Behind the scenes of taste testing

Like many food writers, I’m frequently invited to be a judge at food awards – most recently the Food Drink Devon Awards, held at Exeter College and hosted by wine writer Susy Atkins.

You might think that food awards are given lightly – a group of tasters sniffing and sampling, and if they like something – hey presto! on goes a sticker.

The reality is very different. Normally you’re on a table with four or five other judges, one of whom takes careful notes in order to provide feedback to the company who put the product forward. Every product has a short verbal description, so you know what you’re eating, but is tasted blind, with evidence of brand or marketing eliminated. After tasting, your table discusses it according to appearance, aroma, flavour and texture, giving marks for each; which are added up to give a total score. That score determines if a product will be given an award or not. Usually not, so you carry on to the next one.

It's a laborious process, with food arriving relentlessly. During a day you might taste and evaluate up to fifty products; even if you eat tiny quantities, that’s a lot to chew. Some – such as the succulent roast shoulder of lamb above – are a real treat, and you can’t wait to find out where it came from; occasionally something is so disappointing you wonder why it was ever entered.

As a general rule, savoury items are tasted before sweet items, but as certain items may need to be cooked or heated, the running order can change. I’m very wary of anything with too much garlic or chilli, which can spoil the taste of what comes later. A few years ago a chilli paste was so ferocious that the judging table had to give up and go home; I’m glad to say this didn’t happen at Food Drink Devon. This year’s winners will be revealed at a glitzy ceremony at Sandy Park, the home of the Exeter Chiefs, on 7 October, after which, look out for the heart shaped sticker (green or gold) in farm shops and delis.

Another scheme of which I’m an ardent fan and occasional judge is the Great Taste Awards. The judging is hosted by the Guild of Fine Food and held at Gillingham in Dorset and in London, involving hundreds of judges over many weeks. This year’s winners have just been announced, and you’ll find all the list here: gff.co.uk/directory.

A special point of interest is that my website manager, the inestimable Heather Brown, is a co-owner of The Book & Bucket Cheese Company in Dorset, which has won a coveted three stars for its Cranborne Blue.