Southern Clams was named the national seafood champion last night at the Outstanding Food Producer Awards in Auckland.
‘‘Very enjoyable and we can’t fault this product,’’ the judges said of the littleneck clams.
Southern Clams domestic sales and marketing manager Richard Ellwood said the clams grew in the wild in the places that were right for them.
They were harvested sustainably and their consistency ‘‘just seems to get better every year’’, he said.
‘‘Blueskin Bay is an absolute powerhouse of clam production and has been for a very long time, and anybody who’s been out there looking for clams knows this,’’ Mr Ellwood said.
‘‘The harbour’s pretty exceptional, too.’’
Mr Ellwood said he did not have a speech prepared at the awards.
‘‘I dedicated the win to every harvester that had ever been out in all sorts of atrocious weather to harvest clams for us.’’
