Henderson’s team of chefs behind its The Chef range are celebrating after receiving their first ever star at the 2020 Great Taste Awards.

Just 10 months after launching, the range’s Thai Green Chicken Curry has been commended by the judges of the coveted awards as “rich, full flavour… [which] added an air of authenticity” and “a cut above the norm in terms of ready meals”, resulting in a 1-star accolade for the dish created by chef Carl Johannesson and his team of cooks working from the £500,000 kitchen facilities in Randalstown.

Speaking of the win, Fresh Foods Director Neal Kelly said his product development team have put huge amounts of effort into creating a delicious yet convenient range for today’s shopper; “Achieving 1-star for our The Chef Thai Green Chicken Curry is a fantastic nod towards the amount of research, tasting and developing our team has put into all the recipes. I am absolutely delighted for them, and that the range is getting the recognition it deserves.

“Since launching The Chef in late 2019, we have received rave reviews of Chef Carl and his team’s creations, providing flavoursome options for easy homecooked meals, with restaurant finesse. Recently, we expanded the range with 13 new products, including six new Under 500 Calorie dishes, taking the number of recipes Carl has created for the range to over 50. We’re excited to launch the winter additions for shoppers to try very soon.”

Other products from Henderson Wholesale which were recognised in the 2020 Awards included the Chocolate Brownie Pudding from the company’s Desserts by The Kitchen range, also developed using local ingredients from local producer Davison’s Puds.

Judges commented “this warm brownie has a deep chocolatey aroma with generous chunks of chocolate studded on top…” and that “it certainly delivers a quick, indulgent hit”.

This is the fifth year Henderson Wholesale has been successful in the Great Taste Awards with 2019 being the most successful, picking up a total of seven stars across five sweets in The Kitchen range.

Neal concluded; “working with local suppliers and their fantastic ingredients means we can produce some of the best fresh products for our shoppers, ensuring our authentic foodie credentials don’t go unnoticed.

“We’d like to congratulate all winners this year, particularly during our most challenging in business to date, who are keeping Northern Ireland on the map as a top foodie destination.”

Great Taste, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, is the acknowledged benchmark for fine food and drink. Over 500 judges from all corners of the world blind-taste in teams to ensure the best balance of expertise.

 

For more on the Great Taste Awards visit greattasteawards.co.uk.

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