UK hazelnut gelato wins Great Taste Supreme Champion award
Following a record-breaking 12,772 entries, The Great Taste Supreme Champion award went to Nocciola Gelato, made by Swoon Gelato from Bristol, UK.
The Great Taste Awards, organised by the UK’s Guild of Fine Food, celebrate the world’s most revered food and drinks. The result of 75 days of rigorous judging, the Supreme Champion trophy was announced at the Great Taste Golden Fork Dinner.
The hazelnuts for this “silky smooth and super creamy” Nocciola Gelato, come from a small property in Piemonte, a region of Italy bordering France and Switzerland, where the trees have been tended to by the same family for four generations. “Delivering exactly what it promises”, Swoon’s “faultless and unreal” Nocciola Gelato received high praise from the Great Taste judges, who were bowled over by its “sensational pure hazelnut flavour” and simply wanted more of this “very impressive gelato”.
Set up in 2016 by the fourth generation of the Forte family, who brought traditional Italian gelato to the UK over a century ago, Swoon has consistently impressed the Great Taste judges with its enchanting array of gelati and sorbetti. In 2017, four of its products received a 3-star Great Taste award, plus the Great Taste Golden Fork for Producer of the Year. In 2018, Swoon won awards for nine of its products and now the Great Taste Supreme Champion trophy in 2019, just three years after it first opened its doors.
John Farrand, managing director of the Guild of Fine Food, said: “Simplicity has won the day at 
Great Taste again this year, rising to the top in a field packed with new concepts, innovative flavour combinations and products from every corner of the world.
“All of the above have taken stars, but I think our 2019 Supreme Champion says a lot about the enduring appeal of straight up products made using the finest quality ingredients. Simple can be very sexy and Swoon’s Nocciola Gelato stood out at every stage of the judging process, wowing all in its path with a pure, unadulterated hazelnut hit, carried on a silky spoonful of perfectly executed gelato.
“After only three years in business, this trophy for Swoon should inspire all those small food producers trying to make something really special, so I can’t wait to see what lands on the judging tables next year.”
