Twenty-Two Great Taste Awards. Two 3-Star Honours. One Extraordinary Year.
Great Taste Awards 2026
Two 3-Star Marmalades and Twenty-Two Great Taste Awards
An extraordinary year for The Artisan Kitchen, including a Golden Fork for England nomination.
Every jar begins with whole fruit, time, patience and hundreds of small decisions that no customer ever sees.
Months later, those decisions arrive on a judging table stripped of their labels and tasted completely blind.
This year, they returned with 22 Great Taste Awards, including two coveted
3-Star awards and a Golden Fork for England nomination.
22
Great Taste Awards
2
3-Star Honours
1
Golden Fork Nomination
The story behind the awards
Made Slowly, Judged Blind
The Artisan Kitchen was founded in 2011 by chef Sarah Churchill, whose professional background includes
The Square and Daylesford Organic.
That chef-led approach remains at the heart of every preserve. Marmalades are made from whole citrus fruit,
with peel prepared carefully by hand and recipes cooked in small batches. Many are created over a three-day process,
allowing the fruit to soften naturally and the flavour to develop before the final cook.
Jams are treated with the same attention, with each recipe adjusted to the character, acidity and sweetness of the fruit.
Great Taste judging removes branding and packaging from the equation. Judges see only the product in front of them,
assessing aroma, flavour, texture, balance and overall eating quality.
The highest distinction
The Two 3-Star Marmalades
★★★
Seville Orange & Bergamot Marmalade
Made with organic Seville oranges and Calabrian bergamots, this marmalade balances the classical bitterness of Seville orange
with the distinctive floral perfume of bergamot.
“This is how all marmalade should taste.”
“A glorious marmalade.”
Its success continued when it was nominated for the Golden Fork for England.
★★★
Summer Citrus Marmalade with Italian Orange Bitters
A bright, layered marmalade combining seasonal citrus with Italian orange bitters to create sweetness,
acidity and a gentle grown-up bitterness.
“An innovative marmalade with personality.”
“Perfect consistency.”
The complete results
Twenty-Two Award-Winning Preserves
Alongside the two 3-Star marmalades, a further 20 jams and marmalades were recognised by Great Taste judging panels.
★★★ Great Taste 3-Star Awards
Seville Orange & Bergamot Marmalade
Summer Citrus Marmalade with Italian Orange Bitters
★★ Great Taste 2-Star Awards
Seville Orange Marmalade Vino de Naranja
Tarocco Blood Orange Marmalade
Seville Orange Marmalade Italian Orange Bitters
Blood Orange Marmalade Italian Orange Bitters
Negroni Marmalade
Damson Jam
Blaisdon Red Plum Jam
Pink Grapefruit Marmalade
Early Rivers Prolific Plum Jam
Seville Orange Cacao Marmalade
Sanguinelli Blood Orange Marmalade
★ Great Taste 1-Star Awards
Seville Orange Marmalade
Blood Orange Marmalade Vino de Naranja
Seville Orange Marmalade Oloroso Sherry
Summer Citrus Marmalade
Gloucester Marmalade
Cream Tea Jam
Pink Grapefruit Vanilla Marmalade
Mandarin Marmalade
Sweet Orange Passion Fruit Marmalade
Reading between the judging notes
A Recognisable Style of Preserving
Read together, the judging reports reveal something more interesting than a list of individual awards.
The same qualities appear again and again across very different jams and marmalades:
Beautifully prepared peel · Freshness · Balance · Texture ·
Mouthfeel · Brightness · Complexity · Restrained sweetness ·
Natural fruit flavour · Craftsmanship
Together, they describe a recognisable Artisan Kitchen style: preserves that are fruit-led, bright,
complex and carefully balanced rather than simply sweet.
In the judges’ own words
What They Tasted
“This is how all marmalade should taste.”
“A glorious marmalade.”
“An innovative marmalade with personality.”
“Perfect consistency.”
“The blood orange notes sing.”
Why Great Taste Matters
Great Taste is organised by the Guild of Fine Food and is one of the most respected independent food and drink accreditation schemes.
Products are judged blind, with branding and packaging removed. The result is based entirely on the food itself.
The next chapter
A Golden Fork for England Nomination
Every 3-Star winner is considered for a Golden Fork, the Guild of Fine Food’s highest level of recognition.
Our Seville Orange & Bergamot Marmalade has been nominated for the Golden Fork for England, with the final results due to be announced in September.
Whatever the final result, reaching this stage is an extraordinary recognition of a marmalade made by hand in our small Gloucestershire kitchen.
Thank You
To our customers, stockists, friends and everyone who has supported The Artisan Kitchen over the years: thank you.
Sharing these preserves with you has always been the greatest privilege, and seeing them recognised by independent judges
is something we will never take for granted.
Discover the collection
Explore Our Award-Winning Preserves
Every preserve featured here is still made in small batches in our Gloucestershire kitchen.
We hope you enjoy discovering them as much as the judges did.
Great Taste 2026: Frequently Asked Questions
How many Great Taste Awards did The Artisan Kitchen receive in 2026?
The Artisan Kitchen received 22 Great Taste Awards in 2026: two 3-Star awards, eleven 2-Star awards and nine 1-Star awards.
Which Artisan Kitchen products received 3-Star awards?
Seville Orange & Bergamot Marmalade and Summer Citrus Marmalade with Italian Orange Bitters both received Great Taste 3-Star awards.
Which product was nominated for the Golden Fork for England?
The Artisan Kitchen’s Seville Orange & Bergamot Marmalade was nominated for the 2026 Golden Fork for England.
Are Great Taste products judged blind?
Yes. Packaging and branding are removed so judges assess only the product’s aroma, texture, flavour, balance and overall eating quality.
Where are The Artisan Kitchen preserves made?
The Artisan Kitchen’s jams and marmalades are handcrafted in small batches in Gloucester, Gloucestershire.
