The past six months have brought some wonderful moments for Noble, and we are delighted to share them with you.
At this summer’s Great Taste Awards, our Raspberry Sorbet and Vanilla Ice Cream each received two stars, while our Mango Sorbet received one star.
Then, at Blas na hÉireann — The Irish Food Awards, our Mango Sorbet was awarded Silver for the second consecutive year, with our Chocolate Ice Cream and Lemon Sorbet also named finalists.
For our small, independent family business in Castlerea, County Roscommon, this recognition means a great deal. It is a wonderful feeling to see the care, time and thought we put into our products recognised by experienced judges. We are proud of these achievements and grateful to everyone who has supported our journey.
Every flavour begins with an ingredient
At Noble, creating a flavour starts long before the first batch is made.
We take particular care in choosing our ingredients, considering their origin, variety, quality and individual character. Each ingredient has its own qualities, and understanding them helps us decide how best to bring out the flavour we are looking for.
We develop our own recipes, from the first idea to the finished ice cream or sorbet. It is a hands-on process involving experimentation, tasting, adjustments and plenty of care along the way. The recipe development and the decisions behind each flavour come from within our own small team.
For us, this is an important part of artisan food-making: understanding the ingredients, working with their natural character and taking the time to create something we are happy to put our name to.
That is why these awards mean more to us than a medal or certificate. They recognise not just a finished product, but the thought, skill and dedication that go into creating it.
What makes a flavour special?
Taking part in Great Taste and Blas na hÉireann has also given us something interesting to reflect on.
Both awards use blind tasting, allowing judges to assess products without the influence of branding or packaging. Each has its own judging process and criteria, offering a particular perspective on a product’s qualities.
It is a reminder that even when products are assessed by experienced professionals, the process takes place within a particular framework. Different criteria and judging perspectives can highlight different qualities, and the same product may be assessed differently in different settings.
And there is something equally fascinating about the way we experience food ourselves.
Think about chocolate gelato. If chocolate is not your favourite, it might not be the flavour you reach for first. But if you truly love chocolate, you may be looking for something quite specific: depth, balance, character and a taste that stays with you long after the last spoonful.
Not every flavour needs to be everyone’s favourite to become someone’s favourite.
At Noble, we believe there should be room for both familiar favourites and more distinctive flavours. We want to offer a genuine choice for people who enjoy discovering something different, appreciate the character of carefully developed recipes and find pleasure in the details of a flavour.
A future with room for craft and character
We are proud of every star, medal and finalist place. These are meaningful milestones for our small team, and we will continue to celebrate them.
At the same time, we hope to see an ever-growing appreciation across the food industry, including food awards, for the diversity of independent artisan producers and the qualities they bring to the table.
There is so much to celebrate in food: carefully selected ingredients, individual character, creativity, craftsmanship and the passion behind a product. We believe there should always be room for products that offer something distinctive, alongside those designed to appeal to a broad audience.
Because the richness of food culture lies in its variety — in the familiar flavours we return to and the unexpected ones we discover along the way.
Some of our own favourite moments happen far from any judging table: a smile after the first spoonful, an unexpected “wow”, or a customer returning months later for a flavour they still remember.
Those moments are a wonderful reminder of why we do what we do.
Thank you to everyone who has supported Noble so far. We are proud of how far our little family business has come, and excited to keep learning, creating and sharing our love of ice cream, gelato and sorbet.
Noble — Ice cream made like no one else does.