Catering Update/Caterer & Hotelkeeper Excellence in Food & Drink Awards
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Authenticity was a key word in this year's Caterer Group Excellence in Food & Drink Awards, run in association with 3663 First for Foodservice. With consumers becoming ever more discerning, the challenge to food and drink manufacturers is to develop products that help caterers meet their customers' growing demands. And the demand for authentic products, along with healthy and added-value products, is certainly growing.
Over the four days of judging at the London Nautical School in Blackfriars, our panel of chefs, operators and product development experts sifted through hundreds of food and drink products to find what they considered to be the cream of the crop.
From the 12 category winners they chose Brahim's Malaysian Nyonya Sauce, which delivered authenticity by the bucketload, as the Gold Excellence Award winner. One of a range of Brahim's sauces, Malaysian Nyonya Sauce was developed over seven months to plug what the company identified as a gap in the market for authentic sauces and new regional flavours. The aim was to offer an alternative to sauces on the market that have been specifically tailored to the English palate.
The cook-and-serve sauce is made in Malaysia by Dewina Food Industries using a combination of local produce, herbs and spices, and presented in a sealed sachet making at least 10 servings and offering excellent portion control. The judges were bowled over by the flavour and home-made look of the sauce, which captures the delicate aromas and flavours of Malaysia and satisfies an increasing demand for more adventurous cuisine.
The other 11 category winners were similarly heaped with praise for meeting other important criteria, such as ease of service, versatility, value for money and great taste.
Predictably, there was no shortage of comments about the products in the Kids' Award category, which was judged this year by a group of 24 eight- and nine-year-olds who attend the Robin Hood Junior School in Sutton, Surrey. Perhaps less predictable was their appreciation of the healthy aspects of some of the products, such as being low in sugar or fat, or without artificial flavours or colours - although it was a sweet treat which got their vote in the end.
The winners were announced at an awards lunch held at London's Dorchester hotel.
Category Shortlists and Winners
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