A SOUTHAMPTON coffee shop has received international recognition for its products.

Docks Coffee House in Southampton was awarded two Great Taste awards for its granola.

Its original granola, Utterly Nutterly, was the recipient of the award for the second year in a row and the Go Bananas granola was a first-time entrant.

A Great Taste award is a recognition of fine food and drinks, with the awards being described as the “Oscars” of the food world.

The awards are judged by more than 500 of the most demanding palates belonging to food critics, chefs, cooks, restaurateurs and producers,

Great Taste is acknowledged as the most respected food accreditation scheme for artisan and speciality food producers.

As well as a badge of honour, the awards can be a signpost to a “wonderful” tasting product, which has been discovered through hours and hours of blind-tasting by hundreds of judges.

Owner of Docks Coffee Dishi Umfleet, said: “I decided to enter last year on a whim and did not expect to win.

“To win is such a prestigious honour for me because as well as being a badge of honour, I hope the coveted gold stars will help to set us apart.

“Our granola has been given a gigantic thumbs up by some of the food industry’s most demanding palates.”

Recognised as a stamp of excellence among consumers and retailers alike, Great Taste reportedly values taste above all else, with no regard for branding and packaging.

Dock has been pioneering a take-away cup said to be the first fully recyclable kind in the UK.

Designed by Radio 1 DJ Gemma Cairney, they feature a food-grade polyethylene liner which separates from the 100 per cent recycled paperboard during recycling.

Its producers say conventional paper coffee cups are not easily recyclable because they are made from a plastic-coated virgin paperboard which does not break down efficiently in the standard recycling process.

The Frugal Cups used at the cafe feature a food-grade polyethylene liner which separates from the 100 per cent recycled paperboard during recycling. The business also uses recyclable straws and biodegradable smoothie cups.

And it is not just critics who have been impressed. A poll by the Echo in April revealed Docks as the most popular coffee shop in the city.