James Hall & Co. Ltd has secured 13 Great Taste Awards across its food manufacturing brands Ann Forshaw's, Clayton Park Bakery and Fazilas, with two products earning the coveted two-star rating.
The awards, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, recognise outstanding food and drink products, with entries judged by industry experts through blind tastings.
Clayton Park Bakery's Potato and Butter Pie and Ann Forshaw's St Clements Farmhouse Yogurt each received two stars, while a further 11 products achieved one-star recognition. All 13 award-winning products are available in SPAR stores across the North of England, with Clayton Park's Pork and Chorizo Pie and Deli Cumberland Style Sausage Roll stocked in selected SPAR stores with Clayton Park deli counters.
Andrew Barnes, commercial director at James Hall & Co. Ltd, described the result as an “incredible” achievement.
“We wholeheartedly believe in the quality and taste of all the products we produce, but to have an expert panel of judges from the Guild of Fine Food judge 13 to be award winners is an excellent result,” Barnes said.
“To have at least two awards across each of our three food manufacturing brands only adds to the satisfaction and emphasises the consistency and quality we have at all food manufacturing sites and across savoury and sweet categories.”
The judges praised Clayton Park Bakery's Potato and Butter Pie, awarding it two stars and describing it as “a really well executed and delicious product” with “a real sense of regionality”. They highlighted its “lovely short pastry”, crispy base and flavoursome mashed potato filling, calling it a faithful interpretation of the traditional Preston speciality.
Ann Forshaw's St Clements Farmhouse Yogurt also impressed the panel, which commended its visual appeal, aroma and “smooth, rich creaminess” balanced by bright citrus flavours and rounded acidity.
The remaining one-star winners included six yogurts from Ann Forshaw's, three savoury products from Clayton Park Bakery and two products from Fazilas.
Ann Forshaw's one-star winners were Luxury Blueberry and Blackcurrant Yogurt, Luxury Peach and Apricot Yogurt, Luxury Strawberry and Rhubarb Yogurt, Luxury Sicilian Lemon Yogurt, Farmhouse Blueberry and Pomegranate Yogurt and Farmhouse Peach and Mango Yogurt.
Clayton Park Bakery received one-star awards for its Cheese and Jalapeño Pasty, Pork and Chorizo Pie and Deli Cumberland Style Sausage Roll, while Fazilas was recognised for its Chicken Tikka Samosa and Butter Chicken Curry.
The awards recognise the strength of James Hall's manufacturing portfolio, with all three businesses continuing to be run day to day by their founding families despite joining the James Hall Group.
Clayton Park Bakery, based in Accrington, was founded in 1995 and joined the James Hall Group in 2011, with founder Barry Thomas remaining managing director. Bolton-based Fazilas, established by Fazila Malek in 1999, became part of the group in 2017, while Lancashire yogurt maker Ann Forshaw's, whose heritage dates back to 1981, was acquired in 2022.
James Hall & Co. Ltd, a fifth-generation family business headquartered in Preston, supplies independent SPAR retailers and company-owned SPAR stores across the North of England.