Introducing Mint Choc Chai!

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MINT CHOC CHAI

Suki Tea have done it again and fulfilled all your Christmas Tea desires!

Their new blend has got all the spiced flavour you’d expect from a Chai, harmoniously married with seriously rich, dark cocoa beans, fresh peppermint and citrusy goodness.

Its smooth creaminess makes it a delicious cuppa on its own or why not try out one of their delicious recipes that are guaranteed to have your customers coming back for more.

With so many options, there really is no excuse not to have the perfect tea menu this Christmas.

On Sale Now:

Prices: £10.95 for 250g food service bag / £3.30 for 80g retail bag

Fane Valley Recognise Action Mental Health At Charity Ball

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Fane Valley, one of Northern Ireland’s largest farming cooperatives, hosted their inaugural Group Charity Ball in aid of Action Mental Health recently at a black-tie event in the Crowne Plaza, Belfast, with over 430 guests, customers, suppliers and wider group staff attending.

 The Charity Ball was the culmination of a busy year of challenges, activities, workshops and awareness outreach in which, staff from across twenty sites including Linden Foods, White’s Oats, Fane Valley Feeds and Stores, Kettyle Irish Foods, Linergy, and Hilton Meat Products participated.

 Action Mental Health, founded in 1963, is a local charity which changes the lives of those living with mental ill health and promotes resilience and well-being to future generations.

 Speaking after the Charity Ball, Fane Valley Chief Executive, Trevor Lockhart said, “It gives Fane Valley immense pleasure to have been able to partner with Action Mental Health at our inaugural gala event. We have thoroughly enjoyed our engagement and interaction with this devoted local mental health charity and we’re delighted to conclude the relationship is such a positive way”.

 Trevor Lockhart continued, “One in five people, in Northern Ireland, will experience mental ill health at some point in their life with countless more being affected through friends, family and work colleagues.  Against this backdrop we in Fane Valley have been particularly pleased to be supporting Action Mental Health’s ‘Provoking Thought’ programme – workshops targeted at 11-25 year olds delivered in schools, youth clubs and community groups”.

 “I would like to express my most sincere appreciation on behalf of Fane Valley to all our customers and suppliers for generously providing raffle prizes and making donations towards the greater charity efforts in 2017. I would also like to say a big thank you to all our group staff for taking time out to participate in the many challenges, activities and for embracing and embedding a culture of listening and promoting a healthy lifestyle and positive wellbeing”. Concluded Trevor

 Action Mental Health Chief Executive, David Babington remarked, “Action Mental Health have had the great privilege of working alongside the Fane Valley Group for the past year.  Throughout this partnership, the dedication and enthusiasm displayed by their staff and management as well as their shareholders, customers and suppliers has been simply phenomenal. I would like to offer my sincere and heartfelt thanks on behalf of Action Mental Health and indeed on behalf of all those who will benefit from this partnership”.

 “Fane Valley have placed a specific emphasis on raising funds to support our work with local school children and young people. Our ‘Provoking Thought’ programme provides young people with the tools and information needed to help them develop the emotional and mental resilience they require for the challenges that they face”.

 David Concluded, “As a local charity, we rely on the support of the community to help provide our services, so we are extremely grateful to everyone who attended Fane Valley’s Gala Ball and made it such a success. The money raised at this ball and through the wider Fane Valley partnership will help us to carry on this vital work and reach more local school children in the coming year”.

NI Pork & Bacon Forum Secures Trade Deal with China!

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Preparations Underway as Export Deal is Rubber Stamped

Preparations are already underway to send the first consignment of pork from Northern Ireland to China. The move follows the announcement that China’s certification agency, the CNCA, has given the green light for trade to commence following approval of both Karro Food Group in Cookstown and Cranswick Country Foods in Ballymena.

Deirdre McIvor, Chief Executive of NI Pork & Bacon Forum, said “This is an exciting and important development for the pig farming industry in Northern Ireland as the potential for growth in this market is vast and it contributes significantly to achieving carcase balance.

The local pig farming industry makes a significant contribution to the agri-sector in Northern Ireland sustaining 400 farming families and 2,000 local jobs.   This Chinese approval is the culmination of years of collective support and works from stakeholders throughout the sector.   In particular, I would acknowledge Perpetua McNamee, Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer, and her team in DAERA.   Our industry looks forward to developing this new relationship with China, which has the potential to not only secure jobs and employment across Northern Ireland, but also to enhance opportunities across the sector. ”

Touch of Gold for Burren Balsamics!

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Burren Balsamics, Northern Ireland’s award-winning producer of natural fruit infused vinegars, has launched an innovative product for Christmas.

The company, which is based at Richhill in county Armagh, has added a new gold addition to its successful range of Italian influenced white balsamics.

The new balsamic features 24 carat gold leaf in a classic 200ml bottle and is available in a special gift box with unique LED back lighting at RRP £20.

Chef Susie Hamilton Stubber, founder and managing director of Burren Balsamics, says the new balsamic is an ideal Christmas gift. “I wanted to do something really different for the festive season, a delicious product with a bit of sparkle. It’s a great way to bring colour to festive dishes.”

The new product was launched at the recent Spirit of Christmas Show at Olympia in London. “We did extremely well at the show. Feedback was excellent, and we gained good business from existing customers and signed up an encouraging number of new sales,” Mrs Hamilton Stubber adds.

Burren Balsamics has achieved success in major awards including UK Great Taste and won gold in the Blas na hEireann, Irish Food Awards in 2016. The company is now engaged in a major marketing drive to grow business outside Northern Ireland.

Burren Balsamics was formally established in February 2014 by Mr Hamilton Stubber from her extensive experience in catering in Britain and Northern Ireland.

The initial range of vinegars were infused with locally sourced fruit for zesty flavours such as Armagh Bramley apples and quality fruits from local farmers including blackcurrants strawberries and blueberries. The vinegars are on sale across the UK and Republic of Ireland.

The white vinegar range was introduced last year and features Original, Blood Orange and Cardamom, Wild Garlic and Tarragon

New Bramley Burgers and Sausages from Hannan Meats!

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Premium burgers and sausages have been developed by multi-award-winning Hannan Meats using bramley apple flavours from Armagh in Northern Ireland.

The new products, which are the latest development in the Northern Ireland company’s focus on high quality meat products, are being rolled out to foodservice and also to shoppers.

They follow the introduction of a spicy Mexican sausage developed by Hannan Meats, a meat industry pioneer which has won the UK Great Taste Supreme Champion award twice as well as a host of others including Blas na hEireann, Irish National Food Awards.

Peter Hannan, founder and managing director of Hannan Meats, commenting on the new burger and sausage products: “Our new Bramley pork burger and sausage are the latest outcome of work we have been doing to harness the apples which have a distinctively rich flavour and are just one of three Northern Ireland foods to have achieved EU protected status.  It’s a unique Northern Irish product that we’ve been looking at  ways to add value for some time.”

“What we’ve done is to work with Paul Clarke, a tremendously creative chef and flavour expert who heads up our En-Place Foods in Cookstown, to develop an Armagh Bramley apple paste as a key ingredient with quality pork and spices in the new products.

“Apple can be a bit bland when used in a product. Paul Clarke has developed a very concentrated paste to enable the apple flavour to be fully enjoyed,” he adds.

En-Place, a company within Hannan Meats, has a longstanding and successful track record in creating innovative products, including rubs and dips for chefs, has also been working on the recent development of the unique Irish Black Butter, a new spread with ingredients such as Bramley apples, treacle, cider, brandy and spices.

En-Place has also won a series of UK Great Taste and Blas na hEireann awards for highly innovative food products.