Tiptree World Bread Awards with Brook Food is not being defeated by the restrictions imposed due to coronavirus. In normal times, the awards celebrate the loaf – hundreds of loaves would be delivered for assessment by a panel of esteemed judges. Instead, in a special edition for 2020, the Awards will be recognising the people behind the loaf, the bakers, millers, farmers and all others closely involved, and will be called the ‘Tiptree World Bread Awards Heroes with Brook Food’.

Caroline Kenyon, Founder of the Awards, said ‘In these hard times, the bread community has undertaken many wonderful initiatives to help us all get through. Whether delivering bread to the vulnerable, milling flour 24 hours a day, educating or giving out free sourdough starters for home bakers. The Awards want to shine a light on and celebrate this.’

Tiptree World Bread Awards Heroes with Brook Food launches on Tuesday 23 June 2020. Nominations for a Bread Hero will be submitted via the website. A nomination can be made by the nominee themselves or by a third party. The Awards are looking for stories that show the nominated Bread Hero’s impact on their community, their reach, how they may have innovated, their generosity of spirit and their care for the wellbeing of others.

There will be regional Bread Hero winners and from those regional winners will be drawn one Overall Winner of the title ‘Tiptree World Bread Awards Hero with Brook Food’. All the winners will be announced during an Online Awards Evening on Tuesday 13 October 2020.

Submit your Bread Heroes nomination for free here. Submissions close Sunday 23 August 2020.

The Agri-Food Co-operation Scheme offers £30,500 to farmers and food producers.

Countryside Services Ltd is continuing to manage the Agri-Food Co-operation Scheme & encouragesnew applicants to email their Expression of Interest forms to agrifood@countrysideservices.com

The Agri-Food Co-operation Scheme offers support to small and micro businesses who wish to avail of funding interventions to help progress their new idea, new product, process or technology.  By joining together with others in their supply chain, they can see their ideas come to fruition with 50 days expert help from a Facilitator dedicated to the group, as well as an array of other measures to develop the skills of the group members.

Up to £30,500 of support measures are available to each group and includes Specialist Mentoring, Training, Business Tools, Study Tours and Co-operation Support.

Mandina Fulton from Countryside Services Ltd, who is managing the scheme on behalf of DAERA explains “We have active groups participating in the Agri-Food Co-operation Scheme from a diverse range of producers – from artisan food businesses located in rural or coastal regions wishing to collectively market their goods – to farmers getting together to further a novel idea which will aid their supply of product to current or newmarkets.”

Some of the funding received includes group websites, logo design for use on banners and group promotional material, the provision of mentoring by a marketing specialist,as well as advice from crop scientists and agronomists.

Mandina continues “We would like to encourage new applicants to join the scheme even in these challenging times in which we find ourselves. Please don’t hesitate to give us a call to discuss any new project ideas you may have.”    

The Agri-Food Co-operation Scheme is open to producers in the Agricultural and Horticultural sectors, as well as the Food Tourism and Artisan sector.

For Expression of Interest Forms and further information contact:                  

Irish exiles in Britain and other lovers of good food have been snapping up original Irish bacon ketchup and smoked bacon jam from a small producer in Fermanagh.

Enniskillen-based Erne Larder Preserves, a Food NI member, has enjoyed a five-fold growth in sales of its Irish bacon products to established and new customers especially in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland over the past three months. The ketchup and jams are made from locally sourced dry cured bacon.

The artisan business, which is run by chef Declan O’Donoghue, has racked up significant sales from a website developed during the lockdown and also from a listing by the specialist Artisan Food Club (AFC) in Britain.

Mr O’Donoghue says: “The past three months have been extremely difficult because many of our customers in the hospitality sector have been closed and some of the leading delis and independent grocers which we also supply have been operating only limited hours.  Furthermore, the food markets which generated cash for us were also closed.

“What really made the difference for us was the investment in our website to sell our products and also the inclusion of our products, especially the Irish bacon jam and ketchup, on the successful AFC website. These were two game changers for my small company during what was a very tough time for us and many other smaller food processors here.  It’s been a tremendous relief to see some cash flowing again,” he adds.

Listing by AFC last year was the Fermanagh company’s first significant business in Britain. It has subsequently gained its first European sales, in Belgium. Erne Larder has also won business from Lidl Ireland and Aldi Ireland.

“Our complete range of products is now listed for delis and smaller retailers in Britain especially our Irish bacon ketchup, the only product of its type being produced in both Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic,” adds Mr O’Donoghue.

He’s looking forward to the reopening of bars, hotels, cafes and restaurants with the lifting of the lockdown and grocery stores getting back to full working hours. “It’s been a long haul and it will take time to recover business halted by the lockdown,” he adds.

He established Erne Larder Preserves in 2016 to develop a range of sauces and jams based on his own experiences as a chef in hotel and restaurant kitchens over many years. His first product was the unique Irish bacon jam.

All Erne Larder products jams are based on recipes created by Mr O’Donoghue.

Passengers on Aer Lingus flights to the US and Europe are now able to enjoy a novel onion jam created and produced by Burren Balsamics in Armagh, a market leader in the development and production of natural fruit infused balsamics, relishes, jams and condiments.

The artisan producer, which is based at Richhill in Co Armagh, has just begun supplying pods of onion jam for passengers on Aer Lingus from Dublin.

The contract with Aer Lingus follows Burren’s participation in a ‘meet the buyer’ trade exhibition organised by the airline, part of International Airlines Group which also includes British Airways, for established and new suppliers last year, according to Susie Hamilton Stubber, the Armagh company’s founder and managing director, a former chef with vast experience working in Britain.

“We met representatives from an airline distribution company at a trade show in Heathrow airport and were subsequently invited to tender for a new concept idea in their business class cabins.  The Innoveat exhibition was a marvellous business opportunity and a great networking occasion for us to showcase our products and to gain invaluable feedback from buyers about the exact requirements of airlines,” Mrs Hamilton  Stubber explains.

Aer Lingus subsequently placed a significant order for the Northern Ireland company’s onion jam in 18g pods.

“The order is very timely because much of our established business with foodservice operations such as high-end restaurants and hotels has been adversely impacted by the lockdowns in our key markets including the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. We are looking forward to the reopening of the hospitality sectors in the UK and Ireland next month.

“We are thrilled to be supplying such an important and influential client in foodservice as Aer Lingus. We’ll be doing everything in our power to build on this initial business. We’d love to supply them with our unique balsamic vinegars and relishes,” adds Mrs Hamilton Stubber.

The onion jam is among several original products from the company’s zero waste strategy which has seen it use the previously infused fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices from its production of its multi-award winning balsamic vinegars to create other innovative flavours

The jam is a product of the infusing ingredients from the two star Great Taste Award winning roast onion black balsamic vinegar.

Mrs Hamilton Stubber and development chef Bob McDonald are committed to the zero waste campaign which has seen them turn secondary products into a range of novel foods for their company as well as another local artisan producers including Ballylisk of Armagh Triple Rose Cheese.

“We have long been committed to waste elimination and measures to reduce our impact on the local environment,” she continues. “ Diversifying into another novel and artisan product range has also enabled us to grow our overall business.”

And it’s also a strategic focus that’s increasingly adding to the company’s bottom line. “We are seeing existing and potential new customers placing orders because of the strength of our commitment to zero waste and ethical production,” Mrs Hamilton Studder continues.

Food NI member Moy Park has invested over £4 million in safety and supportive measures to protect its staff.  Moy Park is Northern Ireland’s biggest food company and leading exporter of food products.

The investment includes advanced safety measures which have been rolled out across its facilities since late March, as well as enhanced reward packages for team members to thank them for their efforts as key workers.

Key measures introduced during this period include the installation of Perspex screens, one-way flow systems on site, staggered breaks and socially distanced rest and break areas as well as additional PPE. The company is also rolling out thermal temperature screening technology at its sites as another protective step to stop Covid-19 entering its facilities.

Speaking about the investment, Kirsty Wilkins, HR and Performance Director, at Moy Park said: “Our key workers are Food Heroes who have been working harder than ever to ensure we continue to provide society with safe, nutritious food in these uncertain and unprecedented times.

“We are proud of our team and their efforts to feed the nation and keep our supermarket shelves stocked. Safety is a condition at Moy Park, and we have worked tirelessly over the last 11 weeks to implement all best practice measures available to help safeguard our Food Heroes. We follow all government guidelines and created bespoke solutions early on, with many of them now recognised as leading the way for food processors.”

Kirsty added “It can be hard to visualise what a food production facility looks likes so we filmed a walk around one of our sites to show how the safety measures work in practice on a typical day. As a food business, we already operate to some of the highest standards globally and our teams work in a controlled hygienic environment, which is routinely sanitised and where strict handwashing and other cleanliness protocols are the norm.

“Our strategy is focused on doing everything we can to halt the virus from coming into our facilities, and to minimise any potential spread. We will continue to evaluate the situation daily and take all measures necessary to safeguard our staff.”

It’s time to talk about vegetable production and consumption. Medical studies show that it isn’t just a case of ‘vegetables will do you good’, put simply, you are shortening your life if you don’t eat enough and Northern Ireland has the lowest. level of vegetable consumption in the UK.

We’ve been supporting Peas Please in its endeavours to promote vegetables to shoppers and families. Their recent report, Veg Facts, found that UK vegetable production dropped by a worrying 12 percent between 2017 and 2018, the lowest level of domestic horticulture production for over 20 years. This is concerning at this time when surveys have shown that UK consumers are keen on eating more locally sourced food that offers health and immunity benefits.

 According to Veg Facts, UK growers supply just 52.7 percent of vegetables, with the majority being imported from Spain and the Netherlands. Our over dependenceon regions which are sensitive to climate change was highlighted last year when adverse weather in Spain,and especially around the Murcia region that grows lettuce and tomatoes, undermined the harvest and supplies to the UK.

Under lockdown, the report continues, 25 percent of households with children expressed concern about problems in accessing enough fruit and vegetables. A third of children under 11 years of age were eating less than one portion of veg a day.

There is clearly an urgent need for a national plan for horticulture that would encourage greater consumption and also promote production across the nation, as suggested by the Food Foundation. There should be greater scope for growers and farmers here to invest in local production of vegetables and seasonal fruit that will help to improve public health especially in children.

What the lockdown has also shown is the need for a strategic focus on UK food security. This was particularly apparent in the panic buying that was such an alarming feature during the early stages of the Covid 19 crisis. The report says that six weeks after the start of lockdown five million households experienced food insecurity, with 72 percent of parents receiving free school meal vouchers reporting that they were worried about getting enough veg.

Our food system is evidently very vulnerable and becoming increasingly so in terms of fruit and vegetables and also in the dependence on migrant workers. Further threats to these important sectors are developing from the looming Brexit and the ongoing climate change. Vegetable production, furthermore, has positive environmental benefits.

Another significant report has found important trends for food production here post lockdown. Paymentsense indicated that, whilst consumers are looking to spend less once lockdown is lifted, 62 percent said they be staying loyal to the local businesses that continued to help them through lockdown. What’s more, 53 percent agreed they’ll support local restaurants and cafés too.

It says 2020 will go down as the year of the “loyally conscious consumer” who understands the impact their decisions have on small companies in the wake of the pandemic and are keen to support local farmers, other food producers and smaller retailers. They’ve come to appreciate the farmers, producers and farmers who had supported them by introducing doorstep delivery services.

This trend presents significant opportunities for local producers and growers to develop their products and to explore new opportunities, for instance, in sectors such as horticulture. Many business analysts are comparing the position our economy faces now with the last recession of 2009, but I hope we are in a different place. There has been a rise in ‘scratch cooking’, heightened focus on sustainability and a new interest in health and immunity. Let’s hope that this leads to an increase in vegetable production and consumption and longer healthier lives for all.