Mourne Mountain Brews to hit shelves of Sainsbury’s

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Craft beer brewer Mourne Mountains Brewery has secured a deal to supply to Sainsbury’s stores throughout Northern Ireland.

From 11th June, Sainsbury’s is stocking three beers from the Warrenpoint-based brewery’s core range, Mourne East Coast IPA, Mourne Gold Pale Ale and Mourne Mist Pilsner.

This news follows the brewery’s listing with Marks and Spencer in April with Great Taste award-winning brew Red Trail.

Commenting on the deal, brewery founder Connaire McGreevy said: “We are absolutely delighted to be supplying to another major supermarket in Northern Ireland, extending the choice available for discerning beer drinkers.

“As a local company that prides itself on its use of local resources, it is massively exciting to feature alongside established global brands, offering consumers the option to support local brewing and produce. The bonus for our customers is that as well as knowing they’re supporting a local business, the beer really is top notch.

“We have received great support from the local hospitality industry since launching in 2015, with award-winning restaurants including Bull & Ram in Ballynahinch and Wine & Brine in Moira, amongst other great dining establishments, all stocking our beers.

“We’re currently producing the equivalent of 250,000 bottles of beer per year to meet demand and expect that to grow significantly over the next year,” he added.

Mourne Mountains Brewery is one of only five NI-based breweries to achieve the Safe and Local Supplier Approval (SALSA) accreditation award, which allows the sale of products to national retailers who require the accreditation from their small suppliers.

Mourne Mountains Brewery produces Mourne Gold, a pale ale, Mourne Mist, a Pilsner, Red Trail, the red IPA, East Coast, an IPA and Big Rock, a German style wheat beer as the core range, with regular limited edition specials released throughout the year.

Red Trail red IPA won two stars at the Great Taste Awards 2016, the only beer from Northern Ireland to achieve that accolade in 2016. East Coast IPA, which is included in the Sainbury’s range, won a silver medal at the 2016 Alltech Dublin Craft Beer Cup, the only NI beer to be recognised with an award that year.

Celeb Line-Up and Early Bird Tickets Announced for BBC Good Food Show

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Taste your way around Northern Ireland and uncover flavours from the UK and Republic of Ireland producers. Indulge in a feast of amazing food and drink, and be inspired by iconic chefs and local heroes. It’s a truly delicious day out in the heart of Belfast!

The BBC Good Food Show Northern Ireland brings together some of the nation’s favourite chefs, the region’s very best producers of food, drink and artisan produce as well as state of the art kitchenware and gadgets.

This year’s show will feature British two-star Michelin chef at the London restaurant Le Gavroche, Michel Roux Jr., The Hairy Bikers, John Torode, BBC British Bake Off’s Nadiya Hussain and Northern Ireland’s Paula McIntyre doing live cookery demonstrations and tasting sessions throughout the show.

Once again, Food NI will have a dedicated area for local producers at the BBC Good Food Show this November where we will  be showcasing Northern Ireland’s quality, award-winning food and drink producers, and encouraging you to ‘Taste the Greatness’.

With a strong focus on regional producers, visitors to the Show will be able to delve into the wealth of fantastic produce that Northern Ireland has to offer. The Food NI Pavilion will give visitors the opportunity to discover, taste, engage and buy from local producers first hand. This area of the Show is a must-visit spot for any food fan wanting to improve their knowledge of the Northern Irish food scene.

Early bird tickets are on sale now!
For more information on tickets and show times visit BBC Good Food Show Northern Ireland.

Open Farm Weekend 2017

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Food, farming and fun, what’s not to love!

The Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend was established in 2012 as an annual showcase event for the Northern Ireland farming industry, a celebration of our farmers and the food industry.

Each farm event is unique and will be organised primarily by the host farmer. Visitors to the farm will have a free VIP pass to see the exact processes involved and the care and dedication that goes into food production while hopefully gaining an understanding of how important local farming is for everyone’s future. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet the farmer and, on certain farms, be able to taste and buy the food, highlighting the importance of supporting your community by buying local.

This year’s Open Weekend will take place on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th June with Armagh Apple Farm, Castlescreen Farm, Hillstown, Buchanan’s Turkeys and Long Meadow Cider to name a few taking part.

For more information on participating farms visit Open Farm Weekend.

Calling All Food and Drink Producers

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Studio Lambert, the makers of the BAFTA-winning Gogglebox and The Great Interior Design Challenge are making a brand new competitive programme about artisan food and drink producers.

They are looking for amateur and small scale producers of meat, cheese, drinks, sweets, baked goods, jams and chutneys to take part in the new BBC2 series.

If you would like more information about potentially appearing on the programme contact foodproducers@studiolambert or 020 304 06846 asap.
You can also fill out an application form online.

Loaves to London!

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Food NI are delighted to be collaborating with Tiptree World Bread Awards with Brook Food for the forthcoming judging day at Cathedral Hall, Westminster Cathedral, London in September.

This year’s awards will include a brand new category for bakers to enter  – Best Wheaten Bread.
Food NI will act as the bread hub for entries from Northern Ireland, and will ensure that your loaves get to London for the judging day on Wednesday 27 September 2017.

For more information please contact Michele Shirlow on michele@nigoodfood.com or Rachel Quigg on rachel@nigoodfood.com and visit the World Bread Awards website for entry details.

Bushmills takes off at Dublin International Airport

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Leading Irish whiskey brand Bushmills, which is produced in Northern Ireland, has partnered with Aer Rianta International, the airports operator in the Republic of Ireland, to launch a multi-sensory pop-up store at Dublin Airport to promote the historic brand.

The activity, housed in Aer Rianta International departure lounge at Terminal 2, aims to target a “younger” whiskey drinker.

The installation brings together objects and materials found at The Old Bushmills Distillery in county Antrim – Ireland’s oldest working distillery – including charred wood, chalky brick and black slate.

Promotional staff are dressed in clothing inspired by the coopers at the Old Bushmills Distillery, which can trace its roots back to the 17th century.

To mark the opening of the store master distiller Colum Egan presented a whiskey tasting experience and personally signed the first purchased bottles.

He said: “We’ve been making triple-distilled Irish whiskey on the North coast of Ireland for more than 400 years. It’s a magical place and we’re delighted be able to share a little bit of this magic with duty free shoppers.

“This pop-up experience is designed to capture the real character and authenticity of Bushmills Irish whiskey, as well as bringing to life our heritage, creativity and innovation in a powerfully engaging story-telling experience.”

The activation will be open throughout June, and depicts the history of Bushmills using video content and sample tastings.

Proximo global travel retail director David Phelan added: “The investment we have made in this installation at Dublin Airport demonstrates our passion and commitment to enhance the whiskey category.

“This multi-sensory experience not only provides us with an excellent platform to showcase our passion for craft and educate shoppers on our heritage, but it is an important step as we look to recruit new consumers and grow the brand’s presence in the travel retail channel.”