Four Gloucestershire businesses have impressed the judges of The Best of Organic Market (BOOM) Awards — sweeping the competition with more wins than any other UK region.
The only awards dedicated to celebrating organic produce in the UK, the food and drink products entered are blind taste-tested by a panel of judges which include BBC Masterchef winner Brin Pirathapan; chef and broadcaster Romy Gill; food writers and chefs Xanthe Clay and Jenny Chandler; food and drink expert and TV presenter Andy Clarke; Great British Bake Off star and TV presenter Briony May Williams; and food blogger Shonette Laffy.
Run by leading organic certifier, Soil Association Certification, the awards come at a time when the UK's organic market is showing significant growth — it's even outperforming its non-organic counterparts in some areas.
The market grew by 7.3 per cent in 2024, with sales doubling what they were ten years ago and totalling £3.7 billion, according to the Soil Association's organic market report.
The big winners included businesses from across the country, with Gloucestershire's Fir Farm, The Authentic Bread Company, Dunkertons Cider and Stroud Brewery all coming out on top in their respective categories.
Making moves in the organic alcohol sector, Stroud Brewery took home the gold in the Best of Organic Beer category, while Dunkertons Cider was top in the Best of Organic Cider category.
Family-run bakery, The Authentic Bread Company also swiped a gold accolade in the Best of Organic Bakery category, as did Cheltenham's Fir Farm in the Best of Organic Milk, Cream and Butter category.
Technical director at The Authentic Bread Company, Sophie Mills, said: 'My father started the company 30 years ago after developing a passion for 'real' home baked bread after holidaying in France.
'He wanted to make bread more exciting than the mass-produced loaves on the UK market, even making it the main event of a meal, rather than just a way to get sandwich fillings into your belly!
'I have been running the bakery with my siblings following my father's retirement in 2017. We still use the same high quality organic ingredients and live by the philosophy 'if Grandma didn't use it in her kitchen, we don't need to!' Being organic certified, our products are free from artificial additives, along with many preservatives and emulsifiers you would find in mainstream baked goods.'
Phil Gordon-Jones, manager at Fir Farm, said: 'Our fresh milk comes from red poll cows, a rare breed who are great at producing milk from the forage they eat on the farm.
'The cows are part of our organic farming system, which means we don't use any artificial fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides and work with nature to not only produce great tasting, sustainable products, but also to protect biodiversity.
'Being named as a winner at the UK's only organic awards is extremely exciting and reflects the hard work that goes into our product.'
