Ewing’s Seafoods, the iconic fishmonger in Belfast, has been named ‘The Best Fresh Seafood Supplier – Northern Ireland’ in the prestigious Food and Drink Awards organised by the upmarket LUXlife magazine which has a global circulation of almost 250,000.

The family-owned and managed company, which operates a fresh fish and seafood processing operation and a retail outlet on the Shankill Road, near Belfast city centre, is among the best known and most successful seafood businesses in Northern Ireland, supplying a range of fresh fish and other seafoods to over 400 restaurants and hotels across the region.

LUXlife said the influential award had been made after rigorous judging by a team of experts. “All nominees were judged on their merits with assessment centres around an extensive evaluation of skills and services on offer,” the magazine’s Katherine Benton said.

“Our merit driven approach has brought us much commendation and allows our team to identify those most dedicated in demonstrating expertise and an unwavering commitment to excellence within their field,” she adds.

Crawford Ewing, a director of the family business which started in 1911, is understandably delighted with the global recognition from LUXLife. He continues: “It’s an immensely encouraging recognition after the challenges from the coronavirus pandemic over the past year when all our customers in hospitality were shuttered. There were challenges too in securing salmon and other seafood due to Brexit difficulties and the confusion that resulted from the Irish Sea Protocol.

“We also had to furlough employees to balance the business which became dependent on retail sales through our own small shop and with highly supportive local delis and Sainsbury’s supermarkets.

“The award has given us all a much needed lift as we see our core business in hotels and restaurants recovering steadily. Good news such as this is very welcome,” adds Crawford who runs the historic business with father Walter and brother Warren.

The company is also a major supplier of smoked fish including salmon and cod from its own smoker. The quality of its products have led to UK Great Taste Awards for smoked salmon and smoked cod loin.

LUXlife is a premium lifestyle publication which was founded in 2015 by the publishing company AI Global Media Ltd. Distributed to a circulation of 238,000 globally, LUXlife focuses on a range of topics within the luxury lifestyle industry, featuring articles on; fashion, beauty, fine dining, travel, luxury real estate and much more.

In addition to providing readers with regular news and updates on all elements of luxury lifestyle, it also seeks to provide luxury firms with the perfect media platform to showcase their business to a readership comprised of high net worth individuals. As such, it publishes only the most cutting edge of products, services, attractions and events that will appeal to our audience. Some of the world’s most internationally renowned brands, individuals, high-end developments and products are highlighted in the magazine so that readers will find everything they need to truly live a luxury lifestyle.

Iceland Ireland’s social media followers are being invited to choose the new flavour of Millar Moo flavoured milk. Millar Moo is the highly successful brand of milk flavoured drinks supplied by Clarke Millar in Belfast.

Clarke Millar, who is based near Dunmurry, in Co Antrim secured its first listing with Iceland Ireland last year for its four-strong range of Millar Moo drinks and is now working with the retailer to launch a new flavour which will be available in all 64 Iceland stores across the island of Ireland.

“Due to the growth we’ve experienced to date with Iceland we decided to let their followers choose between two flavours – Cookies and Cream and Salted Caramel – and it really appealed to Iceland’s buyers. It’s in line with Iceland’s strong focus on customer engagement through a range of incentives,” adds Clarke Millar, owner of the progressive local business. “It’s a commitment we share and reflects our ongoing liaison with this very significant retailer.”

“The supermarket will now be running a promotion at its Irish stores to allow shoppers to choose the flavour they want. We’ll be running the competition over the next month and will then push the winning flavour into full production. Iceland will have exclusivity for a period of time on the new Millar Moo,” adds Mr Millar.

Iceland has a network of 27 stores in the Republic and 34 in Northern Ireland and currently list all the existing Millar Moo low-fat milk flavours – Strawberry, Chocolate, Banana and Iced Caffe Latte in 500ml glass bottles for easy recycling.

“We are delighted to be working with Iceland Ireland, now a very important and valued customer for our drinks, on this exciting marketing initiative,” adds Mr Millar. “Millar Moo is now becoming among the most popular drinks in the flavoured milk category and we are fast expanding our footprint for the drink in Ireland and the United Kingdom.”

Mr Millar formed the company in 2013, with a focus on the manufacture of convenience foods as well as providing contract manufacturing and distribution services to other producers.

Under the Mulligan’s brand, the business produces burgers, hot dogs and wraps, including a chicken variety which recently secured business with Sainsbury’s in Northern Ireland.

A number of products, including the wraps and Millar Moo milks are supplied to SPAR and EUROSPAR stores in Northern Ireland through the Henderson Group and Musgrave Retail. Poundland is another customer in Britain.

Other popular brands supplied to customers throughout the island of Ireland, meanwhile, include Zumi fruit drinks and Anytime convenience omelettes.

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The existing range of Millar Moo milk-flavoured drinks in Iceland Ireland stores

Mash Direct (www.mashdirect.com), the award-winning ‘field-to-fork’ vegetable accompaniments brand, has partnered with non-profit organisation Foundation Earth (www.foundation-earth.org) to launch a new line of ecological packaging, designed to allow consumers to easily make more sustainable choices whilst shopping, driving change in the industry.

Foundation Earth has brought together two of the world’s leading systems (Mondra and EIT**) for measuring the environmental impact of an individual food product and communicating the information clearly and simply via a traffic light style system to consumers via a front-of-pack score.

This method of individual assessment using primary data is crucial to encourage sustainable innovation in the international food supply chain moving forward.

Mash Direct is one of the first companies to have signed up to this pilot scheme, hoping to drive awareness and lead change within the food and drink sector and to share a vision for the future encouraging more environmentally friendly innovation from food producers and sustainable buying choices.

The Foundation Earth product grading scores will initially be shown on five SKUs: Mash Direct’s Mashed Potato, Champ, Carrots & Parsnips, Mashed Turnip and Colcannon. The scoring system is based on the individual products Carbon Output (g CO2 eq), Water usage, Water Pollution and Bio-diversity impact. The brand aims to roll out the packaging to other products next year, as part of the company’s wider sustainability ambitions.

The scoring system is uniquely designed to analyse the whole life-cycle of an individual product, such as Mashed Potato, as opposed to using secondary data to estimate the environmental impact of an entire product group. This will allow customers to directly compare the sustainable credentials of two competitor products to make an informed decision whilst they do their grocery shopping.

Speaking about the launch, Jack Hamilton, chief executive of Mash Direct, said “We are excited to receive 4 A and 1 B rating on selected products in our range, this is a very positive new addition to our packaging. It pushes the boundaries for us as a company too, as it drives us to be as environmentally sustainable as we possibly can across all aspects of our product lifecycle. The advantage for us is that all our products are grown and manufactured on site ‘from field to fork’ so we have full control over that element of their journey. Our ambition is to improve on our sustainability year on year and we will publish our sustainability report annually to track where we are making progress as well as where we need to make further improvements, we will then have our information independently assessed to ensure that we are measuring accurately. This will ensure that there is provenance and transparency in the food system, driving positive change not only at Mash Direct but also, we hope, with others”.

Cliona Howie, chief executive, Foundation Earth adds: “Its motivating to work alongside forward-thinking brands like Mash Direct which is one of the first to deliver our front-of-pack Eco Impact scores allowing consumers to quickly and simply understand the impact linked to their food choices. Momentum is building quickly, and scores will start appearing on products from more companies soon.”

Mash Direct is an award-winning independent company started by Martin and Tracy Hamilton at their family-run farm in Comber, in 2004. The Hamilton’s began farming the fields around Strangford Lough back in the 1800s and the land has been passed down through six generations, bringing with it a wealth of understanding and knowledge of the area and growing conditions.

After successfully growing and selling vegetables for 25 years, Martin, who is a fifth-generation son of the soil, and Tracy decided to embark on a new direction for their farm, with the aim of combining the tastes of yesterday with modern convenience and innovation.

Today, Mash Direct is a family affair with Martin, Tracy and both of their sons, Lance and Jack all helping Mash Direct on its journey to become a national, household name. From the initial dream of making traditional ‘Ulster’ Champ for convenience in 2004, the Hamilton family has grown Mash Direct into a National household brand, employing 245 people.

The Hamilton family developed a small factory on their farm to capture a traditional cooking style, specially designing and building a number of pieces of equipment including a unique masher and steam cooker. The bespoke equipment ensures that the vegetables can be steamed gently to retain optimum nutrients and capture the fresh harvested flavour and texture.

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Left: Jack Hamilton, Mash Direct chief executive, and Adam Patton, sustainability manager of Mash Direct, launch the new Eco Score packaging to encourage customers to buy more sustainably

Two Northern Ireland distilleries are showing handcrafted spirits at Imbibe Live 21, the UK’s leading drinks industry event which returns to Olympia London from 12-13 September.

The Northern Ireland participants are:

Mourne Dew at Warrenpoint, Co Down, the first distillery in the iconic Mourne Mountains in over a century and now an award-winning producer of gins, poitin and Irish malt whiskeys for export markets; and

Woodlab in Moy, Co Tyrone, producer of the successful range of Symphonia branded gins and a Caribbean rum, both using apples from Armagh orchards.

Imbibe Live is the innovative and interactive annual event for anyone who sources, buys or serves drinks in the licensed on-trade. 

From sommeliers to buyers and managers to publicans and bartenders, they get together with a community of like-minded professionals in a business-focused environment. 

The colourful two-day event is an opportunity to meet with drinks and snack brands, merchants and distributors and all associated suppliers who want to talk directly to drinks industry buyers and professionals.

It is also an opportunity to discover the latest products to the market and invaluable networking opportunities. Plus, an award-winning content programme is curated by leading industry figures. 

Lidl Northern Ireland has awarded Willowbrook Foods, Newtownards fresh food producer, an expanded supply deal worth £11 million – nearly double its previous contract – to supply 25 new lines of fresh convenience foods across its network of 210 stores throughout Ireland.

Established in 1968 by the McCann family, Willowbrook is Ireland’s largest salad and vegetable processing company, operating from its two sites on the shores of Strangford Lough, and has been supplying Lidl NI with premium bagged salads and fresh deli products since 2011.

The new contract represents an 83 per cent boost on last year, taking the former £6 million annual contract to £11 million, and will see 25 new product lines introduced across its premium range of ready meals, stir fry and deli salads.

Enya Rooney, senior buyer at Lidl Northern Ireland, said: “We have a long-standing partnership with Willowbrook Foods and over the years have seen the company enjoy exponential growth. As a supporter of local agri-food producers, we’re delighted to reaffirm our commitment to the partnership and provide a significant sales boost through this expanded new contract.

“Willowbrook Foods is continually innovating to introduce new lines in response to changing consumer demand. We’ve seen a real increase in demand for our fresh convenience foods range and we’re excited to now launch an expanded line of great tasting, home-grown salads, cold deli foods and stir fry meals to thousands of customers across the island of Ireland.”

Willowbrook Foods opened its £5.5 million state-of-the-art production facility in 2011 to support its ambitious growth plans and enhance production capability.

The site is also home to its dedicated New Product Development (NPD) hub where it operates an innovation centre utilising the latest food production technology. In addition, the company operates a cooking facility at its site in Newtownards where it manufactures ready-meal products.

John McCann, founder and chief executive of Willowbrook Foods, added: “Since our early days we have been a leader in providing premium prepared fresh vegetables and salads, cooked and ready to cook products. Over the last 50 years we’ve focused on mastering our craft of growing the highest quality, great tasting vegetables and continually developing our product offering.

“Key to our success is our established partnership with Lidl Northern Ireland. As the region’s fastest-growing supermarket, we’ve been able to realise our ambitious growth plans, break into new markets, reach new customers and grow our brand exponentially through the partnership.

“Willowbrook Foods is delighted to secure this increased supply deal with Lidl Northern Ireland and embark on a new period of growth whilst providing its 300,000 weekly shoppers in the region with a fantastic new range of locally grown, quality products to enjoy.”

Since the beginning of its relationship with Willowbrook a decade ago, the Lidl supply deal has helped to create 100 new full-time roles, in addition to providing access to sales in the UK and Republic of Ireland markets.

An independent report into the economic impact of Lidl NI’s operations revealed that the retailer spends at least £290 million a year with suppliers across the north while also supporting 3,500 jobs.

Celebrating the announcement are (from left) Enya Rooney, senior buyer at Lidl NI; John McCann, founder and chief executive of Willowbrook Foods; and Tanya Neilson, new product development and hub innovation manager at Willowbrook.

As Culture Night Belfast immerses the city in nature with The City Garden, CastleCourt will be joining the movement to offer a plant-based experience like no other on Saturday 18^th September.

 CastleCourt’s CityScape Belfast will host The NI Vegan Festival, a joint venture alongside Urban Events NI and Truffleupagus Vegan Yums, bringing together a feast of plant-based foodies, restauranteurs and businesses who are committed to helping people on their vegan journeys.

 The day-long festival will deliver wellbeing workshops, cookery demonstrations, entertainment and a chance to taste some delicious samples from vegan foodie producers alongside a vegan food court to whet appetites and satisfy curiosities.

 With four times as many families choosing to opt for a vegan lifestyle than there were four years ago, CastleCourt Centre manager Leona Barr says this is a prominent time to welcome the Festival to their rooftop, especially during Culture Night Belfast which will transform the centre’s surrounding areas into a tranquil garden to reconnect visitors with nature.

 Leona added; “What we consume is a huge part of the chain that has an effect on Climate Change, and as a responsible business, we are committed to doing all we can to relieve pressures on the climate emergency we are experiencing.

 “As a destination, our visitors are seeking alternative days out, experiences that have meaning and will impact their lives in a positive way. We have had many changes and upgrades at CastleCourt in recent months and we’re very excited to host the NI Vegan Festival on our CityScape Belfast rooftop.”

 Thomas Ferris from Urban Events NI continued; “NI vegan businesses work tirelessly to produce innovative and accessible products and services to make the vegan lifestyle available to all who want to consume more mindfully, whether that be through a plant-based diet or making more sustainable decisions in their everyday life from cosmetics to clothing.

 “The past 18 months have allowed people to reflect on their lifestyles and take the first steps to making changes on their impact to the planet and we’re here to show them just how easy that can be, and doesn’t have to cost the earth – literally!”

 The NI Vegan Festival takes place on Saturday 18^th September, 10am – 5pm at CityScape Belfast, CastleCourt. Tickets are £3.50 per person, and can be purchased online via NIVeganFestival.com.

Pic caption: Pic caption: CastleCourt Centre Manager Leona Barr (left) is pictured with organisers of the NI Vegan Festival, Thomas Ferris and Sheena Bleakney. CastleCourt’s CityScape Belfast venue will host its first NI Vegan Festival on Saturday 18 September.