Gourmet Irish granola takes top cereal prize at The Irish Food Quality Awards
The Maria Lucia Bakes Cranberry, Coconut and Chia Seed granola scooped the award for Best Cereal at The Irish Food Quality Awards
Print28 September 2015
Maria Betts has been celebrating after winning ‘Best Cereal in Ireland’ for her Maria Lucia Bakes Cranberry, Coconut and Chia Seed granola at the Irish Food Quality Awards held in Dublin this week. The Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards, now in their third year, are open to all Irish retailers, producers and manufacturers across the whole of Ireland.
“Winning such a prestigious award in the highly competitive cereal category against so many well established brands has given our small business a major boost of confidence,” said Maria “This award will give both retailers and consumers alike, the motivation to give our granola a try and I feel it will really help to grow our business.”
The Irish Quality Food & Drink Awards follow stringent procedures to arrive at their results. Judging took place between 1 – 17 July 2015 at the Dublin Institute of Technology’s School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology. Judging panels comprise highly respected Irish food and drink experts, bringing together the widest possible pool of knowledge. The products are judged on specific criteria including taste, flavour, texture, aroma, ingredients list, innovation, packaging, presentation and price point.
The award-winning cereal is hand-baked gluten, wheat and dairy-free along with the other products in her range Cashew, Almond and Cinnamon, Apricot and Walnut with a hint of treacle. The Cashew, Almond and Cinnamon granola came Highly Commended in Small Producer Gold Award at the IQFA. The granolas are made with jumbo gluten free oats, packed full of seeds and nuts infused with a little honey or treacle, natural vanilla and spices. They are gently baked in small batches to toast the nuts and seeds and give a delicate crunch.
Inspirational home baked food goes way back to childhood for Betts, growing up in Glendalough, Co.Wicklow, her family had a tearooms, guesthouse and antique shop and she was baking with her family from an early age.
Betts set up her business, Maria Lucia Bakes in November 2013 when she was inspired to make a special breakfast for a friend who was gluten intolerant. She has also won other awards including the Great Taste Award in 2014 for her Cashew Almond & Cinnamon Granola.
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