Golden glow for Tayto at Irish Food Awards
Tayto Northern Ireland gained gold and silver awards at the annual Blas na hÉireann - National Irish Food Awards - for innovative snacks
Based at Tandragee in Northern Ireland, Tayto NI gained the gold award in Savoury Snacks for its Supreme Thai Chilli and Red Pepper Crisps and silver for its Sea Salt and Cider Vinegar Hand Cooked Crisps. Tayto NI was also successful in the recent UK Great Taste Awards.
Tayto is Northern Ireland's leading manufacturer of snack products and has been producing potato crisps since 1956. The company is now a major brand in the UK and Ireland and also in export markets. In 1964, Tayto became one of the first companies to sell different flavours of crisps with Smoky Bacon and Prawn Cocktail being two of the most popular.
Irish Food awards were also presented to two other Northern Ireland companies - Western Brand, County Fermanagh, won silver in Fresh Meat for its select Irish cut of chicken supplied to Aldi, and Bailies Coffee Company, Belfast, was awarded bronze for its Signature Blend Coffee in the Tea and Coffee section.
Bailies Coffee Company is a speciality coffee roaster based which has developed an exceptional reputation for supplying the finest speciality coffee to high street coffee shops. All the coffee is hand roasted freshly each day to ensure optimum freshness and aroma retention. The company has also gained UK Great Taste Awards for its blends.
The annual Blas na hÉireann National Irish Food Awards celebrate and reward the very best of Irish produce, and the passionate, driven individuals behind it. The awards are held as an integral part of the Dingle Peninsula Food and Wine Festival, now among the most important events in the Irish food calendar.
Among the sponsors of the awards are Bord Bia, the Irish food board, Enterprise Ireland, Irish Sea Fisheries Board and retailer Superquinn.
This year there were more than 30 product categories in the awards. More than 1,300 entries were received covering 162 products from companies in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The annual Blas na hÉireann awards, now in their fourth year, were introduced by the Dingle Food and Wine Festival, which was founded in 2007 with the aim of promoting the best that the Dingle Peninsula had to offer in terms of food, fun and the beauty of Dingle.
The festival has grown steadily in popularity and is a food lover's dream. Highlights of the festival include a Taste Trail in over 55 outlets, where festival goers can purchase taste tickets and sample local cuisine delights in locations that vary from pubs and galleries to shop and restaurants.