The best new frozen food products in both retail and foodservice have been recognised at a glittering awards ceremony in London.
The annual British Frozen Food Federation’s (BFFF) Product Awards showcase the finest innovations and product excellence across the frozen category, culminating in an awards event and Gala Dinner Dance at the Park Lane London Hilton on June 13th.
Paramount 21 Ltd took home the Foodservice Product of the Year with its headed and gutted coated whitebait, which is Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified.
The BFFF competition received entries from across the industry with the overall winners being selected from categories across both retail and foodservices, including Best New Ethnic or World Cuisine Product, Best New Bakery Product, Best New Starter Product, as well as special awards for innovation.
The retail awards are unique in that the winners are judged by panels of independent consumers from across the UK who mark the products for appearance, taste, innovation, packaging, preparation instructions, likelihood of purchase and value for money.
The winning products in all retail categories received high praise from the judges, with Aldi’s mince pie and brandy butter ice-cream – which picked up the Gold Award for Best New Ice Cream – described as ‘perfection’ and ‘a must-have for Christmas’.
Strong Roots Food Company made such an impact with its broccoli and purple carrot bites it was honoured with the Special Award for Innovation within retail, with one judge saying: “Loved everything about this product.”
Meanwhile in the foodservice awards, the Gold Award for Best New Ingredient, Component, Accompaniment Product went to Patchwork Foods Ltd for its bacon jam. The same product also picked up the Special Award for Innovation. Praised for its ‘unique flavour’ and ‘strong, balanced bacon taste’, the judges were impressed by its versatility as a savoury accompaniment.
The foodservice awards are well respected throughout the catering industry as all the entries are impartially judged by representatives of the prestigious Craft Guild of Chefs, who, as executive chefs, catering managers and recipe developers, are expert in their field and uncompromising in their assessments of the entries.
Richard Harrow, BFFF chief executive, said: “This is my first awards event as chief executive and I am incredibly proud of the hard work and creativity demonstrated by all the entrants and the BFFF team. The impressive innovation happening across frozen is incredibly encouraging, especially considering the important role the sector has to play as we look towards a future of increased value for the consumer and decreased food waste for us all.
He added: “Our Product Awards are testimony to the dynamism and development within the frozen category. Standards were exceptionally high, showcasing the very best in new product development and innovation. I’ve been really encouraged by the number of businesses and brands putting their products forward, which speaks volumes about the confidence they have in their offering, as well as the future of frozen.
“We are looking forward to being able to further recognise and reward the people behind the products with the upcoming BFFF People Awards, entries for which open later this summer.”
For more information about the BFFF Product Awards, please visit www.bfffproductawards.co.uk
Success for Brakes in the BFFF Awards
We were delighted with our 4 BFFF Awards, for our products to be judged and recognised by members of the Craft Guild of Chefs is a real honour.
The winning product lines were:
GOLD in the Free From, Meat Free, Vegetable category
F122506 Beetroot, Red Pepper & Quinoa Burger.
Suitable for vegans and vegetarians this panko style burger meets the needs of operators looking to offer a tasty vegan alternative on their menus. Simply cook from frozen in 6-7 minutes, this also offers a time and labour-saving option for busy chefs.
SILVER in the Fish category –
F123955 M&J Seafood MSC Atlantic Haddock with Soba Noodles & Vegetables in a Miso Sauce.
This is a perfect meal solution for those operators who may struggle with skill levels in the kitchen, allowing them to offer a sustainably sourced fish option on their menu that cooks from frozen in 8-9 minutes.
SILVER in the Dessert, Ice Cream, Confectionary category
F123056 Brakes Chocolate Soufflé
Insight told us that there was a lack of patisserie chefs in the restaurant industry, which is why we developed this soufflé. It comes in a white ceramic ramekin and is suitable for vegetarians.
BRONZE in the Ethnic or World Cuisine category
F34360 Brakes Chicken Murgh Makhani.
These individual portions of marinated chicken breast come in a cream and butter sauce with spices such as masala, ginger, fenugreek, coriander and cumin. Coming in a pack of 12 x 300g it allows operators to use as required, therefore minimising any waste.
Reader enquiries – Tel: 01233 206000 or visit www.brake.co.uk
Caterforce Have Great Success at BFFF Product Awards
Leading foodservice buying group, Caterforce, had great success at BFFF Product Awards where they won a silver award for their own-brand Chefs’ Selections American Battered Chicken Fillet.
There are currently just over 350 products in the Chefs’ Selections range, and they are adding to it all the time. Chefs’ Selections is a major focus for Caterforce, and they are passionate about delivering the right product for their customers.
“We’re extremely product to have received a silver award for our American Battered Chicken Fillet,” says Gary Mullineux, Caterforce Buying Director. “These awards are renowned in the frozen food industry and we’re delighted that the judges recognised this great quality product from our range.”
Gary added: “Chefs’ Selections has gone from strength to strength since its inception and is a key area of focus for us this year. The range provides good quality, cost effective alternatives to more expensive everyday industry food products. We have spent significant time and resource developing and improving the products including extensive taste testing, enhanced technical support, benchmarking and regular quality assurance reviews. The existing products and upcoming ranges are available exclusively through our members.”
The award-winning range has been a huge success since its launch in 2012 and has grown into a £50m+ brand.
View the Caterforce Group’s ranges at www.caterforce.co.uk or visit 01625 440 188.
Product Innovation Ensures Bidfood Lead The Way
The Bidfood team has yet again demonstrated that we’re leading the way in foodservice product innovation by celebrating four award wins across three categories in this year’s BFFF product awards.
Having won gold in the ‘best new dessert and ice cream product’ category in 2016 and 2018 respectively, Bidfood is fast becoming known as the go-to choice for dessert menu inspiration. We were therefore delighted to be awarded a gold for our Premium Selection Salted Caramel Figgy Pudding and a bronze for our Premium Selection Triple Chocolate Calypso Mousse in the same category this year.
Additional wins in 2019 included a gold award for our Premium Selection Jewelled Carrot cake in ‘best new bakery product’ and a further silver award followed for our Everyday Favourites Gluten Free Carrot Loaf Cake in the ‘best new free-from, meat-free or vegetable based product’ category.
Andy Small, Campaign & Brand Controller at Bidfood said, “Our mission is to deliver service excellence and help our customers to grow, and we do this through providing product inspiration that will have appeal across a wide range of foodservice channels.
“Through our portfolio of Bidfood Brands, which includes Farmstead meat, Black+White Coffee Co., Unity Wines, Beers and Spirits, Catering Supplies and Equipment to name a few, along with the our cross-category brands under Premium Selection and Everyday Favourites, we are always striving to ensure we can offer our customers great choice, quality, value for money and consistency, whilst also tapping into key market insights to ensure we’re always ahead of trends in our product developments.
“I’m delighted that these qualities are being recognised by the BFFF through their product awards, which reinforces these messages and gives customers confidence in the quality of our Bidfood brand ranges.”
Reader enquiries – Tel: 01494 555900 or visit www.bidfood.co.uk
Lemon and Pepper Haddock Goujons
At Havelok Ltd we are proud to announce that our Lemon and Pepper Haddock Goujons has won a silver BFFF award for ‘Best New Starter.’ It is great to receive the recognition for our constant commitment to development.
It was important for us to use MSC Haddock to carry on our work in promoting sustainability wherever possible. Lemon and Pepper is a classic flavour profile which we thought perfectly complemented this beautiful Haddock. The product has a citrusy zing and a cracked black pepper breadcrumb, which gives the goujon its premium appearance.
This goujon is extremely versatile, as it can be used in a starter or sharing platter, or in a wrap as a ‘posh’ fish finger sandwich. Because of this it works in all arenas, for example pubs, cafés, care homes and schools.
We cannot wait for next year’s awards to showcase even more of our ever-growing portfolio of development.
Reader enquiries – Tel: 01472 267558 or visit www.havelokltd.co.uk
KK Fine Foods Continues Winning Streak
KK Fine Foods Ltd has continued its winning streak at the BFFF by taking home an impressive four awards this year, including two Gold awards!
KK Fine Foods’ Lamb, Apricot & Chickpea Tagine was awarded Gold in the ‘Best New Ethnic or World Cuisine Product’ category. KK’s experienced NPD team are renowned for their innovative world flavours and worked closely with the team at Giraffe World Kitchen to create this delicious and authentic recipe. Inspired by the trending flavours of the Middle East the tagine includes traditional harissa paste for a spicy kick and sweet apricots to balance the flavours. The lamb has been slow cooked for hours using sous vide technology to ensure it’s perfectly tender and succulent, helping to secure the Gold award.
KK’s second Gold of the evening was in the ‘Best New Starter Product’ category for their Mac Cheese Bites. Created in partnership with JD Wetherpsoon, this indulgent bite has a centre of macaroni pasta in a rich vintage cheddar, Scottish cheddar and mozzarella cheese sauce all coated in a crispy panko style crumb. The rich cheese sauce and crispy coating give this bite depth of flavour and texture, which led to it receiving the top award in the category.
Inspired by the huge trend of plant based eating, KK worked alongside JD Wetherspoon for another award winning dish; Sweet Potato, Chickpea & Spinach Curry. This delicious curry is not only vegan but also gluten free, making it a perfect free from option for JD Wetherpsoon diners. The flavours in this curry have been inspired by the modern Indian street food trend that is sweeping the UK and secured the dish a Silver award for ‘Best New Ethnic or World Cuisine Product’.
The final award of the evening for KK was a Bronze in the ‘Best New Meat Product’ category for their Beef Lasagne, a classic recipe that has been elevated with smoked streaky bacon and Chianti wine for a rich and flavoursome lasagne.
Managing Director, Samir Edwards said “We had an amazing evening and these awards demonstrate our commitment as a business to continually deliver high quality, innovative and most importantly, great tasting products to our valued customers. This award is a credit to the whole team at KK, who work tirelessly to ensure we create award winning food.
Reader enquiries – Tel: 01244 286200 or visit www.kkfinefoods.co.uk
Pacific West Foods Celebrate Two BFFF Awards
Pacific West Foods celebrated at the glittering BFFF awards ceremony, taking home two awards for their creative seafood. The Crispy Calamari and Cheese Bites were awarded bronze in the Best New Starter Product category; these individual seafood bites deliver a terrific flavour and a crispy bite, as stunning visually on the plate as they are to eat!
The second award was for the Tempura Crispy Battered Tropical Snapper, receiving a bronze in the Best New Fish Product category. These light and crispy tempura fillets work brilliantly as a starter or as part of a sharing platter, bringing a touch of the exotic to pub and restaurant menus, for the more adventurous diner.
Pacific West has been at the forefront of quality and innovation in frozen seafood for the last two decades. With total commitment to creative product devolvement and state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, it has grown to become one of the largest global seafood suppliers of raw and value-added seafood.
The demand for exciting seafood choices continues to grow across the Foodservice and Retail sectors with consumers keen to explore flavour trends and daring to try something different!
Martin Finegan at Pacific West said of the awards “The continued investment in our new product innovation has been recognised with these two prestigious awards from the BFFF. We will continue to create market leading, innovative seafood to help our customers stay ahead of trends and meet the growing pescatarian and flexitarian demand.”
To find out more, get in touch www.pacificwestfoods.co.uk or email enquiry@paccificwestfoods.co.uk