Cooking Up New Business!

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NI’s largest food, drink, retail and hospitality show opens its doors!

TODAY, 20th March 2018, IFEX, Northern Ireland’s largest international food, drink, retail and hospitality exhibition, opened its doors, welcoming thousands of trade visitors to the event on the first day.

Home to some of the country’s biggest food companies, manufacturers, distributors and artisan producers, the event runs until this Thursday, 22nd March, and thousands of industry professionals are expected to attend over the three days.

This year IFEX has almost doubled its show size with the addition of a sister event – Meat@IFEX, which welcomed over 500 international delegates from across 12 countries, who will be competing in the World Butchers’ Challenge over the next two days.

Multi-Michelin star award-winning chef, Jean Christophe Novelli, officially opened IFEX today, 20th March, and met with some of the 150 plus exhibitors who are attending the event to generate new business and contacts. Mr Novelli praised the quality of local produce on show and welcomed the large crowds on the first day of the event.

Speaking from the event Caroline McCusker, IFEX Event Manager comments:

LtoR – Sean Owens, Jean-Christophe Novelli and David Close.

“The foodservice and hospitality sectors are vitally important to Northern Ireland’s economy.  To see the vibrancy and level of business being done here today is really positive.

“From large foodservice businesses to speciality suppliers in the Great Taste Market, IFEX is helping to generate business for exhibitors and visitors alike, and I hope that the buoyancy evident today will continue on days two and three of the event and so deliver for the foodservice and hospitality businesses in the months and years ahead.”

 

Caroline continues: “Based on today’s footfall, exhibitors are set to have a busy few days ahead.”

From naming the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) Northern Ireland Chef of the Year, to artisan companies from across the country exhibiting in the Great Taste Market, IFEX and Meat@IFEX is the place where all of those in the food, drink, retail and hospitality industries will be over the next few days.

IFEX and Meat@IFEX opens at 10am daily and runs until Thursd

ay 22nd March at 4pm. The trade expo is free to attend, and you can register at www.IFEXexhibition.co.uk

Top Northern Irish chef bids for World Pesto title in Genoa

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Top chef Gerard Sands will be representing Northern Ireland at the World Pesto Championship in Genoa, Italy on St Patrick’s Day.

Mr Sands, who has been head chef at the Millbrook Lodge Hotel in Ballynahinch in county Down for the past three years, was chosen following a regional heat in Northern Ireland organised by industry promotion body Food NI.

From Killough, also in county Down, Mr Sands, one of Northern Ireland’s most respected chefs, has worked with leading restaurateurs and also ran his own catering business.

He will be among around 100 professional and amateur chefs bidding for the unique world title at the pesto championships which are now in their seventh year.

“I am delighted to be at such a prestigious event in the culinary world and excited by the opportunity it provides to benchmark my knowledge and expertise against competitors from many parts of the world, especially Italy, the home of pesto,” he says.

“It’s a level playing field on which success depends on performance on the day and, of course, the taste of what is now the world’s third biggest sauce. We’ll all be given the same ingredients – basil, extra virgin olive oil, pecarino cheese, pine nuts, garlic and rock salt – and given just 20 minutes to create an award-winning flavour,” he adds.

The initial 100 competitors – around 25 from outside Italy – will be whittled down by the panel of expert judges to a final 10.

The jury is composed by 30 Italian and foreign judges, selected on the basis of skills and role in the food world (restaurateurs, tasters, specialist journalists, food experts) and will be coordinated by the President of the Palatifini Cultural Association Roberto Panizza.

The championship is held every two years in Genoa. This event incorporates a special festival, other initiatives and special promotions.

 

Jawbox Gin takes off at Heathrow Terminal 5

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Jawbox Small Batch Gin from Belfast has landed at Heathrow International Airport. The unique ‘field to glass’ gin is now on sale at Heathrow’s Terminal 5.

Belfast-based Gerry White, founder and managing director of Jawbox, a Food NI member company, says: “It’s wonderful to see our Northern Irish gin represented amongst the current offering, delivering further choice to travellers wanting to sample a premium product, specific to Northern Ireland

“We only launched two years ago but our gin already has a strong presence throughout airport retail including Dublin’s The Loop and Belfast International’s Aelia Duty Free.

“To be featured across the bars and restaurants at Heathrow’s T5 is as motivating as it is rewarding, given it is such a competitive marketplace. Our presence shows us that our gin is of the best quality available, with a strong brand story and unique flavour profile too

“In Northern Ireland, our loyal fans enjoy The Perfect Swerve, Jawbox paired with ginger ale, originally made in Belfast, with a wedge of lime. We hope to increase its visibility amongst Heathrow’s jet-setting set too. This latest collaboration will showcase our brand to a wider, domestic and international audience in-line with our growth strategy to develop a global brand,” he adds.

Jawbox Small Batch Gin is already widely available across the UK, Republic of Ireland, Canada and Europe with reach soon to extend to Australia, South Africa and the US.

Jawbox is unique in Ireland in that it is the only single estate gin. The grain is grown in fields around the distillery in Kircubbin, county Down, located on the picturesque Ards Peninsula.

Jawbox also features Black Mountain heather from Belfast among its distinctive blend of botanicals.

Distilled very slowly in a traditional copper pot, eight of the eleven botanicals are ‘steep and boil’. The final three botanicals are put through the vapour extraction method to preserve their delicate flavour and aroma.

Jawbox is an impressive experience of bold juniper and pine, balanced with a gentle touch of sweet coriander and clean citrus.

Jawbox Small Batch Gin is a Classic London Dry Gin (ABV 43%).

Picture: Gerry White, founder of Jawbox Gin, now on sale at Heathrow Terminal 5

The preferred Jawbox serve calls on a Belfast-invented accompaniment, ginger ale.

Ian Orr to appear on BBC Saturday Kitchen Live this St Patrick’s Day

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Ian Orr, the multi award winning Chef Patron of Browns Bonds Hill Group, will feature on BBC Saturday Kitchen Live on St Patrick’s Day, Saturday 17 March at 10.00am.

Starring alongside presenter Matt Tebbutt, Ian, whose restaurant was awarded Best Food Tourism Experience in Northern Ireland for 2017, will be cooking an Irish themed dish to tempt the taste buds of this week’s celebrity guest, Amanda Redman.

Speaking ahead of his Saturday Kitchen appearance Ian said: “I’m really looking forward to cooking on Saturday Kitchen this St Patrick’s Day, this will be my second time on the show and it’s a real privilege to be invited back.  I’ll be showcasing one of our signature dishes from the restaurants using some fantastic local produce”

“I’m used to cooking live in front of an audience in my restaurants at my regular cooking demonstrations and at the various events I appear at across Northern Ireland, I’m determined to do well on the omelette challenge this time. I want to see my face on that board!”

It will be a busy weekend for Ian “after the show I’m performing another live demonstration at a special St Patrick’s Day event in Borough Market in London, the event has been organised by Food NI in conjunction with Tourism Ireland, and I’ll be entertaining a number of food writers and bloggers during the afternoon”

Ian Orr opened Browns Bonds Hill with Marcus Roulston in 2009. The restaurant has twice been named Best Restaurant in Ulster by Restaurants Association of Ireland and has won the coveted title of Best Restaurant in Derry~Londonderry from Restaurants Association of Ireland for nine consecutive years. It is across the Foyle from its sister restaurant Browns in Town which has been awarded for customer service excellence by Restaurants Association of Ireland. Their portfolio includes Ardtara Country House Hotel in Upperlands, which has been awarded for customer service excellence by Restaurants Association of Ireland and named AA Guest Accommodation of the Year in NI 2017 and Browns On The Green and Barnhill Bar & Grill in Letterkenny. They also offer bespoke outside catering with Browns Anywhere.

Browns Bonds Hill has been named in Sunday Times Ireland 2017 Top 100 Irish Restaurants and in Business Post Top 101 Great Irish Restaurants 2017.

Ian Orr appearing live on BBC Saturday Kitchen Live, BBC One, Saturday 17 March at 10.00am.

The Humble Comber Spud Hits the Big Apple

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Mash Direct launches in the USA!

Fresh, mashed potatoes grown on a farm in Comber will be available in the US for the first time ever this month when a 6th generation Irish farming family, Mash Direct, brings its range of locally-grown vegetable side dishes to shelves in New York.

Farmed on the shores of Strangford Lough, the traditional Northern Irish foods will be available to purchase in time for St. Patrick’s Day at Key Food, Food Emporium, Brooklyn Fare and SuperFresh.

It’s the first time that the taste of fresh Northern Irish produce will be available for customers to purchase in US grocery stores. The potatoes, carrots, parsnips, cabbage and more are grown by the Hamiltons, a 6th generation Comber farming family.

Martin Hamilton diversified his farm back in 2004 to create Mash Direct, offering healthy, gluten-free, vegetable side dishes that have the taste and texture of quality, Irish homemade food.

The company has come from humble beginnings of selling traditional Mashed Potatoes and Champ in St. George’s Market to exporting its range of over 40 products on a global scale.

Made with traditional local butter and containing no artificial flavourings or preservatives and being gluten-free, it’s easy to see why the vegetable dishes have proven to be popular with the American taste-buds.

Speaking ahead of the US Launch, Mash Direct Director, Jack Hamilton:

“Everybody knows that Comber is famous for potatoes and for the first time we are able to supply them fresh to New York. There is such a great variety of Irish-produced whiskies and stouts across the USA, but no one in the market is bringing fresh Northern Irish dishes to American plates. We wanted to bring the unique richness of Irish soil and six generations of farming knowledge to the shelves.

Eight of Mash Direct’s products (including family favourites such as Potato Croquettes, Mashed Potato and Potato Rosti) will be listed to go into Key Food supermarket stores, throughout New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania from this week.

KILKEEL SIGNS UP NEW INTERNATIONAL FISHING PARTNER AS HARBOUR EXPANSION PLANS TAKE SHAPE

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Caption: Kilkeel-based Seasource, the fishing and fish processing to marine and offshore services group is led by Davey Hill (left) and Alan McCulla (right)

A London-based international fishing company has announced its intention to invest in Kilkeel Harbour and base six of its vessels in the County Down port.

Hooktone Group which is owned by the Hermida family and operates in ports around the world, manages a fleet of some 20 vessels and has now become a member of the Kilkeel based Seasource, also known as the Anglo North Irish Fish Producers’ Organisation (ANIFPO). 

The firm says Kilkeel is ideally positioned on the western flanks of the Irish Sea to grow its north European business sustainably. If plans for a state-of-the-art outer harbour are realised in the next few years, both the company and Sea-Source say Kilkeel will be a major north European marine hub employing up to 2,000 people.

Speaking on behalf of the company Maria Hermida says the partnership with Seasource is a strategic move for the firm and part of a growth strategy she has been working towards for some years.

“Hooktone Group has been operating from various ports in England and Scotland as well as internationally for three decades and we have watched Kilkeel and Seasource develop their plans and grow the business sustainably and in the long term,” says Ms Hermida.

“We are keen to work with Sea-Source because we share the same objectives. Also, our boats are geared for different species of fish so we will be bringing additional benefits including increased quotas to the port as well as new experience and knowledge adding to Kilkeel’s wealth of expertise.”

Alan McCulla, chief executive of Seasource, says the partnership represents a significant expression of confidence in Kilkeel Harbour and its potential for significant growth.

“We are delighted to welcome Hooktone Group to our collective. The firm’s investment in the port shows that success engenders success and we are particularly pleased to have attracted the group here particularly when they could have chosen any number of other UK ports.

“The decision to make Kilkeel one of their strategic bases is further proof that the fishing industry when sustainably and responsibility managed is potentially a substantial employer and generator of significant economic growth.

“Hooktone Group brings a wealth of experience and skills which we are keen to learn from.”

Kilkeel has maintained its position as one of the top UK ports, attracting some of the largest landings of langoustines in the country. Growth in hake,monkfish, megrim and ling landings is expected when Hooktone Group begin consigning some of their landings there later this year.

Mr McCulla says the investment by Hooktone group is a signal that post-Brexit Northern Ireland is already starting to define itself positively and that more partnerships with international groups can be expected.

Plans for the £35 million outer harbour which would provide 21st century facilities to develop the fishing and offshore marine services sectors, as well as a leisure sailing marina are currently being promoted by Kilkeel Strategic Partnership as a key economic infrastructure development which would enhance the growth of neighbouring maritime communities Ardglass and Annalong as well as Warrenpoint. Davey Hill who leads Seasource Offshore says the expansion is critical to the survival and success of the port. “Kilkeel Harbour has been operational since 1853. For us to continue creating jobs and developing the marine economy, we quite simply need a modern, larger port from which to operate.”