A novel range of handmade chutneys has been created in Northern Ireland by Grá Bia, a start-up artisan enterprise.

Behind the five-strong range of flavoured chutneys is Benoit le Houerou, a native of Brittany who trained as a chef before working in hotel management in St Helier, Jersey for seven years.

The chutneys were developed following Mr le Houerou’ssubsequent move to Northern Ireland with his then wife, originally from Newcastle in county Down. He set up the artisan business at Bryansford, near Newcastle, to realise a longstanding dream of running his own food enterprise.

The five chutneys feature different flavour blends and are: Beetroot and Mint; Mango and Green Chilli; Pineapple, Cranberry and Black Pepper; Rhubarb, Date and Ginger; and Tomato and Black Onion Seed.

“I’ve always loved experimenting with different flavour blends from my training as a chef in Brittany,” he explains. “I am particularly keen on making chutneys, combining fresh fruits, vegetables and a blend of spices to create wonderful flavours. Chutneys are so versatile and can be served with just about anything, from curries, charcuterie and cheese boards to BBQs,” he adds.

He saw a business opportunity from the growth in handmade meal accompaniments especially relishes and chutneys which are now popular in the UK and Ireland. “What I set out to do was to create chutneys with different and tasty flavour blends,” he says. “I came up with several samples for friendsto taste and they proved very popular. Several suggested I should start making them commercially. And so this is what I’ve done,” he adds.

He heard about Invest NI’s Innovation Voucher scheme which helps start-ups and smaller companies to link up with a third level institution in developing new products or processes.

He tabled his plan to create the novel chutneys to Invest NI and gained support in the shape of a £5,000 grant to enable him to seek practical support from expert staff at the Food Innovation Centre on the Loughry Campus of the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise in Cookstown, countyTyrone.

“The Innovation Voucher scheme and the Loughry team were excellent. It helped me to refine the chutneys and prepare to bring them to market. I wouldn’t be where I am now without this fantastic support,” adds the affable Frenchman.

Grá Bia, the distinctive branding he has chosen for the small business, reflects his passion for great food and cooking with a ‘Celtic’ twist. “‘Grá means ‘love’. ‘Bia’ means ‘food’. Producing delicious chutneys is all about sharing love and passion for fine foods,” he explains.

He’s very keen “to work closely with local businesses and suppliers from Northern Ireland”. He continues: “Most of the fruits and vegetables are locally sourced. This means I have total control of the ingredients and know where they all comefrom,” he adds.

The chutneys are already on sale at a number of outlets across Northern Ireland and from the small company’s recently launched website (www.gra-bia.co.uk)

Thanks to our local farmers who have been working hard throughout the pandemic, the first New Season Comber Earlies are now in the shops around County Down.

The unique Comber Earlies potatoes have enjoyed Protected Geographical Indication status since 2012. The potatoes, which are grown around the town of Comber, are prized for their distinctive earthy, nutty flavour and smooth, soft skin…and are best served with a knob of creamy butter and a sprinkle of salt!

Comber Earlies are the first potato harvest of the year and provide the perfect opportunity for shoppers to ‘support local’. By purchasing Comber Earlies, consumers are supporting local food production and are guaranteed to have high-quality, flavoursome potatoes that have been grown by local farmers who uphold the highest environmental, animal welfare and food production standards.

The Mayor of Ards and North Down, Councillor Trevor Cummings, said:

“It’s important that we all support our local food producers. They have been working hard during these difficult times to ensure that we continue to have food on our tables and the quality of their produce is unrivalled. I would encourage everyone to purchase produce that has been farmed locally when they go shopping.”

Comber Earlies are available from the beginning of June until the end of July and are the first new season potatoes available in Northern Ireland. They have been grown on the shores of Strangford Lough since the early 17th century where the milder climate and fertile soil provide ideal conditions.

They tend to be richly flavoured and are famous for their unique taste. The first Earlies are usually harvested in small quantities and eaten straight away while second Earlies and salad varieties can also be harvested in small quantities and eaten when fresh in June and July.

Alternatively, if the skins are allowed to ‘set’, they can be lifted in September and stored in a cool, dark, frost-free area as main crop varieties.

Comber farmer Harry Hamilton, of DJH Hamilton said:

“The potatoes were planted in early February and we’re now busy harvesting our crops on a daily basis.  The recent spell of warm weather has added to the flavour of the Earlies and we’ve received some great feedback already from our distributors and customers.”

So, what are you waiting for? Get to the shops, support local, and enjoy some delicious Comber Earlies potatoes that have been grown by our own farmers near the shores of the beautiful Strangford Lough!

The hospitality industry has been one of the hardest-hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. Many have had to adapt to takeaway menus after being closed for a period but that didn’t stop some from feeding those who work on the frontline. They include Chris and Davina Magowan from Wine and Brine restaurant in Moira and Kamal Molhotra from Kamal Mahal restaurant in Enniskillen.

“We decided after 2 weeks of lockdown that it was alien to us to just go from 100 miles an hour every day and just stop” says Davina Magowan Front of House and Co-Owner at Wine and Brine.

“We wanted to do something to help so initially we approached our suppliers and asked them to donate produce that we turned into nutritious meals for the frontline. Then donations from customers and local businesses started arriving despite us not asking and so we were able to keep going and pay our suppliers for their produce. We did it as a family with just Chris, myself and our 2 teenage daughters helping to pack.

“Since we started doing takeaways 3 weeks ago, we have had to reduce what we donate from 160 meals a week to 50- 60 which get delivered on a Monday to Belfast City Hospital, Royal Victoria and Craigavon Area hospital.

“The feedback and gratitude has been overwhelming and we did it as long as we could toour bit to brighten the days of the people who put themselves on the frontline for all of us”

Kamal Molhotra from Kamal Mahal restaurant in Enniskillen has been sending takeaway lunches, dinners, curry powders and sauces and baskets of fruit to frontline staff since lockdown started, They include doctors, nurses at the Covid Ward,Accident and Emergency and Maternity Departments at the South Western Area Hospital in Enniskillen. He has also sent meals to the local PSNI and Ambulance Service.

“I just wanted to show our thanks to the people keep us safe. We are all in this together” said Kamal Molhotra.

Noisy Snacks, the award winning, innovative snack brand from Northern Ireland is adding a new range of delicious healthy flavours in nuts and chickpeas. Available in convenient recyclable 45g pouches Noisy Chickpeas and Noisy Nuts are pre-mixed with extra flavouring and available in a variety of bold tastebud-tingling flavours.

 Noel Allen, founder of Noisy Snacks, says; “We wanted to exceed customer expectation on taste blowing people’s minds with the level of flavour, and emphasising the character notes of those flavours. Where there is heat and spice we want it to be knock-out; we don’t pull our punches. I’ve been told that the Chickpeas explode with flavour in your mouth and leave long-lingering heat. I am so proud of the taste of the beans which really are stand-out in the market. They have excellent health credentials and taste delicious.”

 Noisy Snacks’ 45g range comes in 100 percent recyclable packaging, and are flexitarian, vegan, gluten free, high in fibre, and high in protein.

Noisy Snacks is dedicated to creating delicious healthier snacking experiences that are memorable and fun. They put taste first with knock out flavours that tantalise the tastebuds. Noise is a key product differentiator, however meeting and exceeding customer expectations on taste, feel, and smell are key components in creating a memorable customer experience using all five senses.

 The snacking industry in the UK and Ireland has been valued at £1,489.3 million.

Based near Belfast, Noel Allen has 10 years’ experience in FMCG working for Coca Cola, Red Bull and six years working for Boost Drinks. Noisy Snacks taste delicious with unique flavour combinations to delight and engage with all of your senses.

 In 2019 Noisy Snacks received enterprise funding from Greenyard plc. Greenyard is a global market leader of fresh, frozen and prepared fruit and vegetables, flowers and plants. Counting Europe’s leading retailers amongst its customer base, Greenyard provides efficient and sustainable solutions to customers and suppliers through best-in-class products, market leading innovation, operational excellence and outstanding service. Assistance from Invest NI for the company includes an Innovation Voucher to develop the initial range.

Whitewater Brewery in Northern Ireland has resumed exports to France and Italy as the lockdowns in both important export markets are lifted

The award-winning independent brewery, in addition, is currently following up a new approach from Australia for its range of beers including its UK Great Taste Regional Golden Fork for Northern Ireland winning Kreme dela KremlinImperial Russian Stout (ABV10.5%).

The small brewery, which is based in Castlewellan, county Down, last week shipped consignments of its bottled beers ordered by existing distributors in France and northern Italy.

Bernard Sloan, Whitewater’s founder and managing director, describes the new orders as “the first green shoots of recovery”. “It’s been a very difficult couple of months for the industry due to the lockdowns in hospitality in all our main markets,” Mr Sloan says.

“The downturn in hospitality has been only partly offset by increased independent off sales and supermarkets in Northern Ireland. We greatly appreciate their support during this immensely challenging period. Licensing laws in Northern Ireland have also prevented us from selling from our website.

“The big problem for us were the lockdowns in Europe which halted the fast developing export sales in which we had invested considerable time and other resources. Our state-of-the-art brewery, for example, was a substantial investment in response to the growing demand from our beers from hospitality operators in the UK, other parts of Europe and from further afield.

“The orders from our distributors in France and Italy for our five-strong range of beers for their customers in bars, cafes and hotels in both countries were welcome and a tremendous relief. We were able to supply them very quickly from stock we had built up before the lockdown. We look forward to further repeat orders soon,” he adds.

In addition to sales in France and Italy, Whitewater Brewery had developed exports to Sweden and Japan well before the virus outbreak.

As well as its bottling lines, the brewery has developed a canning operation and introduced a facility for slim line cans which is now attracting attention from a leading producer of sparkling soft drinks.

Whitewater was the first brewery in Northern Ireland to win a Great Taste Regional Golden Fork for Northern Ireland when it gained the award last year for the unique Russian Imperial Stout, a recipe created by Mr Sloan. The company has also won World Brewing Awards.

Mr Sloan founded Whitewater Brewery near Kilkeel in 1996 and subsequently decided to invest in a new brewery at Castlewellan because of the rapid growth in demand for his range of original beers, ales and stouts in bottles, cans and kegs.

The new brewery was opened in 2018 and is now among the most modern of its type on the island of Ireland. Invest Northern Ireland has assisted the company over many years including the development of the new brewery and export marketing.

We have all undoubtedly been through a very tough few months, but it was heartening to read a survey last week which showed that farmers in Britain are now more respected than ever because of their outstanding work during the lockdown.

The report by the influential Agriculture and Horticultural Development Board (AHDB), which has a role here and works with the Department of Agriculture and Rural and Development and Invest NI’s Food and Drink Division, found that 71 percent of people interviewed in Britain believe that British farmers have been doing a good job in producing food during the crippling pandemic.

I am sure a poll of local consumers would produce an even more impressive endorsement, because farming here is much closer to the wider community than in Britain.

Commenting on the findings of the survey, AHDB said the pandemic had created “a greater sense of community” in which consumers were keen on local food because of its traceability and provenance. They had come to count on the wholesomeness and safety of local produce and had grown to appreciate the endeavours of those providing produce.  More people were also turning to “comforting, traditional producesuch as meat and dairy and especially mince, chicken breast, bacon, milk, cheese and cream”.

Worryingly, many shoppers were also heavily influenced by price during the virus outbreak.  Only 22 percent of people interviewed said they would buy British products if they were more expensive, whilst 51 percent said they will proactively seek out British produce post-outbreak.

Important in the results is “a shift in consumer behaviour when it comes to people claiming to be cutting back on their dairy and meat consumption”. The survey found that the number of people eating more meat has doubled to 14 percentsince February, whilst those reducing their intake has dropped from 27 percent to 16 percent. The number of people claiming to cut back on dairy has dropped from 17 percent to 11 percent, whilst 12 percent of people are now claiming to be consuming more dairy, up from five percent. Interesting to see how the pandemic has, at least temporarily, reversed the trends towards a more plant-based diet.  

There are important messages to be taken from the report by the agri-food industry here. For Food NI, there is a strong case for increasing our marketing of the provenance, wholesomeness and safety of products. Sustainability seems likely to grow in importance with consumers as will food security. We need to be promoting the green credentials of our producers and produce and communicating these much more extensively in Britain.

Our longstanding focus on farmers contributing to food and drink could be strengthened to reinforce the local nature of the products for consumers here and especially in the rest of the UK. We really need to build upon our reputation as a safe, sustainable, resilient region with short supply chains.

The lockdown has also stimulated more at home food preparation which provides an opportunity to provide cooking experiences for consumers to enjoy. We need to seize the market opportunity from the evidence that there’s more home cooking and baking going on now than ever before. This looks likely to grow in popularity and will increase demand for tasty and nutritious ingredients from trusted suppliers with transparent farm links.

And on that note, this week, look out for the first Comber Earlies hitting the shops. While we can’t have a Comber potato festival this year we can still experience their delicious flavour. Just steam them and add a little local butter. Delicious.