Northern Ireland’s biggest dairy cooperative, Dale Farm has increased its efforts to support those in need during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The company, which has its headquarters in Belfast, has partnered with the local food redistribution charity FareShare, providing it with milk and butter on a weekly basis which is then distributed through community food banks and charities across Northern Ireland.

FareShare Northern Ireland is directly tackling food poverty by collecting food from industry and redistributing it to charities including food banks, that provide meals to vulnerable and disadvantaged groups.

 Caroline Martin, corporate marketing and communications manager at Dale Farm says: “FareShare and the local charities they work with carry out vital work in reaching out to and supporting the most vulnerable people in our community all year round and, given the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, that work is more important than ever.

“We are proud to be partnering with FareShare and we take our responsibility to support the community seriously.

“Getting nutritious dairy products to people, including those who are self-isolating or find it difficult to safely access a local store, is extremely important and we have been developing new ways to help do this during the pandemic.

“Through our My Milk Delivery service, for example, we have been working with our network of independent local milkmen and women to bring our range of milk, cheese, butter and yogurts safely and directly to doorsteps.”

Dale Farm is owned by farmers, who work hard to supply top quality dairy products every day.

In response to the Covid-19 lockdown, Dale Farm launched a doorstep delivery service for its wide range of products across Northern Ireland.

The company has worked with its existing network of independent local milkmen across Northern Ireland to launch My Milk Delivery – a delivery service to bring Dale Farm dairy products directly from our farms to your home.

Peninsula Kelp Company, the Northern Ireland specialist in sustainable seaweed and other marine-based products, has supplied customers in the US, Canada, New Zealand, France, Great Britain and other parts of Europe.

Based at Newtownards overlooking Strangford Lough, Peninsula Kelp has developed an extensive portfolio of natural and organic products harvested from the waters around Northern Ireland.

Established by husband wife team Graham, a commercial diver, and Andrea Gannon, both passion about protecting the marine environment and sustainability, in 2019, Peninsula Kelp, a Food NI member, now has created and supplies an extensive range of unique and edible sea products including wild ocean greens, pure dried kelp, pure dried dulse, dulse crackers, kelp popcorn, infused culinary oils and even a novelseaweed coffee.

“Creating healthy seaweed products originally began as a hobby when I started   making seaweed soap,” says Mrs Gannon. “We had both grown up near the sea and are keen scuba divers around the coast of Ireland and further afield.

“I had been conscious of growing international interest in kelp, dulse and other ‘sea greens’ because of their health benefits from a range of minerals especially iodine. Research has shown that very many people worldwide are iodine deficient. Iodine plays a key role in promoting thyroid healthin particular.

“Seaweed products also aid gut health,” adds Mrs Gannon, who is the driving force in the development of products.

“My focus is on creating natural food products which people can add easily to their diets. This is why I’ve come up with familiar foods such as crackers, salt, seasonings, organic coffee, culinary oils and popcorn as a snack especially for children,” she continues.

The small company has a license from the Crown Estate to harvest by hand marine products from the sea around Co Down. “Our harvesting is carried out carefully ny hand so that the marine environment is not adversely impacted. Protecting the marine eco system is our utmost priority and so we rotate areas of the seabed to ensure continuing growth. No machinery is used in harvesting sea greens.

Kelp, dulse and other sea vegetables are then dried by hand by Mrs Gannon who then transforms them into natural, organicproducts which are sold to health shops and delis and also sold online from the company’s website(www.peninsulakelp.com).  The company, in addition, produces grass-fed butter and wild sea green butter.

“We’ve seen online sales grow significantly during the lockdown and have had inquiries from around the world for the products. Among current online sales is a customer in Arizona in the US. And we’ve also sent consignments to other parts of North America, parts of Europe including France, New Zealand and Great Britain,” she adds.

Hellbent, the Northern Ireland producer of traditional South African Boerewors sausages, will be supplying Aldi supermarkets in the Republic of the Ireland from the end of this month.

The company, which is based in Belfast and also produces South African recipe burgers and meatballs, has been included in the popular Grow with Aldi scheme.

The initiative offers smaller food businesses from the Republic and Northern Ireland an opportunity to appeal to customers and to win a long-term contract from the leading German discounter retailer.

Hellbent’s distinctive coiled beef sausages go on sale from 31stMay in many Aldi Ireland supermarkets in the Republic.  Aldi is not present in the Northern Ireland grocery market.

Louis Ludik, who founded Hellbent, now a Food NI member,in 2018 with fellow South African Schalk van Der Merwe, says: “This is massive for us, an unbelievable opportunity to win our first sales in the Republic of Ireland. We approached Aldi with our sausages and burgers and they decided to include the Boerewors in the Grow with Aldi programme. It’s very exciting and another marvellous boost for the business.

Originally from South Africa, Ludik is known across Northern Ireland, the Republic and parts of Europe in his role as a popular player with Ulster Rugby. Van Der Merwe, also from South Africa, played for Ulster.

The beef sausages use beef from Northern Ireland farmers with a distinctive blend of spices and have recently been listed by leading Northern Ireland food distribution business Henderson Group for its network of EUROSPAR supermarkets.

Around 30 EUROSPAR stores in Northern Ireland are now selling Hellbent’s original sausages, meatballs and burgers.

The Hellbent products are the outcome of months of product development and testing with the Ulster University Food and Consumer Tasting Suite.

Ludik adds: “The South African culture revolves around incredible home-grown food and there is so much of that in Northern Ireland. We created Hellbent to be an integral part of the local food offering here.”

Copeland Distillery, the Northern Ireland craft producer of award-winning gins, has launched a new ‘Jones Navy Strength’ gin.

Based at Donaghadee in county Down, Copeland founder Gareth Irvine describes the new product as the distillery’s “strongest ever gin”.

“The gin is bottled at 57%ABV – hence the ‘navy strength’. “The gin is aged in Kentucky Bourbon casks for 120 days and then finished in Oloroso Sherry casks for a further 20 days.”

The gin is named after the founding father of the USS Navy John Paul Jones, an American Revolutionary War hero, who commanded the US Ranger in a major sea engagement with the HMS Drake on 24 April 1778 in the North Channel. Jones had previously sailed the Ranger into Belfast Lough. HMS Drake had moored at Carrickfergus to take on volunteers from the area.

The new gin reflects the strong links between Northern Ireland and the US including during the Revolutionary War. Many families from the north of Ireland had emigrated in the mid 18th century from harbours such as Carrickfergus.

They include John Haslet from ungiven, county Derry, one of Washington’s most gifted generals. Other generals from the north of Ireland included John Stark from Derry and Henry Knox, also county Derry. Charles Thomson, originally from Maghera, county Derry, drafted the Declaration of Independence and John Dunlap, from Strabane, county Derry, printed the historic document.

Copeland Distillery was established by Mr Irvine to develop fruit-infused gins using locally sourced ingredients such as rhubarb, strawberries and blackberries, and raspberries. The success of these products led to the creation of a purpose-built distillery in Donaghadee and the introduction of a classic gin and preparations to launch an Irish malt whiskey.

Navy Strength Gin is bottled at 100° British Proof or 57% ABV and originated in the 18th century when it was produced for sailors to counter conditions such as scurvy.

 

The Letterbox Larder, a novel food concept, has been launched by Burren Balsamics, the Northern Ireland producer of multi-award winning balsamic vinegars and balsamic sugar and salt, to meet the growing demand during the lockdown from home cooks seeking original and flavour rich ingredients for meals.

The product shave been designed to slot easily into letterboxes across the UK and Ireland by Susie Hamilton Stubber, founder and managing director, and Bob McDonald, the development chef at Burren Balsamics at Richhill in county Armagh. The company is a Food NI member.

Mr McDonald, the creator behind the company’s extensive range of original balsamic vinegars, explains the thinking behind the innovative product for home cooks. “We’ve developed a range of balsamic seasonings and rubs which enthusiastic cooks should have in their larder and have vacuum packed these in eco-friendly compostable packaging.

“All the products handcrafted by us, are completely clean, with no preservatives. Many of the innovative products featured in the launch pack contain our signature Balsamic Vinegar of Modena which has been dried for us giving a delicious umami flavour and are the outcome of many months of painstaking research and tastings,” he adds.

Some of the original flavours developed for the Letterbox Larder are:

Balsamic Beef Seasoning;

Balsamic Chicken Rub

Moroccan Spice Bag

Vegetarian/Vegan Sprinkle

Black Garlic Cloves

Peppermill Spice Bag

Wild Garlic Seasoning

Any of the range of infused balsamic for refilling existing bottles.

Letterbox Larder is available from the company’s website www.burrenbalsamics.com

Burren Balsamics was established by Susie, an enthusiastic cook with catering experience in Britain, in 2014. The company has pioneered a portfolio of delicious and innovative culinary vinegars, seasonings and other products for professional chefs as well as home cooks.  The vinegars include locally sourced premium fruits, such as Bramley apples, raspberries, blackberries, blackcurrants, blueberries and strawberries.

Many of the vinegars have won major recognition in competitions such as eighteen UK Great Taste Stars and have twice had the overall Best Artisan product in the Blas na hEireann Irish National Food awards.