Even in tough times like these there is good news and congratulations must go to Alex Greene, of Michael Deane’s EIPIC Michelin star restaurant in Belfast, on winning the Northern Ireland heat of the popular Great British Menu competition earlier this month.

Alex developed some highly original dishes for the judges and now goes into the final.  Alex and the other talented Northern Ireland born competitors; Paul Cunningham of Brunel’s in Newcastle; Shauna Froydenlund, originally from Londonderry but now at Marcus Wareing’s flagship in London; and Leigh Ferguson of Moira-based Clenaghan’s; really showcased the best local cuisine and products such as Peter Hannan’s steak, Abernethy Butter and Ballylisk of Armagh Triple Rose cheese. Congratulations to them all for showcasing the talent of our home grown chefs and producers.

The dishes created show just what we’ve been missing since the prudent decision was taken to lock virtually everything down to fight Covid-19. While there was really no sensible alternative, the decision continues to damage our foodservice sector which had become one of the driving forces in our once vibrant tourism industry.

The hospitality sector was the first to have been directly affected by the coronavirus as restaurants and bars were required to pull the shutters down. This has also meant problems for the food and drink producers and retailers who sell to them. And many of our most successful food and drink firms were focused primarily on supplying hospitality establishments.

The suggestion that many of our restaurants, cafes and pubs may not reopen are worrying. Food NI supports the calls for urgent funding from the Executive to ensure the survival of this most important magnet for visitors. Remember that visitors are attracted to a holiday destination by the reputation of its food and drink and restaurants. They also, on average, spend a third of their holiday budget on food and drink. The rates holiday must be extended for the current three months toat least a year.

It will be some time, however, before the tourism industry returns to its pre-virus position. While there may be some movement towards the end of this year, it will probably be next year before visitors return in significant numbers. The industry will depend on support from local people keen to eat out again after months cooking at home.

The new normalcy post virus may see home cooking remaining popular. This, of course, provides a greater opportunity for local suppliers and may well also see continuing demand from consumers for dishes delivered by many of our leading restaurants or provided on a call and collect basis. Many of these are listed on our website www.nigoodfood.com.

The deadly virus has also changed the way that all food and drink companies are having to work, as consumer behaviour changes. We’ve also seen many artisan and smaller food producers switching to offer call and collect and delivery options. Such initiatives have developed as smaller companies sought to ensure cash flow. While delivery services can be a tough way to make money, consumers may continue to demand the option using social media as well as phone ordering. These companies are also listed on our website.

The shocking crisis has also seen many food and drink producers, which were dependent on foodservice, moving to develop retail business particularly in the short-term. This may mean they will seek to reduce dependence on one sales channel for the medium and long terms.

And those food retailers who are able to stay open have had to change their business practices, both in terms of their staff and customers. Many businesses are encouraging as many staff as possible to work from home, and government guidelines mean that they need to add other measures such as socially distant shopping, the supply of hand sanitiser for customers, the wiping down of trolleys and baskets, and the use of contactless payments. These will continue as the outbreak slowly disappears….and this may take many more months of uncertainty. Excellent hygiene standards will continue to demanded in the months and years ahead.

It is inevitable that flexible and versatile businesses able to change quickly the way that they do business, who they do business with, what they do, and how they engage and communicate with their customers will be the ones that will come out of this stronger than ever. In the meantime, I encourage you to support local companies offering home delivery, call and collect and take away services. It all helpsthem and the wider economy

Countryside Services Ltd is continuing to manage the Agri-Food Co-operation Scheme & encourages

new 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:                  

Particularly vulnerable residents in Ards and North Down who are required to self-isolate and have no means to obtain basic food supplies are being provided with vital support by their local council through a free weekly food distribution service.

The countrywide initiative is being promoted by the Department for Communities with the support of councils, health trusts and other partners. Council officers in Ards and North Down have redeployed to form a Covid-19 Community Support Team and are working hard to identify people in the borough who are vulnerable from lack of social contact or who are in desperate need of food.

More than 600 food boxes containing mostly non-perishable items have already been delivered direct to the doors of those most in need, ensuring they have access to basic food supplies. The boxes are being delivered on a weekly basis to vulnerable people who, for various health reasons, need to ‘shield’ and have no other way to access food.

The Chief Executive of Ards and North Down Borough Council, Stephen Reid, said:

“It’s absolutely vital that we support our vulnerable residents at this difficult time. By delivering basic food supplies direct to their doors, it means our vulnerable citizens can stay at home and stay healthy. However, I must stress that we don’t have a limitless supply of boxes so if people have other ways of getting food they should continue to do so.”

He added: “We all must play our part to avoid transmitting the virus and this service will undoubtedly help to save lives in our borough while providing essential support to those most in need.”

The food distribution service complements a range of measures that the Council has implemented to support local residents. These include a directory of services – available from the Council website – that outlines information such as various community and voluntary support networks, pharmacies and their operating practices as well as local businesses that offer food delivery services.

In addition, the Council has also created two additional telephone support teams. They maintain contact with vulnerable people who are socially isolating and need comfort, and they also provide help and advice to concerned members of the public, community and voluntary organisations as well as referrals from Advice NI.

Residents that qualify for this assistance who have not yet been contacted should telephone the Community Helpline on 0808 802 0020 – phone lines are open every day from 9am to 5pm. Alternatively, email covid19@adviceni.net or text ‘ACTION’ to 81025.

For more information, visit ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk.

Galgorm Collection donates £750,000 in experience vouchers for Northern Health & Social Care Trust.  

Wednesday 15th April 2020: Galgorm Collection will be donating a staggering £750,000 worth of experience vouchers to the Northern Health & Social Care Trust frontline staff in recognition for their hard work, bravery, and commitment to helping patients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Galgorm Collection is rewarding key workers with a range ofexperiences – from overnight stays, spa days and meals in their award-winning properties across Northern Ireland – to cement its commitment to the community and bring some much-needed respite to key workers.

Colin Johnston, Galgorm Collection Managing Director, said:

“The COVID-19 pandemic is unlike anything we have seen before and it is placing huge pressure on our health and social care system. We wanted to find a way to sincerely thank our brilliant HSC staff who are on the front line of the fight against this outbreak and coping with unbelievable situations in a remarkably professional and brave manner.

We recognise how difficult it must be for every HSC staff member working to manage this crisis, with many separated from their families and working long hours. That’s why Galgorm Collection has decided to donate 5,000 experiences to frontline workers, to show our appreciation and give our frontline heroes the chance to rest and recoup once this emergency is over.

The voucher donation represents a charitable contribution of over £750,000 by Galgorm Collection to our local communities and we look forward to welcoming each and every HSC worker through our doors once we can safely reopen. Until then, we will continue to clap for our carers each week and provide whatever support we can to our key workers. We are forever in their debt.”

Galgorm Collection is actively engaged in corporate social responsibility and works with numerous local community groups and organisations including the long standing relationship with Simon Community and more recently the Community Rescue Service raising in excess of £100,000.

Background on Galgorm Collection

Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort is the flagship property in the Galgorm Collection, encompassing the award-winning Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort, the 3AA Rosette River Room Restaurant, McKendry’s Bar & Grill Restaurant and Fratelli’s.The Resort recently undergone a £400,000 transformation of its accommodation. Galgorm’s flagship bar, McKendry’s Bar & Lounge (formerly known as Gillies Bar) received an £800,000 refurb, opening in January 2020 with a traditional Irish offering. The new-look lounge encompasses one of the largest collections of whiskey in the island of Ireland. 

Galgorm Spa is also expanding its offering with a £1 million investment in developing the Resort’s Serenity Gardens to include a new Palm House. Additional relaxation areas, saunas and hot tubs have also been installed to accommodate burgeoning numbers of spa visitors.

In Belfast, it also operates restaurants Fratelli’s on Great Victoria Street and Café Parisien, offering a French brasserie-style menu in the iconic Robinson & Cleaver building overlooking City Hall on Donegall Square and just last year purchased Templeton Hotel in Templepatrick which is currently undergoing renovation.  

For more information please visit www.galgorm.com

As part of its wide-ranging support for small retailers and producers during the COVID-19 crisis, the Guild of Fine Food has been gathering and sharing innovative ideas from across the UK and Ireland’s independent food and drink retail community. With many in Northern Ireland nimbly adapting their offerings, the Guild of Fine Food hopes these stories will inspire the sector and shine a spotlight on the small businesses that are stepping up to become part of the solution.

Among those providing a vital lifeline to people across the country, is Indie Füde in Comber, Co Down, which has introduced free local delivery for customers in self isolation, as well as a click and collect service, with the option for orders to be placed directly into shoppers’ car boots. Others include Rock A Doodle Do – Belfast Hot Sauce, recently donating 1,000 product sample bottles to Copeland Distillery in order to make hand sanitiser for carers and front line medical staff, and Suki Tea across the city, which has waived all shipping fees to the UK and Ireland, as well as hosting a Spills the Tea Instagram series about brewing, provenance and pairings, to engage with customers who are stuck at home.

While waving the flag for the agile independents going the extra mile to ensure that shoppers can get the provisions they need, the Guild of Fine Food has also created a dedicated COVID-19 online resource, offering tailored information, advice and tips for the fine food trade. Open to all, the webpage features a live map of food and drink businesses that have stock available or need supplies, connecting producers, distributors and retailers, as well as suppliers of equipment and services.

The food industry can also sign up to receive the Guild of Fine Food’s new support bulletin via email, which will feature content specifically relevant to independent food retailers, the producers who supply them and the consumers who support them.

John Farrand, managing director of the Guild of Fine Food, commented: “We could all do with some positive news at the moment, and the independent food scene is coming up with the goods in more ways than one. It fills me with pride to see how our members and the wider retail market have adapted their businesses overnight, in order to serve their customers more effectively and safely during this period, and I think this says a lot about the people behind the patchwork of diverse independents across the country. These businesses have stepped up when we need them the most and they deserve our support in return. I’d encourage everyone to check out what their local delis, cheesemongers, butchers and bakers are doing and use the hashtag #supportlocal on social media to share their stories.”

 

Broglasco Farm, home of Northern Ireland’s award-winning Broighter Gold Rapeseed Oil, has recently diversified in growing and processing carrots.

The farm, which is owned by husband and wife team Richard and Leona Kane and is located near Limavady in County Londonderry, has bought a local carrot planting and processing machinery outfit, which was based in County Londonderry. The landscape of Magilligan and the Roe Valleyis widely recognised as one of the best for growing carrots in Northern Ireland.

Leona Kane, who runs the highly successful cold pressedBroighter Gold Rapeseed Oil, explains “If we were passing the farm, we would always have called in and bought some carrots and vegetables on our way past, and we just thought they are the best carrots around. They’ve always been very tasty and have a great colour, both of which are the result of the great soil in which they are grown.

“We reckoned with carrots having so many health benefits that it would fit in well with our rapeseed oil business, which is full of Omega 3, 6 and 9, and also another locally product. We subsequently acquired the plant and machinery as part of the investment and are committed to continue the development of the business as a producer of quality carrots,” she adds.

Broglasco Farm will be planting around 20 acres this year of carrots. Fergus Cooke who has 30 years of experience growing and harvesting carrots has joined our team here at the farm.  We will learn a lot from all his knowledge in the field!

Mrs Kane continues: “We have handpicked five varieties of carrots, two of which are popular bulking varieties, and three for shoppers based on taste, colour and other consumer preferences. Our aim is to develop products which will offer consumers something deliciously different and in line with market requirements.

“The main carrots were the standard Eskimo and Nairobi varieties and these will continue.  Three more varieties are being introduced.” adds Mrs Kane.

Broglasco intends to sell the carrots to vegetable distributors in Northern Ireland to process and market them. The farm, in addition, plans to wash, pack and bag carrots on-site for local sale.

“We have other ideas for the carrots and we will develop these as the business grows.  For instance, distributors of our rapeseed oils have expressed an interest in selling carrots, rather than having to depend on carrots from Spain and Israel.”

The first carrot harvest is expected in July – depending on the weather. The 700- acre arable farm already grows oilseed, wheat, and barley along with some spring crops.

Broighter Gold Rapeseed Oil was launched in 2011 using around 120 acres on the farm and has proved to be among the most successful culinary oils in the UK, winning a string of UK Great Taste, Blas na hEireann awards for quality and outstanding taste. The 11-strong range of cold pressed oilshave become the preferred choice of top chefs in the UK and Ireland.

The family run business also sells its Liquid Gold rapeseed oils in Great Britain, the Republic of Ireland, France and the United Arab Emirates.

Mrs Kane adds: “While it’s an immensely challenging time especially, our retail outlets that are still open is continuing to grow. Foodservice, of course, has largely stopped, some are now operating a take away service. However, social media and online orders are growing strongly.”