The Singing Spice Company is among the Great Taste winners of 2021

The Garam Masala Blend from The Singing Spice Company, based in Yorkshire has been awarded a 1-star by Great Taste, the largest and most trusted food and drink awards on the planet. Out of 5,383 products worldwide to receive a Great Taste 1-2- or 3-star accolade on Tuesday 21 September, The Singing Spice Company Garam Masala Blend will now be able to display the unmistakable black and gold logo, a stamp of excellence that is recognised by retailers and consumers alike.

Some of the comments from the Judges:

“Attractive looking spice with a good grind, A pleasing spicy aroma.”

“Well blended spices that complement each other. Tasted as the raw product this is a mouth filling spice.”

“This garam masala smells and looks good, with visible flecks of spice remaining in the ground mixture and with vivid aromas of cardamom and clove. It is clearly a complex blend, and used as seasoning, the perfume of ground coriander seed came through in tandem with the punchier spices.”

All our blends are handcrafted to family recipes steeped in history and tradition that my mother brought with her when she emigrated to the UK from the Punjab. We launched our blends in November 2020 just as people were discovering home-cooking during the pandemic and we wanted to bring to market a healthy sustainable alternative to conventional, mass-produced spice blends on the market. All our blends contain 100% organic, non-genetically modified (non-GMO) spices with no additives, salt, preservatives, or bulking agents. Our spices are sourced from organic farmers around the world. My inspiration behind creating these blends was my mother’s delicious cooking I had grown up eating as a child which I wanted to recreate for my own children but utilising the optimum health benefits of spices by using premium quality organic spices that were not only good for us but also for the planet. Our family run business allows us to do what we love and share our passion of people, purpose and planet with all of you.

Sofia Javed, founder explains: I am thrilled to have received this award especially for a blend that has been in my family for generations. It fills me with pride that my mother’s sacrifices leaving her homeland to start a new life and yet managing to remain connected to her roots through food has manifested itself in this award. This is for all those “desi” mums who have kept their families connected to their roots through authentic homemade food. This is the first time I have entered the awards and during a time where so many people have discovered home cooking during the pandemic.  With consumers experimenting more with recipes, we wanted to offer them a spice blend alternative, a blend that has the health and well-being of both people and the planet in mind. This great taste award is recognition of the hard work that goes into working with organic farmers and suppliers sourcing only the highest quality organic spices that go into our blends. The award undoubtedly will open doors to new customers and retailers and has given us the confidence and credibility that our organic spice blend is definitely a “hero brand” for the food and drink sector, and a well proven way to tackle environmental challenges to support human and planetary health.

 Facts and figures about Great Taste 2021:

• Established in 1994, Great Taste is organised by the Guild of Fine Food and is the world’s largest, longest standing and most respected food accreditation scheme for artisan and speciality food producers
• 14,113 different products were entered in 2021 from 108 countries
• 355 judges blind-tasted this year’s entries, including; Joanna Blythman, investigative journalist and food writer, cook, writer, stylist and voice of modern vegetarian cooking, Anna Jones, author, Olia Hercules, Kenny Tutt, MasterChef 2018 champion and restaurateur, food writer and cook, Xanthe Clay, presenter, author and tutor, Steven Lamb, baker and author, Martha Collison, and Kavi Thakrar from Dishoom, as well as food buyers from Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason and Partridges
• Socially distanced judging took place over 86 days at four venues including Guild HQ in Gillingham, Dorset and the Guild of Fine Food’s London home, No. 42 Southwark Street, SE1
• 4,027 awarded a Great Taste 1-star - A food that delivers fantastic flavour. Approximately 30% of entries will achieve this rating each year
• 1,138 awarded a Great Taste 2-star - Above and beyond delicious – less than 10% of entries will achieve this rating
• 218 awarded a Great Taste 3-star - Extraordinarily tasty foods – less than 2% of products are awarded a 3-star each year – don’t leave the shop without buying it!