Mash Direct Supports Age NI’s Loneliness Appeal ‘No one should have no one to turn to’ This Christmas

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This yuletide season, award winning vegetable side dish producer Mash Direct have teamed up with Age NI to highlight the importance of spending more time with older family members and making them feel part of the Christmas festivities. For many, it can be a lonely time of the year and it is important to ensure ‘no one should have no one to turn to this Christmas’.
Imagine if you had no-one to turn to. Unfortunately, this is the reality for a lot of older people in our community and that is why Mash Direct is supporting Age NI this Christmas to help them be there so older people don’t have to face later life alone.

With the Christmas holidays just around the corner, this is usually a time to celebrate with family and friends, with a calendar full of fun and joyous festivities. However, for some in our community, this may not be the case as the holiday period can often be a time when many feel alone.

No matter what your age, loneliness can affect anyone. Age NI believes that no one should have no one to turn to, but unfortunately for 1 in 3 older people*, loneliness is a harshreality.

Mash Direct is proud to support Age NI to raise awareness of the issues facing older people and to help make a difference to those who need it most. You can help change the lives of older people by donating to Age NI – visit www.ageni.org/lonely to find out how you can make a difference. Age NI is the leading charity in Northern Ireland, dedicated to helping everyone make the most of later life. They believe in a world where everyone can love later life, and they help thousands of people every year by providing advice, care and support.

Nadine Campbell, Head of Fundraising, Age NI said: “We are so grateful to Mash Direct for choosing to support older people with their Christmas activity. We know that loneliness is a complex issue, and there’s many reasons why someone can feel lonely at any time throughout the year, but particularly during the winter period and Christmas season.”

Jack Hamilton, Chief Operating Officer at Mash Direct, added; “It is great to be involved with such a worthwhile cause and raise awareness of this important issue. Family is at the heart of the Mash Direct team and we want to ensure no one has no one to turn to. Look out for Age NI stickers on packs of Mash Direct products, and share a nutritional meal with an older person in your life this Christmas. Nutritious meals are hugely important for older people, and our dishesoffer the convenience of little preparation, quick cooking times, nutritional value and maximum flavours.”

For more information, visit www.ageni.org/lonely

*Millward Brown for Age NI, 2014.

Unique Workshop And Visitor Centre Planned By Northern Ireland Artisan Chocolatier

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Artisan chocolatier Geri Martin is planning to create Northern Ireland’s first visitor experience centre designed to showcase all aspects of chocolate. The unique centre will feature a workshop space for education and tastings. It’s also intended to be an attractive venue for schools and groups of all kinds to gather, to learn and to experience chocolate making and tasting.

Based at Coleraine in county Derry, Geri currently owns Chocolate Manor and is a producer of indulgent, delicious, creative and personalised chocolate as well as bespoke chocolate experiences. Geri plans to locate the planned centre in the Causeway Coast and Glens area. She’s a member of the Taste Causeway Collaborative Growth Network which involves artisan and smaller food producers there.

Geri, a mum of two, is passionate about quality chocolate production and has just launched a crowdfunding ‘ChoccyDream Maker’ campaign to raise £5,000 towards the costs of the planned visitor centre which has been influenced by the success of the existing small business and the growing interest in chocolate throughout the area. All her chocolates are produced by hand.

“Our range of delicious handcrafted creations allow our customers to delight and impress theirs, and I recently began to employ local staff to help us grow the business even further.

“I also share my enthusiasm and love of chocolate through interactive, educational and indulgent chocolate experiences, including making sessions and tastings for individuals and groups of all ages and sizes.

“We have launched this funding project to help us share our love of chocolate with even more people. We have outgrown our current production space and we dream of having our very own Chocolate Manor venue, that will not only allow us to continue to make our very popular products, but also to welcome visitors who want to learn about, make, taste and experience everything chocolate has to offer,” adds Geri

She has already identified the “perfect location” and is seeking funding to transform it into the space she envisages into a visitor centre in 2020.

“We’ve created a range of special treats for those who contribute to making this dream a reality, creating Northern Ireland’s first chocolate workshop and visitor experience centre,” Geri says.

OX And Deane’s EIPIC Included In World’s Top Restaurants

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Taste of Ulster members OX and Deanes EIPIC, both based in Belfast, are included again is La Liste 2020 of the world’s top 1,000 restaurants.

The prestigious La Liste is sanctioned by France’s Foreign Ministry and tourist board and was launched in Paris in December 2015

Founder of La Liste, Ambassador Philippe Faure, was previously chief executive of Gault and Millau and head of the French Tourist Board. He also served as France’s Ambassador to Japan.

Corporate sponsors of La Liste include Moet Hennessy, Nestle and Accor Hotels. The list is among the world’s most respected restaurant guides.

Winners are based on global reviews of the best restaurant and handpicked by discerning food critics and expert guides. The process includes 600 guidebooks and trusted publications in a giant database.

Both the Northern Ireland restaurants have won and retained Michelin stars.

Established by chef Michael Deane, EIPIC is a Michelin starred restaurant having gained the coveted accolade in the Michelin Guide just 18 months after it opened.

EIPIC’s head chef Alex Greene began his cooking career in The Michelin starred Deanes in 2007 and went on to work in Petrus by Gordon Ramsay, Claridges by Gordon Ramsay and The Cliff House in Ardmore; all Michelin starred establishments before returning to Deanes to become head chef. Previous head chefs include Ireland’s first female Michelin star chef Danny Barry.

Since opening in 2013, Ox has become one of the most exciting and acclaimed restaurants in Belfast. Head chef Stephen Toman together with front of house Alain Kerloc’h founded the restaurant in Oxford Street.

Graham’s Bakery In Sales To Gourmet Stores In London And Dublin

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Family bakery Graham’s in Dromore, Co Down has developed unique Christmas products for two of the world’s most respected gourmet food halls.

The iconic Fortnum and Mason (F&M) food hall in London’s Piccadilly is now selling luxury chocolate Yule Logs developed by the bakery which is based in Dromore, county Down.

In addition to the business with F&M, Graham’s has also produced luxury mince pies for Fallon and Byrne, the high-end grocer in Dublin.

F&M and Fallon and Byrne are new customers for the progressive Northern Ireland bakery which has developed significant business in Britain as well as to the United Arab Emirates, the US and even Fiji.

Timothy Graham, the sales and marketing manager at Graham’s Bakery, continues: “The F&M business came from a lead provided by one of our suppliers. We followed it up quickly and were invited to tender to the specifications from F&M for a luxury Yule Log for this Christmas.

“We used our extensive and successful experience in baking chocolate swiss rolls to come up with an original, hand rolled, very chocolately luxury log for the F&M team to taste. We were thrilled when the contract was placed with us given F&M’s discerning customer base.

“It’s a marvellous boost for our business to be supplying products to such a respected food retailer dedicated to premium products with outstanding taste.

“Key to the products’ success is the ingredients from other Northern Ireland food producers, especially creamy butter from Ballyrashane in county Derry. It’s a marvellous opportunity for us to develop a business relationship with such an influential retailer which also now has operations in Dubai and Hong Kong,” adds Mr Graham.

The company’s first business with Fallon & Byrne, another gourmet specialist, in Dublin is the outcome of a lead from trade development agency Invest Northern Ireland. “I was given details of Fallon & Byrne’s requirement for a supplier of luxury mince pies for the Christmas season in its store and restaurant. It was another requirement right up our street, because we’ve been baking our own mince pie recipe for a great many years.

“Our team of experienced bakers developed a bespoke recipe for luxury mince pies. The pies are made from Ballyrashane grass-fed butter with premium mince and a touch of brandy.Winning business with such a renowned and popular grocer is another marvellous endorsement of our bakery skills. We’ll also be working to carry this important relationship forward in 2020,” Mr Graham says.

The bakery, a UK Great Taste award winner, is a third generation family business that started producing a range of freshly baked breads, cakes and buns in 1956 in Dromore.  It now operates from a modern bakery in the town.

The company now employs over 60 people and has a wide portfolio of products all baked on site. It has received Invest NI assistance for the development and marketing of the bakery and its products.

Award-winning Taste Experiences and Quality From Northern Ireland At Scotland Speciality Food Show

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Balsamic vinegars, jams, sauces, relishes, spreads and teas from multi-award winning Northern Ireland producers will be showcased on Stand N61 at the Scotland Speciality Food Show at the Exhibition Centre in Glasgow from 19-21 January 2019.

The ‘Taste the Greatness’ showcase is part of the Invest Northern Ireland Small Business Food Programme delivered by Food NI and includes products endorsed by the UK Great Taste and Blas na hEireann Irish National Food awards for their premium quality, rich flavours, wholesomeness, authenticity and provenance.

In addition to a broad range of premium food products, Priory Press, a longstanding specialist in the design and print of packaging for the food industry, will be showing examples of its expert services.

Belfast-based Thompson’s Tea, a family business which is already doing good business with retailers in Scotland, has won more Great Taste awards than any other tea company in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

While the company is best known for its Punjana brand, Northern Ireland’s best-selling tea, it also produces flavours such as peppermint, camomile and a unique Titanic blend named after the ill-fated White Star liner built at the iconic Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast.

Burren Balsamics, from Richhill in Co Armagh, has developed a comprehensive portfolio of fruit infused and flavoured balsamic vinegars. Another successful family business, Burren Balsamics has also won a string of Great Taste awards and one of its natural fruit infused vinegars was named ‘Best Artisan Product’ in the Blas na hEireann Irish National Food Awards last October.

As well as its specialist vinegars, Burren will be showcasing handmade jams and chutneys made from materials from the balsamic process in the small company’s strategic focus on zero waste.

Northern Ireland’s most successful producer of jams, relishes and chutneys, Erin Grove Preserves, from Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, will be presenting its extensive portfolio of flavourful award winning products.

A three-star winner in this year’s UK Great Taste Awards, Irish Black Butter, from Portrush, Co Antrim, will be showing its unique Irish Black Butter, a sweet/savoury spread made from Armagh Bramley apples, treacle, spices and a touch of brandy, theoriginal product which piqued the interest of the judging panel in this year’s Dragons’ Den on BBC2.

As well as sampling the products, visitors to the Northern Ireland presentation at Scotland Speciality Food will be able to meet the business people behind the produce and to talk to them about their business.

Commenting on the Northern Ireland showcase John Hood, Invest NI’s Director of Food and Drink, said: “Scotland Speciality Food has become an immensely popular show for our companies because the event invariably produces leads that generate into future sales. This was certainly the case for a number of companies last year.

“We have a very broad range of original products on show again this year from companies keen to grow business in a market that’s very accessible to Northern Ireland and has proved to be particularly open to original food and drink ideas from our experienced and customer-focused producers.”

Participation at Scotland Speciality Food Show is the first event in an extensive programme of marketing activities in Britain and the Republic of Ireland for food and drink producers in 2019 under Invest NI’s Small Business Food Programme.