Manchester based The Authentic Food Company (TAFC) was recognised for their continuous efforts towards helping the environment.
3663 First For Foodservice rewarded the food manufacturing company for their dedication to their internal and external environments. The Authentic Food Company had to demonstrate the positive impact their strategic environmental approach has had on their business and they were judged on their efforts in all areas such as People, Product and Environment.
The Authentic Food Company picked up a coveted Gold and Silver award at the British Frozen Food Federation Annual Awards 2008 which was held on 12th June.
The Aromatic Thai King Prawn Curry which is infused with flavours from choi sum, spring onions, red peppers and whole lime leaf, collected the Gold award in the Best New Main Course / Meal Centre Product winning the award over entries from Brakes and Silver Hill Foods. To continue the success of the evening, the Sweet Potato, Chick Pea and Spinach Curry scooped the Silver award for Best New Meat Free / Vegetarian Product.
For the past 21 years the BFFF have held these prestigious awards which have been referred to as the “Oscars of the Frozen Food Industry”. These awards are a reflection of the high quality and product development within the frozen food market.
The Craft Guild of Chefs who were the judging panel and honored The Authentic Food Company, described the Aromatic Thai King Prawn Curry as a “great authentic taste with a great prawn and vegetable content” whilst another reported “a good spicy but subtle curry which looks clean and fresh with a good portion size”. The Sweet Potato, Chick Pea and Spinach Curry which is made from chunky sweet potatoes, fried and tossed in a rich, smooth coconut-flavoured sauce also won the judges over through its “good authentic flavours” who also commented that it was “nice and spicy and different”
Double take for the Authentic Food Company!
The Authentic Food Company has scooped two awards at this year’s prestigious Caterer and Hotelkeeper Excellence
in Food and Drink Awards.
Aromatic Thai King Prawn Curry received the honour in the Main Courses and Centre of Plate category, and in the shortlist for Vegetarian foods,
Sweet Potato, Chick Pea and Spinach Curry won the award over entries from Tilda and Brakes.
The awards demonstrate that The Authentic Food Company is at the forefront of innovation and quality in the frozen
food market.
The
Sweet Potato, Chick Pea and Spinach Curry was described as ‘bringing the Indian sector into the 21st Century’.
According to the judges it is a ‘delicious, natural and beautifully executed meal, with a superb taste and an excellent balance of spices’.
Made from chunky sweet potatoes, fried and tossed in a rich, smooth coconut-flavoured sauce, the dish can be served as a main course with naan bread or Kashmiri rice.
The judges hailed the company’s
Aromatic Thai King Prawn Curry as ‘nice and spicy’, with a character that provided
‘good flavours and a good combination of vegetables and spices’. Its excellent home-made look provided the visual appeal, and the judges concluded that is would be ‘hard to make one as good’.
Both dishes scored points for their ease of preparation and convenience, as well as their visual and oral appeal.
Nik Barsan, Managing Director at The Authentic Food Company, said:
“It was a great honour for us to be presented with two awards for two of our leading products, as this is the first time we have won Caterer and Hotelkeeper awards. This recognition really highlights the success of our new product
development strategy and strengthens our position and reputation in the marketplace.
“Our development chefs constantly strive to create innovative, high quality products that meet consumer demand. We take great pride in our heritage in Indian and Oriental foods so we are delighted to receive the awards, as we faced strong competition from entries from leading industry players.
Also highlighted for recognition were the company’s Sweet Chilli Chicken Baton in the Starters and Buffet products category, and Chicken Makhani in Main Courses and Centre of Plate shortlist.
The Authentic Food Company is a leading supplier of international dishes to pubs, bars, restaurants, hotels and the leisure industry across the UK.
The Authentic Food Company, the leading supplier of international fine foods to the foodservice sector, has been awarded the Investors In People standard for the fourth time in a row in recognition of our continuing focus on the way we manage our employees.
We currently employ over 180 people, and since the last review in 2003 it has increased by around a third. Despite this phenomenal level of growth, our attention has not been diverted away from the training and development of our employees, we received particular praise from the IIP Assessors for;
The Authentic Food Company’s ‘can do’ culture wins fourth IIP award in a row
Another impressive achievement was seen to be our success in passing information down from the senior management team to the workforce, as there are currently people from 22 different nationalities employed across our Sharston and Stockport sites. Regular performance appraisals, clear measurement criteria and a strong ‘team’ philosophy also helped us towards achieving our goal of a fourth successive Investors In People Standard.