Mash Direct, the award-winning ‘field to fork’ convenience vegetable accompaniments brand, has launched a farm to door delivery service of fresh, nutritious, healthy and wholesome vegetable products.

The local vegetables are available for delivery across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland from the family farm in Co Down.

.Jack Hamilton, chief operations officer at Mash Direct, says: “We are a sixth-generation family farm and our heritage was delivering vegetable boxes to the doors of our customers.

“We are simply going back to our roots to do home deliveries and combining that with the modern e-commerce shop on our website. This way we can deliver fresh local vegetables to everyone’s doorsteps. We are also very happy that we have lots of delivery slots available and are aiming to ramp up this service to be able to carry out daily deliveries if needed.”

Each box retails at £20 (with a £3.50 delivery charge to the Republic of Ireland or free delivery on orders of over £75).

Tailored box selections include:

The Spring Box (perfect for dining in at home)

Roast Potatoes x 2, Mashed Potato x 2, Carrot and Parsnip x 2, Mashed Turnip, Champ, Red Cabbage, Green Cabbage, Potato Cakes, Cauliflower Cheese Gratin.

The Healthy Box

Carrot & Parsnip × 2, Beer Battered Chips × 2, Champ, Chilli Baby Bakes × 2, Green Cabbage, Carrot & Parsnip For One × 2.

The Roast Box

Mashed Potato × 2, Carrot & Parsnip × 2, Red Cabbage & Beetroot, Roast Potatoes × 2, Green Cabbage, Cauliflower Cheese Gratin × 2, Mashed Turnip and Champ.

The Party Box (containing eight delicious products)

Beer Battered Chips, Potato Croquettes × 2, Sweet Potato Fries × 2, Carrot & Parsnip Fries, Chilli Baby Bakes and Beer Battered Onion Rings.

Alternatively, you can purchase a ‘Mix & Match’ box which can be tailored to include your Mash Direct personal favourites at £22.50.

Mash Direct is also offering a ‘Feed the Heroes Box’ which can be delivered to any hospital in Northern Ireland or Ireland for Healthcare Staff and Key Workers who are working tirelessly to combat Covid-19. These boxes can be purchased for £12.50.

Utilising six generations of the Hamilton family’s farming expertise, Mash Direct vegetables are gently steam cooked immediately after harvesting, guaranteeing an unrivalled freshness of flavour with no compromise on either the nutritional benefits or natural texture of the vegetable.

The campaign aims to ensure there is no disruption in supply so supermarkets can remain stocked and the NHS can be supplied with food while the United Kingdom sees an unparalleled rise in demand. The initiative will also enable those looking for work in the current climate to gain employment in the food and drink industry.

Moy Park, Northern Ireland’s biggest food processor, with help from several other businesses, is cooking thousands of meals for vulnerable members of local communities.

Moy Park’s culinary team in Craigavon, Co Armagh has turned its new product development kitchen into a production line, and is creating 1,000 healthy, nutritious meals a week to be distributed by The Resource Centre Derry (RCD) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Local companies who have also donated produce for the meals include Kerry Foods Portadown, Wilson’s Country, The Flavour Works, Irwin’s Bakery and Daily Fresh. JMC Packaging Ltd has also donated all the food containers and installed a special tray-sealing machine at Moy Park to ensure all meals arrive safe and fresh.

 The RCD provides vital services and advice to people in the North West including welfare support, financial hardship advice as well as training and day-care. The group also provides a ‘Meals on Wheels’ service and operates a Community Shop which has seen demand more than double due to ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

 Moy Park’s Head of Culinary, Aaron Dixon says: “We are keen to do all that we can to help those in need, so we approached our food charity partner FareShare to see who we could link in with locally.

“RCD provides invaluable help to the local community and has seen demand for its food services skyrocket beyond their capacity. With incredibly generous contributions from food and packaging companies in the area, we’re delighted to prepare and donate these meals to help RCD reach those people most in need of support. The meals we are providing can all be quickly heated up at home and have been made fresh by our culinary team on-site. I can’t describe the sense of pride the team here and all the suppliers feel by helping such a worthwhile cause in this difficult time.”

 Paddy McCarron, Senior Manager, The Resource Centre Derry adds; “On behalf of the RCS Board of Directors and management, I extend my gratitude to the hard work of the Moy Park team who are helping us provide an essential service to those in need.

“The reaction from the local community to the additional meals has been incredible and we have extended our opening hours and delivery services to meet demand.  It great to see everyone – from local businesses to our own volunteers – going the extra mile to support and protect our vulnerable people.”

Multi-award-winner Glastry Farm Ice Cream has launched a farm to doorstep delivery service in parts of Northern Ireland.

The company, an acclaimed producer of luxury ice cream and low-fat sorbets, has introduced the new doorstep service in response to approaches from customers who have been finding difficulty in sourcing the premium products made from farm’s pedigree dairy herd.

Glastry Farm Ice Cream, a family business based near Kircubbin in county Down, is a longstanding supplier to top chefs in high-end hotels and restaurants in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The new delivery service initially covers the Ards and North Down areas surrounding the company’s dairy farm.  The company will consider expanding the area covered

Founder and managing director Will Taylor says: “We’ve taken a great many calls from people here seeking our range of ice cream products in particular. These requests led us to set up our first-ever home delivery service. We will introduce a contactless payment system. Easter is traditionally the start of the ice cream season and so we wanted to ensure customers could access our products.

“The product sizes that we are focusing on are: 500ml, 1 litre, 5 litre and a 6 x 500ml tub box of various flavours such asvanilla, chocolate, honeycomb. Customers can check our full range of flavours on our website www.glastryfarm.com.”

Orders for a minimum spend of £20 including free delivery can be placed through the company’s Facebook site.

Mr Taylor, a respected and successful dairy farmer, founded the business as a farm diversification project in 2007.

The company has won UK Great Taste and Blas na hEireannawards for the quality of its premium ice cream.

Glastry’s products have also won approval from Georgina Campbell’s Ireland, the island’s leading independent hospitality guide. The critically acclaimed guide, established by top food and hospitality writer Georgina Campbell, lists the best accommodation and food products on the island of Ireland.

The rich ice cream and creamy sorbets are handcrafted from fresh milk from the farm’s own pedigree Holstein-Friesian herd.

The products are free from artificial additives, stabilisers or other artificial ingredients, thereby assuring customers of the wholesomeness of the ice cream and sorbets.

The extensive range currently features over 20 ice creams and five low-fat sorbets.

Authentic Belgian waffles are now being delivered direct to doorsteps in parts of Northern Ireland by local producer Michael Henderson of Born and Raised. He’s providing freshly hand baked waffles in boxes of 12 to orders placed by social media.

To avoid any social contact, the company only takes PayPal payments. “The new service is a response from approaches by local people who have enjoyed our waffles at outdoor events such as food shows across Northern Ireland,” Michael explains. “We leave the order outside the door. If it’s raining, we leave the box in a bag,” he adds. The delivery service is currently available from his Facebook site.

The waffles are made fresh to order every day by the company which is based near Ballymena in county Antrim. The small company is also planning to acquire a vacuum sealer and developing an e-commerce site to accelerate the growth in sales currently being experienced.

A passionate baker, Michael launched Born and Raised waffles in 2018 after a period of market research to pinpoint opportunities in baked goods including Belgian Liege waffles.

“Baking was something I always wanted to do. It started out as a hobby and is quite a leap from my original training as a metal worker. I worked in the ventilation business and then at Shorts for 11 years. I guess I’ve always been good at working with my hands and then had a long held desire to start my own small business,” he continues.

He opted for the waffles after taste testing with family and friends. This led to a decision to convert an old horse box trailer into a food truck specialising on waffles. He now operates a second trailer because of the success of the business at shows and other events such as weddings. In addition, the company was commissioned to provide waffles during a movie shoot in Northern Ireland featuring Hollywood A Lister Liam Neeson, who also hails from Ballymena.

Michael, a father of two young children, then created an identity, Born and Raised for the new start up business – Born in Belgium and Raised in Belfast, his home town

He chose Liege waffles because they are “richer, denser and sweeter”.

PEPPUP, Northern Ireland’s award winning producer of authentic Italian sauces, has strengthened its presence particularly in the Republic of Ireland through a new distribution agreement.

Based at Newtownards in county Down, PEPPUP, a Food NI member, has just signed a deal for two of its Bolognese sauces with SoulBia, a leading retailer and wholesale operation.

PEPPUP won the listing with SoulBia following a pitch and sampling of its products. SoulBia, which is based near Newry on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, subsequently listed PEPPUP’s Chilli Bolognese and Basil Bolognese, both in 480g jars.

PEPPUP founder and managing director Dr Luca Montorio, a nutritionist originally from Turin and now resident in Northern Ireland,” says: “I was delighted with the SoulBia listing because of this company’s approach to business which is focused on premium artisan products. Furthermore, SoulBia has an extensive network of business contacts in the Republic, a market I am keen to grow my business and overall profile there.

“SoulBia has also been attracted by the features of the sauces which are suitable for vegans and are free from dairy and fat and have no added sugar,” he adds.

As well as a shop packed with quality artisan food products, SoulBia operates a successful wholesale business for retailers, cafes, farm shops, delis, health food shops and independent grocery stores throughout the UK and Ireland especially those seeking vegan and free from foods.

PEPPUP was formed by Dr Montorio and wife Liz in 2014. The initial products were ketchup and pasta sauce, which are now on sale in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

The original products, featuring roasted tomatoes and peppers, are based on original recipes developed by Luca and influenced by his upbringing in Turin, where his parents still live.

PEPPUP’s initial products are selling successfully in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland through distributors and major retailers.

Dr Montorio has developed the unique recipes for his portfolio of authentic Italian sauces which have won multiple UK Great Taste Awards and Free From Ireland awards.

It’s come around all too soon. The final episode of this season’s Rare Breed – A Farming Year will air on Thursday 9th April on UTV.   It’s December and we’ll get a final look in on five of our farming families, as they keep as busy as ever during the winter, making preparations for the New Year and the continuation of the farming cycle.

We’re off first to Clogher, Co Tyrone to the McGovern’s farm where Eimear is preparing the cattle herd for the winter.  She’s vaccinating and tagging young animals. She comments, “You need to keep on top of it, you want healthy calves, and just like us, they need vitamins and minerals.”  We also see her recent surprise present from boyfriend Terence, a flock of sheep, which she’s thoroughly enjoying looking after, despite the differences between them and cattle.

In Crossgar, Robbie Neill is loading up the last batch of pigs in peak condition headed for slaughter.  He comments, ‘That’s farming at the end of the day.”  He talks about the farming circle, being respectful to the animals, spoiling them rotten and giving them the best life.   He hand delivers his produce with children Connie and Angus, to various restaurants in the area, and is looking forward to some downtime in January when he plans a few trips away with the family.

We’re off down the country to Lisnaskea to Stephen Maguire’s farm, where he’s in the process of loading up all his in calf cows to go for sale at Clogher mart. He’s changing his style of farming to be a contract beef farmer. He has mixed emotions about parting with his herd but knows it’s the right thing to do, as he’ll have certainty over his prices working on a contract basis. .  He’s glad too of not having to get up in the middle of the night to tend to calfing cows!  We get to see the foundations of his new shed which he hopes will be ready by March time.

We then head up to the North Antrim Coast to the Chestnutt’s farm outside Bushmills. Victor and David have a new arrival in the form of a bull bought in Roscommon.  Victor worked a visit to the mart in with a two night stay at the Killyhevlin Hotel in Enniskillen, commenting, “I can only do 24 hours away from farming!” He talks about the price paid for the bull but feels it was well worth it.   He’s looking forward too to his Spring Bull Sale in March.   David meanwhile is renovating the calf house, with the help of ‘interior designer’ Victor, who pointing at his head laughs, “The design’s all in here!”  They are both glad to be working inside on such a wet December day.

Finally, we head to the Christmas market at St George’s Market, Belfast very early on a Sunday morning where Valentine Hodges is putting up and decorating her stall. Husband Chris watches on, commenting for the sake of his marriage he’s better out of the way!  While the bees are tucked up for the winter, feeding on their special fondant in the hives, Valentine is setting out all the products to sell. She loves to get dressed in the beekeeper’s suit and show off all the foodstuffs and beauty products.  She’s glad that despite the poor summer, the bees survived to make all these amazing items.

And there we leave it till next year, where there will be more farming families sharing their year with us.

UTV’s Mark McFadden narrates the series, sponsored by Moy Park.   Rare Breed – A Farming Year concludes on Thursday 9th April at 8.30pm on UTV.