THREE Wirral businesses are celebrating after scooping half a dozen of this year’s Great Taste Awards.
The Guild of Fine Food’s Great Taste Awards 2024 are dubbed the Oscars of the food and drink world.
Nearly 3,500 companies entered Great Taste this year, between them offering 13,672 products for review.
Churn and Chill took three honours with Little Eye Sourdough taking two and Sunlight Bees bagging one.
Each entry was 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 awards, now in its 31st year, judge products made anywhere in the world with organisers saying it is the largest global accreditation scheme for food and drink.
Entries were analysed across 92 judging days, each receiving detailed feedback, whether or not they obtained an award.
Churn and Chill, a family-run gelato shop on Grove Road in Hoylake, had a three-star: exquisite rating bestowed on its honey, rose and lemon zest gelato with two-stars: outstanding given to the salted tahini and honey offering and one-star: simply delicious for its coffee product.
Coffee gelato from Churn & Chill
Their dark chocolate and sea salt flavour gelato was awarded three stars in the 2023 awards.
Chris Jones, and her daughter Phoebe, who is 28, from Hoylake, opened Churn & Chill in June 2021.
Chris Jones and daughter Phoebe
They were inspired to open the shop after losing Alex, Phoebe’s sister and Chris’ daughter to breast cancer in 2016 at the age of 26.
Little Eye Sourdough, a micro bakery based in West Kirby, had their black olive bread and their cheese and cayenne oatcakes take top honours this year.
Malcolm Williams, the man behind Little Eye Sourdough, has been running a micro bakery from his home since 2011.
Malcolm Williams from Little Eye Sourdough
In 2023, Little Eye Sourdough picked up three highly prized one-star Great Taste awards for its rye loaf with linseed and sunflower seeds, oatcakes with seaweed and malt loaf.
Two years ago, in 2022, it picked up two awards for its fruit and fennel and wholewheat and oatmeal sourdough breads.
Sunlight Bees honey
Port Sunlight’s Sunlight Bees’ honey was also commended in this year’s awards.
Their produce is sold at the monthly farmers markets at New Ferry Village Hall and Heswall Hall.
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