Great Taste 2026: Nine three-star Yorkshire businesses named among 500 Guild of Fine Food awards

The Guild of Fine Food has announced the list of this year’s Great Taste awards - and nine three-starred businesses are based in Yorkshire.

More than 15,000 products were entered into Great Taste from 3,919 companies in 116 countries this year.

There were more than 800 industry judges that took part in the judging process which included chefs, critics, product developers, retailers, writers, and other specialists from the world of food and drink.

The final list was whittled down to 500 one, two and three-starred companies and each are judged on their own merit.

Managing director at Guild of Fine Food, John Farrand, said: “Food security is becoming an increasingly pressing issue across the globe, so it feels more pertinent now than at any other time in our thirty-year history to be supporting and promoting independent producers and retailers.

“Our directory of award recipients is a rich source of data, guiding people from all walks of life to make informed decisions about their food & drink choices.

“Great Taste is all about celebrating craftsmanship and dedication to well-sourced local ingredients and traditional, often simple production methods which is more important now than ever.”

Founder and owner at The Lyth Valley Damson Company, Guy Harnby, said:

“The Damson fruit is at the heart of this recipe, there was a bumper year in 2025, a crop not seen for twenty years; we saw our crop growing in the Lyth valley and going to waste, rotting on the trees and we just had to do something about it.

“We were picking like mad throughout August and September and then had to decide what to do with it all! The fruit has such an amazing flavour, rich, deep and intense, but we didn’t want to make another jam or gin.

“We found an ancient recipe from the Bishop of Penrith for Damson Cheese and that’s where it all began.

“We’re very grateful to be recognised by Great Taste, this is our first year of entering, so we’re really proud of our Great Taste 2026 3-star award.

“Our customers in Cumbria and beyond have been a huge tower of strength and support and I know they will be delighted to hear the news of the award too.

“It’s actually my third ‘job’, I’m an osteopath three days a week and a sheep farmer for the other two. Here’s to locally grown produce and small businesses!”

Yorkshire companies given Great Taste’s awardsCoffee Care

Product name: Espresso Lorenzo

Location: Skipton

Just Delicious

Product name: Yorkshire Brack

Location: Harrogate

Shepherds Purse

Product name: Bluemin White

Location: Newsham

Swaledale Butchers

Product name: Pork Belly 1.4KG

Location: Swaledale

Tanza Kindness

Product name: Roasted Tanzanian Cashew Nuts

Location: York

The Spice Must Follow

Product name: Red Shift (Smoked Gochujang Sriracha)

Location: Leeds

Warrendale Wagyu

Product name: Wagyu Brisket 1KG

Location: Warter, York

Wass Farm

Product name: Mangalitsa Fennel Salami

Location: Ampleforth

Wass Farm

Product name: Mangalitsa Coppa

Location: Ampleforth