs and foraged ingredients to provide their distinctive taste and texture.
Three snacks were awarded gold this year: French Rosemary Almonds combining aromatic rosemary with gently smoked icing sugar to produce a light and tasty snack; Somerset Applewood Smoked Mixed Nuts, slowly smoked using wood chips from local apple orchards and Korean Chilli Rice Crackers which fuse chillies and paprika for a crunchy and spicy snack. mrfilberts.com
Somerset Craft Distillery
Formed in 2018, gin is the passion of this family business. They use the finest botanicals, apples grown in Somerset’s orchards, English juniper berries steeped in organically produced grain spirit and distilled with natural spring water drawn from deep beneath Glastonbury Tor.
Two hand-crafted gins have been awarded gold: Spirit of Glastonbury® Classic Gin and Spirit of Glastonbury® Orange & Ginger Gin which derives its subtle flavour directly from the orange and fresh root ginger botanicals. spiritofglastonbury.co.uk
Bath Harvest Rapeseed Oil
Providing a versatile and healthy alternative to olive oil, high in both Vitamin E and Omega 3, the company was established in 2011 when cold pressed rapeseed oil was produced from small batches of seeds on Wilmington Farm just outside Bath. Now approximately 100 acres are used for growing the seed each year.
The range includes a number of infused oils, two of which were awarded gold this year: Garlic Infused and Basil Infused Rapeseed Oil. bathharvestoils.co.uk
Bath Soft Cheese Co
No strangers to winning awards for their organic cheese, the Padfield family have been dairy farmers at Park Farm near Bath for four generations.
This year they are celebrating two golds: Bath Soft, a square, soft and creamy cheese dating back to the time of Admiral Lord Nelson who, in 1801, was sent some by his father as a gift. The other is Wyfe of Bath, a nutty and creamy semi-hard cheese made with vegetarian rennet. parkfarm.co.uk
The Carslake Tea Company
Their website states that 165 million cups of tea are drunk daily in Britain! The company, which began in 2014, is providing plenty of choice for tea drinkers with almost 100 blends.
In addition to traditional loose black, green and white tea, there are herbal teas and fruit and herbal infusions. 10 golds were awarded for exciting blends such as Tiger Lapsang Souchong and Turkish Apple Infusion, as well as their best-selling Finest Earl Grey. carslaketea.co.uk
Fussels Fine Foods
The family has been farming in Somerset for generations, but the company began in 2005, growing, pressing and bottling quality rapeseed oil as a local alternative to imported olive oils.
The range has grown to include pure and flavoured cold pressed rapeseed oil and dressings, mayonnaises and vinaigrettes made with the oil. There are also gift boxes and hampers.
Gold was awarded for an infused oil, the Sicilian Lemon Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil, creating a bright, clean flavour. fusselsfinefoods.co.uk
Glastonbury Abbey
Set in 36 beautifully peaceful acres of parkland in the centre of the ancient market town, the Abbey grounds include an orchard, which contains historically significant apple varieties and has been in use since at least 1799.
Glastonbury Abbey Apple Juice won gold this year. Made from apples grown on the abbey site, picked by staff and volunteers and pressed and bottled by Hecks in Street - the juice travels less than five miles from tree to customer.glastonburyabbey.com
Quantock Steamers
This company has been producing award winning steamed sponge puddings and meat suet puddings since the family business was set up in Stogursey in 2016. The puddings are still made individually in a kitchen rather than a factory, using quality local ingredients to keep food miles as low as possible.
The Syrup Sponge has won gold for the sixth year in a row, joined this year by Lemon Curd Sponge Pudding, and Steak & Kidney Suet Pudding. quantocksteamers.co.uk
