New meat snack challenger brand scoops food world’s most coveted award as it takes on the UK’s meat snacking giants
The Mad Butcher has secured the food industry’s highest mark of excellence, with its Salami Bites awarded a coveted 3-star Great Taste Award today – the highest accolade available and one achieved by only 1.3% of over 15,000 products entered this year.
The award marks a major milestone for the fast-growing meat snacking challenger brand, which launched to shake up a category long dominated by established players by offering consumers something it believed was missing: a premium, proper meat snack made using traditional techniques and fewer ingredients.
Judges were impressed by the aroma and the flavour of the Salami Bites, which come in 40g packs and a hit of 11g protein. They commented:
“The bite is tender, the taste delivery a veritable explosion. The meat evidences sound cure and deep fermentation, while the pepper provides warmth that complements rather than overwhelms. Really unexpectedly good for such a small format salami.”
“The meaty flavour shines through, delivering on savoury, umami notes. There is an enjoyable mouthfeel on the finish, making for a moreish snack that delivers on deep flavour, with seasoning enhancing this flavour, ensuring that the star of the show – the meat – shines through.”
“They have a lovely, fatty mouth feel and good length of flavour. The size is perfect for a canape/tapas serving.”
The brand’s Classic Pork Salami Sticks were also given a 2-star Great Taste Award, while its Chilli Pork Salami Sticks were awarded a 1-star accolade.
The recognition is a significant achievement for a young brand taking on one of the UK’s most established snacking categories. Since launch, The Mad Butcher has positioned itself as the antidote to bland, mass-produced meat snacks, championing quality ingredients, bold flavour and an unapologetically grown-up approach to meat snacking.
Rather than chasing gimmicks or shortcuts, the brand has focused on making exceptional products that people genuinely want to eat – whether they’re looking for a high-protein snack, something to accompany a drink, or a better alternative to what’s already on shelf.
Newby Groves, Managing Director of The Mad Butcher, said: “Winning a 3-Star Great Taste Award is huge. It’s the highest recognition you can receive and to achieve it as such a young brand is something we’re incredibly proud of. We’re also really proud that two of our other products received coveted awards too.
“We launched The Mad Butcher because we felt like meat snacking had become predictable. There was a clear opportunity for a more premium, more grown-up brand that put taste first and challenged the status quo.
“From day one, we’ve refused to compromise on quality. We’ve always believed that if you make an outstanding product, people will notice. To have that recognised by the Great Taste judges across three of our products is fantastic validation of everything we’ve set out to do.”
Often described as the “Oscars of the food world”, the Great Taste Awards are judged through a rigorous blind tasting process by hundreds of industry experts, including chefs, buyers, food writers and retailers.
For further information on The Mad Butcher and its range of products, including where to buy, please visit www.madbutcher.co.uk
