American family's one-year-old Lancaster business wins two prestigious Guild of Fine Food Great Taste awards

Peppered Palette, based at White Cross Business Park, has been recognised among the world’s top food and drink producers, earning prestigious Great Taste awards for its Kickin’ Key Lime and Zippin’ Lemon Toad hot dessert sauces.

The products were selected in the highly competitive Great Taste awards where 13,672 food and drink products were judged through a rigorous blind-tasting process.

Great Taste, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, is the world’s most respected food accreditation scheme known for valuing taste above all else. Products are judged without packaging to ensure complete impartiality, and this year’s panel of more than 500 expert judges blind-tasted entries from 115 countries over 92 days.

Only 40.8% of the entries received any award, making Peppered Palette's achievement particularly notable.

“As a new family-owned business, receiving the Great Taste star for two of our products means a lot to us,” said founder Todd ‘Toad’ Guiton, from America.

"It validates our hard work and dedication, and we’re thrilled to have our products recognised for their distinctive flavours. "

Peppered Palette entered the competition through the Great Taste bursary scheme, designed to give micro producers a chance to showcase their products.

Judges praised the Kickin’ Key Lime sauce for its delightful combination of sweetness followed by a powerful lime and habanero kick, calling it a sauce that "made us smile and would be great on ice cream".

The Zippin’ Lemon sauce was described as "clever and exciting," with a heat that lingers pleasantly on the palate. Judges noted its versatility, suggesting it could enhance everything from marmalade to mocktails.

Looking ahead, Peppered Palette plans to continue its growth by launching a crowdfunding campaign to expand production in Lancaster.