Ed Baker won several Great Taste Awards, including 3 stars for White Sourdough and 2 stars for Wholemeal Sourdough, and for Baba au Rum.
“I am on a mission to deliver authentic flavors using real, organic ingredients and these accolades are a fantastic reward for the hard work and passion that I put into each and every recipe,” said Eddy Sleiman, owner of the artisan bakery. “It is also recognition for the outstanding ingredients that I use. I can honestly say that the quality of my loaves changed dramatically when I started working with Matthews Cotswold Flour and I strongly believe that I wouldn’t have collected the awards without their flour, as both the bread and the pastry wouldn’t have been the same.”
Bertie Matthews, managing director of Matthews Cotswold Flour adds:” We are so delighted to see the fruits of Ed’s labors being celebrated by these awards. He has dedicated a huge amount of time and effort, combined with science, to create these fabulous products which demonstrate how great ingredients in the hands of outstanding artisans can be turned into award-winning products.”
14,195 products were put through the competition’s rigorous blind judging process with only 1,568 being awarded a Great Taste 2-star – ‘above and beyond delicious’, and 248 received a Great Taste 3-star – ‘extraordinarily tasty food and drink’. 4,088 products were awarded a Great Taste 1-star – ‘food and drink that delivers fantastic flavour’.
White Sourdough made with Cotswold Premium Organic White Flour won 3 stars and was described by the judges as ‘a beautifully crafted loaf with a crisp crust, perfect rise and a soft, open crumb’ with a ‘delightful’ sourdough flavour.
Wholemeal Sourdough made with Cotswold Premium Organic White, Cotswold Organic Premium Wholemeal and Organic Dark Rye won 2 stars and was described by the judges as ‘a gorgeous looking loaf with good colour on the crust and a lovely and moist crumb with good aeration’.
Baba au Rum made with Cotswold T55 won 2 stars and Ed Baker also won 1 star for their Mushroom Quiche with white wine and cheddar and their Onion Quiche with Lancashire cheese and jalapeno.