James Hall & Co. Ltd is celebrating a lucky 13 Great Taste Awards across its portfolio of food brands Ann Forshaw’s, Clayton Park Bakery, and Fazilas.
Judged by some of the finest palates in the country on the Guild of Fine Foods, it is an exceptional result for the group of food producing companies.
All three businesses are run day to day by their founding families and pride themselves on making flavoursome products from the highest quality ingredients.
Clayton Park Bakery’s Potato and Butter Pie scored an outstanding two stars with the judges, while Ann Forshaw’s St Clements Farmhouse Yogurt also achieved the same stellar accolade.
A total of 11 other products achieved one star from the judging panel, and those products are:
- Ann Forshaw’s Luxury Blueberry and Blackcurrant Yogurt
- Ann Forshaw’s Luxury Peach and Apricot Yogurt
- Ann Forshaw’s Luxury Strawberry and Rhubarb Yogurt
- Ann Forshaw’s Luxury Sicilian Lemon Yogurt
- Ann Forshaw’s Farmhouse Yogurt Blueberry and Pomegranate Yogurt
- Ann Forshaw’s Farmhouse Peach and Mango Yogurt
- Clayton Park Cheese and Jalapeño Pasty
- Clayton Park Pork and Chorizo Pie
- Clayton Park Deli Cumberland Style Sausage Roll
- Fazilas Chicken Tikka Samosa
- Fazilas Butter Chicken Curry
All 13 products can be found in SPAR stores across the North of England. The Clayton Park Bakery Pork and Chorizo Pie and the Deli Cumberland Style Sausage Roll are in select SPAR stores with Clayton Park serve over deli counters.
Potato and Butter Pie is something of a Preston classic, and the judges were wowed by Clayton Park’s take on it describing it as having “a lovely short pastry complemented by a crispy base. The mashed potato filling is flavoursome, carrying the butter and onion elements confidently.”
The panel added that it is a “correct interpretation of the traditional Preston staple and delicious with it” concluding that it is “a really well executed and delicious product, this has a real sense of regionality.”
The judging panel were equally impressed with Ann Forshaw’s famed 24-hour farm to pot ethos and the St Clements variety from the farmhouse range.
It was described as “immediately appealing visually and aromatically with its pastel citrus shade, gloss and meld of bright citrus with yoghurt ferment tones.”
The tasting panel added “this yoghurt did not disappoint on the palate, delivering smooth, rich creaminess cut through by brightly aromatic citrus with rounded acidity.”
Andrew Barnes, Commercial Director at James Hall & Co. Ltd, said: “I am delighted with the outcome of our Great Taste Award entries for 2026 with an incredible 13 awards achieved.
“We wholeheartedly believe in the quality and taste of all the products we produce, but to have an expert panel of judges from the Guild of Fine Foods judge 13 to be award winners is an excellent result. We cannot wait to proudly display the Great Taste logo on these products.
“To have at least two awards across each of our three food manufacturing brands only adds to the satisfaction and emphasises the consistency and quality we have at all food manufacturing sites and across savoury and sweet categories.”
Clayton Park Bakery, based in Accrington, was founded in 1995 and celebrated 30 years of producing high quality savoury and sweet treats last year. While the business became part of the James Hall Group of Companies in 2011, founder Barry Thomas continues to be Managing Director of Clayton Park today operating out of its Clayton-le-Moors and Huncoat sites.
Fazilas, based in Bolton, was founded by Fazila Malek in 1999 and has grown to produce a wide range of Asian and fusion foods. Its acquisition by James Hall in 2017 saw products move into SPAR stores across the North of England.
Iconic Lancashire brand Ann Forshaw’s has heritage dating back to 1981 with Ann first beginning yogurt production at Alston Dairy near Longridge. Ann still works in the business today, and as the brand has developed national and international reputation, it became part of the James Hall family in 2022.
James Hall & Co. Ltd is a fifth-generation family business which serves a network of independent SPAR retailers and company-owned SPAR stores across Northern England six days a week from its base at Bowland View in Preston.
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