The team at The Lake District Tea Co. have received their first-ever Guild of Fine Food Great Taste Award.

The South Lakes-based business received a one-star award for their Kendal Mint Brew tea, which launched in May 2025.

The judges remarked: "Peppermint pure and simple, on the nose and on the palate. And if you like a clean and bright, menthol-flavoured infusion, this hits the spot."

Another judge added: "Its simplicity is very enjoyable, and it delivers a satisfying experience."

A representative from The Lake District Tea Co. said: "We're over the moon to have won our first ever Great Taste Award. This is really important to us because the judging process is so rigorous and carried out by such highly regarded food and beverage industry experts.

"This builds on our earlier award win in the Farm Shop and Deli Show Product Awards and continues to show that we're heading in the right direction with the teas and infusions we create. We're all delighted, and it recognises the team's efforts in helping to make the business a success."

The 2026 Great Taste Awards saw over 15,000 products put through the competition's rigorous blind judging process, at the world's most coveted food and drink awards. 4,286 products were awarded a Great Taste 1 star, 'simply delicious', 1,596 were awarded a Great Taste 2 star, 'outstanding', and 306 were awarded a Great Taste 3 star, 'exquisite'.

Recognised as a stamp of excellence and actively sought out by food lovers and retailers alike, the Great Taste accreditation scheme, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, values taste above all else. Each product is blind tasted, with all its packaging removed, and undergoes a robust, layered judging process. This year, judging took place over 105 days with a panel of more than 800 judges putting entries to the test. The line-up saw food and drink products submitted from an extraordinary 116 different countries across the world.

Widely regarded as the world's most influential food and drink accreditation, Great Taste has built its reputation over more than 30 years thanks to its credibility and the integrity of its multi-layered judging process.