MASH DIRECT LAUNCHES THREE NEW MEAL ACCOMPANIMENTS

Northern Ireland based Mash Direct, the award winning specialist in quality convenience potato and vegetable products, has launched three new products including one which has recently gained a gold award in the Great Taste Awards 2008, a competition organised by the influential Guild of Fine Foods in London. The latest taste winner for Mash Direct, a successful farm based business at Comber in County Down, is Broccoli with a Cheese Sauce. The other new products, which bring the company's portfolio to 13, are Leeks with a Cheese Sauce and Creamy Garlic Potatoes. All three use ingredients grown on the family-run farm. Mash Direct is now a major supplier of steamed ready-to-cook potato and vegetable accompaniments to most of the main supermarkets throughout the UK and Ireland. Sainsbury recently listed the company's products for sale in many of its supermarkets in Scotland. The company has developed a strong market position through a longstanding commitment to quality and new product development. Tracy Hamilton, Mash Direct's Marketing Director, said: ???Winning a gold award in the Great Taste Awards for one of our latest products is a tremendous boost. The latest additions to our range are already on the shelves of leading supermarkets and are proving to be popular with their customers. Our products are natural and made from farm fresh ingredients. We've been growing broccoli and leeks for many years so the new products are a logical development for us.??? Mash Direct, a family owned and managed business, was we set up in 2004 and has proved to be a successful and entrepreneurial business. The company's other products include Mashed Potato; Champ; Colcannon; Carrot, Turnip and Parsnip; Carrot and Parsnip; Mashed Turnip; Cheese and Onion Mash; Red Cabbage and Beetroot; and Green Cabbage. It delivers around 2,000 tonnes of finished product per annum to the major supermarkets in Northern Ireland, Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland, as well as smaller retailers. It won five gold awards in last year's Great Taste Awards. The majority of vegetables used are grown on the farm and others sourced locally from Farm Assured producers. They aim to prepare the vegetables within 24 hours of harvesting during the growing season. Mash Direct's success demonstrates the values of Northern Ireland Naturally.