The Echlinville Distillery in Northern Ireland is expanding its award winning Dunville’s Irish Whiskey portfolio with the release of two new 18 year old single malts finished in rare Palo Cortado sherry casks.

The duo of Dunville’s 18 Year Old Palo Cortado Sherry Cask Finish Whiskeys are the latest additions to Dunville’s Single Cask Series, with each cask bottled at its optimum strength for the best possible quality and flavour.

Limited to just 313 individually numbered bottles, Cask 1203 is bottled at a cask strength 55% ABV. Packed with notes of dried stone fruits, Christmas spices, hazelnut laden crème brulee, and bittersweet citrus fruits, it was named Best Irish Single Malt Aged 13-20 Years at this year’s World Whiskies Awards.

Cask 1196 is bottled at 48% abv, showcasing those lighter citrus fruit notes, with candied orange intertwined with deep filled spiced cherry pie, over a sweet malt base. Again, this is a very limited release, with only 375 numbered bottles available.

Both whiskeys have been finished for over two years in the finest Palo Cortado Sherry Casks

Dunville’s brand ambassador Jarlath Watson said: “When we revived the Dunville’s whiskey brand in 2012 we did so with the promise not to compromise in our desire to produce the finest whiskeys conceivable. We stay true to that ethos with our Single Cask Series, which showcases the very best whiskeys in the Dunville’s warehouses and gives our customers what they want – exceptional Irish whiskey, uncompromised and bottled at its optimum strength to deliver both a stunning palate and wonderful, luxurious mouthfeel.

“These Palo Cortado Sherry Finish Whiskeys are the latest additions to the Single Cask Series, with each cask bottled at its best possible abv to maximise its flavour profile. While the cask strength release (Cask 1203) is all about the bolder dark fruit and spice flavour profiles, reminiscent of some of the best sherry bomb whiskeys out there, the reduced alcohol in the 48% ABV (Cask 1196) allows the more delicate flavours of citrus, green fruits and the oak itself to come to the fore.

“These are the first Palo Cortado Sherry Cask expressions in the Dunville’s range. Palo Cortado is in itself a rare type of sherry which starts ageing as a Fino or an Amontillado. During the ageing process, the flor becomes damaged or dries off, meaning the sherry ages oxidatively. Palo Cortado Sherry features the crispness of Amontillado and the full bodied sweetness of an Olorosso. While there are many sherry finished whiskeys out there, very few are finished in Palo Cortado casks, so we are delighted to be able to add the Palo Cortado Sherry Cask Finish to our portfolio.

“These whiskeys join Dunville’s PX 12 Cask Strength and 18 Year Old Port Mourant Rum Finish Whiskey to expand our offering of superior Single Cask Series whiskeys that can stand proudly alongside the very best in their genre.

“We firmly believe that each offering from the Single Cask Series further enhances Dunville’s global reputation for excellence and helps us take another step towards restoring ‘The Spirit of Belfast’ to its rightful place among the world’s best whiskeys.”

Dunville’s 18 Year Old Palo Cortado Sherry Finish Single Cask Whiskeys are available from The Echlinville Distillery.

Luxury Afternoon Tea for home delivery has been launched by Blackwell House in Northern Ireland, a five-star guesthouse popular with international visitors, in response to the lockdown which has led to its temporary closure.

The award-winning guesthouse, which is based near Banbridge in county Down and is a Taste of Ulster member, is generating cash by taking its acclaimed afternoon teas out to the wider community on a call and delivery basis.

Joyce Brownless, who runs the guesthouse, which has nineluxury rooms, with husband Steve, explains: “Like many other businesses we are now closed and don’t know when we will ever open.”

The enterprising business had been growing steadily and was well-booked for the season before the Covid-19 outbreak. Ithad also invested in the construction and outfitting of three new rooms for guests.

“We have now decided that since our customers can’t come to us that we need to go to them. We have created a Blackwell House Lockdown Afternoon Tea that we have just started to deliver.

“Afternoon Tea at Blackwell House is tradition at its finest and we now deliver. We serve a wonderful mix of home baked savouries and freshly made sandwiches, scones fresh from the oven with home-made preserves and an array of dainty sweet bites for your delight – and all baked by myself in our own pristine kitchen,” she adds.

Mrs Brownless suggests that zoom video technology could be used for afternoon tea events including birthday parties, baby showers, anniversaries and engagements for which bespoke packages could be supplied on a direct to doorstep by Blackwell House.

The guesthouse has won a host of prestigious awards for the quality of its food sourced largely from local suppliers. Other major awards include Best Irish Guesthouse last year and Best Irish Breakfast.

The guesthouse has attracted guests from international markets such as the US, Canada, France and Germany. Both Joyce, a native of Banbridge, and Steve have extensive experience in national and international management.

The couple opened the guesthouse in 2014 with a commitment to offer luxury accommodation in a picturesque part of Northern Ireland with superb food from artisan suppliers in Northern Ireland.

“At Blackwell House, we are passionate about providing the freshest and tastiest food. Everything is home-made, and we take particular are in sourcing the best local produce available every day,” adds Mrs Brownless.

 

Head Chef Alex Greene from Taste of Ulster member Deane’s Eipic in Belfast wowed diners at the Great British Menu Banquet with a double win in the Starter and Dessert categories.  The theme of this year’s competition was children’s literature, to mark 150 years since the death of Charles Dickens, with judges Matthew Fort, Oliver Peyton and Andi Oliver.

The Michelin-starred chef made it through the heats along with fellow chefs Tom Barnes and Niall Keating to cook for guests from the world of children’s literature at Exeter College, Oxford. The programme was aired on BBC TV last Friday night 15th May, 2020. 

His starter, ‘the potato, the onion, the cheese and the wardrobe’ was inspired by Belfast author, CS Lewis. His potato-based dish consisted of onion jelly, pickled onions, five different types of potato, a four-cheese custard, and truffle, served in a wardrobe, and was inspired by Belfast-born C S Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. It was described by the judges as “a sophisticated, sexy, sensual masterpiece”. 

Alex took his inspiration for his dessert from the Belfast author Oliver Jeffers and his book The Incredible Book Eating Boy. It consisted of an edible ‘book’ made of coconut parfait, yuzu gel, coffee jelly, chocolate ganache and printed rice paper and coconut tuile ‘pages’. The judges said it was “the perfect ending to the banquet”.

Alex said it has “been a dream of mine to get to the Great British Menu Banquet  for as long as I can remember and to get there with two courses is just madness, I love it. Thank you to everyone who has helped me get here. What a journey!

“It is such an achievement to cook at the Great British Menu Banquet, one course is impressive but two is exceptional” said Taste of Ulster CEO, Michele Shirlow. 

“Alex’s dishes made such a huge impression on the judges and the guests at the banquet were equally delighted with his food. Like a true professional, he got every plate out perfect despite a hitch when some of the pages on the dessert book started to come unstuck. He has made Northern Ireland proud and given us a great boost at a time when we needed it most. Congratulations!”

The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) have showed their support for the National Health Service (NHS) by providing locally produced food hampers to frontline workers. Medical professionals have always provided an excellent service to the farming community at times of need and continue to do so throughout this pandemic.

 

UFU deputy president Victor Chestnutt said, “We are delighted to be able to provide these locally produced food hampers as a way of saying thank you to our NHS staff who are working relentlessly on the frontline, battling against COVID-19. We will never be able to repay them for putting our needs before their own, but we wanted to do something that would highlight our appreciation for the incredible service they constantly provide. Members of the farming community who have been affected by the virus or have needed their expertise in the past, have been overwhelmed by the caring nature, commitment and dedication of our NHS staff.”

 

The Northern Ireland produce within the hamper was sourced from Glenarm Castle. Mr Chestnutt said, “Glenarm Castle partnered up with local food producers, supplying homegrown fruit and vegetables, Glenarm Shorthorn beef, Glenarm organic smoked salmon, eggs, fresh sourdough bread and delicious treats and goodies to name a few items. Farmers have overcome numerous challenges since this pandemic began to continue producing quality food for consumers and it’s great to be able to gift this hamper filled with local food that adds a personal touch. Nutritious produce is key for keeping our energy levels high throughout the day and Northern Ireland produce is farmed to some of the highest environmental and animal welfare standards in the world. We hope our delicious homegrown produce is enjoyed by all NHS staff.”

The farming community is intertwined with the NHS in many ways and the UFU have always viewed the medical field as a vital service to the agriculture industry.

 

“Many UFU members and their loved ones work in our health care system. The Farm Families Health Checks Programme provides a valuable service to our farmers at local livestock marts and community events, and the service of the Air Ambulance has been critical to the rural community. We depend so much on our health care service and all those within in it. Their efforts cannot be commended or recognised enough,” said the UFU deputy president.

It’s hard to believe that we expected to be at Balmoral Show this week. It’s always one of the best weeks of my year with plenty of connections made, new products launched and business done. Plus, there are always plenty of laughs, usually involving Paula McIntrye or Brian McDermott our compere chefs, on our cookery theatres. Like many people, all the planning and hard work leading up to Balmoral will just have to be carried forward to next year.

I do try to be a half glass full person and look for the positives in every situation. While I know it’s been difficult at times over the past couple of months, I’ve drawn great hope from the tremendous support from the community for the campaign to save lives by supporting our NHS and care home teams and for the overall battles against coronavirus. I’ve also drawn immense encouragement from the responses of our food and drink and hospitality sectors to the extreme challenges they faced during the lockdown.

And I’ve been inspired by the stories from local companies about lining up new sales, especially outside Northern Ireland,and about innovative food and drink which they’ve developed. As a family we had huge fun making individual pizzas with a kit supplied by the French Village, the innovative bakery ran by Ashley and Amy French provided both a delicious meal and an evenings entertainment.

We’ve seen food and drink producers of all sizes, and across a broad range of categories, rising to the ‘Feed the Nation’ challenge. Investing in original products in the midst of a crisis shows the confidence local firms have in their expertise and a gritty determination to surmount the challenges they are currently facing. These companies are gearing for the post-virus future.

What they are also doing is strengthening Northern Ireland’s position as a prime source of quality and innovative food and drink for consumers and the hospitality sector in Britain.

The crisis has led many to embrace the potential of new digital technologies and this has led to sales in global markets including the US, Australia and New Zealand. Gone are the days when some smaller companies in particular wouldn’t have bothered to respond to such distant inquiries.

They are now drawing encouragement from such responses and keen to deal with them. This may well be because the companies have become familiar with online business paid by card in advance by customers here. It’s inevitable that the companies here will continue to develop online sales in the future.

This important business channel looks certain to grow in both short and long terms. The lockdown has served to push many companies down the digital path faster than might otherwise have been the case. We’ve also used our own digital channels to assist and promote the companies.

Furthermore, our companies, even major processors, have further developed social media channels to increase awareness about and grow sales of products. This is a trend I expect to continue post the pandemic.

In an unexpected twist, more companies have become conscious of the possibilities of doing business outside Northern Ireland. Approaches from individual customers abroad have enhanced the confidence of many companies about the quality and originality of their products and their ability to compete effectively abroad. It has certainly widened horizons.

In Food NI, we see a need to step up marketing activities on-the-ground in Britain and indeed further afield.  We’ve been supporting Invest NI in a range of business promotionalactivities especially in Britain and the Irish Republic of Ireland over the past year. We look forward to continuing to do so and to helping our companies to build on the experience gained over the past few months to translate this into even greater business both here and abroad.

Northern Ireland’s multi-award winning Long Meadow Cider has begun supplying customers in many parts of Britain.

 

The first business in Britain for the family business, which is based at Loughgall in county Armagh, is an outcome of the company’s link-up with Shortcross Gin in Crossgar, county Down to market its ciders and apple juice on its e-commerce shop.

 

This collaboration has led to sales in Scotland, Lancashire and Hertfordshire, according to Long Meadow director Catherine McKeever.  “The platform provided by Shortcross has enabled up to gain a foothold in the marketplace in Great Britain,” says Mrs McKeever. “Britain has proved a difficult marketplace for us the crack in the past. We can now build on our customer base and promote our craft ciders there,” she adds.

 

Long Meadow is among Ireland’s most successful producers of original and fruit ciders as well as natural apple juice and apple cider vinegar.

 

The progressive company, based at the heart of Northern Ireland’s orchard county, has also won a series of Great Taste and Blas na hEireann awards for the quality and outstanding flavours of ciders processed from apples from the farm’s own orchards.

 

The company, which has SALSA food safety accreditation, is run by husband and wife team Patrick and Catherine McKeever with son Peter and was established in 2013.

 

Long Meadow has a heritage in apple growing stretching back three generations in county Armagh and has already won business from delis, independent retailers, restaurants and bars in Northern Ireland and in the Republic of Ireland.

 

The enterprising family grows and harvests apples from upwards of 120 acres of orchards, 30 of which are on the home farm. Native Bramley apples, which have EU PGI status, and other locally grown apples from a network of trusted growers are used.

Long Meadow ciders and juices are processed exclusively using pure pressed apple juice. The company does not use concentrates, chemicals, or added water. Small batches are produced using a unique slow fermentation process for greater flavour.

 

In addition, the company also runs farm tours to showcase its products and processes through Grand Circle Travel American tours.

 

Long Meadow is listed on the Shortcross Gin e-commerce shop following an offer from the award winning gin distillery to offer a digital platform to other craft drink business without such a market access. Long Meadow is unable to sell through its own website because of Northern Ireland’s strict licensing rules.