Trio from Northern Ireland in 'FreeFrom' Awards 2015
Three Northern Ireland food companies have been shortlisted in the 2015 'FreeFrom' Food Awards, which celebrate the best in gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free and all 'freefrom' foods.
The three companies are:
Mash Direct, Comber, county Down - a manufacturer of convenience potato and vegetable dishes in the Innovation category for Vegetable Burgers and Spring Cabbage;
Rule of Crumb, Antrim, county Antrim - manufacturer of chicken products, part baked rolls and breads, which is listed in three categories - Breads for Part-Baked Baguette, Meaty and Fishy Ready Meals for Chicken Goujons and Foods for Children for Chocolate Balls; and
Squeeze Wheat Juice,Warrenpoint, county Down - a processor of wheat juice in the Innovation and Raw Foods and Superfoods for Ready to Drink Wheatgrass Shots.
All products are gluten, wheat or dairy free and many are free of all three plus eggs, nuts and other allergens.
They are among 270 products shortlisted in 15 categories,, which is listed including the prestigious Innovation Award, by the judges. 'With entries up by nearly 30 per cent this year our 65 judges really had their work cut out," says Michelle Berriedale-Johnson, director of the FreeFrom Awards and chair of the judging sessions. "But, with their usual expertise theymanaged to tease out the really exciting products that are currently pushing the boundaries of what you can successfully make 'freefrom'."
The FreeFrom Food Awards, now in their eighth very successful year, are the industry's only award for 'freefrom food' - gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, soya-free etc.
The FreeFrom Food Awards judges included professional foodies (manufacturers, chefs and cookery writers), medics (dietitians and nutritionists) coeliacs and allergy sufferers, a dozen or so keen freefrom bloggers and a good sprinkling of 'outsiders' to benchmark the products against 'normal', non-freefrom equivalents.
The winners of the 2015 FreeFrom Food Awards will be announced and presented with their certificates by Antony Worrall Thompson at an invitation-only party in central London on April 22nd.