Oldham cafe's pasty receives Great Taste Award 2024

Albion Farm Shop on Oldham Road in Delph has been crowned amongst the best with a prestigious Great Taste Award this week.

The awards scour the best food and drink across the world, leaving restaurants, cafes and businesses with their stamp of approval and either a one, two or three-star rating for specific products.

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In this year's Guide of Fine Food, as many as 42 awards were given out across Greater Manchester, made up of 28 1-stars, 11 2-stars and three 3-stars. 

Nearly 3,500 companies from 115 countries entered Great Taste this year, between them offering 13,672 products for review.

The UK entered 8,008 products from 2,528 companies.

Each entry was meticulously blind-tasted by the Guild’s expert judging panel of more than 500 food critics, chefs, recipe creators, buyers, retailers, and other specialists in the field of food and drink.

The final panel revealing their scores as they judged produce from businesses across the region (Image: Guild of Fine Food, Sam Pelly)

Entries were analysed across 92 judging days, each receiving detailed feedback on whether or not they obtained an award.

Only 1.9 per cent of all entries - 266 globally and 131 from the UK, received the top 3-star award which is given to "extraordinarily tasty" food and drink products.

A further 10.1 per cent (1,386 globally) received a 2-star "above and beyond delicious" award while 28.8 per cent (3,938) were awarded with 1-star for "food and drink that delivers fantastic flavour".

Across the whole of Oldham, only Albion Farm Shop and Cafe came out on top with an accolade, winning 2-stars for its roast chicken, ham and creamy leek pasty.

The full list of winners in Greater Manchester are:

• Benona Chocolates, Stockport, 3-star for its raspberry
• Benona Chocolates, Stockport, 2-star for its banoffee 
• Benona Chocolates, Stockport, 1-star for its amaretto cherry
• Benona Chocolates, Stockport, 1-star for its hazelnut praline
• Firefly BBQ Ltd, Hyde, 3-star for its oak smoked pyramid sea salt
• Firefly BBQ Ltd, Hyde, 2-star for its smoky jalapeno jam
• Root2Dinger, Manchester, 3-star for its ROOT2GINGER FIERY
• Heart and Graft Coffee, Manchester, 2-star for its Honduras Serendipia 
• Hip Hop, Altrincham, 2-star for its Hip Pop Strawberry and Pineapple Kombucha 
• Jinger Drinks Ltd, Manchester, 2-star for its ginger and mint
• Magna Carta Gin, Stockport, 2-star for its Magna Carta Gin
• Manchester Meadows Honey Company, Manchester, 2-star for its Vitamin BEE
• Prodjuice Juicery of Waterhouses Quality Food Ltd, Cheadle Hulme, 2-star for its HEARTBEET
• Prodjuice Juicery of Waterhouses Quality Food Ltd, Cheadle Hulme, 1-star for its GINGER SHOT
• Prodjuice Juicery of Waterhouses Quality Food Ltd, Cheadle Hulme, 1-star for its POWER GREEN
• Yallo Ltd, Wigan, 2-star for its Yallo Ltd. British Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil - infused with lemon and thyme 
• Yallo Ltd, Wigan, 1-star for its Yallo Ltd British Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil - infused with garlic and garden herb
• JD Seasonings Ltd, Wigan, 1-star (each) for its cajun, gyros kebab, chips & wedges, doner kebab, Mexican rub, perfect roast potatoes and shish kebab seasonings 
• Lou's Bews Ltd, Manchester, 1-star for its Bossk: Atom Smasher
• Melianthos, Manchester, 1-star for its cinnamon tsoureki 
• Melianthos, Manchester, 1-star for its milk chocolate praline spread (hazelnut) 
• Ten Locks Drinks, Manchester, 1-star for its Pod Pea Vodka
• This is Biltong, Bolton, 1-star for its Original Biltong 

Those that received a 3-star rating have already been judged in a further stage of the competition - the best of those from each country and region has been nominated for a Golden Fork, considered an 'Oscar of the food and drink world'.

The Great Taste Golden Fork winners – the best of the best – will be announced in an awards ceremony and tasting at Battersea Arts Centre in London on Tuesday, September 10.

John Farrand, managing director of the Guild of Fine Food said: “It’s hugely important to us at the Guild to inject some positivity into the speciality food and drink industry.

"Given the economic headwinds that both independent retailers and small and medium producers are facing, the announcement of the 2024 crop of Great Taste stars is now an annual fillip for us all. 

"And it’s not just excellence from the UK, but from across the world, as we celebrate the best from 115 countries.

"We’re doing our bit for cultural relations across the planet when there is so much legislation trying to prevent it. 

"It’s a real privilege to support and underpin independent makers through the process of Great Taste.”

Got a story? Email me Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk