Aldi Stores Ltd, Heron Foods, KK Fine Foods and Bannisters were among the big winners in the Frozen Food Awards 2022 competition on June 16, when the long-standing celebration of the best in frozen in the United Kingdom was held live for the first time since 2019. The event took place at The Brewery in London, as part of the British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF) Gala Dinner Dance evening.
Organized by the BFFF and running since 1988, the Awards recipients are recognized for the most innovative and creative new frozen food products launched in UK retail and foodservice channels.
Aldi scooped the prestigious Retail Product of the Year prize for its own label Specially Selected 4 Cheese & Onion Quarter Pounders (pictured above), while Heron won the Innovation Award for its Chippy Curry Battered Chicken Strips.
Aldi was the biggest winner overall, collecting five Gold Awards, closely followed by Iceland which won two Gold and three Silver Awards. M&S also shared in the success with a Gold Award for its Plant Kitchen No Chicken Gyoza, as well as collecting a Silver and a Bronze Award in other categories.
The retail awards are unique in that the winners are judged by panels of independent consumers from across the UK who mark the products blind for appearance, taste and aroma before moving onto asses them for innovation, packaging, preparation instructions, likelihood of purchase and value for money.
KK Fine Foods Mixed Aranci Takes Top Foodservice Prize
In the foodservice sector, KK Fine Foods claimed the Foodservice Product of the Year for its Mixed Arancini, and Bannisters’ Baby Hasselback Potatoes claimed the Innovation Award. Billington Food Group celebrated with two Gold Awards and KK Fine Foods also collected a second Gold Award for its Sri Lankan King Prawn & White Fish Curry.
The foodservice awards are widely 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.
“I am incredibly proud of the hard work and creativity demonstrated by all the entrants and the BFFF team,” said Richard Harrow, BFFF chief executive. “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: “The range and diversity of products entered into the awards this year was fascinating to analyze, with over 137 products entered. We were also delighted to see M&S enter our awards for the first time in many years. In foodservice, we had 73 products entered and I would like to thank the Craft Guild of Chefs for their ongoing support.”
