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.

White’s Oats in Northern Ireland produces the UK’s Best Porridge

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The UK’s best breakfast porridge product is produced by White’s Oats in Northern Ireland and that’s according to the prestigious Quality Food and Drink Awards.

White’s natural Jumbo Organic Oats was named the ‘Best Breakfast Product’ by a panel of expert food judges in the Quality Food and Drink Awards last Friday evening, the most influential event in the annual UK food and drink calendar.

The awards recognise and celebrate the best products from UK producers every year. Winners of category awards in the competition, now entering its 41st year, are able to use the prestigious ‘Q’ on their packaging and promotional materials. The awards also exert a major influence on retailers in particular seeking original and quality products.

The ‘Q’ on pack is now seen as the most recognisable mark of excellence for retailers, food and drink manufacturers, foodservice providers, wholesalers, suppliers and small producers alike.

Thousands of food and drink products were entered by companies from across the UK, most by major retailers seeking endorsement from the panel of expert judges.

White’s Oats, part of Fane Valley Group, one of Ireland’s biggest farmers’ co-operatives, sources organic and other oats from a 50-strong network of growers in Britain and Northern Ireland and has been milling oats for over 170 years. The company’s original brand, Speedicook Porridge Oats was launched in 1920.

White’s Oats, which has won a string of UK Great Taste Awards, works with around 50 growers in Northern Ireland and England and sells a range of natural oat-based products, such as porridge, granola and muesli, to retailers throughout the UK and Ireland.

In addition to growing sales in Britain, White’s has business in the Republic of Ireland, other parts of Europe as well as the US, Asia and the Middle East. The company’s product portfolio of oat-based products includes granola and muesli.

Safefood – Food Labelling & Consumer Trust

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Date: 05 December 2019
Time: 10.00am -14.00pm
Location: The MAC, Belfast

Purpose of the Event

safefood in partnership with The Institute For Global Food Security at Queen’s University Belfast are hosting a free seminar which will focus on recent trends in food labelling and food processing, as well as exploring how consumers understand what’s on their label.

This free seminar is designed for those working in the food industry, regulatory agencies and public health, with the following presenting at event:

 Ian Thomas, Ian Thomas Associates

 Joseph Ahern, Kerry Group

 Dr James McIntosh, safefood

 Declan Ferguson, Finnebrogue

 Prof. Moira Dean, Queens University Belfast

 Prof Brendan Gilmore, Queens University Belfast

The following cover topics will be covered:

 Clean Labelling industry perspectives

 Consumers trends and labeling requirements e.g. ‘free from’ products

 Legal aspects of food labelling including allergens

 Applying behavioural science to study how consumers use and understand information on food labels

 New food processing technologies

Who should attend?

Those working in the food industry, regulatory agencies and public health and in the area of food safety.

Register for this FREE event

This seminary is FREE but places are limited. To register please visit safefood.eu For further information please contact Lisa at knevents@safefood.eu