“In D&P there can be widely differing views.” Of the quality, Foulkes-Arellano said it was generally very high. “It is quite a lengthy process and the debates take a couple of hours. It is incredibly rigorous. A lot of the judges will have gold medals and trophies under their belts so we are very picky.”

And they can afford to be, the chairman, adds: “The way we judge is very different because it is all based on presentation; based on what we see in the room. People have the opportunity to give us a bit more background but we don’t take a case history. We look at what we have in our hands.”

The judges were excited by the entries in their hands. “Last year I thought it had plateaued,” said Foulkes-Arellano. “Everything was really good but it wasn’t very exciting. This year we got excited. I think there had been a bit of a lull and brand owners were resting on their laurels a bit.” And now?

“I think there is a new trend because of craft and I think new brands are having to work harder all because of craft. The complexity of some of the packaging is beyond belief.”