Food NI members win Great British Food Awards
Eggs, sauces, vinegars and pickles from Northern Ireland have been voted among the best food and drink in Britain.
Four local artisans – all Food NI members – have won gold, silver and bronze awards in the annual Great British Food Awards for eight foods, the most ever won by local
companies.
The overall Northern Ireland winner was Cavanagh Free Range Eggs in
Newtownbutler, Co Fermanagh which won the title as “Sustainable Egg Producer” of the year. The family-run business also collected two silvers for its six breakfast eggs and 12 medium eggs.
The judges praised “the delectable taste of Northern Ireland’s eggs with this pack of 6 Breakfast Free Range Eggs. Bursting with flavour” “They make every breakfast delightful treat. The quality is apparent in their rich and vibrant yolks, a testament to the hens’ welfare. Knowing they are well looked after only adds to the satisfaction of enjoying these delicious eggs.”
Cavanagh Free Range Eggs is owned and managed by husband and wife team John and Eileen Hall, who said they were “delighted by this outstanding recognition of the Fermanagh company’s success”.
The other big winners in the awards were Burren Balsamics of Richhill, Co Armagh; and Lo and Slow BBQ Sauces from Derry. Burren, which is run by founder Susie Hamilton Stubber and Bob McDonald, both respected chefs, gained gold awards for three products – pickled tomatoes; proper digestive biscuits and wild garlic, salt and pepper mill.
Raymond Blanc described Burren’s proper digestive biscuits, as “a Great British Biscuit, showcasing modern artisanal baking”.
Derry’s Lo&Slo BBQ Sauces, owned and run by Emily McCorkell, won gold for its Screaming Banshee Ghost Chilli and Seaweed Blend and silvers for Chilli Mop Sauce and Sweet and Smoky. Gary Stewart, head chef at the Tartine restaurant in the Distiller’s Arms in Bushmills won silver for his pickled sauce and bronze for his raspberry and apple sauce.
Launched in 2014 the Great British Food Awards to celebrate the country’s finest artisanal produce, as well as the hard-working people behind the scenes. This year, the awards were bigger and better than ever, with lots of new categories and amazing celebrity judges such as celebrity chefs Raymond Blanc, Oliver Marlowe; Michel Roux Jnr and Shaun Rankin.
