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.

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.