East Yorkshire Poultry business wins four Great Taste Awards

Middleton on the Wolds-based chicken specialist, Soanes Poultry has received further accolades for four of its products that were entered into the prestigious fine food and drink accreditation scheme, The Great Taste Awards.

Soanes Poultry's Red Tractor-assured Grain Fed and Free-Range whole chickens were rewarded with a one-star award, as were Grain Fed Chicken Supremes and Drumsticks after going through rounds of blind-taste testing.

The judges' feedback for the Grain Fed whole chicken included: "The flavour is outstanding. We are so used to breast meat as being flavourless and mushy - this is how it should be! This is how we remember chickens being. Utterly wonderful" and "This is a generous meaty chicken, tender and moist with a distinctive chicken flavour and a mild grassy note. Clearly well cared for chickens!" They also commented: "These are neat drumsticks which have been well-butchered. The meat looks moist and there is a fresh, clean, poultry aroma. The texture is mostly soft and tender with a slight bite. The flavour is light, appealing and clean. This is good simple chicken that would have family appeal" about the drumsticks.

Soanes Poultry's MD Ben Lee said: "This is the eighth consecutive year that our chicken has won the prestigious awards that are dubbed the Oscars of the food industry.

"This consistency of product is a testament to our farmers' high welfare standards and to the skill of our operations team. It's a real team effort and I couldn't be more pleased."

The Great Taste Awards are organised by the Guild of Fine Food and are the largest and most trusted food and drink accreditation scheme. They support and promote food and drink producers, large and small, giving buyers and food lovers in the UK and overseas reliable recommendations for great-tasting food.

Due to Soanes Poultry's success, both in this year's competition and in previous years, the business can use the coveted Great Taste Producer logo for multiple wins in successive years.

Soanes Poultry is a family-owned business that has been rearing and preparing chicken since 1947. It employs over 100 people and sells its chicken to butchers and independent retailers in Yorkshire and to wholesalers and catering butchers nationwide.

Photo: L to R: Snieguole Norvilaite, Ben Lee and Evaldas Cholinas with the Great Taste certificates