This smoked salmon from West Cork has secured a major international taste award

Ummera Smoked Products receives accolade for Smoked Irish Organic Salmon

Anthony Creswell's Ummera Smoked Products from Inchybridge, Timoleague, received the Golden Fork (Ireland) award for its Smoked Irish Organic Salmon.

Ummera Smoked Products from Inchybridge, Timoleague received the Golden Fork (Ireland) award for its Smoked Irish Organic Salmon during the Great Taste 2020 announcement this afternoon.

The Golden Fork winner in Northern Ireland was Craic Foods for its Black Garlic & Porcini Sea Salt.

Great Taste - which was founded in 1994 and is organised by the Guild of Fine Food - has judged over 158,000 products in the last 27 years.

It is dedicated to finding the most exquisite tasting food and drink regardless of branding or packaging.

Meanwhile, Ummera - which has been smoking salmon in West Cork for nearly 50 years - made the transition from wild Atlantic Salmon to organically grown Atlantic Salmon 14 years ago, and impressed the Great Taste panel with its salmon’s “lovely texture, great mouthfeel and level of smoke that is measured to perfection”.

And as one judge added, “this is as good a piece of smoked salmon as I've had in years”.

It also received a Golden Fork award back in 2010 for its Smoked Duck.

Speaking to the “Irish Examiner”, Ummera’s Anthony Creswell said, “we are absolutely over the moon”.

“This puts our product on map, gives it more credentials and more people will hear about how good it is,” he continued.

“We are a small business and an award like this gives us great satisfaction and pleasure.” Ummera sells direct to customers all over the world and its product is also available in speciality food shops as well as at its base in west Cork.

“We are coming up to our busy period now - everyone loves to have smoked salmon at Christmas and the timing of this award couldn’t be better for us,” Anthony continued.

“We have the best product in Ireland now.” Other nominations in the Ireland category included Crossogue Preserves for Gooseberry Spread; and James Whelan Butchers for its Heritage Cure Ham.

This year’s panel of judges included; cook, writer and champion of sustainable food, Melissa Hemsley, cook, writer, stylist and voice of modern vegetarian cooking, Anna Jones, celebrated Spanish chef, José Pizarro, Kavi Thakrar from Dishoom, food writer and cook, Xanthe Clay, and baker and author, Martha Collison, as well as food buyers from Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason and Waitrose. Golden Fork (Ireland) was sponsored by Bord Bia.