13 August 2008

Curragh Chase Free Range Pork from Kilcornan, Co. Limerick is celebrating after winning a prestigious Great Taste Award. Curragh Chase Free Range Pork has been presented with a much-desired (one star / two star / three star) Gold Great Taste Award for Sausages, White Pudding and Streaky Rashers.

The Great Taste Awards, which is organised by the Guild of Fine Food and often referred to as the Oscars of the food industry, is this year celebrating its 15^th anniversary.  A Great Taste Award is the authoritative, independent standard for Britain’s fine food sector: more and more consumers recognise the gold & black logo as the benchmark for independently proven fine food.  However, winning a coveted Great Taste Award is much more than recognition for excellence; it is one of the most powerful tools to help grow business in the specialty food sector.

The awards generate huge business for those who achieve the gold standard. In just three weeks last September, the excitement created by the 2007 results increased sales to the tune of £640,000 in 524 Guild members’ stores. Over the past five years, they have generated over £2.6 million additional sales and 19,900 new listings. Last year’s Supreme Champion winner was a free-range pork pie from Walter Smith’s butchers in Birmingham. Before Walter Smith’s won the Supreme Champion award, pork pies made up less than 1% of their sales but they now represent over 10% and their pies are now sold through Selfridges.

The Great Taste Awards judging standards, devised by the Guild of Fine Food, are the most rigorous in the UK. Every entry is blind tasted by teams of experts. By the time it earns gold, it will have been assessed by at least three different teams. All the judges’ comments are made available to producers. If no gold is awarded, they need to know how and why.  This year’s judges include Alex James, farmer, journalist and bass player with Blur, Mark Hix, the chef’s chef, Charles Campion from Evening Standard & The Independent, Tom Parker-Bowles of UKTV Food’s Market Kitchen and national food journalist Fiona Sims.

Bob Farrand of the Guild of Fine Food, said: “These awards have been running for 15 years now and are a recognised mark of excellence that consumers can trust and rely on.

“The winning products have been through a thorough judging process and we are able to assure consumers that the Great Taste Award logo, which all award winners can use, signifies genuine, proven fine food.  It’s not just a supermarket premium marketing slogan that bears almost no relation to the quality of the food in the packet.

“The Great Taste Awards reflect what is happening in the fine food halls, delicatessens and farm shops throughout the UK and during judging we tasted some fantastic gourmet delicacies from all over the world.”

Curragh Chase Free Range Pork started in April 2007 after much research and development. All our products are hand made by Caroline in an EHO approved unit on the family farm in West Limerick. We have a special affinity for rare breed animals, our pigs are Saddlebacks, Gloucester Old Spots and the oldest and best of all pigs, the Tamworth’s.

We have an ever expanding line of products, our rashers, which are three star gold, are nitrate and phosphate free and are made using our secret dry cure recipe. Our sausages are made with 80% of the finest shoulder of pork, and are not too spicy which allows you to taste the real flavour of the pork. The white pudding is made from dry cured bacon, the Tamworth lard makes the best mincemeat for your mince-pies at Christmas Time. And our Pork Steak Roast, which is always being ordered in advance, are made from tender fillet of pork, wrapped in our sausage meat and lastly a layer of our streaky dry cured rashers. Bridgestone Guide author, John Mc Kenna, said that our sausages, rashers and pudding were “the Prada Bag and Rolex Watch of the pork industry”

Caroline Rigney Owner of Curragh Chase Free Range Pork – “We are delighted with this award. Winning a great taste award show all the hard work and effort pays off.

Food critic Charles Campion comments “This competition has really come of age, and year by year the standard of entries gets higher and higher. To win a gold at the Great Taste Awards is a terrific achievement.”