United Wines, the leading Northern Ireland drinks distributor, has secured an exclusive all-Ireland distribution deal with Titanic Distillers, Belfast’s newest premium Irish whiskey brand.

The partnership will see Craigavon-based United Wines handle all distribution for the whiskey through its extensive on- and off-trade customer base in Northern Ireland and the Republic – including more than 1,000 bars, restaurants, hotels, off licenses, cash and carries, regional wholesalers and national multiples.

“To say we are excited to have secured the exclusive distribution rights for Titanic Distillers Premium Irish Whiskey is an understatement,” said United Wines managing director Martin McAuley.

“To secure such a premium brand as Titanic Distillers is a real coup. The whiskey itself is second to none but the plans that the company has for a distillery on the very site where the Titanic was built, gives the brand a uniqueness and an authenticity that is impossible to recreate.

“Irish Whiskey is the fastest growing spirits category of the last 10 years with sales expected to double in the next 20 years.  We’re really looking forward to working together with Titanic Distillers to promote this truly unique brand and product.”

This year promises to be a massive one for Titanic Distillers. having already secured one of the most globally recognised brand names on the planet, it has also submitted plans to convert the historic Titanic Pump-House and Thompson Dock into a new distillery and world class tourist attraction.

Titanic Distillers commercial director Stephen Symington said: “We’re delighted to team up with United Wines as we launch Titanic Distillers Premium Irish Whiskey into the Irish market.

 “We’re very aware that, in Titanic Distillers, we have a big responsibility as custodians of a huge historic global brand that is synonymous with Belfast – so we have laboured long and hard to develop and create a premium Irish Whiskey brand of which Belfast and Northern Ireland can be very proud.

“In the days before Prohibition, Belfast was once the largest producer of Irish whiskey on the island of Ireland. We want to revive this great distilling tradition and bring Belfast back to the forefront of Irish Whiskey production. What better way to do that than with an authentic brand that we feel embodies the very spirit of Belfast and of the workers who built the Titanic.

“We are now collaborating with stakeholders and funders, including Invest NI, on some really exciting plans for the Titanic Pump-House and Dry Dock which will only serve to reinforce this spirit. We look forward to sharing these plans in due course.”

Titanic Distillers Premium Irish Whiskey, which is described as ‘full and rich with a smoky hint and a lingering finish’, is already listed in many of Belfast’s best-known pubs and hotels, including Bittles Bar, The Duke of York, Dark Horse and the Hastings Hotels group.

It retails at £34.95 for a 700ml bottle.

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Titanic Distillers commercial director Stephen Symington and United Wines managing director Martin McAuley toast their new partnership

Hellbent, the Belfast-based specialist in Northern Irish beef with spicy South African flavours, has achieved its first business in England following a deal with a leading food retailer in London.

The company, formed by former Ulster rugby stars Louis Ludic and Schalk van der Merwe, has begun supplying its award-winning Boerewors coiled beef sausages, burgers and meat balls to Planet Plenty Food and Wine which has food retail outlets with takeaway services in Fulham and Wandsworth.

The London breakthrough follows the small company’s success in winning business with Aldi supermarkets in Scotland in a deal assisted by business development agency Invest Northern Ireland.

The new business, according to Louis, is an outcome of Hellbent’s participation in the big Speciality and Fine Food Fair for artisan enterprises at London’s Olympia exhibition centre earlier in the month. “We had our own stand at the show, one of the most important in Britain due to the large number of food and drink buyers it attracts every year,” he adds.

“Planet Plenty buyers were among the many retail and foodservice representations visiting our stand during the show’s two days. Indeed, we were very impressed and encouraged by the interest shown in our fresh products in particular such as our Boerewors sausages, burgers and meat balls as well as our prepared Northern Irish pork dishes,” he continues.

Planet Plenty subsequently approached the two Hellbent directors to supply their meats for the London stores. “The order, our very first in London, was a tremendous boost for our marketing initiatives in Britain, a key market for us,” Louis says. “We are also following up other leads and hope to convert these into further business in the near future.

“Taking part in Speciality Fine Food, our first time at this impressive marketing opportunity, proved to be a very worthwhile initiative for us and encourages us to look at other events of this kind in Britain. The Planet Plenty business shows we have original products that the market wishes and that we are competitive,” adds Louis.

The company has also achieved success in the Republic with Aldi Ireland. Customers in Northern Ireland include Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Eurospar supermarkets.

Hellbent was established in March 2018 to develop a range of meat products including South African style boerewors beef sausages, burgers and meat balls. The company sources its meats from Corries farm and retail business near Newtownards.

Image: Louis Ludik, left, and Schalk van der Merwe of Hellbent in Belfast

Delicious and original food and drink from a range of local artisan companies from across the country will be showcased at this year’s Balmoral Show in the colourful Northern Ireland Food Pavilion organised by leading promotional body Food NI, and supported by the Northern Ireland Regional Food Programme, and Tourism NI.

Visit Balmoral Park from 22^nd – 25^th September where there will be hundreds of innovative products on Show. The NI Food and Drink Pavilion will host the biggest celebration of the outstanding tastes and rich flavours from local companies,including many which have won top awards for originality and quality in prestigious national and international food challenges. 

These high-profile food accolades include the UK Great Taste Awards, the Blas na hEireann Irish National Food Awards, the UK Food and Drink Quality Awards and the Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards where the smaller food and drink producers have ‘punched above their weight’ in such challenges for many decades. A host of excellent local companies including Milgro, Glastry Farm Ice Cream, Erin Grove, Ballylisk of Armagh, Kennedy Bacon, Natural Umber, Ke Nako Biltong and Irish Black Butter will be sampling and selling their products.

An exciting new addition to the Pavilion this September is the NI Food and Drink Experience Kitchen, supported by Tourism NI. Situated right in the heart of the Food Pavilion, the Experience Kitchen will provide a platform to showcase dozens of talented producers and foodie experiences from across Northern Ireland.

The Food NI Food Pavilion is one of the most popular attractions at the Balmoral Show and it provides opportunities for visitors to meet producers and learn how they hand craft the food and drink to ensure consistent quality and memorable flavours.

Virtually every sector in this vibrant industry, Northern Ireland’s largest single manufacturer and the only industry represented in every community, especially rural areas, will be featured in the pavilion. It’s an industry which generates over £5 billion annually to the local economy and contributes particularly to the wellbeing of rural communities. 

Food and drink products from local companies are now exported to over 60 global markets such as the Republic of Ireland, other parts of the EU, as well as the US, Middle East and Asia.

Food NI’s Chief Executive Michele Shirlow, commented, “It’s marvellous to be setting up the Food Pavilion again for thousands of people to see and sample the best of local food and drink. It’s always been one of the most popular presentations at a show which draws visitors from Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Great Britain and further afield.

“Food writers and journalists we’ve worked with from outside Northern Ireland have always been impressed by the overall showcase and talented producers.

“We’ve certainly missed the show since it was paused over the last two years by the awful pandemic. During the Show, we have taken steps to ensure visitor safety by implementing systems which promote social distancing and hand sanitation throughout the pavilion. We have also involved increasing space between stands and reduced company numbers this year. Visitor and participating company safety is a priority for us. We would urge visitors to comply with Government guidance and to make yourself familiar with the mitigations implemented by the Balmoral Show to ensure the event is as safe as possible for all who attend.

“I am sure that our changes won’t impact the enjoyment of visitors to the pavilion. They’ll have an unprecedented opportunity to experience the very best of our outstanding and award- winning food and drink.”

The Balmoral Show, Northern Ireland’s largest agri-food event will take place from Wednesday 22^nd September to Saturday 25^th September at Balmoral Park, Lisburn. Tickets are available to purchase online at www.balmoralshow.co.uk. Please note this year tickets are day specific only and must be purchased prior to the Show. Conditions of entry can also be found online.

The Food NI team has been busy making the final arrangements for what promises to be an immensely enjoyable and informative RUAS show at Balmoral Park. Supported by the Northern Ireland Regional Food Programme, it’s long been the most important event in our annual calendar especially in those days before the Covid pandemic paused so many food and drink events here and in Britain.

We’re glad to be back at Balmoral Park once again at what will be an adapted Food NI Food Pavilion, one which applies all the social distancing, mask wearing and hand sanitising rules for the safety of our exhibitors and the public.  It comes as our work to support our friends in Invest NI at food shows in Britain has also resumed.

We’ve certainly missed the show since it was paused over the last two years by the awful pandemic which remains an ongoing threat. We are fully aware of this and have taken steps to ensure safety by implementing systems which promote social distancing and hand sanitation throughout the pavilion. This has also involved increasing space between stands and reducing companies this year. Visitor and participating company safety is a priority for us. We would urge visitors to comply with Government guidance.

I am sure that the changes won’t impact the enjoyment of visitors to the pavilion. They’ll have a much-awaited opportunity to experience the very best of our outstanding and award- winning food and drink. This year the cookery theatre will focus on food and drink experiences, which are a growing trend. With the emphasis on staycations and the trend for experiential tourism (i.e., where you actually get the chance to experience something new) this year we will have a number of presentations from food and drink experiences, such as gin tastings, orchard tours and cookery classes. These have been supported by TourismNI under their Embrace a Giant spirit brand, so many signature experiences supported by TourismNI now include a food or drink element.

The Food Pavilion, will open its doors at the show next Wednesday, ready to welcome thousands of visitors keen to the see and taste the very best food and drink from our companies of all sizes and from every category. 

While social distancing has meant we’ve had to limit the number of participating companies and reduce opportunities for interaction, visitors will still be able to see some delicious and original food and drink from upwards of 35 producers, mostly artisan and smaller companies, from virtually every part of the country. Participating companies will still be able to talk about their products to existing and potential customers and get some worthwhile feedback.

There’ll be hundreds of innovative products in what will be the biggest celebration of the outstanding tastes and rich flavours from companies here including many which have won top awards for originality and quality in prestigious national and international food awards. 

The Food Pavilion will still be the biggest presentation of local food and drink in almost two years.

I would urge you not to miss the opportunity the show provides to see the best of local food and drink from our dedicated and talented producers. They need and value your support as they recover steadily from the challenges of Covid and also from Brexit and the Northern Ireland Protocol. We all need to work together to support an industry which generates £5 billion annually to the local economy…and has the potential to make an even greater contribution in both short and long terms.

Michele Shirlow

Chief Executive

Food NI

Dunbia, headquartered in Northern Ireland and the region’s biggest meat producer, has been named Manufacturer of the Year in the annual Meat Management and Industry Awards. The company, which is based in Dungannon, county Tyrone, also won the ‘Britain’s Best Burger’ title for burgers provided to Sainsbury’s supermarkets in the UK.

The Britain’s Best Meat Pie award went to Marks & Spencer Large Beef Wellington which was developed in association with Linden Foods, also based in Dungannon.

While both Dunbia and Linden are located in Dungannon, they operate throughout the UK and further afield. Dunbia is now owned by Ireland’s Dawn Meats and Linden is part of Ireland’s globally focused APB Group.

The two award-winning companies are part of Northern Ireland strategically important meat processing sector, the biggest in the region’s £5 billion food industry which exports to over 60 global markets.

The successes of the Northern Ireland meat processers were among awards at a gala presentation for the UK meat industry at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole.

Football icon Kevin Keegan presented manufacturers, supermarkets, industry suppliers, trade organisations, catering butchers and independent retailers with their winning trophies.

Having taken place online for the first time last year as a direct result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the annual awards returned this year to an in-person event.

The Meat Management Industry Awards are a celebration of the creativity, innovation and excellence of the UK’s meat industry. The award winners were determined through reader votes and product entries, along with a select judging panel for product evaluation.

A total of 20 accolades were handed out to companies, associations and personalities that struck a chord with readers and judges.

Graham Yandell, publisher of Meat Management magazine, which runs the influential awards, said: “It has been fantastic to bring the industry back together again for these prestigious awards and I know it has been a very special evening for so many of our guests as we all try our best to get back to something like normal.

“I would like to thank everyone who participated this year and in particular those who delivered products for evaluation back in June, despite various logistical problems and staff shortages. Also, a big thank you to our valued partners who support the awards.”

Mr Yandell continued: “It is a real privilege to stage these awards every year and to host the ceremony.”

Chef and writer Paula McIntyre MBE’s new cookery series on BBC Northern Ireland is already a hit with viewers. The Hamely Kitchen which broadcasts at prime time Monday evenings is seeing a great market share in Northern Ireland and on the island of Ireland as well as on the BBC iPlayer.

It focuses on Paula’s own Ulster-Scots heritage, hence the title, the Hamely (Homely) Kitchen. She can see the coast of Scotland from her house on clear days. That is a reminder of the early Scottish settlers who brought ingredients and recipes to Northern Ireland.

She uses the finest local ingredients to create recipes for friends and family. True to Paula’s down to earth style, there are celebrations of the turnip alongside sustainable fish and local beef and lamb all elevated to new heights of flavour. Paula meets some of the suppliers, including the food and drink suppliers she cooks with.

She believes cooking should be joyful, not stressful. The kitchen should be a “hamely” place.

The Hamely Kitchen is on Monday evenings on BBC Two Northern Ireland and repeated on Sundays at 4.25pm. It is on BBC iPlayer on demand.