The judges
Our panels.
Our judges bring expertise from food science, nutrition, retail, and—most importantly—living experience of consuming gluten free food products.
Coeliacs
who must stick to a gluten free diet for health reasons
Chefs
with experience catering for gluten free diners
Food writers and critics
journalists, writers, bloggers and others with food interest
Consumers
who choose to live a gluten free lifestyle for various reasons
Parents of coeliacs
who navigate parenting a child with special dietary needs
Nutritionists & Dietitians
providing specialist support to those with gluten intolerance or dietary issues
How it works
Our process.
All tastings are conducted blind, with products scored on flavour, texture, appearance, and overall enjoyment.
- 01
Judging begins with an assessment period, during which entries are assessed to ensure that they meet the relevant criteria and rules of entry.
- 02
Our judging process takes place over a four week period, in September, with the Glass Trophy Judging in October, for our special awards.
- 03
Judging is completed by panels of judges that comprise of industry specialists, food writers, food bloggers and consumers of gluten free products.
- 04
Judges make their evaluation based on quality, flavour, aroma, texture, ingredients, and technical aspects.
- 05
Judging is ‘blind’, i.e., judges are NOT informed of the name of the manufacturer/producer of any product until an initial decision is made regarding the winners of the category.
- 06
Judges are supplied with information regarding each product and this includes ingredients list, preparation instructions etc.
- 07
Following the initial decision the packaging will be revealed to the judging panel. The packaging will be re-examined to ensure the product meets the gluten free criteria, following which the winning products will be awarded a Gold, Silver, Bronze, Merit and/or Innovation Award.
- 08
Gold Award winners will be automatically entered and assessed for the ‘Product of the Year Award’.
- 09
All product ranges will be considered for our ‘Product Range of The Year Award’.
- 10
Retailers are entered into ‘Retailer of The Year’.
- 11
We also have a Judges Award for products that stand out to judges, as well as Innovation awards, for those that raise the bar and bring something different to the gluten free marketplace.
- 12
We also present the ‘Lisa Acton Small Producer of The Year Award‘, in memory of our late director, Lisa Acton, which champions those small producers doing great things.
Join the panel
Become a judge.
If you are coeliac, a parent of a coeliac, have a gluten intolerance, are living a gluten free lifestyle, or have some other specific interest in gluten free food, we’d love to hear from you.
Judges give one day or more of their time across the four weeks of judging. In return, you and a guest are invited to our Gala Presentation awards night.
Meet the panel
Our judges.
Maria McHale
Diagnosed coeliac in adulthood, Maria McHale has judged with the FreeFrom Food Awards for ten years, being our first Irish Panel Chair, in year one, in the Mansion House. Over the years Maria's involvement has led to her presenting at the Awards Ceremonies, as well as being a stalwart part of our Steering Committee. Maria McHale is an award-winning journalist and editor with more than twenty years of experience in health and wellness writing. She has worked as a political reporter, news editor, features editor, and editor and is currently the presenter of a weekly radio show called Life Unfiltered on NearFM. With both a professional and personal investment in the gluten free category, Maria has spent many years writing about the challenges and opportunities facing those who navigate food intolerance and dietary restriction in a market that has not always made it easy. Alongside her journalism, Maria works as a speaker, MC and mentor to creative people and is a co-founder of Writers Ink, the writing community which has produced a number of debut authors since it launched in 2019.
Derek Thompson
Derek, with wife Tina and son Mike, runs glutenfreeireland.com, which they established when Tina was diagnosed coeliac over fifteen years ago. Supported by social media and regular emails to subscribers, the website provides information on where coeliacs can eat out safely anywhere on the island of Ireland. It also provides a platform for gluten free food producers to market products directly to the GF community. Derek has judged with the food awards for ten years and was a joint recipient of the Special Services to the Industry Award in 2017, with his wife Tina. He can be contacted at derek@glutenfreeireland.com.
Tina Thompson
Tina was diagnosed with coeliac disease over fifteen years ago and as a result established the website glutenfreeireland.com with husband Derek and son Mike. The Gluten Free Ireland website helps to provide information, raise awareness and ensure that coeliacs can find places to eat or stay around Ireland, and they continue to advocate on behalf of coeliacs. Tina has judged with the food awards for ten years and was a joint recipient of the Special Services to the Industry Award in 2017, with her husband Derek.
Shane Smith
Shane Smith is the owner of NI Media, who produced YesChef Magazine and run the YesChef Awards, The Irish Hotel Awards, The Irish Takeaway Awards and The Irish Bar & Cocktail Awards. He has judged with the FreeFrom Food Awards Ireland for most of our ten years, and now looks forward to judging the Gluten Free Food Awards. Shane says: “The FreeFrom sector of the market has grown and evolved to suit market demands of today's consumer. The quality of many of the products we have sampled over the years has developed exponentially from basic and bland to equalling many standard offerings and quite often outshining some off the shelf products. My belief is that programmes such as the Gluten Free Food Awards bring these consumer demands to light within the industry, where companies simply have to listen to what the people want.”
Aisling Devlin Campbell
Aisling is an experienced singer, teacher and performer with many years of directing and musical directing experience. She has directed for several musical societies, Hammer and Nail Productions and for Ashbourne Drama Society. She runs her own company Sing & Smile with Aisling, doing what she loves — teaching children from 6 months to pre-school the benefits that singing and mindfulness bring. She currently runs classes in Dunshaughlin, Ratoath and Dunboyne and works in pre-schools, including Forever Friends, Happy Days and the Naíonra. She also runs successful camps during midterms and summer. Aisling has a particular interest in working with children with special needs and is experienced in dealing with special dietary needs. This will be her tenth year judging with the food awards. She has been a member of our steering committee and has assisted in presenting awards some years.
Lucy Hutchinson
Lucy is a 20 year old college student, currently studying medicine, and has been a coeliac since she was 18 months old. Having worked with John and Emma for many years, she strongly advocates for the gluten free community, especially on behalf of children and young adults. Growing up with coeliac disease is such a challenge, and she is honoured to be part of the process behind the Gluten Free Food Awards.
Dee Carty
Diagnosed with coeliac disease in her mid-20s, Dee comes from a family of eight, four of whom have coeliac, while the others live with a range of allergies and autoimmune conditions. A certified professional with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and 15 years in the catering industry, she is dedicated to supporting safe, inclusive, and delicious gluten-free dining, and is honoured to be a judge for the Gluten Free Food Awards.
Donna Breen
Donna was diagnosed as coeliac in her early 20s after many years of misdiagnosis. A passionate foodie, she loves to try new gluten free foods, educate others and share the odd GF tidbit on her Instagram @gfcailin.
Niamh Lynch
Niamh was diagnosed coeliac in 2019 and previously judged at the FreeFrom Food Awards in 2023. A food safety and allergen regulation researcher, she is currently completing an MSc in Socio-Legal Studies at the University of Bristol, specialising in food law, and is delighted to be part of the judging panel again this year.
Hayley Spollen
Hayley is a secondary school teacher and mum of three, including one mini coeliac. She is hugely passionate about advocacy and raising awareness of coeliac disease, and shares their gluten free journey as a content creator on Instagram at @sophiascoeliaclife.
Bernie O'Driscoll
Bernie is the creator behind @mysocalledcoeliaclife, a popular Instagram page dedicated to gluten free living and raising awareness of coeliac disease. Passionate about supporting fellow coeliacs, she shares her experiences, discovers and reviews gluten free products, and celebrates the businesses that make gluten free living easier.
Liz Forte
Liz Forte is a passionate advocate for the coeliac and gluten free community in Ireland. Living with coeliac disease herself, she understands the importance of safe, high-quality gluten free food and is committed to making life easier for others following a gluten free diet. As Community Manager of the Gluten Free in Ireland Facebook community, she helps thousands of members discover safe places to eat, trusted products, and practical advice while raising awareness of coeliac disease. Liz is proud to support the Gluten Free Food Awards, celebrating the innovation, dedication, and excellence of the producers, retailers, and hospitality businesses that go above and beyond for the gluten free community.
Alisha McLoughlin
Alisha, age 11, has been coeliac for 2 years. She loves trying new foods — the spicier, the better! She is a talented artist and wants to be an illustrator and publish her first book, “Agent Fox”. Alisha lives in Dublin but also loves visiting her family in Sligo. Alisha loved being a judge for the first time in 2025. She got to try new foods and learned that there were many more options for gluten free foods than she knew about. She also met other children with coeliac disease for the first time.
Mary Kennedy
Mary was diagnosed with coeliac disease in 1996, having suffered from extreme fatigue, accompanied by loss of appetite, digestive problems and weight loss. The range and availability of gluten free products was quite limited, and Mary is thankful that there is now much tastier food, widely available, and a broad range of high quality gluten free products on the market. There is also greater public awareness about coeliac disease, however it is still challenging, especially if accidentally glutened, or when there are no available or appetising gluten free options. Regardless, Mary's coeliac diagnosis was welcome, because it solved the mystery of her symptoms and marked the beginning of a return to full health. Mary judged at the FreeFrom Food Awards Ireland in 2025 for the first time. She feels it is great to see so many new high quality products coming on the market and she always looks forward to trying them out.
Mary M
Mary M is an archaeologist and coeliac based in Co. Kildare. Diagnosed in 2008, Mary is passionate about making food, hospitality and tourism more accessible to people with dietary requirements. She has started @coffeeinkildare on Instagram, to highlight gluten free options in coffee shops across the county, combining a love of coffee (and food) with her interest in Kildare's landscapes, heritage and culture.
Sinead O'Dowd
Diagnosed with coeliac disease at 35, Sinead has a personal understanding of the importance of great gluten free food — not just from a quality perspective, but in terms of safety, flavour and enjoyment. She has been a judge for the FreeFrom Food Awards for the past seven years, giving her the opportunity to discover and assess some of the fantastic gluten free products available. Professionally, Sinead has worked as an RTD Development Chemist at Irish Distillers, part of Pernod Ricard, for the past four years. Her role in product development has given her a strong understanding of ingredients, flavour, sensory evaluation and product quality, which she brings to her judging. She is passionate about championing high-quality gluten free products and helping recognise the brands and producers who are raising the standard of gluten free food and drink. Sinead is really looking forward to the transition from the FreeFrom Food Awards to the Gluten Free Food Awards in 2026, and to continuing her journey as a judge. It is exciting to see the awards evolve and to be part of celebrating the fantastic range of innovative, high-quality gluten free products available.