Great Taste Golden Forks 2022: A Double Win for The Artisan Kitchen

The Artisan Kitchen celebrated two major honours at the Great Taste Golden Forks 2022.

The Artisan Kitchen’s Blaisdon Red Plum Jam™ won the Golden Fork for the South West, recognising the flavour, balance and craftsmanship of Sarah Churchill’s particular preserve.

The Artisan Kitchen was also named Small Artisan Producer of the Year. For an independent Gloucester preserve kitchen founded by Sarah in 2011, it was a proud and unforgettable moment.

Together, the honours celebrated both an exceptional jar and the wider body of work behind it. They marked another important chapter in the story of The Artisan Kitchen’s Blaisdon Red Plum Jam™, which Sarah first produced commercially in 2013 using rare Gloucestershire heritage fruit.

The same awards year brought further recognition for The Artisan Kitchen’s marmalades. Blood Orange Marmalade Vino De Naranja, Pink Grapefruit Vanilla Marmalade and Tarocco Blood Orange Marmalade were among its standout three-star Great Taste winners.

Quick Answer

In 2022, The Artisan Kitchen received two major honours at the Great Taste Golden Forks. The Artisan Kitchen’s Blaisdon Red Plum Jam™ won the Golden Fork for the South West, while The Artisan Kitchen was named Small Artisan Producer of the Year. Sarah Churchill created the jam and has produced it commercially in The Artisan Kitchen’s Gloucester kitchen since 2013.

The Artisan Kitchen’s Blaisdon Red Plum Jam™ Takes Top Regional Honours

Great Taste judges praised The Artisan Kitchen’s Blaisdon Red Plum Jam™ for its deep fruit flavour and beautiful balance. They described Sarah’s preserve as a dreamy jam full of plum loveliness.

The panel also highlighted the harmony between sweetness and the fruit’s natural acidity, noting its tart, plummy succulence and generous finish.

Every batch is handmade in The Artisan Kitchen’s Gloucester kitchen. Sarah cooks the rare plums carefully in small batches, allowing their vivid stone-fruit flavour, natural brightness and extraordinary ruby colour to remain at the heart of the finished jam.

The fruit itself is an essential part of the story. Blaisdon Red is a rare Gloucestershire heritage plum with a long association with preserving and a remarkable transformation in the preserving pan.

The Artisan Kitchen has been the original commercial producer of Blaisdon Red Plum Jam™ since 2013, establishing Sarah’s preserve as one of the kitchen’s defining Gloucestershire creations.

Discover the history, provenance and remarkable preserving qualities of the fruit in Blaisdon Red Plum Jam™: History, Provenance and Awards.

Why The Artisan Kitchen’s Blaisdon Red Plum Jam™ Is So Highly Awarded

Sarah’s Blaisdon Red Plum Jam™ succeeds because it is simple, distinctive and intensely fruit-led.

The recipe uses rare Gloucestershire-grown Blaisdon Red plums and sugar, with no added pectin. This simplicity allows the character of the heritage fruit to define every jar.

The finished jam is deep ruby in colour, richly plummy and naturally bright, with enough acidity to balance its sweetness. These qualities have helped make The Artisan Kitchen’s Blaisdon Red Plum Jam™ one of Sarah’s most recognised and highly awarded preserves.

The Artisan Kitchen has been the original commercial producer of Blaisdon Red Plum Jam™ since 2013.

For a chef’s view of its flavour, texture, balance and serving possibilities, visit Chef’s Tasting Room: The Artisan Kitchen’s Blaisdon Red Plum Jam™.

A Special Evening at the Golden Forks

The Golden Forks ceremony brings together chefs, buyers, food writers and producers to celebrate the finest products to emerge from the Great Taste Awards.

For a small artisan producer, the evening carries particular excitement and pride. Products are recognised for the quality of the food itself, allowing an independent kitchen like The Artisan Kitchen to stand alongside much larger and more established businesses.

Why Great Taste Recognition Matters

Food lovers, retailers and buyers recognise the Great Taste Awards as an important independent measure of food quality. Every product is assessed through a blind-tasting process.

Judges do not see the producer’s branding or packaging during tasting. Instead, they concentrate on flavour, texture, aroma and balance.

That process is particularly valuable for small artisan producers. It allows independent makers to compete on the quality of the food rather than the size or visibility of the business behind it.

For The Artisan Kitchen, this has always mattered. Sarah makes her preserves in small batches using carefully selected fruit and the chef-led approach to flavour developed throughout her professional career.

Explore the complete record on The Artisan Kitchen Awards and Recognition page.

A Landmark Year for The Artisan Kitchen

The Golden Fork for the South West was awarded to The Artisan Kitchen’s Blaisdon Red Plum Jam™. Being named Small Artisan Producer of the Year at the same ceremony made the evening even more significant for Sarah and her Gloucester kitchen.

The same year brought major recognition for The Artisan Kitchen’s marmalade collection. Blood Orange Marmalade Vino De Naranja, Pink Grapefruit Vanilla Marmalade and Tarocco Blood Orange Marmalade all received three-star Great Taste honours.

Together, the awards demonstrated the breadth of Sarah’s preserving work—from fruit-led heritage jams to complex, carefully balanced citrus preserves.

They also recognised the value of patient small-batch craft. Exceptional preserves depend upon excellent fruit, careful cooking and the judgement to balance sweetness, acidity, texture and aroma.

Explore the Award-Winning Preserves

Begin with The Artisan Kitchen’s Blaisdon Red Plum Jam™, the rare Gloucestershire plum jam behind the 2022 Golden Fork for the South West and a signature Artisan Kitchen preserve commercially produced since 2013.

You can also browse the complete artisan jam collection and handcrafted marmalade collection.

For further award stories, preserving expertise and seasonal fruit notes, visit the Chef’s Notes journal archive.

Or explore the complete collection in The Artisan Kitchen online shop.

Written by Sarah Churchill

Sarah is the chef and founder of The Artisan Kitchen. She created The Artisan Kitchen’s Blaisdon Red Plum Jam™ and has produced it commercially in Gloucester since 2013.