For the first time in a new podcast, the Guild of Fine Food reveals what goes into those black and gold one, two and three star stickers.
The Guild of Fine Food produces Great Taste, the world's largest food and drink awards, and independent production company RATCHET was empowered to be involved in the process from start to finish.
The Great Taste Podcast travels around the UK to find out what the awards mean to the winning producers and what exactly goes into creating great tasting food and drink.
Our documentary-style podcast features exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes looks, and direct insight from our producers – and explains why good food is so important not only to our health, but to our communities, economies, land, and of course, our taste buds.
We'll also reveal what the star label means to the producers applying for the awards, how taking part has affected their business and whether it has had an impact on the food they make.
Catherine Nathan, host of the Great Taste podcast, journalist and creative director of RATCHET, said: “Like many shoppers, I had no idea where the Great Taste label actually came from.
“When we asked friends and colleagues, many were aware, but no one could answer who was behind it or why. So we set out to get to the bottom of it.
“Honestly, we have been blown away by the process and the tenacity, honesty and passion of everyone involved.
One of the reasons we wanted to do this podcast is to empower people to be more informed and motivated to learn about food so they can make better decisions about the food and drinks they buy and eat.
“These decisions have many wider implications for our health, wellbeing and the growth of our local economy.
“We can all play a part in this, and through this podcast I hope to inspire people to savor and appreciate their relationship with food, while sharing the joy of good food and drink.”
Christabel Cairns, operations and marketing director at the Guild of Fine Food, added: “Great Taste is full of incredible stories, from the skills of producers who create delicious food and drink, to the role independent retailers play in their local communities.”
“These stories are our favourite part of Great Taste to share. As organisers, I think we refrain from shouting about the Guild of Fine Food itself. What's most important to us is the producers and the importance of making great tasting food.”
It is a great honour when producers entrust us with the fruits of their labour – their livelihoods depend on it.
“Over the past few months we’ve been introducing RATCHET to food and drink manufacturers, retailers and judges, giving the Guild of Fine Food editorial freedom to take us behind the scenes at Great Taste.
“This podcast really delves into the issues that underlie what we do every day and I really hope it will not only help more people engage with the amazing world we enjoy, but also shed light on some of the issues in our food system that we all need to pay attention to.”
“Why should this concern us all? In the words of one of the judges interviewed on the Great Taste podcast, “It's the only thing on earth that we all have in common: we all have to eat.”
The first two episodes of the Great Taste Podcast are available now wherever you get your podcasts.
