Magnificent Seven Gold Awards for Northern Ireland
Seventeen Northern Irish companies secured a record 33 top awards, including an unprecedented seven golds, in Ireland's most prestigious food and drink competition.
The Northern Irish companies set records in the Bas na hEireann, National Irish Food Awards, the results of which were announced at the weekend and are held as a part of the annual Dingle Food Festival, among the biggest food events of its kind in Ireland.
Among the most successful Northern Irish companies in the prestigious annual competition were Heavenly Tasty Organics from Omagh that dominated the recently introduced Baby Foods category. Heavenly Tasty, formed by Shauna McCarney-Blair, gained all three medals, Gold, Silver and Bronze in the new Baby Foods category and was named as the winner of the Enterprise Ireland Export Opportunity Award.The Baby Food category was introduced for the first time in 2013.
Harnett's Oils, from Waringstown picked up the AIB Business Diversification Award, Best in Farmer's Market Award as well as a Bronze award for its Rapeseed Oil in the Oils & Vinegar Category.
Fivemiletown Creamery, Tyrone, the market leader in speciality soft cheese, won Gold, Silver and Bronze for its soft cheese, including Ballybrie and Ballyblue, and ice cream. The creamery's traditional IrishBoilie marinatedgoat's cheese also gained a Chef's Choice Award. Donegal Rapeseed from Castlederg, a third Tyrone business, won Gold in Oils and DJ's Ciders and Juices of Lisburn, county Antrim was the Gold winner in the Cider category.
Other Gold winners were Crust and Crumb, from county Fermanagh, for hot stuffing, Maud's, county Antrim, for its ice cream and Genesis Bakery, county Londonderry, for its Stollen Loaf.
The latest achievements at Dingle follow the outstanding successes of Northern Irish artisan producers at the recent Great Taste Awards, the annual competition run by the UK Guild of Fine Food, which saw a record nine Northern Ireland products listed in the Top 50 Foods. Some 65 local companies gained an all-time record of almost 300 gold stars in the UK Great Taste Awards.
The National Irish Food Awards celebrate and reward the very best tasting Irish food and drink products, and the passionate, driven producers who make it.
Now entering their seventh year, the awards are open to all Irish companies, North and South. Entries are 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 awards are the biggest blind tasting of produce in the country, and the criteria on which the product is judged as well as the judging system itself was created by the Food Sciences Department of UCC.
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.
The Northern Ireland award winners at Blas na hEireann 2013 -National Irish Food Awards
Allied Mills / Neill's, Belfast: Silver for Pantry Brown Bread Mix in Ready Mix Cakes & Breads - Bread category and Silver for The Pantry Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix in the Ready Mix Cakes & Breads - Sweet category.
Armagh Cider Company,Armagh: Silver in Cider category.
ART, Bangor: Silver for Raspberry and Vodka Preserve in Preserve category.
Crust and Crumb Bakery, Derrylin: Gold for Premium Range Rosemary & Red Onion Stuffing and Bronze for Premium range Apple, Celery & Apricot Stuffing in Ready Meals and Prepared Foods - Hot -Stuffing category.
DJ's Ciders and Juices, Lisburn: Gold for Tempted? Summer Sweet Cider and Bronze for Tempted? Strawberry Cider in Cider category.
Dale Farm Ltd,Belfast: Silver for Dromona Mature Cheddar and Bronze for Dromona Medium Cheddar in Cheese -Hard category.
Donegal Rapeseed Co Ltd,Castlederg: Hotel and Catering Review Chef's Choice Award for Curry Infused Oil & Gold for Donegal Pure Rapeseed Oil with Lemon in Oils & Vinegars Category.
Fivemiletown Creamery, Fivemiletown: Hotel and Catering Review Chef's Choice for Boilie Goats Cheese; Gold for Boilie Goats Cheese Pearls in a Garlic Infused Oil and Silver for Supervalu Irish Brie Wedge in the Cheese - Soft category; Bronze for Strawberry Ice Cream in Ice Cream and Sorbets Category & Bronze for Irish Soft Blue Brie in Cheese - Blue category
Genesis Bakery, Magherafelt: Gold for Supervalu your local Bakery Stollen loaf in Christmas Cakes, Pies and Crumbles, Other category & Silver in the Bread & Cakes sponsored by Andrew Ingredients - Bread - Soda category.
Harnett's Oils, Craigavon: AIB Business Diversification Award; Best in Farmers' Market Award and Bronze for Harnetts Rapeseed Oil in Oils & Vinegar Category.
Heavenly Tasty Organics,Omagh: Best Export Opportunity Award sponsored by Enterprise Ireland and Gold for Minced Beef & Potato, Silver for Spaghetti Bolognese and Bronze for Lentil & Vegetable Soup awards in Baby Food category.
Johnson's Coffee, Lisburn: Silver for Johnson's Bellagio in Hot Beverages - Coffee category.
Kay's Kitchen, Craigavon: Best in Farmers' Market Award and Bronze for Organic Tomato & Onion Chutney in the Chutney category sponsored by Garvey Group.
Mash Direct Ltd, Comber: Bronze for Green Cabbage in the Ready Meals & Prepared Foods - Hot - Vegetarian category.
Maud's, Carrickfergus: Gold for Poor Bears Delight Ice Cream in Ice Cream and Sorbets category.
Slice of Heaven, Newtownards: Bronze for Strawboffee in Puddings and Desserts category.
Willowbrook Farm Foods, Killinchy: Bronze for Cheese Coleslaw in Ready Meals and Prepared Foods - Cold - Vegetarian category.
Pic Caption: Shauna McCarney-Blair, founder of Heavenly Tasty Organics.