New beer battered onion rings from Mash Direct

Mash Direct in Northern Ireland, the UK's most innovative and successful specialist in potato and vegetable sides and convenience meals, has launched another new product - Beer Battered Onion Rings.

The onion rings follow the company's successful launch of Beer Battered Chips earlier in the year. The rings are also based on a locally sourced craft lager used in the chips. The onion rings are also gluten free.

The new product features sliced onions gently coated in a craft beer flavoured batter, then fried until crisp. The 200g pack (RRP £1.89) serves two and cooks between 15-18 minutes for a delicious accompaniment with steak and other meals.

The company, based on a family farm at Comber in county Down, will be launching them at the bog Royal Ulster Agricultural Society annual show at Balmoral Park next week, the biggest agri-food event on the island of Ireland and among the most important events of its type in the United Kingdom.

They are now available for in Spar, Eurospar, Vivo and independent stores throughout Northern Ireland. The company says the new onion rings will also be launching into SuperValu, Centra and MACE Northern Ireland on Monday 14th May, followed by NISA stores throughout the UK on 26th May.

Mash Direct is a multi-award-winning Northern Irish food business. It is a major supplier of products throughout the UK and Ireland and has recently won its first business in the US on the back of its success in other international markets including the United Arab Emirates.

The business, recently named by The Grocer trade journal as the UK's Number 1 Branded Supplier in Fruit, Veg & Salads, was started as a farm diversification project by husband and wife team Martin and Tracy Hamilton in 2004. The award recognised and celebrated outstanding performance and standards in grocery retail throughout the UK

The small company has also on the prestigious UK Food Manufacturing Excellence Award and a string of UK Great Taste accolades.