Linwoods Health Foods in Northern Ireland has unveiled a new range of healthy seed blends with body functionality in mind.

The exciting new Functional Range has been backed by NHS GP and regular medical contributor on ITV’s This Morning, Dr Zoe Williams, who has been brought on by Linwoods as a brand ambassador for its latest targeted range of products.

The Functional Range, from Linwoods, which is based in Armagh, consists of two new products – Menoligna and Immune Support – formulated to naturally support and enhance the natural processes of the human body.

Menoligna is a plant-based blend of sprouted milled flaxseed and milled chia seeds, containing important vitamins, minerals and added Lignans. It has been specifically developed for women during the menopause stage of life.

Lignans are naturally occurring phytoestrogens found in flaxseed which mimic the role of oestrogen. Flaxseed is particularly abundant in the lignan, secoisolariciresinol diglycoside (SDG). Lignans are found in the inner layer of the flaxseed hull. Each 30g serving of Linwoods Menoligna offers 300mg of SDG lignans.

This blend also contains 96 percent of the daily recommended intake of Vitamin B6, which contributes to the regulation of hormonal activity, and vitamin B12 which can reduce tiredness and fatigue. Additionally, Menoligna contains Calcium, Vitamin D and K2 which contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.

Immune Support is specifically formulated to help maintain a healthy immune system. The blend includes Linwoods’ award-winning sprouted milled flaxseed, hemp seeds, milled brazil nuts and Ganeden BC30 probiotic cultures. The blend also provides a natural source of selenium, iron and zinc, which contribute to the normal function of the immune system. Other immune boosting ingredients include omega-3, protein, fibre and a host of nutritious vitamins and minerals like vitamin D3, vitamin C and vitamin B12.

Patrick Woods, Director for Linwoods, said: “We are delighted to bring our new Functional Range to the UK market. At Linwoods, we believe passionately that nutrition is the key to good health and plays a vital role in managing certain ailments. Our expert team has been busy crafting these nutritionally dense blends to ensure they are designed to maintain healthy body functionality. We look forward to hearing more about how they are benefitting our customers.

“We recommend that customers add a 30g daily serving of the Functional Range blends to their diet for optimal health benefits. Each versatile blend can be easily added to your favourite dish, from breakfast yoghurt and smoothies to soups and salads.

“Our plan is to expand our Functional Range later this year with additional product blends, providing our customers with even more choice when maintaining their health.”

Dr Zoe Williams, NHS GP and This Morning contributor, said: “These days women are more comfortable talking frankly and openly about the impact menopause has on their bodies. Unfortunately, menopause stigma can still stop some women from approaching their GP with medical concerns. It’s really important that women seek medical advice if struggling with their physical and mental health during this entirely natural, but sometimes distressing, process in their lives.

“Nutrition is also vital. It is great to see Linwoods designing products specifically with women in mind, so many of whom struggle during their perimenopause years due to hormonal changes happening within their bodies. Linwoods’ Menoligna blend offers a convenient way to add key nutrients into the diet to help regulate their hormones and help to maintain bone density, which can decrease during menopause.

“I was thrilled when Linwoods asked me to be involved in the launch of the Functional Range. I have been a regular consumer of their other products for years.

The Menoligna blend will be available in a 210g pack, priced at £7.49. The Immune Support blend will be available in a 210g pack, priced at £5.49. The packaging in Linwoods Functional Range has been designed to be 100 per cent recyclable. The range will be available exclusively on Linwoods website. www.linwoodshealthfoods.com

Ten products from four Northern Ireland companies have been shortlisted in the UK Quality Food Awards 2021, the most important annual event in the retail grocery calendar.

The successful local companies in the awards were Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt, Bangor; Dunbia, Dungannon; Finnebrogue Artisan, Downpatrick; and Mash Direct, Comber.  Finnebrogue has five foods shortlisted and Dunbia three.

The Quality Food Awards are the most prestigious awards for food and drink products on sale in UK grocery outlets, especially supermarkets.  What sets these awards apart is the impartiality and robustness of the judging process, which rightly sits at the heart of everything. Business development agency Invest NI is among the sponsors of the prestigious competition.

The judging panel is comprised of experts from many different industry disciplines and are a vital component of the validity and robustness of the results. They take every aspect of a product into consideration rewarding: great flavours, high-quality ingredients, excellent value for money and outstanding packaging, which increases the retail success of a product.

The Quality Food Awards were established over 35 years ago. The portfolio has grown significantly and now it also includes: the Quality Drink Awards, the Wholesale Quality Food & Drink Awards, the Irish Quality Food & Drink Awards.

The shortlisted products from Northern Ireland are:

Madagascan Vanilla Greek Style Yoghurt from Clandeboye Estate in the Dairy category;

Curry Chips from Mash Direct in Meal Accompaniments;

Lidl Birchwood 28 Day Matured Beef Sirloin Steak with Parmesan & Thyme Butter and Lidl Birchwood Steakhouse Selection Extra Thick Cut, Grass Fed 12oz Sirloin Beef Steak 36 Days Matured, both from Dunbia in Beef;

Co-op Irresistible Rib and Brisket Burger with Creamy Vintage Cheddar and Caramelised Onion Melt, Dunbia in Burgers and Meatballs;

Asda Butchers Selection Maple & Bacon Sausage Squares from Finnebrogue Artisan in Sausages; and

In Vegan, Asda Plant Based Fishless Fillets; Asda Plant Based Meat Free Chicken Style Kievs; Naked Without the Cluck No Chicken Kievs; and Naked Without the Splash No Fish Goujons, all produced by Finnebrogue Artisan.

Burren Balsamics, Northern Ireland’s multi-award winning producer of handcrafted balsamic vinegars, jams, sauces and relishes, has introduced two original products.

Based at Richhill in county Armagh, the company, which is owned by former chef Susie Hamilton Stubber, who works alongside development chef Bob McDonald on new product development, has launched a Balsamic and Honey Piccalilli and Pear, Ginger and Golden Raisin Chutney.

“The Piccalilli is a traditional British pickle that’s hand chopped and made with our White Balsamic Condiment and locally sourced honey,” Susie explains. “It’s a rich, smooth and golden sauce filled with crunchy vegetables with flavours of turmeric and mustard. It’s perfect with cheese, sausages, ham and other cold cuts, meat pies and more,” adds Susie.

Burren Balsamics has won a series of UK Great Taste Awards and Blas na hEireann Irish Food Awards for its extensive range of vinegars which include fruit-infused products for both retail and hospitality.

The Northern Ireland family business recently received a series of gold stars for four balsamic vinegar products in the Great Taste Awards 2021 including two stars for its Infused Balsamic Vinegar.

Amongst its high-profile customers is the iconic Harrod’s store in London’s Knightsbridge. The vinegars use only natural whole fruits for flavour and are available in distinctive 250ml bottles. The products are also available in special gift packs.

The small company was established by Susie in 2014 and has since gone on to develop extensive business in the UK and Ireland and an impressive portfolio of innovative products. The company recently took part in the influential Speciality Fine Food Fair in London.

Following the launch of The Causeway Collection to worldwide acclaim last year, Bushmills Irish Whiskey is set to make waves again with its new series of exclusive and elusive Causeway Collection releases for 2021.

 The ground-breaking Causeway Collection is a selection of extremely rare and unique aged and cask finished Irish single malt whiskeys from The Old Bushmills Distillery – the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery. 

 This year’s collection features twelve new releases to be launched worldwide across eight markets, and includes two bottlings exclusively released for the island of Ireland, the 2011 Sauternes Cask, a first for Bushmills Irish Whiskey, and a 1995 Marsala Cask aged in rare Marsala casks for an unprecedented 15 years. The 2011 Sauternes Cask was first aged for over seven years in oloroso sherry butts and bourbon barrels and then in rare Sauternes wine casks for two years. The French casks that have housed this sweet white wine from the Sauternais region of Bordeaux bring an abundance of delicate summer fruit flavours and fresh grapes.

The 1995 Marsala Cask has matured for over 10 years in oloroso sherry butts and bourbon barrels, before being aged in rare Marsala casks sourced from the island of Sicily for 15 years. Having been soaked deeply into the oak grain, this dark sweet Italian wine imparts succulent spiced fruit notes and a brown sugar sweetness.

A stone’s throw from the distillery, the Giant’s Causeway has been a source of inspiration to Bushmills’ master distillers for centuries. An elemental and enigmatic place of wonder, legend and geology, it extraordinary hexagonal basalt columns, shaped over millennia, form a unique interlocking series of steps found nowhere else in the world.  Like the columns, Bushmills Causeway Collection is forged in salt-laden air and mineral-rich water.  It is the legacy of giants before and giants to come, with each layer building on the last.

Colum Egan, Bushmills Master Distiller, said: “All the whiskeys used in The Causeway Collection have been expertly crafted and cared for in a unique whiskey-making tradition passed from generation to generation for more than 400 years here at The Old Bushmills Distillery.

“The Causeway Collection celebrates our extremely rare and unique cask finishes, our passion for single malts and honours our rich heritage. It’s a privilege to work with such rare liquid, these special cask-finished whiskeys really are our greatest treasures.

“Both the 2011 Sauternes Cask and the 1995 Marsala Casks are sensational whiskeys that stand with the best of Irish single malts, giants in their own right. We are delighted to bring these exclusive releases to ourfans across the island of Ireland.”

To celebrate this special release, Bushmills Irish Whiskey has collaborated with three renowned Irish artists to craft a short film that brings together words, music and images to reflect the home of the Causeway Collection. Irish spoken word artist, Stephen James Smith, has used his poetry to bring to life the story of Bushmills accompanied by photography from Ruth Medjber and music by Kormac.

The film, inspired by the heritage and craft of Bushmills Irish Whiskey, celebrates connections between people, the whiskey and the land, as well as the creative connections that happen when we come together.

These rare whiskeys will be on sale online from 4pm on 23rd September and also via select specialist retailers from 24th September.

Only limited bottles of the 2011 Sauternes Cask are available, bottled at 56.3% ABV, non-chill-filtered and priced at €110/£95 for 700ml.

Only limited bottles of the 1995 Masala Cask are available, bottled at 57.8% ABV, non-chill-filtered and priced at €410/£380 for 700ml. 

Jawbox Gin is now available in Australia after the brand gained a listing with renowned drinks retailer Dan Murphy’s. 

Developed in Belfast, the Jawbox Distillery is located on a 300-acre 16th century estate where the grain for the spirit is grown and harvested.

Jawbox Small Batch Gin is triple-distilled very slowly in traditional copper pot stills and in small batches using a unique combination of 11 carefully selected botanicals. Most of these are ‘steep and boil’ and the final three botanicals are put through the vapour extraction method to preserve their delicate flavour and aroma. 

On the nose, Jawbox is an impressive experience of bold juniper and pine, balanced with a gentle touch of sweet coriander and clean citrus. On the palate, it becomes more complex with citrus and juniper developing into peppery, earthy Angelica root. The finish is citrus, lingering juniper and pine. 

Jawbox Small Batch Gin can be purchased online via Dan Murphy’s website as well as in-store.

The award-winning Jawbox Small Batch Gin is distributed by Kirker Greer Spirits. John Soden CCO of Kirker Greer Spirits said: “Jawbox has been an extremely popular brand in our portfolio since its launch in 2016, with high demand across the UK and Europe and we are delighted to see it gain further momentum globally. We look forward to working with the team at Dan Murphy’s to accelerate the growth of Jawbox in Australia.”

Products from every corner of Northern Ireland’s natural landscape feature on this year’s list of Great Taste award-winners, which was announced on Tuesday 21 September 2021. Out of the 5,383 products worldwide to receive a Great Taste 1-, 2- or 3-star accolade from the largest and most trusted food and drink awards on the planet, 176 are based in Northern Ireland and these include Food NI members Craigavon-based Hannan Meats for its Great Taste 3-star award-winning Sugar Pit Bacon Rack, a French trimmed pork loin traditionally hand cured and sweetened with a blend of three sugars and Great Taste 3-star Millbay Oysters from Rooney Fish in Newry, Down.  

Following 86 socially-distanced judging days in London and Dorset, Great Taste, which values taste above all else, has unearthed the very finest food and drink from every nook and corner of the UK and beyond. Regardless of branding or packaging, each product is judged on a level playing field, according to its texture, appearance, composition and of course taste. Food critics, chefs, restaurateurs, retail buyers, cooks, producers and a host of food writers, journalists and social media influencers are among the 355 esteemed palates to have rigorously blind tasted and judged the 14,113 entries from 108 countries, while providing detailed written feedback for the producer. 

Every Great Taste award-winning product will now be able to display the unmistakable black and gold logo, a stamp of excellence that is recognised by retailers and consumers alike. A wide range of these winning products are already available to buy in delis, farm shops and independent retail outlets across the country.   All Great Taste 3-star award-winning products will be re-judged to find this year’s regional Golden Fork Trophy winners and the Great Taste Supreme Champion 2021. These final results will be announced at the Great Taste Golden Fork Reception on Sunday 17 October, set to be held at the Yorkshire Event Centre in Harrogate following the first day of Fine Food Show North, a trade-only exhibition organised by the Guild of Fine Food.