Abernethy Butter, Northern Ireland’s award winning butter maker, has won own label business for a novel range of flavoured butters for Fortnum and Mason, the iconic London retailer.

The family owned company, which is based in Dromara, county Down, specialises in handcrafted butters. Butters featuring under the F&M brand are Smoky Chipotle, Date and Rum, and Miso and Seaweed along with salted and non-salted varieties.

Allison, who runs the innovation-led business, with husband Will, the butter maker, explains: “We were approached by the product development team at F&M to use our expertise and skills in creating the three unique butter flavours about 18 months ago. We were thrilled to be invited to produce these and the salted and non-salted butters for such a respected and successful brand as F&M has become.

“We’ve been doing business with F&M for seven years now and have developed a tremendously important business relationship. As a result, F&M has become an immensely valued customer and a great company to do business with.

“We’ve worked very closely with them over the past year in the development of the new flavours and also benefited from the input from Paul Clarke, a respected chef which runs En Place Foods in Cookstown,” adds Mrs Abernethy.

All the new butters are now on sale in the impressive F&M food hall in London, among the world’s most popular good food destinations, along with the established Abernethy’s award winning Black Garlic butter.

“The new flavours are a very exciting development for us and, of course, the local farm which supplies our fresh cream from its grass-fed dairy herd. They demonstration just how natural, versatile and, of course, healthy butter really is.”

The new Miso and Seaweed for F&M, in particular, is an extension of the company’s focus on health from its launch of a Dulse and Seasalt, another award winner. Abernethy Butter was among the first artisan companies to harness the rich resource of seaweeds, now seen as a healthy food rich in vitamins A, D, E and K and essential minerals such as manganese, chromium, iodine, zinc, copper and selenium

As well as the significant new business with F&M, Abernethy is now supplying handmade butter to Whole Foods throughout London.

“We are now reaping the business benefits of the strategic focus on developing relationships with high-end retailers and major hotels in London and other parts off the UK,” she says.

The company, formed in 2005, has won a string of UK Great Taste and other awards and been acclaimed by influential chefs and food specialists including Heston Blumenthal, Nigella Lawson, Xanthe Clay and Marcus Wareing. The butters also feature regularly in F&M cookbooks.

Ardtara Country House is delighted by the support over the last 25 years as it celebrates this landmark anniversary

Ardtara is a unique country house in the heart of Ulster, 25 years after first opening as a hotel, the business celebrates its landmark anniversary and shows no signs of slowing down.

Sitting proudly at the foothills of the Sperrin mountains, just a short drive from Lough Neagh, Ardtara is a beautifully restored Victorian country house, built around 1896 as a romantic and lively family home by linen baron, Harry Clark.  Harry’s family operated a successful linen business, which was already 150 years old at the time and was famous for producing fine linens from flax using the ancient process of beetling.

Following the death of Harry and his wife Alice, Ardtara lay empty for a period of 15 years, in 1990 Ardtara was rescued by Maebeth Fenton MBE, who restored the house before opening it as a country house hotel in 1994. The current custodians; Marcus Roulston & Ian Orr purchased Ardtara in 2014 and have restored the house, turning it into a truly unique property with a reputation as a culinary gem, having achieved a two-rosette standard restaurant whilst being recommended by the Michelin Guide annually.

Prior to purchasing Ardtara, Marcus and Ian had established themselves as successful restaurateurs in the Northwest, opening Derry’s first fine dining establishment, Browns Bonds Hill in 2009, this was soon followed by the opening of a more casual, trendy restaurant in the heart of the city, Browns in Town, plans are now underway to expand the Browns Bonds Hill Collection.

To celebrate 25 years of hospitality, the team at Ardtara played host to an intimate celebration, with entertainment, a drinks reception and canapes. Amongst the guests were supporters of the hotel past and present, long reigning staff and regular guests, as well as Bruce, grandson of the late Harry Clark.

A special tribute was made to Mrs Valerie Ferson who has worked at Ardtara from the very first day of its opening 25 years ago. Valerie was presented gifts from her employers in recognition of her commitment to the hotel over the past 25 years.

General Manager, Seán McEvoy said “Ardtara is a special place in the heart of Ulster.  We strive to provide outstanding service, wonderful food and a genuinely warm welcome to every guest that walks through the door, Valerie has been greeting our customers with a bona-fide welcome for 25 years, that’s something we are all proud of”.

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Forest Feast has launched innovative additions to its healthy snacks for Christmas.

The new fruit and nut mixes are, Festive Stuffing and Gingerbread Latte Fruit and Nut, join the company’s Christmas Collection which already features natural fruit and nut mixes, nuts in shells, as well as other sweet and savoury combinations.

The novel range is hand-crafted at the company’s headquarters in Craigavon, Co Armagh, where its products are uniquely roasted by air and flavoured in-house.

Innovation underpins the company’s business culture, says Bronagh Clarke, Forest Feast’s marketing director. “We are a team who love to explore the world, looking for the best ingredients and inspiration for new recipes and snacks,” she adds. “We take this inspiration back home and pour it into our world-leading product development.

“This allows us to react quickly and creatively to new trends and opportunities, equipping retailers with the perfect solutions that enable to meet consumer demands in this rapidly growing and profitable sector.”

Snacking culture had experienced a boom in recent years. “Sixty-six percent of adults now snack at least once a day. “At Christmas, nearly three quarters of consumers are willing to spend more money on groceries which creates significant demand for an even-more diverse luxury product range,” she continues.

“Since the business was founded by Michael and Lorraine Hall more than 20 years ago, we’ve made it our mission to create delicious snacks that fulfil consumers’ nutritional needs but also provide the permissible indulgence that consumers seek.”

The latest additions to the limited-edition Christmas range, she explains, are inspired by traditional festive flavours.  The Festive Stuffing Mix is a mixture of roasted and salted peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans and macadamia nuts with Christmas stuffing roasted coated almonds and basil and balsamic cashews.

The Gingerbread Latte Fruit and Nut Mix is seen as perfect for coffee lovers with a mix of gingerbread latte white chocolate hazelnuts, dried cranberries, vanilla peanuts, dried cranberries and cacao and vanilla peanuts, white chocolate cranberries and toasted peanuts.

The new mixes are available in 150g bags at RRP £2.50

Customers at Costa Coffee stores in Prague and other parts of the Czech Republic are now enjoying healthy Pinkfinch fruit crisps from Food Stories in Northern Ireland.

The deal to supply 50 Costa cafes in the Czech Republic is the latest in a string of significant export successes signed by Michael Heaslip, managing director of Food Stories, which is based in Belfast. It follows an agreement to supply Pinkfinch crisps to Hungary’s Wizz Air in Budapest. Costa is the world’s second biggest coffee chain.

Mr Heaslip, commenting on the Costa deal, the first success in the Czech Republic for the Belfast-based company, continues: “I attended a ‘meet the buyer’ event at the British Embassy in Prague in September 2018 run by the British Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic.

“Following from the event we made a number of retail and food service contacts that we have been developing over the past 12 months. The deal with Costa Coffee is a particularly exciting development for our business. The Costa Coffee brand in Czech Republic is run by Lagardère Travel Retail, one of the largest operators of food service and convenience retail outlets in the country.  The company also has substantial business at airports in Europe, including Belfast International, and further afield.

“We are hopeful this initial listing will lead to an expansion of our business in the market and an opportunity to explore other markets in which Lagardère operates,” adds Mr Heaslip,

Food Stories, a Food NI member company, is now supplying Pinkfinch Apple Fruit Crisps and Banana Fruit Crisps directly to the Costa network.

Mr Heaslip continues: “We have had amazing support from the British Chamber of Commerce team in the Czech Republic. They have been proactive at identifying potential sales channels for our brands and have made a host of introductions. This listing would not have been possible without them.

“They see Pinkfinch as a fantastic brand offering crisps that are healthy and functional with attractive packaging, which matches the demand for healthy products and growing consciousness of consumers in Czech Republic.

“As a gluten free, nut free and vegan friendly product we also expect it to appeal to allergy sufferers,” he adds.

The company has come a long way from a start in the spare bedroom of his parents in 2014. He has grown sales of his innovative snacks – the company also produces Cloud Corn branded popcorn – throughout the UK, where customers include Sainsbury’s, in the Republic of Ireland, where he supplies Tesco Ireland, as well other parts of Europe and the Middle East.

Portadown’s Holmes Bakery, a Food NI member, has formed a novel business partnership with Santa Claus, Finland.

Holmes is partnering up with the Santa Claus Foundation,Finland, an international charity, that has been acclaimed for its charitable donations and initiatives throughout the world that support children in need.

The official Santa Claus, Finland, logo will be featuring on products from the multi-award-winning Holmes Bakery as a result of a European franchise agreement with the Santa Claus Foundation.

The Santa Claus Foundation, which is based in Santa’s true homeland in Finland, is a well- known organisation which aims to spread Santa’s universal message of love and good will to the children of the world by advocating for those most in need. Finnish President, Sauli Niniinisto, is currently the patron of the charitable foundation.

Holmes, one of Northern Ireland’s most successful small bakeries, has been awarded the licence to produce three products under the Santa Claus, Finland brand for the UK and EU markets.

Holmes is crafting Christmas bakery favourites (and of course Santa’s favourite treats): Christmas Pudding, mince pies and shortbread biscuits, under the agreement negotiated with Des Campbell who is responsible for franchising deals at the foundation.

Gillian Castles, sales manager of the family owned and managed Holmes Bakery, commented on the agreement, saying: “We were thrilled when Des Campbell chose our company from the profiles provided to him from the Invest NI food marketing team and approached us about working with the foundation to provide premium bakery products.

“As a result, we have been working with the foundation’s team on developing three products and on shaping our packaging in line with the foundation’s specific requirements.

“It’s an exciting business opportunity for us to engage with what is probably the world’s best known and most loved brand. What’s even better is that we are also supporting the foundation and its charitable works. That’s what Christmas is all about.

“The agreement will see our premium baked goods on sale especially in markets outside Northern Ireland.

“It’s a very exciting opportunity for us to grow our business in both short and longer terms,” she adds.

The business is the outcome of a lead to Holmes Bakery from Invest NI’s food marketing team in Belfast. The company followed up quickly and secured the business.

Mr Campbell, who has a background in marketing and licensing and is based in Northern Ireland, was appointed by the foundation to take on its franchising role in early 2019. “I’ve been especially keen to involve Northern Ireland companies in working with the foundation since then. There are many excellent food processors here in particular,” he says.

“I was aware of the outstanding quality and taste of the baked goods from Holmes and was delighted to reach an agreement with such a successful and flexible local producer.

“I am confident that the franchise agreement will be mutually beneficial for the foundation and Holmes bakery. When you buy a product with the official Santa Claus logo on it not only are you supporting a local business but the Santa Claus Foundation’s charitable aims.

“I’ve certainly found the bakery enthusiastic about the opportunity and quick in responding to the foundation’s specific requirement,” he adds.

The agreement with the foundation is seen by the bakery as a significant development within its strategic focus on growing sales outside Northern Ireland. It already supplies a number of retailers in Britain including on-line shopping site Ocado. It recently signed a significant deal to supply 10 lines of handcrafted products to Shoprite, the Isle of Man’s leading supermarket chain.