Multi-award winning baker John Agnew produces the tastiest traditional Irish fruit and wheaten loaves in the British Isles. He earned that recognition at the recent World Bread Awards in London.

John, who runs Ann’s Pantry in Larne with sister Helen Porter, tickled the taste buds of a panel of bread experts in the awards and collected two major category awards for his fruit loaf against competitors from across the UK and Ireland as well as his traditional Irish wheaten bread for entries mainly from Northern Ireland and the Republic. Helen looks after management and promotional activities for the small family bakery.

“Winning the award for the best traditional Irish wheaten was a marvellous achievement for us but much more significant was coming out on top with our unique fruit loaf.

“Both winners are based on a family recipe dating back 53 years to when Sean, my father, and mother Ann set up the home bakery on Larne’s Main Street,” John says. “We were up against hundreds of bakeries, small and large, from many parts of the British Isles in the awards. I believe we are the first local bakery to win a major open category award. In addition, the fruit loaf was placed third in the overall award for the World’s Best Bread,” he adds.

The World Bread Awards this year was “more competitive than ever,” according to chairman of the judging panel Stephen Hallam, whose fellow judges, all 100 of them, included Apollonia Poilane of the legendary Paris bakery Poilane, Dr John Foster of BBC’s Victorian Bakers and Harry Lomas, executive head chef, Wembley Stadium.
Launched in January 2013, the awards celebrate the very best of bread baking especially the creation of original breads. Among sponsors of the competition is Andrews Ingredients in Lisburn, a leading supplier to the bakery industry. Promotion agency Food NI is a key sponsor of the wheaten bread category.
Hundreds of loaves were delivered by entrants by courier, taxi and in person on the morning of the judging at Cathedral Hall, Westminster Cathedral, to ensure maximum freshness.
Bread is a huge industry in the UK – 12 million loaves are sold every day. The phenomenon of the artisan bakery has also taken off in the last decade. Not only is commercially-made bread popular, but home-baking is massively on the rise too, encouraged by a host of TV and radio cooking shows.

John started working in the family bakery in his school holidays at the tender age of 12. “I helped my parents and learned how to bake traditional local favourites such as soda farls, potato bread, wheaten, cakes and biscuits,” he continues. In 1980, John joined the bakery from school and has since moved up to become the master baker.

“I loved working in the family bakery and joining my parents there was a ‘no-brainer’ for me. It’s such a creative and satisfying role. I also enjoy talking to customers and getting their feedback about the products especially the original baked goods we develop on a regular basis,” he says.

He works alongside his uncle Liam Agnew in the company’s modern bakery behind the shop that’s been popular with shoppers from Larne and the surrounding area for generations. It’s one of the excellent and innovative home bakeries that Northern Ireland has managed to maintain.

What sets his bread apart from other local and national rivals? “All our breads are based on old family recipes. While the wheaten uses traditional ingredients favoured by all home bakeries across the island, I’ve developed a baking technique that gives the bread a distinctive flavour. There are also a couple of secrets involved in the baking process.

“We’ve also responded to market concerns about obesity and diabetes by creating sugar-free wheaten and other breads. The decision to go sugar-free followed a request from the customer with diabetes. We value greatly the contacts we have with customers in the shop and endeavour to react quickly to their requests,” he adds.

The fruit loaf that the judges loved is made using orange and lemon juices and zest with the added ‘kick’ provided by a “touch of brandy”, he explains.

Married to Catherine with Emily, the couple’s eight-year old daughter, John, in addition, has an impressive track record in other national food competitions over the past five years. Baked goods from Ann’s Pantry have earned the ambitious bakery, a Food NI member company, an unrivalled 49 Great Taste Awards in what is widely respected as Europe’s most influential competition for artisan and smaller food and drink enterprises.

The Co Antrim business was also named Northern Ireland’s best bakery at the BBC Food Show in 2016. It’s now Northern Ireland’s most decorated home bakery and among the most creative in terms of trends including sourdough and spelt breads.

Food NI member companies Hillstown Farm, Irish Black Butter and Mash Direct were successful in the annual Farming Life Awards.

The awards are held by the newspaper, part of the News Letter, to celebrate and reward the outstanding achievements of farmers and food processors in Northern Ireland.

Hillstown Farm in Randsalstown, Co Antrim, which is run by Nigel Logan, won the “Best Agri-Food Business of the Year’ for its development of innovative meats, including Wagyu, and for its successful craft brewing business.

The company is now selling its range of craft beers throughout Britain from its small distillery on the family farm. The business has also been included in the Economusee network of artisan producers.

Based in Portrush, Co Antrim and run by Alastair Bell, Irish Black Butter won the ‘Best Artisan of the Year’ title on the prestigious awards which are judged by a panel of farming and food experts.

Irish Black Butter, founded in 2017, is a savoury/sweet spread made from Armagh Bramley apples with spices, treacle and brandy.

The company is now selling the distinctively different tasting spread in the UK and Ireland and recently launched a peanut and fudge flavoured products. The idea for the product was influenced by a holiday in Jersey during which Mr Bell discovered the island’s tasty apple butter.

Irish Black Butter won three gold stars in this year’s UK Great Taste Awards, a chef’s Larder Award at Blas na hEireann and also featured on BBC Two’s Dragon’s Den where it was praised by the panel of entrepreneurs.

Mash Direct was named winner of the Farm Diversification of the Year’ category. Based on a family farm at Comber in Co Down, the company is now among the most successful farm-based enterprises in the UK and Ireland.

Founded in 2003, Mash Direct produces a range of quality quick-serve potato and vegetable products for retailers in the UK, Republic of Ireland, other parts of Europe as well as the US, Middle East and Asia.

The company, now among Northern Ireland’s most successful food businesses with an impressive track record in new product development, supplies most of the leading food retailers.

It was established by Martin and Tracy Hamilton on the family farm. Sons Lance and Jack now play key roles in the development of the business.

Mash Direct has won a string of local, national and international awards including UK Great Taste Awards and the Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards.

An emphasis on provenance and traceability means that the family farm produces the majority of the raw materials with the rest being meticulously sourced throughout the UK and Ireland to produce a range free from artificial additives, preservatives or colourings.

Tourism NI is partnering with Belfast City Council this autumn to offer an allocated stall to local food and drink producers to showcase their produce at St George’s Market Belfast, in support of the Taste the Island initiative.

Every weekend until the end of November, different producers from across Northern Ireland will have an opportunity to showcase their produce at the iconic market. This platform will enable local producers to sell and promote their product to thousands of local and international visitors in support of the all-Island food and drink initiative.

The latest research estimates visitor expenditure at £968m of which approximately one third, £350m, is spent on food and drink.

Gary Quate, Food and Drink Development Officer at Tourism NI, commented: “We have been working closely with Belfast City Council and St George’s Market, who have helped us bring new and exciting opportunities to the industry. We are delighted to offer this space to talented local producers such as Jack Morton from Jack’s Fudge and Barbara Hughes from Hughes Craft Distillery and we look forward to working with many more of our food and drink industry to support the Taste the Island campaign.”

“We are also pleased to support the Twilight Market which will take place on the 12th and 13th November through Tourism NI’s Taste the Island Events Scheme 2019. It is fantastic to see the industry fully embrace the initiative and I would encourage everyone to visit the event and get a taste of the delicious local produce on offer,” Gary added.

Councillor Deirdre Hargey, from Belfast City Council, said: “Fostering business growth in the city is a key goal in our Belfast Agenda, so we’re delighted to partner with Tourism NI as part of their Taste the Island campaign to support local producers to showcase their offers.
Deirdre added: “Food tourism continues to grow – as our Twilight Market, which started back in November 2015 shows – it just keeps getting bigger and better every year. It’s such a special way to discover local produce, in our much loved historic and atmospheric St George’s Market. I encourage everyone to get along for an evening to remember!”