A FOOD consultant whose business was forced to pivot during lockdown has officially opened the doors of her new £250,000 food production facility in the heart of a County Tyrone village which will create 14 jobs over the next two years.

Rhonda Montgomery, CEO of the Montgomery Food Group, has created Gourmet Grub – a new ‘allergen free from’ fresh chilled and frozen range of chicken products which have been hitting supermarket fridges across Northern Ireland since its first production run in September.

Supported by Invest NI, Rhonda has turned part of the old Augher creamery into a state of the art food production facility where she and her team produce consistently high quality products which are full of flavours which has never been seen before in the allergen free market.

Rhonda, who is also the founder of Butchery Excellence Ireland, Hospitality Ireland and Montgomery Food Consulting, said: “I spent two years working with Loughry College to develop my own recipes to create my own batters, coaters and crumbs. When Covid-19 hit, I had been exportingthese ingredients wholesale for nine months. But, that wholesale market ceased so I had to pivot mybusiness. I decided to go down the route of opening up my own factory. Not only would this inject life into a rural community and create jobs, but, it would also give consumers a convenient alternative with Gourmet Grub’s ‘food-to-go’ range which are already cooked and ready to eat and can be heated up in 15 minutes.

“I was extremely lucky to get support from Invest NIto set up my factory so I could create great tasting, allergen ‘free from’ ready to eat products which are now being distributed across Northern Ireland for retail and hospitality.

“When lockdown happened in March it was clear that consumers were changing the way they shopped and the ‘buying local’ message was so prevalent.

“Consumers were buying online so we have made sure our tasty range can be purchased online, we have also added a factory shop where people can come and buy direct for their fridge or freezers and we can also able to do delivers to local people.

“In our drive to get great tasting food, produced locally, to local consumers, we are also distributing our allergen free product range to retailers, wholesalers, butchers, delicatessens, takeaways and restaurants.

“We believe everyone should be able to access allergen free food so we are delighted so many hospitality and retail outlets are stocking our delicious range.

“We will be expanding our range to include allergen free dips, Chicken Marylands, bites, vegetable based croquettes, Scotch eggs and more.”

 

For further information contact Eleanor McGillie of MGMPR Ltd on 07709805379/

Golden Fork from Northern Ireland announced

Great Taste, the world’s most trusted food and drink awards, has reached its grand finale for 2020, with the Great Taste Golden Fork from Northern Ireland presented to Craic Foods in Craigavon, County Armagh for its Black Garlic & Porcini Sea Salt. 

An expertly balanced combination of slow aged black garlic, sea salt and wild porcini mushroom, created as a finishing seasoning or to add a boost of flavour to a wide range of meals, this product was a hit with the Great Taste judges. Noting its “sparkling rock appearance and rich earthy aroma”, the panel described Black Garlic & Porcini Sea Salt as “an umami flavour bomb”, as they enjoyed its “bold mushroom flavour, sweetness from the black garlic and a slight acidic lift toward the end to keep the overall experience clean.”  

Having impressed at every stage of the blind-tasted judging process, as a record-breaking 12,777 entries were assessed over 14 weeks of remote judging and socially distanced judging sessions, the “intense, but balanced” Black Garlic & Porcini Sea Salt was celebrated as the best tasting product in Northern Ireland during the virtual Great Taste Golden Fork award ceremony on Thursday 22 October.  

 Taking place across the Guild of Fine Food’s social media channels and website, the online event brought together food lovers, producers, retailers, buyers and chefs to discover this year’s stars of food and drink, providing a vital boost for the industry as the nation moves towards the most important Christmas period in a generation. Held later in the year than usual, after the lockdown interrupted judging just one week into the schedule, the Golden Fork trophy announcements are the final instalment in a Great Taste calendar that has been reinvented at every stage, in order to stimulate much-needed consumer support for independent retail and hospitality over the challenging months ahead.  

This year’s panel of judges included; cook, writer and champion of sustainable food, Melissa Hemsley, cook, writer, stylist and voice of modern vegetarian cooking, Anna Jones, celebrated Spanish chef, José Pizarro, Kavi Thakrar from Dishoom, food writer and cook, Xanthe Clay, and baker and author, Martha Collison, as well as food buyers from Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason and Waitrose. These esteemed palates tasted and re-judged the 3-star winners to finally agree on the Golden Fork trophy winners and the Great Taste 2020 Supreme Champion.   

The Golden Fork from Northern Ireland was sponsored by Invest NI and also nominated this year were the Great Taste 3-star winning; Abernethy Lemon Curd from The Little Bakehouse in Dromore, County Down and Wild Sika Venison French Rack from Baronscourt Estate in Newtownstewart, County Tyrone. 

 

Erne Larder Preserves in Enniskillen has launched a novel Irish gin and cranberry relish in time for Christmas.

The relish is the latest product from the small business which specialises in innovative products such as Irish Bacon Sauce and Irish Bacon Jam as well as other sauces, relishes and jams.

The small company, owned and run by chef Declan O’Donoghue, supplies leading independent stores, delis and catering operations in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The business also includes Lidl stores in Northern Ireland among its customers.

Declan, explaining the thinking behind the new sauce, says: “It’s a very rich and fruity sauce which I created for the upcoming Christmas season.”

A native of Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, Declan launched the business in 2016 on the back of a successful career as a chef in leading hotels and restaurants on the island of Ireland.

His business objective is to produce unique products using new generation and traditional flavours. He started selling these initially at markets in Fermanagh and further afield.

He adds: “The products are all based on my work in hotel kitchens to create dishes with deliciously different flavour profiles. “I love coming up with innovative food with different blends of flavours,” he adds.

A key element in his approach is a focus on locally-sourced ingredients. “There are so many excellent products available across Northern Ireland that can be used to create innovative and tasty products,” he adds.

Prep House, the award-winning producer of sauces, mayonnaises, stocks and marinades, has expanded its existing product portfolio by acquiring another successful Northern Ireland producer.

Based in Crossgar, Co Down, Prep House, a longstanding family business supplying both retail and foodservice customers in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, has acquired Hollah Preserving (Hollah) in Moira, Co Armagh, a producer of spicy sauces, jam and chutney.

Prep House has acquired Hollah as a going concern and plans to invest in the development and marketing of its range of products including its popular and Great Taste Award winning Bucky BBQ sauce. Prep House will be taking over production of Hollah’s range in January.

Paul Bell, managing director of Prep House, explains: “The Hollah products, which are established and successful particularly in the local marketplace, are an excellent fit for our existing range of sauces.

“We see significant scope to increase sales of the Hollah products through our extensive network of retail outlets here and in the Republic of Ireland and our extensive marketing and merchandising expertise and greater resources.

“This is a strategic acquisition and is a logical extension of our engagement with smaller food businesses such as Clandeboye Yoghurt in Bangor, Long Meadow Cider in Loughgall and Farm View Dairies in Castlereagh,” he adds.

Mr Bell said Trudy Hopkinson, one of the two founders of Hollah Preserving in 2014, will be joining Prep House to assist the further development of the existing products and new ideas in association with Prep House’s experienced New Product Development team in Crossgar.

“I am delighted to welcome Trudy to the Prep House team and look forward to working with her on the further development of Hollah’s successful products,” adds Mr Bell.

Mr Bell took over the reins at the Crossgar family business in 2015 and has driven its growth through investment in people and products and innovative and customer focused services. The company currently employs around 20 people at its modern manufacturing and new product kitchen operation in Crossgar.

Awards for taste and quality have also followed from the UK Quality Food and Drink, Great Taste Awards and the Blas na hEireann Irish National Awards. In addition, Prep House won gold stars in the recent UK Great Taste Awards 2020 for its innovative Whiskey and South West sauces.

Bushmills Irish Whiskey has released The Causeway Collection across selected global markets, a new series of extremely rare and unique cask finished single malt whiskeys from The Old Bushmills Distillery – the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery.

Leading the lineup are two cask strength releases that will be exclusively available for the island of Ireland –the 2008 Muscatel Cask and the 1995 Malaga Cask.

A stone’s throw from the distillery, The Giant’s Causeway has been a source of inspiration to Bushmills’ master distillers for centuries. Its extraordinary hexagonal columns, each unique but perfectly locked together, form a series of steps, mirroring the successive steps of triple wood maturation used in this new collection.

The two exclusive Irish releases are the first cask strength Irish single malt whiskeys to be introduced by The Old Bushmills Distillery in over 15 years.

The 2008 Muscatel Cask, first aged for eight years in oloroso sherry butts and bourbon barrels, is then matured in rare muscatel casks for a further four years. Permeated with wine made from the aromatic muscatgrape, the muscatel cask imparts deep waves of flavourwith luscious ripe fruit notes and a smooth sweetness.

The 1995 Malaga Cask is a rare single malt, aged quietly for over 10 years in oloroso sherry butts and bourbon barrels before further maturation for an extraordinary 14 years in Malaga casks. After almost 25 years resting in oak, the triple wood maturation bestows notes of sweet spiced plum, toasted vanilla and pinches of coffee grounds on this golden spirit.

The Causeway Collection has been expertly crafted by Bushmills Master Blender, Helen Mulholland, who says: “This launch represents a bold new step for Bushmills, one that not only honours the giants and generations before us but also the incomparable natural landscape in which it’s forged. We are excited to reintroduce cask strength Bushmills single malt whiskeys to our loyal fans across the island of Ireland. With these two new exclusive releases, we celebrate our passion for single malt, showcase our rare and unique casks, and honourour 400-year north coast provenance.”

These rare and sensational whiskeys will be on sale from the 22nd October 2020 via select online and in-store retailers. Only 1,454 bottles of the 2008 Muscatel Cask are available, bottled at 56.4% ABV, non chill-filtered and priced at €100 / £95 for 700ml. Only 2,491 bottles of the 1995 Malaga Cask are available, bottled at 53.5% ABV, non-chill-filtered and priced at €400 / £390 for 700ml.

Tasting Notes:

The 2008 Muscatel Cask
Colour: Rose gold
Nose: Velvety smooth sweetness, caramelised toffee sugars with a note of orange flower
Taste: Sweet dried fruit producing a warming mouthfeel, a hint of citrus leads into a rich vanilla floral smoothness
Finish: A burst of sweet raisin

The 1995 Malaga Cask

Colour: Antique gold
Nose: Rich black coffee and nuts with sweet wood roundness
Taste: Deep rich honey character, sweet spiced plum and vanilla undertones are evident
Finish: Distinct nuttiness with a long lingering finish

Food NI member Baronscourt Estate Venison has been nominated for a Golden Fork for Northern Ireland at the 2020 Great Taste Awards. The product is their 3 star Wild Sika Venison French Rack. Also in the running are Craic Foods for Black Garlic & Porcini Sea Salt and The Little Bakehouse for their Abernethy Lemon Curd  

The nominations were revealed online this year with the Supreme Champion and regional winners due to be announced in a virtual ceremony next Thursday 22nd October.

Coming later in the year than usual, after the lockdown interrupted judging just one week into the schedule, the Golden Fork trophy announcements will provide a vital boost for the industry during the all-important run-up to Christmas.

Beginning at 10am with the first regional trophy, the Golden Fork winners will be shared at 30 minute intervals throughout the day, building to the announcement of the Great Taste Supreme Champion 2020 at 6pm. A host of Great Taste supporters and judges will reveal the winners, with a line-up including food writer and cook, Xanthe Clay, baker and author, Martha Collison, wine writer and presenter, Jane Parkinson, food and drink broadcaster, Nigel Barden, and James Golding, Chef Director of THE PIG hotel group.