Monmouthshire's 2025 Great Taste Awards

Honeyade from Hive Mind

Monmouthshire's producers once again proved they make some of the best quality produce in the country at the 2025 Great Taste Awards. Five Monmouthshire businesses achieved a total of 17 stars across 15 products, from mead to chocolate.

The Great Taste Awards are a prestigious annual food award, where products are judged by a panel of over 500 experts made up of chefs, buyers, food writers and retailers, so winning even one star is a fantastic achievement.

Congratulations to all our producers who made the list. You can see all of our winners below, plus (most importantly) links for where to buy the great food & drink :

N S James Family Butchers

• 2 Star - Welsh Faggots
• 2 Star - Best End Cutlets
• 1 Star - Traditional Lamb and Mint Pie
• 1 Star - Rack of Lamb
• 1 Star - Wing Rib Steak

One of the oldest independent family butchers in Wales, NS James are a Raglan institution. Butcher Neil James won Welsh Butcher of the Year in May, and then Countryside Alliance Champion Butcher for the UK in June! They swept the board at the 2025 Great Taste Awards with five products winning stars, including 2 Stars for both their Welsh Faggots (as seen on the Hairy Bikers) and Best End Cutlets.

It's definitely worth popping in when you're visiting Raglan Castle!

Read more about N S James Butchers

Hive Mind Mead

• 1 Star - Hiraeth - Dry Welsh Heather Mead
• 1 Star - Lime & Mint Honeyade

Caldicot based Hive Mind Mead & Brew Co. continue to excel, winning Great Taste Awards the last three years (including a Golden Fork for the best product in 2023). They continued this trend in 2025 with a star for their Dry Welsh Heather Mead (which "embodies the untamed spirit of Wales") and a star for their new non-alcoholic honeyade range.

Hive Mind have recently started stocking in M&S so look for their award winning honey drinks in a supermarket near you, or visit their taproom at the end of every month for a monthly party.

Discover more about Hive Mind Mead

Come to the meadery for their August taproom party (30th August)

The Crafty Pickle

• 1 Star - Mexicana Kraut
• 1 Star - Crafty Kimchi

Fermentation wizards Crafty Pickle picked up two awards for their Crafty Kimchi (traditional Chinese leaf cabbage, mild and smoky gochugaru chilli flakes and miso for an umami punch) and Mexicana Kraut (Mexican-inspired sauerkraut flavoured with jalapeños, lime, oregano and cumin).

You can learn how to make your own Sauerkraut, Kimchi, Kombucha, Miso and Koji and workshops at their Caldicot base throughout the year.

See all of Crafty Pickle's workshops

Apple County Cider

(Photo Credit - Alina Yantsen)

• 1 Star - Raspberry Infused Cider

They've been making cider in the beautiful Monnow Valley orchards of Apple County Cider for generations, so it's great to see them continuing to put out award-winning (and very tasty) ciders. You can pick up bottles directly from the farm shop, online, or at shows across the country.

See more about Apple County Cider

Caerwent Craft Chocolate

• 1 Star - Madagascan 75% Dark Chocolate
• 1 Star - Madagascan Milk Chocolate
• 1 Star - Peruvian 75% Dark Chocolate
• 1 Star - Peruvian 65% Dark Chocolate
• 1 Star - Colombian 85% Chocolate

There was a great haul of awards for Caerwent Craft Chocolate, gaining stars for five of their delicious sweet treats.