Soil Association Organic Food Award

The Soil Association Organic Food Awards present the best organic food and drinks, highlighting the contribution of individuals and their companies to organic, local and seasonal food. All 900 entries show the stories of dedicated producers who are commitment to high quality. The Soil Association Organic Food Awards are already in their 20th year and are sponsored by Highland Spring. They involved a three day tasting marathon and were judged by an expert panel of chefs, restaurateurs, food writers and specialists. Products were tasted blind and judged on taste, smell, texture and appearance.

(Picture: Award winner Hobbs house bakery)

To find the best organic products, a three day tasting of 900 entries took place at the Duke of Cambridge in London, the UK's only organically certified pub. Monty Don, president of the Soil Association, presented the awards to the winners of the twelve categories on the eve of the Soil Association Organic Fortnight and Food Festival. The winners of the twelve categories were:

Baby, infant and children food: HiPP organic, Apple and Raspberry Smoothie.

HiPP, the largest processor of organic raw material, has made its range available in the UK since 1995. They currently recycle 97% of waste and strive towards using only renewable sources of energy in their production methods. The drink was chosen for its beautiful colour and the perfect mix of fruit.

Baked goods: Hobbs house bakery, Wild White.

Hobbs House is a family business with members of three generations currently working alongside their team of about 120 employees. They have worked together to produce an astonishing range of breads and confectionery to the very highest standards. Their bread was chosen for the fresh taste of wheat and a fabulous boxy red crust.

Beer and cider: Black Isle Brewery, Yellowhammer IPA.

The Black Isle Brewery started in 1998 when David Gladwin set out to make top quality beers using organically produced barley and hops. Sales have grown 50% each year and the company now sells either directly or through wholesalers. The product has an admirable and unusual level of complexity with lots of well-balanced different notes.

Fruit and vegetables: Woodlands Farm, pointed cabbage.

Woodlands Farm is a mixed family farm with a herd of Lincoln Red Cattle, Lincoln Longwool Sheep and rare breed turkeys and chickens. The farm also produces a wide range of organic vegetables and salads. Andrew Dennis decided to begin farming organically in 1996 since he could see the cost of producing cheap conventional food in terms of the damage to the soil, the landscape and to human health. In April 2000, the farm set up an organic vegetable box scheme designed to provide affordable organic produce for people living locally. Woodlands Farm practices an 'open farm' policy. School visits are encouraged and open days are held for customers and special interest groups. The cabbage won for the nice texture and colour and for its superb flavour.

Cakes, biscuits, confectionary & desserts: Judges Bakery.

Macaroon Judge's Bakery is a traditional high street baker's founded in 1826. It converted to organic in 2005 and was the first traditional high street bakery to convert to full organic status rather than offering a few organic lines. The bakery offers a selection of artisan breads, including Parisienne baguettes, seeded loaves and rye bread, a bestseller, created by their award-winning baker. The winning product was awarded for offering moistness and crispness at the same time.

Cereal: Claybrooke, Super Muesli.

Claybrooke Mill is the only commercially working water mill in Leicestershire, still milling most days using water power. Claybrooke produce a range of organic flours and muesli mixes using traditional equipment, some of which is hundreds of years old. The product won for simple, rich and gimmick-free look and taste.

Meat and fish: Rhug Estate, pork.

Rhug is one of the largest organic farms in Wales, covering 1,050 hectares including 90 hectares of broadleaved woodland plus more than 550 hectares of mountain land.  Rhug organic pork is reared and finished outside under the highest possible welfare standards. The pigs run out on newly harvested carrot ground where they can forage freely, which gives the meat a wonderful flavour. The pork was announced as a winner for its uniqueness, remarking that pork as good as this was very rare to find these days.

Prepared food: Rod and Ben’s, Pea and Mint Soup.

Rod and Ben took over the tenancy of Bickham Farm in 1998, giving Rod an opportunity to realise his childhood ambition of becoming a farmer and Ben a chance to develop an organic system on a farm in the United Kingdom. The farm was put into conversion soon after arrival. The box scheme was started in September 1999 and has grown to over 300 boxes per week. Rod and Ben started their soup company in 2005 using ingredients straight from their farm to produce a range of organic seasonal soups made in small manageable batches. The soup won for being indistinguishable from good home-made.

Non alcoholic drinks: Asda, Green Tea.

Asda is committed to the organic market, with over 900 organic lines from numerous large and small organic suppliers. Asda sees great future growth in the organic market as a whole and is constantly looking out for new suppliers, particularly from the UK and Ireland. The tea is hugely refreshing with a hint of lemon and mountain spring and considered to be a treat for green tea aficionados.

Store cupboard staples: Aspall, Cyder Vinegar.

The Chevallier family has lived at Aspall Hall Farm in Suffolk since 1702 and the business is owned and managed by the eighth generation of the Chevallier family today. The Aspall range includes award winning apple juice, cyders and vinegars available through local stores, delicatessens, all leading supermarkets and health food stores. The Aspall cyder range is also available on the west coast of America and in Australia. The vinegar has a true, clean, authentic apple flavour and therefore won the award.

Dairy and eggs: Ben’s Eggs, eggs. Still in its first year, Ben’s Hens was set up on Summerhill Farm in Devon last October. The flock of 200 Black Rock hens are free range and spend most of their time outdoors. Ben sells the eggs locally through independent shops, a box scheme and to an organic bakery. Ben also rears geese for the Christmas market and has a small herd of Red Devon cattle. The egg was considered to be a “golden egg” in every sense of the word.

Wine and spirits: Vintage Roots, Sparkling Wine. Vintage Roots began in 1986 when three friends decided to launch a new business promoting something they passionately believed in and could enjoy at the same time -organic wine. The business began with about twelve wines has now expanded to some three hundred organic wines, dozens of beers, numerous organic ciders, spirits, liqueurs, juices and even chocolate. Vintage Roots has always stuck to the belief that organic wines were the way forward. Drinks are tasted blind amongst many others of their type, so they are not influenced by price or reputation. The sparkling wine is bright and apply, with a yeasty palate and a good cava.

http://www.soilassociation.org/foodawards