British Charcuterie.live Awards

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London 21st February 2018:  The co-founders of BritishCharcuterie.live, Henrietta Green and Charlotte Sharp-Neale, launched their first awards at an event attended by specialist producers, award judges, eminent chefs and top food writers, at the Plain English showrooms in Marylebone, London, last night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Co-founders Henrietta Green and Charlotte Sharpe-Neal (Middle) with the producers (from left to right) – Suffolk Salami, Duchy Charcuterie, Cobble Lane Cured, Good Game & CWM Farm

The British Charcuterie Awards will be held on the first day of the BBC Countryfile Live show on August 2nd 2018.

“As British charcuterie is showing such dynamic development, the time is right for all producers, artisanal or larger-scale, to have an appropriate public showcase for their diverse ranges,” said Henrietta Green, addressing the guests, as she called for UK farmers, butchers, producers and chefs to participate.

“For us, it is about celebrating the Britishness, promoting excellence, making the consumer more aware of the variety, choice and endless possibilities of charcuterie. It’s about adding value, reducing waste, finding alternative income streams for farmers and now that we seem to be heading for Brexit – making our own and fighting back the imports.

“And who knows – just as supermarkets boast speciality cheese areas – soon they may have Speciality Charcuterie areas with a vast choice of British producers.”

With well over 100 products already entered within the first three weeks of going live, it promises to be an exciting, wide ranging and interesting contest.

Judges, many of whom attended the launch event, include leading food, retail and hospitality experts, include Head Judge John Gower of New York’s Charcuterie Masters; British Bake Off co-judge Prue Leith; Chefs Angela Hartnett, James Lowe, Ben Tish, Adam Handling, Chris Galvin, Rowley Leigh and Neil Borthwick; master butcher David Lidgate; charcutier extraordinaire Stephane Reynaud; Monika Linton, founder of Brindisa; Rich Summers of The School of Artisan Food; food writers Xanthe Clay and Felicity Cloake; Graham Stoodley Charcuterie Manager for Harvey & Brockless, Shane Holland of Slow Food UK and Tom Beeston of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Judges (back row from left to right to front row left to right) – Graham Stoodley, Chef Adam Handling, Monika Linton, Chef Chris Galvin, Head Judge John Gower, Lindy Wildsmith, CO-Founder Henrietta Green, Xanthe Clay, Roberto Costa, Chef Richard Blades

There are nine classes that range from cured and air-dried whole muscle products such as prosciutto to cured and fermented sausages such as salami. British regional products – traditional favourites including Bath Chaps or Lincolnshire Chine – have their own class as do all products made from authenticated rare-breed meats. A Champion of Champions Product and Champion of Champions Producer will be selected from the winners for trophies.

Head Judge John Gower of Quiet Waters Farm also spoke at the launch event: “Henrietta & Charlotte are thorough, dedicated and really do care about getting Charcuterie better known to the British public. And as a charcuterie maker, let me tell you that is important – getting our products in front of customers so they can try what is being made.”

Chef Chris Galvin – “It’s so important to support small producers and artisans and embrace traditional methods of curing and smoking.  These awards will prove to be a path of discovery, we have so much talent in Britain.  It’s also incredibly exciting to nurture young and new talent, and I think these awards are a great way for us to do that.”

Judge and Chef Ben Tish – “For years I’ve only been using Spanish and Italian charcuterie, but my head has recently been turned to what we are producing in Britain.  I’ve been so surprised by the amazing quality of British charcuterie, this didn’t exist four or five years ago and I’m so happy to be involved”

Chef Brian Turner CBE – “Why didn’t we do anything like this before?! For years we’ve been jealous of our European friends but now it’s time to show them what us Brits are made of!”

Head Judge, John Gower – “I was very excited to be asked to be a part of these awards, and even more excited when I saw the approach and the vision. Awards such as this are just what the industry needs, one that is really going to shine the spotlight on the makers, the artisans, the craftsmen.”

Restaurateur, Roberto Costa – “It is amazing to see such wonderful British Charcuterie competing on a global level, it is truly inspirational!”

British Charcuterie – a fast developing sector

“The increase in production of British Charcuterie is much more than just mirroring our foreign cousins. Our producers, many of whom rear their own livestock specifically for their charcuterie products, create great-tasting products – some new with distinctly local ingredients and characteristics, and others echoing our heritage. Butchers are re-discovering their traditional skills, pubs and restaurants have also woken up to its popularity and many chefs are now curing their own for serving to their customers,” says Henrietta Green.

The awards judging will be taking place within The British Charcuterie Tent at BBC Countryfile Live at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, which runs from August 2 – 5, and where there will also be Charcuterie for tasting and sale from top producers, and a bar serving Charcuterie boards.   “Where better to make the important connections between farming and food and to encourage visitors to come and learn, experience and taste?” says Henrietta Green.

Throughout the show, The British Charcuterie Tent will reflect this growing trend by celebrating with talks, demonstrations and tastings and running a competition for Britain’s Best Charcuterie Boards, sponsored by Tracklements. Visitors will also be able to shop from Charcuterie producers and snack at the Charcuterie bar.

The Classes

Charcuterie makers are encouraged to enter as many products in as many classes as they wish – with a sliding scale of discounts available

Class 1 Cured, Air-Dried & Ready-to-Eat Whole Muscle Products – based on the whole muscle these are cured and air-dried products that may or may not be cold-smoked. This class includes traditional product such as Prosciutto-style hams, Lomo, cold-smoked duck breasts or Coppa etc

Class 2 Cured & Cooked Whole Muscle Products – based on the whole muscle these need cooking – roasted, boiled, baked or hot-smoked – before eating. This class includes cooked hams, salt beef etc

Class 3 Cured Fermented & Air-Dried Ready-to-Eat Sausage Products – these are traditional salami and other ground meat products that may or may not be cold-smoked.

Class 4 Cured & Cooked Ready-to-Eat Sausage Products – these need cooking – typically poached or hot-smoked– before eating. This class includes Bologna, Mortadella, Luncheon Meats and hot-smoked Kielbasa etc.

Class 5 Soft & Spreadable Products – these are made from cured and/or preserved meats. This class includes Pates, Parfaits, Potted Meats and Rillettes as well as products such as ’Nduja, Lard, Sobresada etc.

Class 6 Cured Bacon – these may be green, cold- or hot-smoked but will need cooking before eating. This class includes streaky, shoulder or back bacon as well as rashers from other meats, poultry and game such as beef, duck etc.

Class 7 British Regional Products – this class includes any traditional British regional recipes such as Hogs Pudding, Black Pudding, White Pudding, Haslett, Faggots, Bath Chaps, Lincolnshire Chine etc

Class 8 “House Made” Products – this class includes any cured products made in a restaurant, hotel or pub kitchen by the kitchen staff for serving within their own restaurants and bars

Class 9 Native & Heritage Products – supported by Rare Breed Survival Trust & Slow Food in the UK. Meat used in this class must be traceable and from registered stock pedigree parents. All entries will be authenticated by RSBT. This class is open to all products included in classes 1-8 of The British Charcuterie Awards

Chosen from Classes 1-9 entrants

Class 10 The Champion of Champions Product – all products achieving Gold (scoring 80+ points out of a possible 100) will automatically be put forward for The Champion of Champions Product

Class 11 The Champion of Champions Producer –this will be awarded to the Producer who performs well consistently over a number of classes – no less than three products spread over a minimum of three classes

Application forms for the awards, and information on exhibiting within the Charcuterie Tent are available from salami@britishcharcuterie.live or see www.britishcharcuterie.live. Follow us on Twitter at @Britcharcuterie or Instagram at Britishcharcuterie or Facebook: @Britishcharcuterie.live

 

 

There’s Something ‘Curious’ Going on at Comber Farmers’ Market this April

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On Thursday 5 April, Comber Farmers’ Market will be celebrating Spring by welcoming ‘Alice in Comberland’ to the town and planning all other sorts of curious goings on.

Apart from the usual high quality food and plant  produce made, baked or grown by 28 artisan food and plant traders, there will be activities for children with Springmount Farm Free Range Eggs sponsoring an egg painting competition for three age categories – pre-school,  4-7 years of age and 8 -11 years of age.  Lucky winners will be awarded Easter Eggs!  There will also be colouring in activities and a special appearance from Alice in Comberland and The Queen Mum of Hearts.  In addition, traders will also be getting into the spirit of our popular event and decorating their stalls with themed bunting and tablecloths.

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

New traders making their debut this April will be Dough-Naughty selling beautifully decorated sweet and savoury doughnuts; Crumbs Vegan selling vegan (entirely dairy free) cupcakes, cookies, brownies and layer cakes by the slice; and The Old Post Office from Lisbane will be bringing along their range of tray bakes, apple and rhubarb tarts, and freshly prepared salads to take away.

Alderman Deborah Girvan who helps to run the market on behalf of Comber Regeneration Community Partnership is thrilled that the market continues to grow in popularity with more and more visitors attending every month.

“As word spreads about the quality local produce available every month at Comber Farmers’ Market, we are finding a significant increase in visitor numbers to our award winning market.  It is a testament to the hard work that volunteers from the community put in to making the market happen, that it is becoming such a popular attraction, bringing people from far and wide to the town of Comber.  I am delighted that we are  welcoming three new traders this month which will extend the variety of produce that is on offer.”

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.

SHORTCROSS GIN DISTILLERY EXPANSION WELCOMES NEW COPPER GIN & WHISKEY POT STILL

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Rademon Estate Distillery has been totally transformed with the addition of two new copper stills, increasing our distillery’s production capacity , this marks the completion of a 20-month investment programme, unveiled in its new Still House, the new stills are considered to be the most advanced gin still’s in use on the island of Ireland. With a capacity of 1,071 litres, it utilises two ten-plate enrichment columns, allowing the distillery to produce highly aromatic and flavoursome spirits.

On the back of the ongoing growth within the Irish whiskey category, we have now also increased  our whiskey brewing and distilling capacity by over 500%, as we continue production of our Single Malt Irish Whiskey. With the installation of a new bespoke 1,750L Copper Pot Still that is dedicated entirely to Irish whiskey production.

With continued requests for tours, we have now opened a dedicated  Visitor Experience Centre,  welcoming guests to our fully licensed bar, gift shop and events space all whilst enjoying stunning views across the estate.

Fiona Boyd-Armstrong, Managing Director of Rademon Estate Distillery said: “We are proud to take the next steps towards realising our vision for Rademon Estate Distillery. In addition to the increased production capacity, we are thrilled to be able to welcome people to the home of Shortcross, with the opening of our new Visitor Experience Centre. We have taken great pride in developing a unique and welcoming space to meet growing consumer demand for the opportunity to learn and experience more about Shortcross Gin and of course, in time, our new Single Malt Irish Whiskey.”

David Boyd-Armstrong, Head Distiller, Rademon Estate Distillery said: “The completion of this sizeable investment marks an important milestone for Rademon Estate Distillery, as we upscale our production to meet growing demand for Shortcross Gin. This is also an exciting time as we prepare to test the first batch of our new Single Malt Irish Whiskey, with a view to release later this year, or in early 2019.”

BEECH HILL COUNTRY HOUSE RECOGNISED AT GEORGINA CAMPBELL IRISH BREAKFAST AWARDS

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Taste of Ulster member Beech Hill Country House Hotel Derry-Londonderry has been Highly Commended in the Four Star Hotel Category at the Georgina Campbell Irish Breakfast Awards.

The winners were announced at a ceremony at the Intercontinental Hotel in Dublin on Thursday 22nd March.

Explaining the reasoning behind the Awards, Georgina Campbell said

“How often have you had a wonderful dinner in a hotel, only to be disappointed by breakfast? Our winners can inspire others to up their game and ultimately, we hope, lead to everyone being able to enjoy an authentic breakfast experience that reflects the locality.”

Announcing the award for Beech Hill Country House Hotel, Georgina Campbell said the hotel was “beautifully set in peaceful woodland and gardens”.

“This charming hotel dates back to 1729 and proprietor Patsy O’Kane (very deserving recipient of an MBE in 2014, in recognition of her service to the tourism and hospitality industry) is a caring hostess who loves her hotel to bits.

“History matters here – US Marines had their headquarters here in World War II (a small museum of the US Marine Friendship Association still attracts interest) and the comfortable rooms give a home to Patsy’s ever-growing collection of antiques.

“Good food is also central to Patsy’s ethos and a very good breakfast is served in the Ardmore Restaurant, which has a conservatory area running along the garden side, overlooking water features and makes a lovely bright place to start the day.

“Quality comes first here and there are no gimmicks, just a menu offering many all-time favourites, excellent food (including seasonal produce from the restored walled gardens) cooked simply and well – and solicitous service from caring staff. Just what discerning guests want, in fact” she concluded.

The Georgina Campbell Awards are Ireland’s longest running independent hospitality awards.

TEAM IRELAND IS A CUT ABOVE THE REST

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Butchers from NI and Ireland named as best butchery team in the world at World Butchers’ Challenge

In a contest to see who would be crowned as the world’s top butchers, Team Ireland, with butchers from Northern Ireland and Ireland competing, have been named the best in the world at the 2018 World Butchers’ Challenge.

Following an outstanding display of butchery skills and creativity, the home nation, Team Ireland, was announced at a Gala event in Titanic Belfast on Wednesday 21st March 2018.

Team Ireland competed in a visually impressive cutting showdown against teams from eleven other nations: Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, France, Great Britain, Germany, Greece, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa and USA.

Narrowly defeated were runners-up Pure South Sharp Blacks from New Zealand followed by the Australian Steelers from Australia.

Each team of six had just three hours and fifteen minutes to turn a side of beef, a side of pork, a whole lamb and five chickens into a themed display of value-added cuts, similar of what you would expect in a traditional butcher shop or supermarket but with plenty of innovation and skill at the heart of the displays.

 Team Captain, Garrett Landers from Garrett’s Butchers in Limerick says this win will add to Ireland and Northern Ireland’s reputation for the quality of its meat and craftsmanship, delivering additional promotion for the entire Island of Ireland on the global stage.

“We have been training for the World Butchers’ Challenge for almost 18 months, and to win on our first attempt is just incredible. The standard from the other countries was first-class, and we’re are beyond delighted to have won the award, here in Belfast – the first time that the World Butchers’ Challenge has ever been held here,” comments Garrett Landers, Team Captain, Ireland.

 Vice-Captain, Ian McKernaghan from Lisdergan Meats in Fintona adds: “What an incredible achievement to be named as the Best Butchery team in the world. The team and I are so honoured to have represented Ireland and Northern Ireland in this international event, and we’re hoping that this accolade will help to spread the word of the world-class quality of Irish and Northern Irish produce across the globe.”

 Head Judge, Todd Heller from New Zealand, explains: “The results from the top five ranked teams were extremely close and the standard overall was exceptional. We are thrilled to have grown the World Butchers’ Challenge to 12 teams this year from four in 2016 and are focused on building an even greater World Butchers’ Challenge in 2020.”

Prior to the main event, the World Champion Young Butcher and Apprentice competition was also held with Thomas Guyomar from France taking out the title of World Champion Young Butcher and Samantha Weller from New Zealand announced as the World Champion Butcher Apprentice.

Six butchers from all of the teams were named as the World Team. These are Eamon Etherson from Ireland (Portrush), Angel Naidener from Bulgaria, Adam Stratton from Australia, Corey Winder from New Zealand, Francesca Camassa, Italy and Phillipe Lalanda from France.

The World Butchers’ Challenge aims to showcase skill and innovation in the butchery trade and as such a number of other accolades were awarded this evening:

  • Best Pork Product: Ireland
  • Best Lamb Product: France
  • Best Beef Product: Great Britain
  • Best Poultry Product: New Zealand
  • Best Beef Sausage: Ireland
  • Best Pork Sausage: Australia
  • Best Gourmet Sausage: Australia
  • Best Burger: Greece
  • Best Hygiene/Health & Safety Award: Australia

 The World Butchers’ Challenge took place at Meat@IFEX, the sister show to IFEX – Northern Ireland’s premier event for the food, drink, retail and hospitality industries. Taking place from 20th – 22nd March 2018 at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, IFEX has been attended by thousands of visitors, with the event returning to Belfast in 2020.

This is the first year that the World Butchers’ Challenge has taken place in Belfast, attracting hundreds of international visitors to the event. Prior to the World Butchers’ Challenge, a delegation of 150 international visitors were welcomed by the Lord Mayor of Belfast, visited CAFRE, Loughry Campus, and sought out inspiration from some of Northern Ireland’s best butcher shops.

Team Ireland: (l-r, front row) Pamela Ballantine, Event MC; WBC Co-ordinator, Sean Owens; Garret Landers, Team Ireland Captain; Rhonda Montgomery, WBC Country Co-Ordinator and CEO of Butchery Excellence International; and Denis McMahon, Permanent Secretary at Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs. (l-r, back row) Ian McKernaghan, Vice-Captain; Mark Williams; Liam Walsh, WBC mentor; Eamon Etherson; Colly Donnelly; Stephen Cooke and Stephen Millar.

 

Blas na hEireann Food Awards 2018 Entries Open

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The Blas na hEireann Irish Food Awards are open for entry. Producers can enter online at www.irishfoodawards.com at a special Early Bird rate until April 30th. Now in its eleventh year, Blas na hEireann are the largest blind-tasted food awards on the island of Ireland.

The criteria on which the product is judged as well as the judging system itself, which was developed by Blas na hEireann with the Food Science Dept of UCC, is now recognised as an international industry standard.

Final entries close on June 15th.

The winners are announced at a ceremony in Dingle, Co. Kerry in October.

Previous Food NI winners include last year’s Best Artisan Burren Balsamics and Best New Product Devil’s Washtub Ale from Lacada Brewery.