Saturday 25th April 2026 • Promotional Content The South West on a plate
Nation’s Favourites Food & Drink
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South West England is one of the great food and drink regions of the world
From the flower-bright meadows of Somerset to the salt-kissed coast- lines of Cornwall, and from the cider orchards of Devon to the artisan dairies of Dorset, Wiltshire and Gloucester- shire, this is a landscape that simply produces exceptional things to eat and drink. It always has, and now, the organisation that exists to celebrate exactly that has returned — stronger, more ambitious and more committed than ever before. Taste of the West CIC is back. When
the original organisation went into administration in mid-2025, a group of passionate local directors refused to let one of the South West’s most cher- ished food institutions disappear and bought it back from administration, reconstituted it as a community inter- est company and began rebuilding it with their own time and money. Tat commitment has been strengthened by a growing community of founder businesses — nationally recognised South West companies including Wyke Farms and Yeo Valley — who share the same passion and pride in the region and have backed the vision from the outset. Together, they’re rebuilding Taste of the West on solid, community- driven foundations. Today, Taste of the West CIC rep-
resents more than 1,000 businesses spread across Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire and the Channel Islands. Te membership is a vibrant, liv- ing cross-section of everything that makes South West food so compelling — independent producers crafting products of extraordinary quality, wholesalers and retailers flying the flag for regional provenance and hos- pitality businesses serving the best of the West with pride. As the UK’s largest independent regional food group, Taste of the West is entering what its directors describe as its most exciting chapter yet.
At the heart of everything is the
awards programme — and for any shopper, food-lover or visitor explor- ing what the South West has to offer, the Taste of the West mark is a won- derful place to start. Products are submitted by member businesses and assessed across four rigorous judging rounds each year by a panel of expert judges who know their subject inti- mately: producers, buyers, retailers and hospitality professionals who bring real-world experience and gen- uine passion to every session. Tis is peer-group assessment at its best — people who live and breathe food and drink, applying exacting stand- ards with knowledge and enthusiasm. When a product carries a Taste of
the West award, it’s earned it. For the consumer browsing a farm shop, ex- ploring a farmers’ market or looking for something special on a retail shelf, the mark is a reliable guide to quality — independently verified, honestly judged and richly deserved. Keep an eye out too for the awards sticker in the windows of cafes, pubs, restau- rants and hotels across the region. It’s
the South West’s own quality signpost — a quiet but confident invitation to step inside, sit down and taste some- thing genuinely worth seeking out. In a region overflowing with artisan brilliance, it cuts through the noise and says simply: this is the good stuff. Whether buying a jar of chutney,
choosing a bottle of cider or deciding where to eat on a summer evening in the West Country, the Taste of the West mark is the shortcut to the very best the region has to offer. Tis is a story of renewal, of community and of sheer, unabashed pride in one of Eng- land’s greatest food and drink regions. Raise a glass. Te South West is very much open for business.
tasteofthewest.co.uk/taste-west
Look for the Taste of the West mark on products and in windows across the South West — your guide to the finest food and drink the region has to offer.
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