Packington Free Range has won a 3-star Great Taste award for its Loin of pork, along with seven more 2-star awards across its range.
The Packington Free Range Loin of Pork was described as ‘a spectacular, well-prepared and uniform pork loin that has cooked brilliantly with a glass-like layer of crackling. The fat under the crackling is melting away and has a lovely sweetness and isn’t chewy. The meat has retained lots of moisture and is sweet and well-flavoured. It would be a true centrepiece, celebrating excellent meat – the judges couldn’t stop eating it’ at the awards.
The awards process saw 14,195 products put through their paces in a blind judging. Of those entered, 4.088 products were awarded a Great Taste 1-star which describes the product as ‘‘food and drink that delivers fantastic flavour’. 1,568 were awarded a Great Taste 2-star which are ‘above and beyond delicious’ and only 248 (less than 2% of entries) were presented with a coveted Great Taste 3-star and labelled as ‘extraordinarily tasty food and drink’. Judging took place over 89 days with a panel of more than 500 judges putting the products to the test. Submissions across the food and drink industry came from 109 different countries.
All eight of the Packington Free Range products that were entered into the judging were awarded 2 or 3 stars, a real success for products produced with regenerative farming at the forefront and the highest regard given to the welfare of the animals and the land.
Packington Free Range’s Rob Mercer said: “We are thrilled to have won 8 Great Taste awards, including a 3-star for our Pork Loin, this year. We’ve consistently won awards since 2013 and are so proud to be adding the prestigious black and gold Great Taste badge of honour in 2023. We are a family run business, prioritising the animal’s welfare and environmental schemes above all else, and are thrilled the hard work of the entire team has been recognised.”
Alec Mercer said: “Being recognised with a Great Taste 3-star and seven 2-stars, really means so much to independent producers such as ourselves, as it makes all the hard work and determination worth it! Great Taste is the most recognised accolade for taste and quality in the food and drink industry, so it’s a huge moment for us!”