New flavours and fresh look from Clandeboye Yoghurt

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Food NI Clandeboye Yoghurt, Northern Ireland’s only yoghurt producer, has won business from two leading retailers for three new luxury flavours which are feature a refreshed brand.

The new range from Clandeboye, which is based near Bangor in county Down, has recently been listed by Tesco and Spar in Northern Ireland and joins an established and successful portfolio of Greek style and other yoghurts.

The latest listings for Clandeboye come just a few weeks after the launch of the yoghurts by what has become one of Northern Ireland’s most successful dairy businesses.

The small company has won a string of UK Great Taste and Blas na hEireann, Irish National Food Awards for its established range of premium yoghurts and was last week named Agri-Food Business of the Year in the annual Small Business Awards 2018 organised by Business Eye magazine and the First Trust Bank.

The new Greek style yoghurt flavours are: Raspberry and White Chocolate, Mandarin and Lime, and Mango and Nectarine. They are available in 150g pots (RRP 79p).

The new luxury-style branding features a D&A logo that reflects the crucial role of the Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava in the formation of the business on her extensive estate as a farm diversification project in 2007.

Bryan Boggs, general manager of Clandeboye Yoghurt, commenting of the new products and identity, says: “We’ve been looking at some additional favours over the past few months in what continues to be a very dynamic and competitive dairy category. We also decided to take the opportunity to review our overall branding and to see how best to refresh it.

“The fresh branding, initially for the three new yoghurts, reflects our longstanding focus on premium products offering outstanding taste, consistent quality, heritage and provenance,” he adds.

The yoghurts are hand blended using fresh milk sourced exclusively from the estate’s own pedigree and award-winning dairy herd. An authentic Greek straining technique using cheesecloth is then used to produce the deliciously creamy yoghurts.

The company, which now includes German discounter Aldi in the Republic of Ireland among its customers, produces a full range of natural, Greek style, flavoured and layered whole milk yoghurts for both the retail and food service markets.

World Gin Day – Celebrate at the Home of Shortcross Gin

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Celebrate World Gin Day at the home of Shortcross Gin………Cocktails on arrival, Tour/Taste & Masterclass with Live Music on the terrace.

We will take you on a journey through our small but perfectly crafted distillery, learning how we distill our wonderful Shortcross Gin. Then bask in a botanical journey and enjoy a tutored tasting experience engaging all your senses before you master the art of creating the perfect Shortcross Gin and Tonic.

Each guest will receive a Shortcross branded glass and a £5.00 voucher towards an onsite bottle purchase.

A full bar service will be in operation, where you can enjoy our Shortcross Cocktails and Shorttails…..

We look forward to welcoming you all to Rademon Estate Distillery.

Fiona & David

For all other enquiries –

Tel – 028 44 830 001

To book a ticket click here

Comber Farmers’ Market Welcomes the First Comber Earlies

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On Thursday 7 June Comber Farmers’ Market will see the very first Comber Earlies arrive, as an important time of the agricultural year begins for the town named ‘The Home of Great Taste’.

With their own unique flavour, Comber Earlies have achieved PGI status which recognises the Comber spud alongside some of Europe’s most iconic regional food brands, such as Feta Cheese, Champagne and the Cornish Pasty.

Horner’s Farm Shop will have the first of its crop ready to try and buy, joined by Chef Dave Smyth from McBrides on the Square who will be serving samples of the nutty little potato to visitors.

Other traders at the market will have the very finest array of meat and fish, fruit and vegetables, jams and chutneys, home baked goods and breads, cheeses, speciality teas, sauces and syrups, seasonal plants, chocolate, free range eggs, granola, iced coffee, Mediterranean tapas, raw Jersey milk and more – all produced in Northern Ireland.

Chair of the Comber Farmers’ Market committee run by the Comber Regeneration and Community Partnership, Alderman Deborah Girvan, is delighted the Comber Earlies will be ready in time for the award winning market:

“I know it has been a difficult winter for our potato farmers with late frost preventing them from planting and indeed keeping them awake at night.  It is fantastic therefore that some will be available for Comber Farmers’ Market on the 7 June.  Then of course the whole town looks forward to the Comber Earlies Food Festival later in the month, when all the producers can come together to celebrate this humble and tasty little spud.”

Comber Farmers’ Market is held on the first Thursday of every month in the car park at St Marys Church in Comber Square from 9am to 1.00pm.  Car parking can be found at Parkway on Killinchy Street or in 1st Comber Presbyterian car park on High Street.

For further information on the popular market go to www.combermarket.co.uk or find Comber Farmers’ Market on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Tempted Wins Top Trophy at International Cider Challenge

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– Ireland’s Most-Awarded Cider Wins Again –

15 May 2018:  Craft cider brand Tempted Cider has won the top Trophy in its category at the International Cider Challenge 2018. One of only seven ciders to win a Trophy out of 200 entries, this is the first year Tempted Dry has entered the awards and was the winner in the New World Style category for ciders with more acidity and frutiness than other styles.

 The International Cider Challenge has been set up to recognise the diversity and range of packaged products within the dynamic and growing cider category and is in its second year.  Cider expert Gabe Cook, known as The Ciderologist, Chairman of the judging panel, describes it as his mission to “celebrate the diversity and quality of cider across the globe.” 

  Commenting on the win, founder of Tempted Cider, Davy Uprichard said: “Another weekend, another award for ‪Tempted Cider!  We’re delighted to be awarded an International Cider Challenge Trophy for Tempted Dry and many congratulations to all the winners.”

He says, “Tempted Dry is where our Tempted journey started. Not being able to find a dry cider that I liked, we blended this fruity, fresh and floral cider to suit my own. Tempted Dry delivers a crisp, refreshing taste and with provenance being vitally important to us, every care is taken to select only the finest hand-picked apples from the Orchard County of Armagh, in Northern Ireland.”

Inspired by founder Davy Uprichard’s childhood memories making wine as a hobby with his father, Tempted Cider was established in 2009. Davy, a horticulturist by trade, set up a small cidery at the family home and began pressing apples. This humble hobby kick-started a mission to make the world’s most-loved and enjoyed craft cider and now, Tempted Cider is the most-awarded cider in Ireland with five styles in its full range and Davy’s passion for celebrating and sharing local apples poured into every, single drop. 

Tempted Cider’s award-winning range is available in all good licensed retailers and select licensed venues across Northern Ireland and is expanding into the UK and internationally.

For more information visit temptedcider.com. To share in the conversation, visit @TemptedCider on social media. 

Bushmills Irish Whiskey Launches #BlackBushStories

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A CAMPAIGN SHOWCASING BREAKTHROUGH IRISH TALENT WHO ARE CREATING WAVES

Unrivalled character. Undeniable flavour. Unmistakably Black Bush. The Old Bushmills Distillery has been crafting whiskey since King James I granted the distillery the world’s first license to distil in 1608.  When most people in Ireland were farming or making linen, Bushmills® Irish Whiskey was challenging the status quo and defining the unique taste and character of its triple distilled Irish whiskey.

That spirit of innovation, passion and independence is how the brand still lives and breathes some 400 years later and, this year, Bushmills Irish Whiskey is partnering with talent across the island of Ireland who are driven by those same progressive traits, and who share the courage to follow their passion and forge their own path.

Inspired by the distinctive and rich taste of Bushmills® Black Bush®, #BlackBushStories is a unique collaboration series, featuring the stories and crafts of independent, spirited and extraordinary Irish individuals who challenge traditional thinking in their fields and live outside the box. The campaign will take the form of an immersive event series in venues across Ireland over the coming months.

Bushmills Black Bush will explore the worlds of photography, leather making and charcuterie to showcase those who are making their mark and pioneering their craft with great success. Highlighting the unrivalled character of each of the collaborators, #BlackBushStories will inspire others to follow in the footsteps of these creative spirits and embrace their own talents.

The soon-to-be-revealed collaborators are disrupters, experimenters and innovators in their fields who have taken risks, tried new options, failed, succeeded and have been guided throughout by their own creativity and passion. #BlackBushStories is dedicated to that independent spirit – to people who stand out from the crowd to revolutionise their industry.

Held in Ireland’s leading venues, the eclectic mix of events will include an interactive lesson in mobile photography, a leather-making workshop and a meat curing masterclass hosted by the people who are currently creating waves in their industries, inviting consumers to embrace their own passion and creativity.

Guests at each event will be guided through the Black Bush experience by Bushmills Ambassador Paul Rocks who will introduce whiskey lovers to the premium malt blend and its undeniable flavour. Specially-created Bushmills Irish Whiskey serves showcasing the signature rich, fruity notes and velvety smooth character of Black Bush will be exclusively available to attendees, including the blend’s signature serve, Black Fashioned – Black Bush served over ice with a twist of orange.

More information about the Bushmills Irish Whiskey #BlackBushStories event series and the local talent involved can be found at blackbushstories.com. To join in the conversation and keep up to date with the #BlackBushStories series, follow Bushmills Irish Whiskey on social media.

Taste of Ulster members impress at RAI Awards

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A plethora of Taste of Ulster members have taken home awards from the RAI All Ireland awards. It took place at a gala dinner at the Clayton Hotel on Burlington Road in Dublin on Monday 14th May.

Top of the Ulster regional winners included Best Newcomer for Clenaghan’s of Aghalee and Best Chef for Chris Magowan from Wine and Brine in Moira. The Best Restaurant category was won by the Muddlers Club in Belfast.

Newforge House in Magheralin took the Best Hotel and Guesthouse Restaurant. The Jolly Sandwich Bar in Enniskillen won Best Café while the best Wine Experience went to OX cave in Belfast.

CEO of Taste of Ulster/Food NI Michele Shirlow said

“Congratulations to our Taste of Ulster winning members who continue to shine the spotlight on our world-class places to eat and drink in Northern Ireland.

“They are all consistently delivering authentic experiences, great service and using our superb local produce. Their success is very well deserved.”

There were more than 90,000 online nominations for the awards which are now in their tenth year.