Ed Baker’s Matthews Cotswold Flour Recipes Win Great Taste Awards

At Matthew’s Cotswold Flour we have a proud tradition of supporting some of the UK’s best bakers, and we’re very pleased to share in Ed Baker’s success at Great Taste 2023. 

Ed Baker, based in South London, scooped a selection of Great Taste Awards for some of their fantastic baked goods. This included an astonishing 3 Start Award for their White Sourdough Loaf, made using our Cotswold Premium Organic White Flour.

The bakery also took home a terrific 2 Stars for their wonderful Wholemeal Sourdough Loaf, and brilliant Baba au Rum, also made with MCF ingredients! Scroll down to learn more about what Ed Baker’s award-winning products are made with.

“…The quality of my loaves changed dramatically when I started working with Matthews Cotswold Flour”

Eddy Sleiman, owner of the artisan Ed Baker, comments: "I’m thrilled to have won Great Taste Awards for all five products that I entered into this prestigious competition. I am on a mission to deliver authentic flavours using real, organic, ingredients. These accolades are a fantastic reward for the hard work and passion that I put into each and every recipe.

"It is also recognition for the outstanding ingredients that I use. I can honestly say that the quality of my loaves changed dramatically when I started working with Matthews Cotswold Flour and I strongly believe that I wouldn’t have collected the awards without their flour. Both the bread and the pastry would not have been the same."

Only 248 products received a 3-Star Great Taste Award

Over 14,000 products were put through the competition’s rigorous blind judging process with fewer than 1,600 securing a 2-Star Great Taste Award, achieving ‘above and beyond delicious’ status. Only 248 products received a 3-Star Great Taste Award, being ‘extraordinarily tasty food and drink’. Just over 4,000 products were awarded a 1-Star Great Taste, as ‘food and drink that delivers fantastic flavour’.

Bertie Matthews, managing director of Matthews Cotswold Flour adds: "We are so delighted to see Eddy’s labours celebrated at these awards. He’s dedicated so much time and effort, combined with science, to create such fabulous products. His achievements here demonstrate how great ingredients, in the hands of outstanding artisans, can be turned into truly award-winning products."

3 Star Award Winning White Sourdough Loaf 800g

Made with Cotswold Premium Organic White Flour. The judges described it as ‘a beautifully crafted loaf with a crisp crust, perfect rise and a soft, open crumb’ with a ‘delightful’ sourdough flavour.

2 Star Winning Wholemeal Sourdough Loaf 800g

Made with Cotswold Premium Organic White, Cotswold Organic Premium Wholemeal and Organic Dark Rye. Judges described it as ‘a gorgeous looking loaf with good colour on the crust and a lovely and moist crumb with good aeration’.

2 Star Winning Baba au Rum

Made with Cotswold T55. The judges said that ‘it’s very clear that a skillful baker is responsible for this wonderful yeast bake. It was a delicious dessert’.

Ed Baker also won 1 Star Awards for their Mushroom Quiche with white wine and cheddar, as well as for their Onion Quiche with Lancashire cheese and jalapeno.

Ed Baker

A new artisan bakery situated between Hither Green and Ladywell, in South East London. The baker (Eddy) is a sourdough purist and bakes his bread on site daily. He is self-taught and develops all his own recipes. Driven by Ed’s passion for good food, his recipes are influenced by the richness and diversity of East Mediterranean and European cuisines. Ed Baker was founded with the promise to always provide healthy choices, delivering authentic flavours, using real organic ingredients. For more information about Ed Baker visit www.iamedbaker.com or follow @iamedbaker.

The Great Taste Awards

Organised by the Guild of Fine Food. They are the world’s largest, longest standing, and most respected food accreditation scheme for artisan and speciality food producers. In 2023 judging took place over 89 days in Dorset and London, with more than 500 judges putting products to the test. Products from an extraordinary 109 different countries across the world were submitted this year. For more information visit www.greattasteawards.co.uk.

Photography Credit

All images of Ed Baker on this page were captured by Nic Crilly Hargrave and shared with us by Ed Baker. You can find out more about Nic's work here: niccrillyhargrave.com, or follow on Instagram here: @niccrillyhargravephotography