UK quality gold for Irish Black Butter

In addition to the success of Alastair Bell’s Irish Black Butter, there were other medals for White’s Oats of Tandragee for its porridge oats and Kilkeel’s Crawford’s Rock, an innovator in seaweed salts and other products.

White’s gained silver and bronze for its oats and Crawford’s Rock a bronze.

All three are longstanding Food NI member companies.

The Quality Food gold is the latest in a string of awards for Irish Black Butter which also gained first business with Marks and Spencer. The coveted awards are the most important in the UK for the grocery sector.

Irish Black Butter was formed by businessman Alastair Bell at Portrush in 2017 as “a great new taste of Ireland” from Armagh Bramley apples, cider, a touch of brandy, treacle, sugar and spices for spreading, cooking, baking or mixing. “I am absolutely thrilled to have won this hugely important recognition from the grocery sector in the UK,” says Alastair. It’s a real bonus coming so soon after our listing by M&S and should help increase awareness of our product in the grocery sector in Britain.

“Winning a Quality Food Award is an outstanding achievement. It means that my product has been judged to be the very best by renowned industry experts – and that really is something to shout about,” he adds.

Now in its 45th year, the Quality Food Awards are the longest-running, most prestigious food awards in the UK; they cast a spotlight on products that offer fine ingredients, great taste and aroma, beautiful packaging and amazing value for money.

The awards are not just about new products – the judges were looking to reward excellence in food and soft drinks, regardless of when a product was launched. If it tastes great and looks great, a well-established product is as eligible to win an award as one that was launched in the past 12 months.