Food NI member Ballylisk Triple Rose Cheese from county Armagh has been shortlisted as a finalist in the 2018 Great British Cheese Awards in the Best New Producer category.

Based at Tandragee, near Portadown, Ballylisk unique triple cream cheese was launched last year by Dean Wright, who runs the family’s highly regarded grass-fed dairy herd in county Armagh. The cheese is made exclusively from cream sourced from the family’s herd.

Dean Wright says: “We are over the moon that our first cheese, the Triple Rose has made it to the finals of the Great British Cheese Awards which are judged by experts and the public. This means a lot to us.

“We are the only artisan cheesemakers in Northern Ireland with our own milk pool. It has taken a long time to get here and we are only at the start of our journey to bring more cheeses to market,” he adds.

The Great British Cheese Awards are organised by Great British Chefs (The UK’s fastest growing food website) and Peter’s Yard, whose sourdough crispbread has been named as “the best biscuit for cheese out there.” The awards were established three years ago to celebrate the best of British artisan cheeses produced and distributed by independent cheese makers and retailers.

The Great British Cheese Awards stand apart from similar events as no other awards bring together the online voting and nominating public with a cross-section of high quality judges that include award-winning chefs, journalists, food writers, celebrity food bloggers, cheese buyers and dairy technologists. This year, over 13,000 people have voted for their favourite cheeses, producers and retailers.

The Best New Producer award has been shortlisted by the panel of judges who have nominated their favourite cheesemakers who have launched in the past five years. All category winners will be announced at a very special Awards Ceremony to be held at Somerset House in London on 17th October.

The Great British Cheese Awards were established in 2016 with the specific aim to recognise, promote and reward excellence in the artisan cheese industry and are organised by Great British Chefs (the UK’s fastest growing food website) and Peter’s Yard, whose crispbread was recently named as “the best biscuit for cheese out there”.

The awards do not rely on tastings alone; they bring together hundreds of thousands of online food lovers with industry experts, food writers and celebrity cheese fans to give the artisan cheese industry unparalleled prominence. Ultimately, the people who eat cheese and buy cheese will be the ones who decide who deserves to win a prestigious award.

Cheeses are blind tasted. Judges are looking for great texture and appearance but above all they will concentrate on the overall taste.

 

Food NI member Noisy Nuts, the producer of a unique range of flavoured craft beer inspired peanuts, has won business with German discounter Lidl Ireland through its innovative Kick Start scheme to assist smaller food and drink producers on the island of Ireland.

Based at Ballygowan in county Down, Noisy Nuts is supplying three products – Pickled Onion, Chilli and Lime and Chilli Beef – to Lidl for around 100 stores in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in the hope that these will lead to longer-term business with the top discounter.

Noisy Nuts have been developed by founder Noel Allen, a former marketing manager of Boost Drinks NI, as an artisan peanut kit with flavoured seasonings that pair perfectly with craft beer types.

The unique flavourings help to elevate craft beer characteristics, note and flavour palates within the beers – while the open yourself sachets of flavouring offer a fun tactile experience.

Mr Allen, commenting on the deal with Lidl, says. “This is a tremendous business opportunity for us. It’s our first sales to a major supermarket chain and follows our selection by Lidl Ireland to take part in the Kick Start mentoring scheme for smaller food companies.

“I appreciate greatly the support from Lidl and will be working closely with the team there to ensure the listing of three products is a success. I want to see Lidl become a long-term customer and to grow the business to other markets in which the retailer is operating.

“I have always been passionate about creating my own brand. With 400 different craft beer breweries in the UK alone and more than 3,500 different craft beer products on sale I knew there was an opportunity to produce a complimentary interesting snack for this buoyant and increasingly growing market. Craft beer drinkers are all about taste and we’re giving them a product that will enhance their drinking experience,” he says.

The product itself has been designed to offer the choice in how to season the peanuts. Consumers can pour the whole packaging of seasoning in and shake the pot giving a strong flavour.

Crispy Green Bean and Sugar Snap Pea crisps, a unique veggie snack developed in Northern Ireland, is in the running for a major award for food innovation at next month’s big SIAL 2018 expo in Paris.

 

The snack has been created and manufactured under Pinkfinch, a snack brand from Food Stories in Belfast, which also produces artisan popcorn under the successful Cloud Corn brand.

 

The recipe for the Crispy Green Bean and Sugar Snap Pea crisps has been developed by Michael Heaslip, founder of Food NI member Food Stories, a company that began as a distributor of artisan foods in Northern Ireland, in 2014.

 

The Pinkfinch range of fruit and veggie crisps was launched by Mr Heaslip, earlier in the year, as part of a diversification into snack food production. The range is the outcome of market research and product development over almost three years.

 

“My aim was to develop a healthier crisp, one which could contribute to the five-a-day diet recommendation. We developed a unique cooking process that maintains the benefits of the fruits and vegetables,” Mr Heaslip explains. “This means, for example, that they are a healthier snack for children in particular. “They are also based on real fruit, are gluten-free and high in fibre.”

 

In addition to the Crispy Green Bean and Sugar Snap Pea, the Pinkfinch range includes Apple and Banana. Green Bean also won a UK Great Taste Award this year.

 

He sees the SIAL Innovation shortlisting as a “huge bonus” for the small business from the prestigious food exposition. “It’s a marvellous endorsement by a panel of expert judges of the quality and originality of the product. We are really excited about the shortlisting, our first time at SIAL. It will be enormously beneficial as we seek to grow our sales in Europe and further afield.”

 

The SIAL Innovation Award recognises and celebrates original food products from across the world.

 

“We are taking part in SIAL as part of our strategic focus on growing international sales. SIAL is a tremendously important showcase of new food ideas. And it’s great to be recognised as an innovator,” Mr Heaslip adds.

 

Northern Ireland’s multi-award-winning producer of ciders, juices and cider vinegar, Long Meadow Cider, a Food NI member,  has launched a new variety, Berry Blast, a flavoured cider.

 

The new flavour is blended with fresh blackcurrants and is the outcome of extensive market research by the family-owned and run cidery which located at Loughgall, county Armagh, at the heart of Northern Ireland’s orchard county.

 

Catherine McKeever, who runs the business with husband Pat and other family members, says: “We trialled it and carried out tastings at various shows and events to get customer feedback.

 

“We were overwhelmed by the response. While we realise that there are other berry ciders available on the market, our new product is a pure craft cider with a hint of blackcurrant without any added sugar or water.

 

“We are very excited about our new launch which has already proven to be very popular with lovers of good cider,” she adds.

 

Long Meadow has won recognition in the UK Great Taste Awards and other competitions for the quality of its ciders pressed from apples grown in its own extensive orchards.

 

The McKeevers founded the craft business in 2012 as a farm diversification project.

The family has been growing apples for more than 50 years on the Armagh farm and had been encouraged to branch out by the feedback from cider enthusiasts across Northern Ireland.

The McKeever family grows and harvests apples from a total of 120 acres, 30 of which are on the home farm. It uses local bramley and sweet apples.