Two Genuine Jersey members, Sue’s Fudge and Le Manche Smokehouse, have had their products recognised as part of the Great Taste Awards 2017. The Awards which are regarded as the ‘Oscars of the food world’, gave two stars to each of the Genuine Jersey products from the two companies, deeming them ‘above and beyond delicious.’
The Great Taste Awards judge producers on an even platform, allowing small businesses to compete against supermarket own brands, with the emphasis on taste rather than marketing. From 12,366 entries from around the world, Sue Le Gresley’s vanilla fudge and La Manche Smokehouse’s salted and Jersey sea salted oak-smoked butters were among the 1,011 chosen to receive a two-star commendation.
Over 500 judges from the food industry sampled their way through the entrants, remarking on Sue’s Vanilla Fudge that it held a “really lovely texture, pleasing butteriness and gentle vanilla. You can really taste the Jersey cream.” Using local, Jersey sourced ingredients is of the upmost importance to Sue, who only uses fellow Genuine Jersey member Classic Herd’s cream in her fudge recipes. This is the fifth time Sue has submitted her fudge to the Awards, receiving a Great Taste rating every time, but thrilled to her achieved two stars for her vanilla fudge this year.
Sue said: “For my fudge to bear the Great Taste stars means the world to me, especially as a small business owner. With it comes respect and recognition on a global scale, as well as increased mail orders from all around the world for the fudge!”
La Manche Smokehouse is also a previous recipient of the Great Taste stars, having received two stars for their oak-smoked Jersey butter in 2015. They have recently relaunched the popular butter, adding to the line with a new flavour following a partnership with fellow Genuine Jersey member, Jersey Sea Salt.
Genuine Jersey Chief Executive John Garton said: “We, at Genuine Jersey, feel very aligned to what the Great Taste Awards is looking to achieve. Supporting small businesses based on the quality of their products is at the heart of our mission and it is fantastic to see these products recognised and celebrated. We would encourage more Jersey brands to follow suit and with our guidance hope that they too could be featured on this list in the future.”
