Northern Irish products in line for quality food and drink awards
Forty products from almost 30 Northern Ireland companies have been shortlisted in the Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards for 2016.
Northern Irish producers were successful in most of the categories in what has become Ireland's biggest competition for quality food and drink. They include products listed by most of the main retailers including M&S, Dunne's and SuperValu as well as Aldi and Lidl.
The Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards are open to all retailers, producers and manufacturers that sell product within the Irish market. Products must be on sale to Irish consumers, whether in-store or online, by the Awards night. The winners will be announced on 5 September in Dublin at a gala event hosted by Ballymaloe Celebrity Chef and cookery author Rachel Allen.
As previous winners can testify, picking up an Irish Quality Food or Drink Award is a powerful marketing tool, with many winners using the awards' logos on their packaging and in national advertising campaigns. Entrants also find our independent, expert judges' feedback invaluable in helping them enhance and develop products.
The awards are renowned throughout the industry for their rigorous and stringent judging process. Drawing on the knowledge and expertise built up through running the UK Quality Food Awards for almost 40 years, the Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards follow the same stringent procedure to arrive at their results. Judging took place this Summer at the Dublin Institute of Technology's School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology.
Each product as prepared in line with its on-pack instructions and then carefully judged by members of the panel, who discussed its merits based on the following criteria: taste, flavour, texture, aroma, ingredients list, innovation, packaging, presentation and price point.
For the first time the 2016 awards will see products have the opportunity of being awarded with either a Gold, Silver or Bronze Q.
A new overall Platinum award is being introduced to recognise the product the judges think is the best for each individual category (similar to Gold Q for food).
All the Platinum products have been judged again separately and an ultimate Platinum Q awarded to the product that judges believe is the stand out product across all the Quality Drink Awards categories.
Entrants are also provided with comprehensive feedback from the judging panel about their product.
Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards Shortlist 2016
Bagged Snacks - Sweet - Dunnes Stores Cacao Mix / Forest Feast, Portadown, county Armagh
Bread - Wheaten and Soda Breads - SuperValu & Centra Sean Brown Soda Bread / Genesis Crafty, Magherafelt, county Derry
Cereals - Porridge - Lidl Deluxe Organic Wafer Oats / Whites Speedicook, Tandragee, county Armagh
Cheese - Hard - Lidl Rathdaragh Irish Extra Mature Cheddar / Dale Farm, Belfast
Children's Food - Heavenly Crispy Veggie Sweet Beet and Shallot Waffles - Heavenly Tasty Organics, Augher
Christmas Q - Bakery & Desserts - Aldi Exquisite Mince Pies / Genesis Crafty, Magherafelt, county Derry
Coffee - Continental Coffee - Johnsons Coffee, Hillsborough, county Antrim
Cold Beverages - Soft Drinks - Clearer Water, Larne, county Antrim
Food To Go - Dunnes Stores Simply Better Irish Roast Beetroot, Grain & Kale Salad / Avondale Foods, Lurgan, county Armagh
Free From - Chilled - Vegetable Burgers - Mash Direct, Comber, county Down
Free From - Frozen - Pizzado Gluten Free Cheese and Tomato - Choice Pizza, Portaferry, county Down
Free From - Savoury - SuperValu Gluten Free Pepperoni Pizza / Crust and Crumb, Derrylin, county Fermanagh
Meat - Lidl Hereford Fillet Steaks / Linden Foods, Dungannon, county Tyrone
Meat Innovation - M&S BBQ Grill Louisiana BBQ Spatchies / Moy Park, Craigavon, county Armagh
Meat Poultry - M&S BBQ Grill Jamaican Jerk Spatchcock / Moy Park, Craigavon, county Armagh
Pizza - Lidl Italiamo Goats Cheese, Spinach & Caramlised Onion Pizza / Crust & Crumb Bakery, Derrylin, county Fermanagh and Pizzado Pepperoni - Choice Pizza, Portaferry, county Down
Quiches, Pies and Pasties - Lidl Chef Select Single Serve Premium Pies - Beef & Stout / Daily Bake, Armagh, county Armagh, Lidl Deluxe Goats Cheese and Roasted Red Pepper Quiche / McColgans, Strabane, county Tyrone and Lidl Deluxe Maple Cured Bacon and Gruyere Cheese Quiche / McColgans
Relishes & Chutneys - Indian Spiced Pineapple Chutney - Erin Grove Preserves, Enniskillen, county Fermanagh
Salad & Vegetables - Un Prepared - Irish Lumpers - Glens of Antrim Potatoes, Cushendall, county Antrim
Salad - Prepared - Country Kitchen Sweet Chilli Noodle Salad - Avondale Foods, Lurgan, county Armagh, Dunnes Stores Simply Better Charlotte Mint & Yogurt Potato Salad / Avondale Foods and Dunnes Stores Simply Better Irish Seasonal Baby Leaf & Wild Rocket
Salad / Avondale Foods as well as Lidl Meadow Fresh Mediterranean Salad Bowl / Willowbrook Foods, Killinchy, county Down
Vegetables - Prepared - Aldi Shredded Kale / Willowbrook Foods, Killinchy, county Down and Crispy Onions - Milgro, Limavady, county Derry and Lidl Deluxe Stuffed Flat Mushrooms with Leek & Wensleydale Cheese / Hughes Mushrooms, Dungannon, county Tyrone
Side Dishes - Dunnes Stores Cook at Home Potato Gratin / Avondale, Lurgan, county Armagh and Lidl Deluxe Stuffed Flat Mushrooms with Cheddar, Smoked Bacon & Rosemary / Hughes Mushrooms, Dungannon, county Tyrone
Soups - Vegetable Soup with a Spud - Morrow Foods, Cookstown, county Tyrone
Teas & Other Hot Beverages - Tesco Finest Tea / Punjana, Belfast
Dunnes Stores Simply Better Small Producer of the Year' Shortlist
Indian Spiced Pineapple Chutney - Erin Grove Preserves, Enniskillen, county Fermanagh and Orange, Mango and Gin Marshmallow - Camran Crafts, Carrickfergus, county Antrim
Ciders - Lidl The Crafty Brewing Company Crafty Dry Cider / McCanns Cider, Portadown, county Armagh, Lidl The Crafty Brewing Company Crafty Medium Cider / McCanns Cider, Plum & Ginger Cider - Mac Ivors Cider Co, Portadown, Elderflower Cider - Tempted Cider Company, Lisburn, county Antrim
Pale Ales & IPA - Farmageddon Gold Pale Ale - Farmageddon Brewing Co-Op, Comber, county Down
Stouts & Porters - Farmageddon India Export Porter - Farmageddon Brewing Co-Op.