Award winning Boatyard Distillery in Northern Ireland has launched a unique sloe gin, the region’s first.

 Sloe Boat Gin, according to Boatyard founder and Managing Director Joe McGirr, is made with the distillery’s acclaimed Double Gin which has been “macerating for more than six months in the best quality sloe berries” at its distillery near Enniskillen in county Fermanagh.

 “We use half a kilo of sloes in every bottle for an intense flavour. Sloe gin, by its definition, has to have sugar added to it.  We have added just the minimum to sweeten the spirit but not to override the delicious taste of the sloes.

 “We’ve also foraged some local honeysuckle to add a complex sweetness,” Mr McGirr continues.

 This balance of flavour, he adds,” brings harmony to the spirit – intense plum, almond and berry fruitiness from the sloes and soft sweetness from the honeysuckle, paired with our juniper-forward Double Gin.

 “Our sloe gin has been created entirely from blind taste and nosing and we are absolutely delighted with the final result,” he adds.

 The distillery, located in a converted boathouse overlooking picturesque Lough Erne in Northern Ireland’s Lakelands, has an impressive track record in developing spirits from sustainable ingredients, including local botanicals such as sweet gale harvested from Mr McGirr family farm.

 Boatyard is Ireland’s only producer of farm-to-bottle organic gins. Its flagship Double Gin is distilled from organic spirit macerated for 18 hours with eight different botanicals.

 The new sloe gin is being produced as a first batch limited edition of just 1,800 bottles.

 “We recommended sipping it neat or with lemon tonic” says Mr McGirr,  “It also makes some great cocktails including a Charlie Chaplin.”

 The distillery, which also produces an award winning Boatyard vodka, is developing a malt whiskey, has won business in the UK and Ireland for its gins and is now exporting to North America.

The Oxford Cultural Collective has established a permanent, international programme of masterclasses, which support personal growth and professional development for those working in food, drink and hospitality.   Adopting a distinctly creative approach to learning, the masterclasses will be run by renowned academics, entrepreneurs, chefs, journalists, campaigners and broadcasters.  Reflecting the mood of our times, they are suited to those who want to gain fresh perspectives and challenge orthodox practice.

Browse the masterclasses and book your places – https://oxfordculturalcollective.com/masterclasses/

15% discount available to members of Food NI

Long Meadow Cider, the producer of award winning ciders, apple juices and apple cider vinegar, has won new business with a UK supermarket. The family run business is now to supply its apple cider vinegar to Sainsbury’s Northern Ireland’s supermarket chain.

The deal secured by the leading apple processor follows extensive discussions and samplings of the natural apple cider vinegar, which was a gold star in the recent UK Great Taste Awards, with the supermarket buying team.

The farm-based company also won golds for its Blossom Burst cider and Sparkling Apple Juice. It was won a strong of Great Taste and Irish National Food awards.

Long Meadow, located on the family orchard farm of Pat and Catherine McKeever at Loughgall, near Portadown in county Armagh, is among the most successful and progressive food businesses in Northern Ireland. It has an impressive track record of success in Northern Ireland and has developed sales in the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain.

The new business with Sainsbury’s is a major boost for thecompany. It already supplies craft cider to the store. “It is a marvellous endorsement of the quality of our Apple Cider Vinegar which is pure, unfiltered vinegar containing ‘The Mother’. Our natural cider vinegar will shortly be available in an initial nine supermarkets across Northern Ireland.

“We’ll be seeking to build on this tremendous opportunity and appreciate greatly the guidance and support we’ve received from the Sainsbury’s team here,” says Mrs McKeever.

“All our ciders and juices are processed exclusively from our home grown, handpicked apples from our own orchards and neighbouring farms. The ciders and juices are processed without concentrates, chemicals, or added water. The orchard to bottle process is under our control, ensuring provenance and safety.

“We produce small batches using a unique slow fermentation process for greater flavour. The apple cider vinegar is processed to maintain a high content of the ‘mother’ beneficial bacteria which can be taken as part of a daily diet,” she adds.

In addition, the Armagh enterprise has been building business steadily in Great Britain and the Republic or Ireland, key growth markets.

While the McKeevers have been growing apples for generations, the cider business dates back to 2013 when Pat, Catherine and son Peter launched their first ciders and natural juices.

The business has grown steadily and won widespread acclaim for the quality and taste of its products and also for its innovative approach to marketing and engagement with the local community.

Henderson’s team of chefs behind its The Chef range are celebrating after receiving their first ever star at the 2020 Great Taste Awards.

Just 10 months after launching, the range’s Thai Green Chicken Curry has been commended by the judges of the coveted awards as “rich, full flavour… [which] added an air of authenticity” and “a cut above the norm in terms of ready meals”, resulting in a 1-star accolade for the dish created by chef Carl Johannesson and his team of cooks working from the £500,000 kitchen facilities in Randalstown.

Speaking of the win, Fresh Foods Director Neal Kelly said his product development team have put huge amounts of effort into creating a delicious yet convenient range for today’s shopper; “Achieving 1-star for our The Chef Thai Green Chicken Curry is a fantastic nod towards the amount of research, tasting and developing our team has put into all the recipes. I am absolutely delighted for them, and that the range is getting the recognition it deserves.

“Since launching The Chef in late 2019, we have received rave reviews of Chef Carl and his team’s creations, providing flavoursome options for easy homecooked meals, with restaurant finesse. Recently, we expanded the range with 13 new products, including six new Under 500 Calorie dishes, taking the number of recipes Carl has created for the range to over 50. We’re excited to launch the winter additions for shoppers to try very soon.”

Other products from Henderson Wholesale which were recognised in the 2020 Awards included the Chocolate Brownie Pudding from the company’s Desserts by The Kitchen range, also developed using local ingredients from local producer Davison’s Puds.

Judges commented “this warm brownie has a deep chocolatey aroma with generous chunks of chocolate studded on top…” and that “it certainly delivers a quick, indulgent hit”.

This is the fifth year Henderson Wholesale has been successful in the Great Taste Awards with 2019 being the most successful, picking up a total of seven stars across five sweets in The Kitchen range.

Neal concluded; “working with local suppliers and their fantastic ingredients means we can produce some of the best fresh products for our shoppers, ensuring our authentic foodie credentials don’t go unnoticed.

“We’d like to congratulate all winners this year, particularly during our most challenging in business to date, who are keeping Northern Ireland on the map as a top foodie destination.”

Great Taste, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, is the acknowledged benchmark for fine food and drink. Over 500 judges from all corners of the world blind-taste in teams to ensure the best balance of expertise.

For more on the Great Taste Awards visitgreattasteawards.co.uk.

 

Independent ‘field to fork’ brand Mash Direct has secured a national listing with Morrison’s, to list their Great Taste Award Winning Carrot and Parsnip as part of a range of the brand’s ready-to-eat vegetable accompaniments that are created fresh on its family farm with the true taste and texture of home-made.

As of the 16th September, six Mash Direct SKUs arrived in 170 Morrison’s stores nationwide, providing consumers with farm fresh vegetables. Shoppers will now be able to purchase Mash Direct’s Carrot & Parsnip, Green Cabbage, Potato, Cheese & Onion Croquettes, Beer Battered Onion Rings, Beer Battered Chips and Bubble & Squeak SKUs in the ready meals’ aisle.

This national listing is central to Mash Direct’s accelerated growth strategy and is meeting consumer demand for high-quality and versatile convenience meals that can be incorporated at the family table. The category has seen strong demand in recent months and is now worth £3.9 billion.

Lance Hamilton, Sales Director at Mash Directcomments: “We are delighted to launch our farm fresh award-winning vegetable side dishes into Morrison stores. This development is central to our growth strategy and means more consumers across the UK can enjoy our range of high quality, healthy, convenient ready-to-eat vegetable accompaniments at the family table.

This is a great opportunity for Mash Direct to showcase our heritage varieties of vegetables on our family farm, grown specifically for superior flavour. We have a strong working relationship with Morrison’s, and we are looking forward to building our reputation in these new stores. ‘’

Mash Direct is headed by the award-winning Hamilton family team: husband and wife Martin and Tracy and their sons, Lance, and Jack. The farm is located in the green fields of County Down, close to the shores of Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland, and the family is proud to select older heritage varieties of vegetables for their products, chosen specifically for their flavour rather than appearance.

All Mash Direct products are prepared immediately after harvesting. This ensures an unrivalled freshness of flavour and retains the natural texture and nutritional benefits of the ingredients. The full range is low in saturated fat, gluten-free and free from artificial flavourings, preservatives, and colourings.

The Mash Direct Family Story:

Mash Direct is an 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 217 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.

Mash Direct is also committed to environmental management and assists in restoring farmland and biodiversity to improve the quality of water, air and soil. All packaging is 100% recyclable ensuring that Mash Direct has improved its environmental footprint.

From 16th September, Mash Direct’s Carrot & Parsnip, Green Cabbage, Potato, Cheese & Onion Croquettes, Beer Battered Onion Rings, Beer Battered Chips and Bubble & Squeak editions are available in Morrison’s stores nationwide.

There was some potentially very significant news for the local farming industry last week in the shape of approval for two local processors Foyle Food Group in Campsie and Coleraine’s WD Meats to export products to the huge US marketplace.

The approvals have been a long time coming for all the companies involved as well as for staff at the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Development (DAERA).They’ve worked tirelessly with their colleagues in Britain to secure this important market access. Cold storage facility Granville Food Care in Dungannon, in addition, has been cleared for US business.

The US has been a closed market to UK meat processors for over 20 years because of health concerns. What the approval from the US authorities does is to offer access to a market worth around £66 million a year. I understand that the companies are moving quickly to prepare containers for customers there. I wish the three companies continuing success. There are opportunities too developing in Japan.

Our economy certainly needs to see more companies following the example of our meat processors in seizing the opportunities that are still developing steadily in global markets. The meat sector has long been a key generator of earnings from international exports, and I am confident that it will continue to grow strongly and to provide the additional employment opportunities we shall need in the months and years ahead.

I know that many of our smaller companies are endeavouring to recover business in Britain, the Republic and other marketsespecially with specialist retailers and hospitality outletspaused during the coronavirus pandemic. It’s really a hugechallenge for smaller businesses with very limited resources. Travelling, of course, continues to be difficult with companies reluctant to take risks with safety.

However, there was also good news from That Protein, the Belfast producer of super food powders n the shape of a gold in the annual Nourish Awards – for the third year in a row.

Food NI is ready to help the companies through our networks, especially those built up during Year of Food and Drink, andalso our engagement with Invest Northern Ireland who have specialist advisors in the UK and further afield.

The trade shows which have long been central to the success of smaller companies in Britain and the Republic have all been paused by the organisers until 2021… and many may not even be held until the end of 2021.

A recent report from Santander UK and the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) states that business confidence among many food and drink manufacturers is now at an all-time low.Despite this gloomy picture, the report sees light at the end of the current dark tunnel and suggests there are exciting untapped opportunities in some markets for quality food and drink from the UK.

Three particular market regions are highlighted in the report for such opportunities. They are the United Arab Emirates and wider Gulf region, China, and the US and Canada. The markets, however, are especially challenging for smaller companies. Several, however, have won business especially in the Emirates. Our whiskey and gin producers are beginning to make serious inroads in North America. Seafood enterprises have also won business in Europe, China and the US.

Exports to Canada, the UK’s third-largest non-EU preferential trade partner, grew by 5.7 percent so far in 2020, led by exports of gin, beef and salmon, the report said. Meanwhile, China has seen rapid growth in demand as consumers continue to perceive UK products to be safe and high-quality, with a sense of heritage.

In the UAE and the Gulf, the COVID-19 crisis has seen an increasing focus on healthier lifestyles in the region and increased demand for organic, functional foods and nutritionally-rich products.

I have no doubt our companies will still keep an eye on export opportunities as they work to rebuild business at home and in Britain and the Republic.  They are talented, tenacious and determined to bring quality food and drink to the table.