Golden Fork for England Nomination And Two Great Taste Three-Star Marmalades

I am enormously proud to share that two marmalades from The Artisan Kitchen have received
three stars at Great Taste 2026, the highest rating awarded through the Guild of Fine Food’s judging process.

The Artisan Kitchen’s Great Taste three-star winners for 2026

Both marmalades progressed to the dedicated three-star judging day, where the highest-rated products were tasted and scored again by a further panel of expert judges.

Following that further judging, my
Seville Orange & Bergamot Marmalade
was selected as a nominee for the
Great Taste Golden Fork for England.

What does a Great Taste three-star award mean?

Great Taste

is organised by the

Guild of Fine Food
The Guild describes Great Taste as the world’s largest and most trusted food and drink accreditation scheme.

According to the Guild, products are assessed by panels that include chefs, buyers, retailers and food writers.
Judges focus on the food itself and provide impartial feedback based on taste.

The Guild states that fewer than
2% of Great Taste entries receive three stars.
Its description of the highest rating is:“Exquisite. Extraordinarily tasty foods.”

The official star descriptions and judging information can be found in the Guild’s guide to

Understanding Great Taste

Receiving one three-star award is exceptional.
Having two marmalades reach that standard in the same year is an achievement I am incredibly proud of.

Two very different expressions of marmalade

Although both products are rooted in citrus, I created them to express two very different styles of marmalade.

Seville Orange & Bergamot Marmalade

I created this marmalade to combine the deep, bittersweet character of organic Seville oranges with the intensely fragrant lift of Calabrian bergamot.

The recipe uses approximately
75% Seville orange and 25% Calabrian bergamot.
The Sevilles provide structure, depth and traditional citrus bitterness.
Bergamot contributes floral fragrance, aromatic zest and a long, elegant finish.

From my experience developing the recipe, bergamot needs particularly careful handling.
Too little and its fragrance disappears.
Too much and it can dominate the preserve.

I tested the balance through repeated small copper-pot batches in my Gloucester kitchen.
The final marmalade is bright, deeply bittersweet and beautifully perfumed, while still tasting unmistakably like Seville orange marmalade.

Read more about the fruit and recipe in

our guide to Seville orange and Calabrian bergamot marmalade

Summer Citrus Marmalade with Italian Orange Bitters

My second three-star winner has a very different character.

It brings together Valencia oranges, pink grapefruit, lemons and limes, finished with Italian orange bitters for added complexity and a distinctive bittersweet finish.

Valencia orange supplies sweetness and fragrance.
Pink grapefruit gives freshness and gentle bitterness, while lemon and lime add clean acidity and aromatic lift.

The Italian orange bitters connect those citrus flavours and add a grown-up, lightly herbal finish inspired by Mediterranean aperitivo culture.

Discover more in

Mediterranean Sunshine and the Art of Marmalade

Seeing both recipes recognised at the highest Great Taste level means a great deal to me.
One is deeply fragrant and classically bittersweet.
The other is vibrant, modern and filled with summer citrus.

From three-star judging day to the Golden Forks

Receiving three stars is not the end of the judging process.

The Guild of Fine Food explains that three-star products are invited to be re-judged and scored by a further panel of experts.
This additional stage leads to the selection of the

Great Taste Golden Fork

nominees and winners.

The Guild gives further details of the process in its

Official Great Taste FAQs

Following that further round of judging, Seville Orange & Bergamot Marmalade was chosen as a nominee for the
Golden Fork for England.

I personally received the nomination news by telephone.
It was one of those calls that took a little while to absorb.

Whatever happens on the night, reaching this stage is an extraordinary honour and something I will never take for granted.

A very proud moment for our Gloucester kitchen

Photograph by Richard Faulks for the Guild of Fine Food.

I founded The Artisan Kitchen in Gloucester in 2011 with a belief that preserves could be made with the same care, precision and imagination as any restaurant dish.

Before starting the business, I worked at two-Michelin-starred The Square and spent ten years at Daylesford Organic.
That professional kitchen experience still shapes how I develop every recipe.

Every preserve is made by hand in small batches, with each recipe developed around the flavour and character of the fruit rather than a fixed formula.

Fifteen years later, to have
two three-star marmalades in one year
and for one to be nominated for the
Golden Fork for England
feels quite surreal.

This recognition joins a much longer story.
Since The Artisan Kitchen began, its preserves have received more than 600 awards, including numerous Great Taste three-star awards and previous Golden Fork honours.

Whatever happens in September, I am immensely proud of both marmalades and of how far this small Gloucester business has come.

Thank you to every person who buys a jar, recommends one to a friend, sends our preserves as gifts or simply cheers us on.
You have allowed me to continue doing what I love, one copper-pot batch at a time.

Questions about our Great Taste 2026 results