County Down based Rademon Estate Distillery has secured a contract with Asda to supply two new gin products to the retailer’s stores across Northern Ireland for the first time.

The listings will include the first gin to be distilled in NI, the Shortcross Classic Gin and the first sugar-free gin produced in Ireland, Shortcross Rosie’s Garden Pink Gin.

Rademon Estate Distillery, which was founded in 2012, is Northern Ireland’s first award-winning craft distillery, with the original Shortcross Gin recognised as Ireland’s most awarded gin.

David Boyd-Armstrong, Head Distiller and co-founder of Rademon Estate Distillery, said:

“Our Shortcross Gin features botanicals which are hand foraged from our estate, meaning customers can be confident in knowing our ingredients are locally sourced. As well as this, our Rosie’s Garden Pink Gin is packed full of strawberries and raspberries, so you get that natural sweetness without the added sugar.”

“We’re delighted to see our Rosie’s Garden Pink Gin and our original Classic Gin option on Asda shelves across Northern Ireland and hope they become a firm favourite for shoppers this summer.”

Emma Swan, Asda’s Buying Manager for NI Local, added:

“Here at Asda, we love to support our local suppliers and the arrival of Shortcross Gin to Asda aisles is something to celebrate. We’re confident our customers will enjoy the new options for their G&Ts this summer thanks to the award-winning Rademon Estate Distillery.”

The 70cl Shortcross Classic Gin (46%) and the 50cl Shortcross Rosie’s Garden Pink Gin (42.5%) is available in Asda stores now.

Leading food company Moy Park has announced a new apprenticeship programme designed to nurture the next generation of engineering talent.

The four-year programme will provide apprentices with mentorship support and access to additional learning and development schemes with Moy Park’s engineering team. The class-based curriculum, developed in partnership with local colleges and training partners, includes modules on the latest technical trends and engineering advancements as well as problem solving techniques.

Open for applicants across Northern Ireland and GB, Nicola Hayward, Early Careers and Apprenticeship Manager at Moy Park said the programme is a great way for young people to excel in a high growth area; “The food industry has some of the most innovative engineering equipment available and our apprenticeship programme equips young people with invaluable practical skills to thrive in this ever-evolving sector.

“Our students also receive extensive mentorship support and hands-on, practical learning experiences, all while benefiting from Moy Park’s additional workplace learning and reward schemes. Apprentices form an integral part of our business, bringing fresh ideas and perspectives which is essential to our position at the forefront of cutting-edge food innovation. With over 20 places up for grabs, we look forward to welcoming new recruits in the coming months.”

Stephen Spence, an engineering apprentice at Moy Park said apprenticeships are great for developing career-ready skills; “I would recommend an apprenticeship to anybody who enjoys practical learning. Personally, I feel that I learn more by being hands on, so the opportunity to learn in a classroom and immediately be able to put it into practice the next day at work is the perfect way for me to earn my qualifications, and quickly develop skills that I can use throughout my career. Being an apprentice is also being a part of a business, so you get the benefits that comes from being part of a team as well as a student.”

North West Regional College (NWRC) has becomethe first college in Northern Ireland to offer an accredited Food Photography course, which will run at both Strand Road and Limavady campus.

The OCN Level 2 course in Food Photography, is a brand-new part-time course which will run for 12 weeks on Tuesday evenings from 7-9.30 p.m.

Denzil Browne, Lecturer in Photography at NWRC, who will teach the OCN in Food Photography, said the course is a comprehensive new addition to the college’s already extensive offering in photography classes.

He said: “The college is delighted to deliver our first course in food photography, which is open to everyone, whether they are already taking pictures, or a complete novice. No prior knowledge of photography is required and students will only be required to bring along their own digital camera.

“Students will be given the opportunity to learn how to create beautiful, vibrant food shots with this food photography and styling course. It’s open to everyone, and may of be particular interest to food bloggers, businesses, chefs and students to enhance their food photography skills. 

“The OCN NI Level 2 Award in Food Photography qualification will provide learners with an opportunity to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills required to contribute to food photography activities. A portfolio of work will be submitted for assessment at the end of the course.”

Leyonia Davey, Curriculum Manager of Hospitality and Catering at NWRC said: “Food photography has never been more important in terms of business, marketing and social media. Capturing the perfect image, in the right setting, in the correct way, can make all the difference to chefs or bloggers trying to reach a wider audience.

“The college is delighted to collaborate with OCN and our colleagues in our School of Art and Design to deliver this course which will develop the much in demand skills of food photography.

“The objectives of the qualifications are to develop the learners’ ability to undertake different aspects of photography, from the planning to the finishing stages of the photographic process.”

The course will be taught at Strand Road Campus beginning on Tuesday, September 28 at 7.30 p.m. The course will also be taught at Limavady campus beginning on February 1, 2022. The course will run for 12 weeks.

The college also runs a number of other part-time courses in Photography, Food and Hospitality and Catering. 

For more information log on to: www.nwrc.ac.uk/parttime

Swiss-trained chef Gary Stewart decided to bottle a delicious pickle sauce long popular with diners at his Co Antrim restaurant during the lockdown.

Gary (54), chef/patron of the acclaimed Tartine at the Distllers Arms in Bushmills, has just begun supplying the unique sauce to delicatessens, other specialist retailers and over the restaurant’s website. 

The sauce is likely to be the first in a line of retail products which will broaden the business base of the popular eatery on the Causeway coast. He’s been assisted by the team at the Foodovation new product development centre at the North West Regjonal College in Derry, in the refining the recipe, an ideal accompaniment for cheeseboards and meat dishes.

The novel sauce was developed at Foodovation under the guidance of food technician Karen Marran using an Invest NI Innovation Voucher. Gary, in addition, received encouragement and support from the Taste Causeway food promotional body and also consulted Deirdre Fitzpatrick of Causeway and Glens Council’s Alchemy business growth initiative.

“I started planning the pickle sauce, always popular with diners, before the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic,” Gary explains. “I had been considering the development of Tartine signature sauces for a couple of years following a visit to a food hub in Leitrim organised by Taste Causeway. We met a leading chef there who had developed good business for his restaurant by creating products for retail including specialist sauces,” he adds. Other specialist products in Gary’s planscould include chilli and a spicy relish.

The pandemic was to delay Gary’s development of the project for about a year. “Our focus during the lockdowns was on how best to generate cash for the survival of the restaurant,” he continues. “We responded, as many restaurants did, by launching a menu of premium meals for delivery to diners or for them to collect,” he adds.

Prepared by Gary, who lives near the restaurant, and his talented team, the dishes included Tartine staples including roast salmon, steak and chicken breast, all featuring locally sourced ingredients.

“It’s been an immensely tough time for us and, of course, all restaurants in the village and across Northern Ireland. We are relieved to be able to welcome diners back again from the 25^thand already have bookings. We just cannot afford the lockdown to continue or to have it to be imposed again. Thatwould be devastating. We’ve also spent a lot of money on ensuring the restaurant is safe for diners and staff,” he says.

Originally from the Ballymena area, Gary studied to be a chef at the local technical college and now closed culinary college in Portrush before travelling to Switzerland to hone his cooking skills. He worked in a number of high-end restaurants there for three years. He subsequently decided to develop his career at home and worked in the kitchens at several highly regarded eateries including Galgorm Hotel and Resort.

A desire to run his own restaurant led to a small place on the Causeway coast before he spotted an opportunity to grow his business and to spread his culinary ‘wings’ when theestablished Distillers Arms, a historic pub, in Bushmills village suddenly became available.

He invested everything in the premises in 2009 and set about creating an “exceptional restaurant that would offer diners a memorable eating experience”. 

“I reckoned the premises had great potential in a village that was growing into a significant tourism hub in particular around the iconic Bushmills Irish Whiskey distillery, the salmon station and, of course, the Giant’s Causeway,” he explains.

A Taste of Ulster member, The Distillers Arms has long established links with the nearby distillery. It was originally home to the distillery’s owners and was then a lodgings and pub before being converted to the restaurant. Gary was keen to retain most of the original features of the distinctivebuilding in keeping with the picturesque village which isbecoming a premium food hub and home to the hugely popular Bushmills Salmon and Whiskey Festival, a colourful event that’s been stalled for two years due to the pandemic.

“We take pride in the simplicity of our cooking style and the quality of the raw ingredients, mostly from local farms and artisan producers, that we use in creating original dishes which also offer outstanding value for money,” he says.

Restaurateur of the Year 2017 winner at the Northern IrelandInstitute of Hospitality Awards and Ulster Chowder Champion the following year, Gary is an enthusiastic supporter of Taste Causeway and a driving force behind the creation of Bushmills as a successful food centre for visitors from Ireland and further afield.