So excited and proud to announce that for the 3rd consecutive year, 2 of my products won awards at this years Guild of Fine Foods Great Taste Awards
My pistachio , raspberry & rose cake won the maximum 3 stars and 1 star was awarded to my espresso, tonka bean & chocolate (tiramisu) cake. Winning awards 3 years in a row is huge for a small business, I now proudly have 8 awards to my name!
To put this all into context, 14340 products were judged this year, from chocolate to bread to cheese to ketchup and honey by over 500 expert judges across 110 days who meticulously evaluate every product. They will award 1, 2 or 3 stars (or none!) and the higher the rating the more people judge and taste your product, to ensure a fair approach. This year, only 1.9% products were awarded 3 stars. A 3 star product is classed as "exquisite; extraordinarily tasty foods". Made by Adele is about TASTE which is always what I lead with. Sure, I want it to look beautiful too, but food is to be enjoyed and this has always been at the core of my business.
Recognised as a stamp of excellence and actively sought out by food lovers and retailers alike, Great Taste Awards, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, values taste above all else. Great Taste is the world's largest, longest standing and most trusted and respected food and drink accreditation scheme for artisan and specialty food producers. Great Taste stars are highly respected seals of approval.
The judges take time to write their comments and feedback with the results. Comments about the pistachio, raspberry and rose cake:
“It's the cake that keeps on giving, with layers of flavour and luxurious ingredients that cannot fail to impress. Really enjoyable eating experience – you can taste all the parts and the whole is even better. It is a clever recipe, really well realised, not too sweet and well seasoned. The salt level is well judged, as is the rose, which can be a very difficult ingredient to use without growing overly perfumed. This is an excellently made, well thought out and considered cake.” "This beautiful, decadent and indulgent looking cake tastes as good as it looks. Every mouthful brings a different dimension and flavour. An utter delight! “ “We were very happy to have the opportunity to judge this and we lingered over a second slice.”
Comments about the Tiramisu cake:
“An absolutely visually stunning looking cake, which looks as though care, time and attention has gone into it. This is a beautiful and well-constructed cake has a light moist sponge that is not overly sweet. All the constituent parts of this cake taste excellent”
Thank you to the team of expert judges who meticulously evaluated and judged over 14300 products and to The Guild of Fine Food for executing an incredible awards programme that enables tiny businesses like mine to be judged alongside products from all over the world from companies often a million times bigger in size. I'm so honoured and very grateful that the industry's most respected chefs, critics, writers and buyers put me in this sought after category alongside so many other incredible products.
Anyone who knows me will know I am incredibly competitive, likely a result of years in high performing sport from a young age, yet these days the competition is usually with myself. Achieving the best, or better than before, is always the aim. After my unexpected success at the 2024 awards (awarded a 3*, two 2* and one 1* product as well as Golden Fork nomination for England for my banana, miso caramel & peanut cake) I thought to myself “well, achieving anywhere near that again is going to be impossible”. Although I entered fewer products this year (I was trying to be sensible!) the achievement is no less - it validates that I am consistently producing high quality goods. Historically, businesses achieving awards 3 years in a row achieve a ‘Great Taste producer’ status - a mark of consistency. The guild decided to do away with this status for the 2025 awards but the meaning still stands and is understood across the industry.
On a personal note, many of you will know I underwent a bilateral surgery on both of my wrists earlier this year following years of suffering with a painful tendon problem. It took 4 months for me to return to work full time. It has been an incredibly tough process to go through, physically and mentally, for an individual who uses their hands to make a living. So to be able to even enter this year's awards was an achievement in itself, but winning a 3 star award again is the icing on the cake (pun intended).
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank those who make this business what it is. Thank you to: my family for supporting me (dog sitting and sometimes even helping me with prep and washing up!); my suppliers without whom creating these quality products would be impossible; my mentor, James, who's encouragement to challenge myself is unmeasurable; my PA Kate who supports the administrative needs of my business; the venues and Partnerships I have great relationships with who endlessly support my business and those who I have become friends with; you - my customers for buying from me, sharing my business and being ridiculous cake fans.
Thank you to everyone who supports my business and to you, reader, because you love cake.
To browse 2025's winning products visit the Guild of Fine Food website.
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Media and trade enquiries: For interviews, photos, trade enquiries or further information, please contact Adele Hing: hello@madebyadele.com