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NATURALLY NORTH COAST & GLENS BLOG

Updates, News & Interesting Snippets about our Artisan Markets in Northern Ireland

Seasons of the Glens takes home two Great Taste 2024 awards for two of its Devils Churn Sauces


Devils Churn Great Taste 3 Star 2024

 Judged by the Guild of Fine Food’s expert panel, Devils Churn Classic Butterscotch Sauce is awarded a Great Taste 3 star and Devils Churn Irish Cream Caramel Sauce is awarded 2 star in the world’s most trusted food and drink accreditation scheme


Ballycastle-based Seasons of the Glens range of Caramel Sauces Devil’s Churn has been named among the top food and drink producers globally this year, picking up a highly prized 3 star Great Taste award for its Classic Butterscotch Sauce, and 2 star Great Taste award for its Irish Cream Caramel Sauce.


13,672 products were put through the competition’s rigorous blind judging process. 3,938 products were awarded a Great Taste 1-star – ‘food and drink that delivers fantastic flavour’, 1,386 were awarded a Great Taste 2-star – ‘above and beyond delicious’, and 266 were awarded a Great Taste 3-star – ‘extraordinarily tasty food and drink’.

Described as “absolutely delicious - buttery, deep and bittersweet with molasses. It is so moreish and full of creamy indulgence that it was very difficult to stop eating it’”, this Classic Butterscotch Sauce was a big hit with the Great Taste judges.


Made with Northern Irish Butter, Fresh Cream and Sugar handcrafted in small batches, the Classic Butterscotch Sauce was one of 266 products to receive a 3 star Great Taste award.   The Irish Cream was one of 1386 products to receive a 2 star Great Taste award in 2024.


Eoin Mc Connell from Seasons of the Glens comments: “We are thrilled to have won two Great Taste awards for Caramel Sauces in 2024, adding this to the successes of 2023 our full range of caramel sauces now carry the prestigious black and Gold Great Taste badge of honour.  We are a social enterprise and our products were developed to help support our social aims and objectives, so to be where we are today with these quality products where the proceeds have a positive social impact within the local community is a dream come true.

“Being recognised with a Great Taste 3 and 2  star means so much to independent producers such as ourselves, as it makes all the hard work and determination worth it! Great Taste is the most recognised accolade for taste and quality in the food and drink industry, so it’s a huge moment !

 

 

What is Great Taste?

Recognised as a stamp of excellence and actively sought out by food lovers and retailers alike, Great Taste, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, values taste above all else. All products in the line-up for judging are blind-tasted: every product is removed from its packaging so it cannot be identified, before entering a robust, layered judging process.

This year, judging took place over 92 days in Dorset and London, with a panel of more than 500 judges putting the products to the test. The line-up saw food and drink products submitted from an extraordinary 115 different countries across the world.


The full range of sauces is available from:

  • www.artisanmarket.online

  • McListers Ballycastle

  • Chestnuts Farm, Portrush

  • The Designerie, Bushmills

  • Born & Bred, Belfast

  • The Orangery, Drenagh Estate, Limavady

  • McAtamneys Butchers, Ballymena

  • Causeway Coast and Glens Visitor Information Centres, Ballycastle, Bushmills, Ballymoney, Portrush, Limavady

  • Seasons of the Glens Fine Food Boutique, Found at local markets

  • Broughgammon Farm Coffee Shop, Ballycastle

  • The Gourmet Grocer, Enniskillen

  • Roots & Fruits, Fivemiletown

  • The Bean on the Beach, Portrush


For more information about Devils churn visit www.devilschurn.co.uk


The full list of this year’s winners and where to buy them can be found at www.gff.co.uk/directory and a wide range of the award-winning products are available to buy in delis, farm shops and independent retailers across the country.


About Seasons of the Glens range of Devils Churn Caramel Sauces

We produce a range of Rich, luxurious and irresistibly indulgent, caramel and Butterscotch sauces.

Thick enough to spread, or heat slightly and drizzle over ice cream, cakes, pancakes, in coffee, hot chocolate or liven up your porridge with it.  Or...just eat it straight from the jar! 

These sauces are a must for any larder, with a range of flavours available to suit everyone’s tastes.

Artisinally crafted with care in small batches in Ballycastle, Co. Antrim, with the finest quality Northern

Irish Ingredients. 

 

Devil's Churn is handcrafted by the Seasons of the Glens C.I.C. a proud social enterprise.


A not for profit social enterprise committed to benefiting the community by supporting local businesses, especially in food, drink, creative sectors, and tourism. We help these businesses grow and succeed by giving them a way to reach more customers. We believe in strong community engagement and want to boost rural areas by making it easier for local products to be sold more widely. We also promote entrepreneurship, focusing on young and disadvantaged people to help them find employment and self-employment opportunities. By showcasing the best of Northern Ireland's local food and creatives, we aim to attract more visitors and support the tourism industry. We organise inclusive and sustainable events that bring people together, celebrate local culture, and encourage eco-friendly practices. Any surplus profits we make go back to NNCG, to support its charitable goals and ongoing projects

 

About the Guild of Fine Food

Great Taste is organised by the Guild of Fine Food and, now in its 31st year, is the world’s largest, longest standing and most respected food accreditation scheme for artisan and speciality food and drink producers. 

The Guild of Fine Food is a community of business owners with a passion for food & drink, created as a multi-level network to provide mutual support and protection for its members. The Guild maintains its industry leading standards through training and raising awareness of good food and drink. It exists to represent all good independent food and drink businesses, at a local, national, international, and governmental level; building a diverse and inclusive collective of producers, retailers and food lovers who champion well-made food & drink.  

Every Great Taste award has a validity of three years, i.e. a Great Taste 2024 award will be valid, and may be displayed on a product, until the results are released for Great Taste 2027. All awards must always be displayed against the exact product for which they have been won.    

The full list of this year’s winners and where to buy them can be found at www.gff.co.uk/directory and a wide range of the award-winning products are available to buy in delis, farm shops and independent retail outlets across the world.

As well as Great Taste, the Guild of Fine Food is known for publishing the industry-leading magazine, Fine Food Digest, and the global phenomenon, that is the World Cheese Awards. Plus, further events including award ceremonies and Great Taste markets, trade shows, training sessions and member initiatives throughout the year.

Eoin Mc Connell Devils Churn

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