06/08/12…Thame Chocolatier wins 5 Gold Star awards

RUMSEY’S Chocolates, with shops in Upper High Street, Thame and in Wendover, have won five 2012 Gold Star Great Taste Awards for their delicious hand-made chocolates. The sumptuous, crunchy, Chocolate Coated Macadamia won a much coveted Two-Star Gold Great Taste Award, whilst one-star Gold Great Taste Awards were awarded to the Hazelnut Rock, Praline Cocoa, Mexican Vanilla and Simply Plain Organic chocolates.

?Can you believe it?? asked Master Chocolatier Nigel Rumsey. ?This is fantastic news and such a great endorsement of everything I have tried to achieve here. We are ?over the moon?!?

Fellow Director, Mary Rumsey, is looking forward to displaying the Gold Great Taste Award logos on the products after receiving the awards, which are judged by a panel of 350 of the nation?s most discerning and knowledgeable food experts over a 45 day period. To achieve Gold in Great Taste is a very significant achievement for any food or drink producer. This year a total of 8,807 different food and drink products were entered.

“The Chocolate Coated Macadamia is a sublime cluster of roasted macadamia nuts in sumptuous milk chocolate that creates a taste explosion in the mouth!” reads the mouth-watering description of Rumsey’s winning chocs. “Hazelnut Rock is full of lovely subtle nut flavours in a milk chocolate coating, Praline Cocoa is a dark chocolate with just the right cake feel and crunchiness and with overtones that sit on the tongue like a fine wine, Mexican Vanilla is a creamy rich soft centre hidden in a luscious mysterious dark chocolate exterior and Simply Plain Organic maybe simple but plain in taste it isn?t!” Gulp !

Nigel Rumsey has been creating an exquisite range of hand-made chocolates since 1991. Starting from a small catering unit at the back of his house, his simple aim has been to produce top quality products from the finest ingredients. His 30 years experience as a Patissier provided the inspiration he needed to become a chocolatier of distinction. Wherever possible, Rumsey?s Chocolates use sustainably sourced cocoa and products with local provenance including cream from Lacey?s Dairy in Bourne End, Buckinghamshire.

The Great Taste Awards, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, are now in their 19th year and going from strength to strength. Their judging standards are the most rigorous in the UK and they only endorse products of the highest quality. Judges this year included Masterchef winner and restaurateur Mat Follas, restaurant critic and Masterchef judge Charles Campion, food writers Lucas Hollweg and Xanthe Clay and over 300 food buyers from leading food halls, delicatessens and farm shops, including Harrods, Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason.

To find out more about Rumsey?s Chocolates please see the website www.rumseys.co.uk Follow on Twitter @rumseyschoc and on facebook.com/rumseyschocolates