Mash Direct Wins Big at Free From Food Awards Ireland

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Comber’s family-run farm, Mash Direct are going from strength to strength with another hugely successful evening at the Free From Food Awards Ireland last night. The company received a Gold Award for their New Beer Battered Chips, a Gold Award for their Potato, Cheese and Onion Croquettes, Silver for their Potato Rosti and Merit for their Carrot & Parsnip Fries. This gives Mash Direct a grand total of 156 accolades to their name and puts them in a great position to have another unstoppable year.

The Free From Food Awards recognise and reward the achievements of producers and the excellence of their products as well as celebrating the unique Free From industry in Ireland. Now in their third year, these are the only awards dedicated to Free From products from companies on the island of Ireland. They are organised and administered by a highly dedicated team of food enthusiasts who have an in-depth knowledge of the Free From Food Marketplace so we are thrilled that they love our 100% Gluten Free potato and vegetable side dishes.

Director Jack Hamilton said “Our move to become 100% gluten free started at food shows over 7 years ago.  So many people were coming up to our stand and asking if we could make our croquettes and our cauliflower cheese gluten free so we went to the kitchen to see what we could do. It was at this point that we realised that we could make our whole range gluten free and improve our quality without increasing our prices.  We haven’t looked back.

“It has been a rainy day today overhead but everyone on the farm is walking with a spring in their step after picking up these awards.  This is all down to the hard work of the team here, from the farm to the offices, to make our award-winning range and to make them all gluten free.  Thank you so much to the Free Form Food Awards for these incredible honours.”

Heartland Food and Drink Tour

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New for 2018, the Heartland Food & Drink Tour has been added to the popular and unique Lough Neagh Tours portfolio and will depart Belfast on 12 May, 2 June and 9 June.

Hosted by Lough Neagh Partnership, the Heartlands Food & Drink Tour departs Belfast and takes visitors into the heart of Co Armagh and Co Tyrone on this all day tour which leaves the city at 10.00am and returns at 5.30pm.

Foodies will be impressed by the first stop at the award winning Harnett’s Oils just off the motorway which links Belfast to Dublin. Harnett Oils cold-pressed rapeseed and hemp oils are made from crops grown on the family run farm and are a delicious accompaniment to any salad. Visitors will be met by owner Jane Harnett and you will have the option to purchase some takeaway samples.

If you enjoy a glass of cider, the next stop on the tour will tingle your tastebuds as you sample some Long Meadow Cider. You will be met by owners Pat and Catherine McKeever who will take you on a tour of the business and orchard before letting you loose on samples of ciders, apple juices and cider vinegars.

At Crannagael House, a grade two listed Georgian house, you’ll enjoy a delicious buffet showcasing the produce on the tour.  Owned by the same family today who built it in the mid 18th century, you will be able to wander the gardens at Crannagael House and sample the homemade chutneys and sloe gin.

The last stop on the Heartlands Food & Drink Tour takes in Co Tyrone where visitors will stop off at a real gem of a pub in Moy which has been in the same family for 300 years. At Tomney’s Bar you’ll have the opportunity to pour yourself the perfect pint of Guinness and you might even receive a certificate for your efforts!

Lough Neagh Tours Heartland Food & Drink Tour, on 12 May, 2 and 9 June, priced at £65.00 per person.

  • Whats Included: Return transport, guided tour, food and drink samples.

To book a tour click here

Enjoy a day out in good spirits at The Echlinville Distillery

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The Echlinville Distillery in Co. Down has launched its Summer tour calendar, giving spirits enthusiasts the opportunity to experience the sights and tastes of Northern Ireland’s only field-to-glass distillery.

Based just outside Kircubbin on the scenic Ards Peninsula, just one hour from Belfast, The Echlinville Distillery is home to some of Northern Ireland’s best-known spirits. Its range includes the iconic Dunville’s Irish Whiskey, the Great Taste Award winning Echlinville Gin, the hugely popular Jawbox Gin and Bán Poitín – a reinvention of the legendary spirit that was outlawed in Ireland for more than 300 years.

Incorporating the historic Echlinville Manor House, their state-of-the-art stillhouse and cask maturation hall, and tastings of their premium spirits, an Echlinville Distillery tour is a must for any spirits enthusiast.

Anne-Marie Clarke from The Echlinville Distillery said: “At Echlinville, we are hugely proud of our roots in the Ards Peninsula. That pride of place is the essence of everything we do – from our homegrown barley that is used to distil our whiskey to the locally foraged botanicals that give our Echlinville Gin its award-winning flavour. We are delighted to be able to share our unique field-to-glass story with all those who visit our distillery. Our tours began in April 2016 and since then we have welcomed spirits aficionados from around the world, alongside visitors from across Northern Ireland, to enjoy a great day out in this stunning part of County Down.

“Our guests are welcomed with refreshments in the ballroom of our beautiful Echlinville Manor House. After hearing about the history of the house and the Echlinville estate, guests are taken on a guided tour around our distillery where they get an insight into the production process for whiskey, gin, vodka and poitín. They hear all about our ‘field-to-glass’ approach, which sees our spirits distilled from barley grown, harvested and malted on our distillery farm. We are one of very few distilleries to produce spirit from the ground up, and that is something we are hugely proud of.

“The tour also includes our maturation hall, where our casks of single malt and pot still whiskies are gently ageing to perfection. There, our guests get an insight into the whiskey maturation process and the various casks we use to age and finish our spirit.

“And having worked up a thirst, the tour finishes with a choice of two drinks from our range of award-winning spirits and a browse around our distillery shop. Our Tour and Tasting runs most Saturdays priced at £15 per person and booking is advisable via our website at www.echlinville.com/visit Gift vouchers are also available.”

Located near the shores of Strangford Lough, The Echlinville Distillery is just a one hour from Belfast and ten minutes from Portaferry and the scenic Strangford Lough ferry crossing. A short ferry journey across the lough lies Game of Thrones territory at Castle Ward – the filming location for Winterfell. The nearby town of Portaferry is also home to one of the iconic Game of Thrones doors and Northern Ireland’s only aquarium at Exploris.

With the stunning National Trust property of Mount Stewart, some beautiful beaches and several great restaurants within a short drive, a visit to Echlinville can be combined with any of these local attractions for a wonderful day out in the Ards Peninsula.

Anne-Marie concludes: “In terms of tourism and hospitality, this little corner of County Down has much to offer visitors from all around Ireland and beyond, and we at Echlinville are proud to be a part of it.”

The Echlinville Distillery Tour and Tasting is priced at £15 per person. Tours run on Saturdays and booking is advised. For tour dates, times and booking visit www.echlinville.com/visit or contact the Echlinville Distillery team at info@echlinville.com or phone 028 4273 8597.

Long Meadow Cider in deal with Sainsbury’s

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Long Meadow Cider in Northern Ireland has won business for its award-winning products from Sainsbury’s.

The craft cider producer, based on a family-owned apple farm at Loughgall in county Armagh, Northern Ireland’s ‘orchard county’ is to supply Sainsbury’s stores in what is a significant deal for the business, now among the region’s most successful cider producers.

The ciders are now in sale in the retailer’s stores across Northern Ireland.

Long Meadow, which has won widespread acclaim, including UK Great Taste Awards, for the quality of its range of ciders using apples from its own and neighbouring farms in county Armagh, is supplying Sainsbury’s with its Blossom Burst, Medium and Rhubarb and Honey products.

Pat McKeever, who established the cider processing business with son Peter in 2012, says: “We are delighted to have won this immensely important business with Sainsbury’s in Northern Ireland.

“It’ another very significant development for us as we seek to expand sales of our ciders, juices and apple cider vinegar in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Great Britain and further afield.

“The ciders are going into the stores at just the right time, ready for summer. It’s our first big supermarket deal,” he adds.

For three generations the McKeever family has been growing and processing apples at Long Meadow. The company grows and processes a variety of apples including tart Bramleys, which have EU protected status, along with sweet Katy’s, Worcester and Golden Delicious.

In 2012, Long Meadow Farm diversified into the cider industry producing two varieties, Medium and Blossom Burst. The company also produces a unique Dry Oak Aged Cider and Rhubarb and Honey. apple and oak to infuse with each other leaving a boisterous dry cider.

The progressive family business, in addition, won a major marketing competition last year run by the George Best City Airport which has given the company’s products a substantial profile at the airport. The competition gave the public the chance to select their best local product.

Sainsbury’s has 13 stores across Northern Ireland and spends around £250 million annually in sourcing a wide range of products from local suppliers. It employs around 3,000 people.

Northern Irish Dart Mountain success in Artisan Cheese Awards

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Northern Ireland’s Dart Mountain gained three medals in this year’s Artisan Cheese Awards held in Melton Mowbray, the birthplace of Stilton Cheese, in the English Midlands.

Food NI member company Dart Mountain, based near Dungiven in county Derry, gained a silver and two bronze awards for two of its handcrafted cheeses, which are made by Julie Hickey at a small creamery in the remote Sperrin Mountains.

The successful cheeses for the family owned and run business were:

Sperrin Blue, a creamy blue cheese from pasteurised cow’s milk sourced from local farmers; and

Tirkeeran, a soft cow’s milk, which gained bronze in the Cow’s Milk Soft Cheese category and in the New Cheese section.

Cheesemaker Julie Hickey, originally from Boston, and businessman husband Kevin set up Dart Mountain in 2012 as part of Tamnagh Foods, an artisan business specialising in muesli and conserves. Their aim was to develop a portfolio of handmade cheeses that reflected the rich heritage and traditions of the Sperrin Mountains, one of Northern Ireland’s most picturesque upland regions.

The small producer has won UK Great Taste and World Cheese awards for its range of cheeses.

Julie, commenting on the latest awards at the artisan cheese event, says: “We are delighted to have gained this important recognition and will benefit from the enhanced profile it brings for our cheeses in Britain.

“It’s immensely encouraging to be part of the tremendous achievements of Irish cheeses at the awards in which a record 25 cheesemakers took part.”

Twenty-five Irish cheesemakers entered the awards with 107 entries between them. Irish cheeses won both overall winner and runner up in three classes; semi-soft, goats and new cheese.

Irish cheeses dominated the goat’s cheese class, comprising nearly half the entries and taking overall winner, runner up, four golds and four bronze awards.

Dr Matthew O’Callaghan, organiser of the awards, adds: “Irish Cheesemakers really made their presence felt with the number of awards that they won this year. The judges were delighted with the range and variety of cheeses that were entered from Ireland for judging. Given the imminence of Brexit, anything that can showcase Irish products to the wider UK consumer has to be worth trying.

“The awards are followed by the Artisan Cheese Fair 5/6th May at which a number of Irish cheesemakers sell their cheese direct to around 8-9,000 visitors of whom a number are key wholesalers and retailers of cheese in the UK.  Consumers in the UK love Irish cheeses for their quality, authenticity and provenance. Their success at this years’ Awards can only enhance this reputation.”

The Artisan Cheese Awards were only open to entries from artisan cheese makers in the UK and Ireland producing less than 300 tonnes of cheese a year.  There are around 80 artisan Irish cheesemakers eligible to qualify for the Artisan Cheese Awards.

Pictured above: Winner: Julie Hickey of Dart Mountain Cheese in Dungiven

Long Meadow Cider safe bet for faster growth

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Long Meadow Cider, the multi-award-winning producer of ciders, apple juice and apple cider vinegar in Northern Ireland, has achieved SALSA – Safe and Local Accreditation as step towards greater sales in supermarkets and other major retailers. The company is a Food NI member.

The family-owned and managed business, located at the heart of Northern Ireland’s ‘Orchard Country in Loughgall, is implementing a major growth strategy to accelerate sales of its ciders, juices and apple cider vinegar in Northern Ireland, Great Britain, the Republic of Ireland and further afield.

SALSA is a food-safety standard written by experienced food safety experts to reflect both the legal requirements of producers and the enhanced expectations of ‘best practice’ of professional food buyers.

SALSA certification is only granted to suppliers who are able to demonstrate to an auditor that they are able to produce safe and legal food and are committed to continually meeting the requirements of the SALSA standard.

Managing director Pat McKeever, who started the business with son Peter and other family members in 2013, commenting on the SALSA accreditation, says: “SALSA is a tremendous endorsement of the quality and safety of our business, processes and products.

“Indeed, we’ve scrutinised all aspects of our business and made a number of changes to increase efficiency and productivity. It’s also an important measure of the premium quality of our ciders and juices.

“SALSA accreditation positions us to meet the food safety and transparency requirements of multiple retailers that we’ve been talking to about listing our products,” he adds.

The company, based on family-owned orchards, has won a series of major awards for its products including UK Great Taste Awards and Blas na hEireann Irish National Food Awards.

“In addition, Long Meadow last year gained a major marketing award in a competition for Northern Ireland’s smaller food companies organised by the George Best Belfast City Airport.

Long Meadow has a heritage in apple growing stretching back three generations in county Armagh and has already won business from delis, independent retailers, restaurants and bars in Northern Ireland and in the Republic of Ireland.

The enterprising family grows and harvests apples from upwards of 120 acres, 30 of which are on the home farm.

The decision to diversify from growing apples into the production of cider, juices and cider vinegar followed extensive market research and substantial investment on the development of an innovative range of products and processes.

Native Bramley apples, which have EU PGI status, and other locally grown apples from a network of trusted growers are used.

Long Meadow ciders and juices are processed exclusively using pure pressed apple juice. The company does not use concentrates, chemicals, or added water. Small batches are produced using a unique and slow fermentation process for greater flavour.

The company also runs farm tours to showcase its products and processes through Grand Circle Travel American tours.

Pictured above: Peter and Pat McKeever of Long Meadow Cider in Loughgall, Armagh