Doncaster tea shop scoops one of food industry's biggest awards

A Doncaster tea shop is celebrating after winning one of the food and drink industry's biggest honours.
Ann Davis of The Tea Experience.Ann Davis of The Tea Experience.
Ann Davis of The Tea Experience.

The Tea Experience, which is based in Bessacarr, has been named as one of the winners in the 2018 Great Taste awards.

The Doncaster-based retailer was awarded a two-star award by Great Taste, considered to be the world’s most coveted food awards and which celebrate the very best in food and drink.

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Out of more than 12,600 products to be judged, The Tea Experience was honoured for its raspberry and rhubarb rooibos tea.

The brew is a blend of top quality South African Rooibos tea and raspberries and rhubarb.

The judges described the tea as being "a pretty coppery infusion with a good meld of the fruit and rooibos and having a rounded creaminess on the finish."

Judged by more than 500 of the most demanding palates, belonging to food critics, chefs, cooks, restaurateurs and producers, as well as a whole host of food writers and journalists, Great Taste is widely acknowledged as the most respected food accreditation scheme for artisan and speciality food producers.

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Owner Ann Davis said: "The value of a Great Taste Award cannot be under estimated as it shows our products have the quality discerning customers seek.

"Having an independent panel of industry experts and receiving their feedback gives us great confidence in our product and helps us to continue developing further.

Whether it is vinegar, granola, bacon or cheese being judged, all products are removed from their wrapper, jar, box or bottle before being tasted. The judges then savour, confer and re-taste to decide which products are worthy of a 1-, 2- or 3- star award.

There were 12,634 entries into Great Taste this year and of those products, 192 have been awarded a 3-star, 1,207 received a 2-star , of which around 120 were for teas. 3,254 were awarded a 1-star accolade.

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The panel of judges this year included; MasterChef 2018 champion, Kenny Tutt, chef and food writer, Elly Curshen, eco chef and food writer, Tom Hunt, author and chef, Zoe Adjonyoh, baker Tom Herbert, author and blogger, Izy Hossack, and baker and recipe writer, Martha Collison, as well as food buyers from Harrods, Selfridges and Sourced Market.