Record entries raises Taste stakes

DISCERNING industry champions have tickled their taste buds with some of the finest locally produced food and drink as judging for the 2015 Taste Awards gets underway.
By Ben Barnett
Published 18th Aug 2015, 17:10 BST
(L-R) Taste Awards judges sample some of the 20 pork pies: Mark Alderson, Catherine Scott, Nigel Barden and Geoff Allison.(L-R) Taste Awards judges sample some of the 20 pork pies: Mark Alderson, Catherine Scott, Nigel Barden and Geoff Allison.
(L-R) Taste Awards judges sample some of the 20 pork pies: Mark Alderson, Catherine Scott, Nigel Barden and Geoff Allison.

Hundreds of entries across 21 categories are being sampled by a prominent panel of gastronomes this week at the Pavilions of Harrogate to pick out the very best food and drink products from Yorkshire.

The annual celebration of local food and drink businesses is run by regional food group Deliciouslyorkshire and The Yorkshire Post in association with Asda and culminates in an awards ceremony in Harrogate in October.

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In the first round of judging yesterday, members of the panel - including BBC Radio 2 food journalist Nigel Barden, Geoff Allison, owner of HTG Food Solutions, Mark Alderson, sales and marketing manager at Masham-based Rosebud Preserves, and The Yorkshire Post’s food writer Catherine Scott - ran the rule over the contenders in the best confectionery and prepared meat award categories, followed by the best Yorkshire pork pie and best drink sections.

A second round of judging follows today when the ice cream, sweet condiment and cheese entries, among others, come under scrutiny.

Helen Miles, marketing manager at Deliciouslyorkshire, said: “We have had nearly 300 entries, our highest ever, this year so our judges have been having a really tough job.

“There has been a particularly high number of prepared meat entries, and the standard is really high.”

Related topics:YorkshireHarrogate