Northern Irish record set in Irish Food Awards
A record 21 Northern Ireland food and drink companies have been short listed for the top 50 awards in the Blas na hEireann, National Irish Food competition, the winners of which will be announced at the annual Dingle Food Festival in Cork in 4-5 October.
The short listed companies are following the path blazed last year when Hannan Meats of Moira and Lisburn's DJ's Juices and Ciders, both from county Down, emerged as main category winners. It was the first time Northern Ireland companies had entered the competition.
Other local companies recognised last year as medal winners were Blackthorn Foods, Belfast, a manufacturer of gourmet fudges and fondues; Fivemiletown Creamery, Tyrone, a speciality cheese processor; and Thompson's Family Teas, Belfast. DJ's Cider and Juices and Fivemiletown speciality cheeses are in the running again this year.
The short listings in the Blas event carry forward the achievements of 70 Northern Ireland companies which racked up a record 320 gold stars in the recent UK Great Taste Awards, organised annually by the Guild of Fine Food. Four of the companies - En Place Foods (UK), Cookstown, Ewing Seafoods, Belfast, Hannan Meats and McCartney's Butchers, both from Moira, were subsequently listed among the Top 50 Foods.
Around 3,000 food and drink products were entered in this year's awards from companies in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in 50 categories.
While entries this year were lodged by major food processors in the north including Dale Farm, Belfast, the biggest dairy co-operative, Genesis Bakery in Magherafelt, county Derry; Mash Direct, Comber, county Down and Allied Mills, Belfast, and Linden Foods, Dungannon, county Tyrone most of the contenders short listed from Northern Ireland are essentially artisan enterprises.
Among the artisan producers bidding for success at Dingle are: Crust and Crumb Bakery, Derrylin, county Fermanagh, now one of the biggest producers of pizza bases; Mac Ivor's Cider, Craigavon, county Armagh, a fast growing cider processor; Baked in Belfast, Enniskillen, county Fermanagh, a specialist in funky jams; A Slice of Heaven, Newtownards, county Down; a producer of desserts; Kay's Kitchen, Craigavon, county Armagh, another producer of jams, ice cream maker Maud's from Carrickfergus, county Antrim; and Yummy Bakes, Newtownabbey, also county Antrim, a recently launched company specialising in handcrafted shortbread and oat meal biscuits.
Heavenly Tasty Organics, from Omagh, county Tyrone, will be aiming to win the baby food category, a new section for 2013.
The National Irish Food Awards celebrate and reward the very best tasting Irish food and drink products, and the passionate, driven producers who make them.
Irish companies, North and South, were invited to submit products that are commercially available to the public in at least three outlets. The products were then tasted by over 60 judges, in two tranches, resulting in the winning products being awarded gold, silver and bronze medals in more than 50 categories.
The event involves the biggest blind tasting of produce on the island of Ireland, and the criteria on which the product is judged as well as the judging system itself was created by the Food Sciences Department of University College Cork.
The Blas na hEireann Awards is a non-for profit organisation, and was created by a group of Irish producers so that quality benchmarks could be established for Irish produce on a level playing field.
Established in 2007, the Dingle Food Festival showcases the quality of the food that is locally produced.
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.
The Northern Ireland Shortlist 2013
Allied Mills, Belfast -baking flours
Armagh Cider, Armagh - ciders
ART, Bangor - bakery products
A Slice of Heaven, Newtownards - cakes and desserts
Baked in Belfast, Enniskillen - jams
Crust and Crumb Bakery, Derrylin - pizzas
Dale Farm Dairies, Belfast - butter, cheese, yoghurt and desserts
Doherty and Gray, Ballymena - meat products including sausages
DJ's Juices and Ciders, Lisburn - ciders and apple juice
Fivemiletown Creamery, Fivemiletown - speciality cheeses
Genesis Bakery, Magherafelt - traditional Irish breads and cakes
Harnett's Oils, Craigavon - culinary oils including cold-pressed rapeseed oil
Heavenly Tasty Organics, Omagh - baby-weaning meals
Johnson's Coffee, Lisburn - ground coffees
Kay's Kitchen, Craigavon - jams
Linden Foods, Dungannon - meat products
Mac Ivor's Cider, Craigavon - artisan ciders
Mash Direct, Comber - potato and convenience meals
Maud's Ice Cream, Carrickfergus - ice cream
Willowbrook Foods, Killinchy - vegetable and potato products
Yummy Bakes, Newtownabbey - handmade biscuits