D’Arta, Peppadew, Cook and itsu [grocery] won the top accolades at the 36th annual British Frozen Food Awards competition, which took place on June 20 at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London. The event celebrated quality, innovation and success across the frozen food sector, and this time was held in the milestone year of the industry’s centenary.
In 1924, Clarence Birdseye developed a method for flash-freezing food in the United States, thus launching the frozen food industry. It has changed beyond recognition since, and the British Frozen Food Awards present a great opportunity to highlight exciting new products being brought to the market.
The competition is split into two categories, retail and foodservice. The retail category was judged by 18 diverse consumer panels across the UK and professional chefs, who assess various aspects of the products. A panel of chefs then judge the foodservice entries.
Rupert Ashby, chief executive of the British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF), commented: “The quality and standard of the entries was superb across all the categories. Once the scores were cast, the Foodservice Product of the Year Award went to d’Arta for its Cuisin’ Easy Mambonito (pictured above), and Peppadew Bites (pictured below) won the Foodservice Innovation Product of the Year Award.”
Cook bagged the Retail Product of the Year Award for its Rhubarb and Custard Pudding (seen below), while itsu [grocery] took the Retail Innovation Product of the Year prize for its Chocolate Bao Buns (pictured at end of story).
In the retail categories, Iceland scooped two Gold Awards and two Silver Awards. Fullers Food International took home the Gold and Silver Awards for Best Bakery and Morning Goods, Freiberger UK Ltd.won two awards in Best Pizza or savory bread, and Agristo won the Best Potato Product Award.
For foodservice, Brakes won two Gold awards and four Bronze Awards, while Best New Ingredient went to Gerald McDonald & Co Ltd. for its Yuzu Juice, with Best Ice Cream going to Destiny Foods for its Artisan Ice Cream Mulled Wine Sorbet. Meadowvale Foods Ltd. won the Best Meat Main, and Paramount 21 won Best Fish Main with its Coquille St. Jacques.
BFFF’s Ashby added: “The frozen food industry has come so far in the last hundred years, and the award entries are a testament to that. I’m confident the industry will continue to thrive, with constant advancements and innovations being brought to the market.
“Using frozen food helps reduce waste, preserves nutrition, and no additives are needed in the products. It’s already a great option for foodservice and retail sectors and with the current quality and innovation on show, the next 100 years of success for frozen food should be very exciting.”
