Who makes the most delicious food in Britain? Where will you find the perfect pie, the most mouth-watering ham and the most brilliant chocolate truffle? The Great Taste Awards answers all these questions. The annual competition rewards gastronomic excellence from across the UK and Ireland.

While everyone from big companies to farmhouse jam-makers can enter, the food is judged in a series of blind tastings, where only one thing matters: is it delicious enough to make the grade?

This year, from a total of nearly 4,800 entries, just over 1,000 received a prestigious gold award. Of those, only 72 were considered faultless enough to merit the ultimate accolade — a three-star gold — and the chance to go forward to the finals. The overall winner is the Blackcurrant and kirsch sorbet made by pud specialists in the North East.

Supreme champion : Blackcurrant and kirsch sorbet from Beckleberry’s

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One judge, foodie farmer Alex James, described this as “the best thing to happen to blackcurrants since Ribena”. Smooth and intense, it delivers everything you want from a sorbet; beckleberrys.co.uk.

North West: Mudees by More? The Artisan Bakery

Utterly delicious chocolate brownies. With a fragile shell and squidgy middle, they manage to be light and intense at the same time; moreartisan.co.uk.

Wales: Organic pork, prune and calvados pie from Harvies

Made in a converted farm building in Wales, Carol Harvie’s old-fashioned pies combine great local meat and rich prunes. Available from Harrods from the autumn; 020 7730 1234, or e-mail pastry5@btinternet.com to order.

East Midlands: Biryani curry paste from Simtom

This vivid spice paste, made to the Chandarana family recipe, has the sort of authentic, subtly nuanced flavour that is nigh-on impossible to reproduce at home. Available from leading ethnic stores; simtom.co.uk.

Scotland: Plain pork sausages by Ballencrieff Rare Pedigree Pigs

Ballencrieff’s rare-breed pork has so much flavour that salt and pepper are the only seasoning it needs. It’s the perfect breakfast banger. Available at its own farm shop and farmers’ markets; ballencrieffrppigs.co.uk.

Ireland: Organic mature gouda-style cheese by Mossfield Organic Farm

Rich milk and nine months’ maturity give a unique taste, flaky texture and a slight crunch. Available in Ireland (mossfield.ie) and at Daylesford in London (020 7881 8060; www.mossfield.ie).

South West: Otter Head beer by Otter Brewery

Easy-to-drink, deep-amber ale from an ecofriendly brewery in Devon. Rich without being heavy, it has the perfect balance of malty flavour and hoppy sharpness; otterbrewery.com.

Northern Ireland: Irish whiskey truffle by Co Couture

Deirdre McCanny’s exquisite truffles mix cream, Irish whiskey and chocolate to give complex layers of flavour: first the snap of the cocoa-dusted shell, then the chocolate ganache, then the spike of booze — bliss; cocouture.co.uk.

South East: Oddono's Gelati Italiani's Nocciola Piemonte Ice Cream

The young Italian brothers at this South Kensington gelateria churn out consistently top-notch ice cream including zero-fat green apple and fig flavours that are sold in Selfridges. www.oddonos.com

Heart of England: Walter Smiths' Free Range Streaky Bacon

Local butchers whose pork pies won the Supreme Champion accolade last year, were back in the prizes again with their superb locally sourced streaky bacon from Litchfield. Products available from their 22 shops across the Midlands (0121 212 2442) and online at www.waltersmith.co.uk

Other winners:

Best Speciality from Yorkshire & Humber: Swaledale Cheese Co's Swaledale Goats' Milk Cheese; www.swaledalecheese.co.uk

Best Italian Speciality: Balsam Srl's Saba Cooked Grape Must

Speciality Importer of the Year: Delicioso

Best Performance by a First Time Entrant: Dairy Company's Cream O'Galloway

Speciality Producer of the Year: Chef on the Run Foods

Guild of Fine Food Lifetime Achievement Award: Glynn Christian

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