The Snowdonia Honey Co., producers of premium honey from hives dotted around the Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri), has been named among the top food and drink producers globally this year.
The firm picked up two highly prized 2-star Great Taste awards for its Welsh Wildflower Honey and their Soft Set Welsh Wildflower Honey.
14,195 products were put through the competition’s rigorous blind judging process with 4,088 products being awarded a Great Taste 1-star – ‘food and drink that delivers fantastic flavour’, 1,568 awarded a Great Taste 2-star – ‘above and beyond delicious’, and 248 awarded a Great Taste 3-star – ‘extraordinarily tasty food and drink’.
Alun Allcock and his hives
The Snowdonia Honey Co. Welsh Wildflower Honey received glowing feedback from the judges:
“A wonderful aroma hit us as we opened the jar. The appearance is of a beautiful golden colour with good viscosity. The flavour is complex and light and mouth filling. The floral notes on the nose were simply beautiful, and followed through to the flavour. Delicious. True nectar.”
The Snowdonia Honey Co. Soft Set Welsh Wildflower Honey was also received well with the judges commenting:
“Layers of old-fashioned floral perfume flavour this wonderful pale gold honey. There is intense sweetness, but the rich headiness of the floral notes means the whole thing is brilliantly balanced. A deliciously transporting experience.
“A perfect example of Welsh honey at its finest.”
The Snowdonia Honey Co. was founded in 2018, when Alun Allcock bought a small farm in Snowdonia. As a former MasterChef contestant with a love of sourcing quality ingredients with provenance, Alun realised that there was an opportunity to produce a unique, high-quality honey from the rugged, ever-changing landscape of Snowdonia.
The diverse flora and fauna of Snowdonia, coupled with the fact that the bees have to be tough to cope with the often-wild conditions, has resulted in honey with a sought after and distinctive flavour, aroma, and colour. This is attracting a growing following of discerning British food lovers.
Alun says:
“We are so proud to have been recognised in the Great Taste 2023 Awards for two of our honeys. When I tried the very first batch of honey from our original bees five years ago, I knew we had found something special. The spectacular but quite challenging environment of the Snowdonia National Park, coupled with the wonderful diversity of flora and fauna that we have here, has resulted in a unique tasting, premium quality honey that reflects the region’s unspoiled wilderness.
“The comments from the judges are incredibly encouraging, warmly welcomed and appreciated, and are a sign that we are on the right path with the honey that we are producing. We’re looking forward to entering our Welsh Ling Heather Honey next year.”
What is Great Taste?
Recognised as a stamp of excellence and actively sought out by food lovers and retailers alike, Great Taste, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, values taste above all else. All products in the line-up for judging are blind tasted: every product is removed from its packaging so it cannot be identified, before entering a robust, layered judging process.
This year, judging took place over 89 days in Dorset and London, with a panel of more than 500 judges putting the products to the test. The line-up saw food and drink products submitted from an extraordinary 109 different countries across the world.
The winning Snowdonia Honey Co. honeys can be purchased online from the Snowdonia Honey Co. website at www.snowdoniahoney.com for free delivery anywhere in the UK. They can also be found on Amazon, in delis and other selected retailers throughout Wales. RRP: £8.99 for a 227g jar.
