Belfast City Airport Collaboration to find #BestNIProduct Major Success

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Article by Michele Shirlow, Food NI Chief Executive for Farm Week

What a great privilege it was to support the George Best Belfast City Airport in last week’s search to find Northern Ireland’s best food and drink product. Long Meadow Cider’s outstanding Blossom Burst cider came out on top from a shortlist of 10 excellent products from outstanding local companies here, a shortlist compiled following local council shortlisting and a successful public voting process.

It was a very, very tough decision for all of us on the judging panel because of the quality and innovation of all the entries in what was an imaginative initiative from the airport’s management team. The fellow panellists were celebrity judge Charles Campion, Joanne Deighan from Belfast City Airport and Charles Kerlin of Grant Thornton.

Each of the shortlisted companies presented their products which included Shortcross and Boatyard Gins, Blackthorn Fudge, Pop Notch, Morellis and Mauds ice cream, Mash Direct, Abernethy and Donnybrewer butters. What was fascinating was the passion that each company had for their product, their dedication to outstanding taste and their ambitions for their business. It reflected how much the food and drink sector here has gone forward and it was inspirational to hear each story. Unfortunately there could only be one winner.

The panel was hugely impressed by the outstanding taste of the cider and the enterprise of the McKeever family from Loughgall in the heart of Co. Armagh, our apple county. And it was great to see a cider of this quality coming through. It was affirmation that local cider is a product with immense potential especially in terms of business outside Northern Ireland.

Long Meadow will now benefit from marketing support around the airport and online worth £30,000. I am sure that this will produce tangible benefits for this very enterprising farm-based and family-run business.

Several cider experts Food NI has brought to Northern Ireland in recent years have been to label our cider as amongst the very best. This is because cider in Northern Ireland is largely produced from juice rather than from concentrates. It’s a natural product bursting with flavour.

And producers here are increasingly creating deliciously different flavours and winning national and international awards for their enterprise and innovation. Most of our cider processors have also won plaudits in other competitions such as the UK Great Taste Awards, Irish Quality Food Awards and Blas na hEireann.

Most of them are already winning business in key markets such as Great Britain and further afield. I believe they have what it takes to be export success stories.

Promoting exports and innovation of course, are key themes of our Taste the Greatness strategic action plan for the growth of the food and drink industry over the next five years. Growing business in Britain and Ireland is the first step on the journey to international success. It’s a step Food NI is keen to help as many local companies as practicable to take successfully.

It was immensely encouraging to see most of the cider producers among more than 100 food and drink companies, showcasing quality produce at the hugely successful Balmoral Show earlier in the month.

Many of the companies in the Food NI Pavilion seized the opportunity to test market new products. Armagh Cider Company, for instance, another Food NI member introduced its novel Orchard Twist, a refreshing blend of pure apple juice with another fruit and spring water.

Other member companies, leaders in innovation, Genesis and Irwin’s Bakeries, Moy Park and Milgro were also recognised in the popular Henderson/Spar Local Supplier Awards.

On the horizon for Food NI is participation in the highly influential Speciality Food Show in London this September. This is a great platform for companies seeking business in Britain, and we’ll be aiming to showcase outstanding local products to decision makers expected to visit this show. If this week is anything to go by we will be spoilt for choice.

Fancy Fox Flying High After Garden Show Ireland Win

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Earlier this month The Fancy Fox attended the Allianz Garden Show Ireland 2017 at the fantastic Antrim Castle Gardens where to their delight and surprise, they were awarded the Best in Show award for Trade Exhibitors.

The Fancy Fox is a vintage Rice Beaufort horsebox which has been lovingly converted into a mobile coffee bar serving locally roasted Bro Coffee, Suki Tea, hot chocolate and a range of tray bakes we call Fox Fancies.

The Fancy Fox was launched in late 2016 and has attended many events to date and has a busy summer ahead planned at various shows, festivals, weddings, private parties and corporate events.

For more information on The Fancy Fox check out: www.nigoodfood.com/producers/the-fancy-fox

Event: Bushmills Salmon & Whiskey Festival

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The best of local food and drink will be on the menu when Bushmills Salmon and Whiskey Festival returns on June 17th and 18th. Now firmly established as a major attraction, thousands of people are expected to take part in the two days of festivities.

Known around the world for its whiskey distillery and salmon station, the Festival celebrates local food and drink producers, with a flavour of song, dance and heritage.
The Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Alderman Maura Hickey, said: “Bushmills’ reputation for its whiskey goes back centuries, so we have much history to celebrate in the area. The distillery, the salmon station and the River Bush provide a fantastic backdrop for the Festival, and I would encourage everyone to explore the programme of events and enjoy what’s on offer.”

The Main Street in the town will be transformed into a Festival-friendly pedestrian zone, where you will be able to browse through the local produce on offer at the Naturally North Coast and Glens artisan market. With around 30 stalls, the Market is a must-see attraction for anyone interested in food, arts and crafts created in this area.

On Saturday 17th, the River Bush Salmon Station, situated in a beautiful river-side location on Church Street, will be open to the public for tours, talks and demonstrations, giving a unique insight in to the fascinating salmon life cycle, and the important work which takes place at the site.

At the Distillery, visitors will be able to enjoy tasting whiskey and cocktail tasting sessions, and hear all about its 400-year-old history.

For the foodies, a new addition to the Festival calendar is a bespoke Festival Food Tour, in conjunction with Caroline Redmond of North Coast Walking Tours. Offering themed tasters and food stops, it allows participants to sample local food alongside a taste of history.

The Festival marquee, located in Main Street car park, will feature cookery demonstrations over both days, allowing visitors to get up close with some of the best local chefs and our guest celebrity chef.

And if fashion is your thing, the Marquee will be transformed into a catwalk for the Bushmills Lil’ Divas Charity Fashion Show at 7pm on Friday 16th June. The ‘Under the Sea’ themed evening will showcase local fashion and up-styled pieces from the Bushmills Save the Children Shop.

Tickets priced at £10, including festival ‘mocktails’, canapes from The French Rooms and Tartine at The Distillers Arms, and an exclusive ‘must have’ goodie bag are available at various businesses in the town.

Other highlights to look out for include a Festival Cream Tea in Bushmills Presbyterian Church Hall, heritage walking tours, a food and drink trail, traditional music and dance, children’s arts and craft, live music in the bars and themed menus in the local restaurants.

Bushmills Salmon and Whiskey Festival is organised by Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council in conjunction with Bushmills Distillery and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.

For more details and to keep up to date with the latest announcements go to www.visitcausewaycoastandglens.com

 

Main photo: Chef Gary Stewart from Tartine and Niall Mehaffey from Bushmills Distillery prepare for this year’s Bushmills Salmon and Whiskey Festival which takes place on June 17th and 18th.

 

 

Musgrave announce multi-million investment into local food and drink

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LEADING retailer Musgrave has announced a £100M commitment into the local food and drink industry this year as well as a £10M investment into its store network across Northern Ireland.

This multi-million outlay is part of a province-wide campaign to demonstrate Musgrave’s commitment to the local community and industry across its SuperValu, Centra, Mace and MarketPlace brands.

In 2017 Musgrave will buy more than £100M worth of local food and drink, working in partnership with over 140 local suppliers, selling more than 3,000 local products across its stores and working with over 3,000 local farmers.

The company recently celebrated its 20th birthday in Northern Ireland and is a committed local employer of over 5,000 people across its business along with a dedicated partner of almost 130 retail families within the province.

This year saw a £2M investment into health initiatives in the Centra brand with the Live Every Day campaign and SuperValu’s Let’s Cook mission. Musgrave has also committed £250,000 into staff development in 2017.

Musgrave and its independent SuperValu and Centra retailers have invested significantly in Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives across the province, having raised a massive £2.5M for charity partner Action Cancer since 2005, believed to be the biggest single donation by a Northern Ireland company. Mace retailers and the MarketPlace brand have raised more than £60,000 for NI Chest Heart and Stroke, since beginning the charity partnership in 2016. 

Musgrave Managing Director, Michael McCormack said: “Musgrave recently celebrated 20 years of investment in Northern Ireland and this year alone, we’re committing £100M to the local food and drink industry and £10M to deliver the best in convenience retailing for consumers across our entire network of SuperValu, Centra and Mace stores.  

“We pride ourselves on bringing great value and fresh food to the heart of local communities. Supporting retailers, local suppliers and communities remains a top priority for our business,” he continued. 

“Our consumers know that when they shop with us, their money is invested back into their local community through wages, local sourcing, professional services and charitable contributions,” Michael added.

Food NI’s Chief Executive Michele Shirlow commented: “This significant commitment from Musgrave represents a huge vote of confidence in Northern Ireland’s innovative food and drink industry. We welcome this investment, which provides support and opportunity for the local producers who are growing our reputation as a great food region.”

Northern Ireland’s City Cheese Strikes Gold!

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Northern Ireland’s City Cheese Company gained a gold award at the recent Artisan Cheese Awards in Britain for a new raw milk goat’s cheese.

The artisan business, based at Ballywalter in county Down, launched the goat’s cheese, the latest in a series of cheeses developed by founder and owner Christo Swanepoel, a South African now resident in Northern Ireland, at the event in Melton Mowbray.

City Cheese was among 115 producers at the awards and cheese festival, the UK’s largest for the artisan cheese sector.

Christo Swanepoel, commenting on the award, says: “It’s immensely encouraging to win such important recognition within the artisan cheese category for what is a new development for us, our first goat’s cheese. Gold at the first attempt for a new cheese for us is pretty good.

“Making a goat’s cheese is something I had been contemplating following the success of our raw milk gouda-style cheeses. It’s also a raw milk cheese that we source from an Irish goat farm. It’s a very rustic cheese that’s both handmade and handpressed. The cheese has a very subtle flavour. I am looking forward to feedback from customers over the next few weeks.”

The new cheese is now Northern Ireland’s only artisan raw milk goat’s cheese and is available in 400g and 4kg wheels.

A gourmet chef from Pretoria in South Africa, Mr Swanepoel has been based in Northern Ireland for almost a decade. He’s launched three quite different cheeses under the overall identity of his artisan business, City Cheese, all raw cow’s milk products.

The decision to use raw milk was influenced by his conviction that it offers a much richer flavour. “To me, raw milk cheeses are more delicious and contain natural enzymes that infuse cheese with natural, deeper and exciting flavours.

At the Artisan Cheese Awards, a total of 24 prizes were handed out which recognised the best cheeses for texture, animal origin, raw milk, type and nationality. Over £10,000 was raised in sponsorship as prize money given directly to the winning cheesemakers.

A total of 46 golds were awarded by the judges with 55 silvers and 52 bronzes also being handed out. Of the 115 cheesemakers who entered, 16 were from Ireland followed by Scotland with 9 and Wales with 7. City Cheese was the only entrant from Northern Ireland.

There was a very good representation, 30 cheesemakers, and another 30 from small producers. 62 percent of the cheeses entered were made with vegetarian rennet. 40 percent were made with raw milk. Only 11 percent were organic. 72 percent of the entries were made from cow’s milk, 11 percent sheep’s milk and 17 percent from goat’s milk.

The 7th Artisan Cheese Fair followed the awards with 69 cheesemakers from the UK and Ireland selling their cheeses directly to several thousand visitors who attended the event.

Armagh Cider Company adds refreshing new juice to range

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Armagh Cider Company, Northern Ireland’s leading cider processor, has launched Orchard Twist, an innovative refreshing blend of fresh pressed apple juice, another fruit juice with sparkling spring water.

The Orchard Twist range of four flavours – sparkling apple, apple and blackcurrant, apple and rhubarb and apple with ginger –  all with sparkling spring water – is a crafted, non-alcoholic beverage designed to be enjoyed by any member of the family.

The new products are being created under the new Armagh Juice Company, a new identity developed by Armagh Cider. They are available in 250ml glass bottles at RRP £1.80

Helen Troughton, managing director of the award-winning Apple Cider Company, which is based on the family’s apple farm near Portadown in county Armagh, says: “Served chilled, Orchard Twist makes for a healthy refreshing drink. Totally natural, it has nothing added, no added sugars, preservatives, artificial colours or flavours. It is 1 of your 5-a-day, low in calories, gluten free and suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

“We launched Orchard Twist at the recent Balmoral Show, Ireland’s biggest agri-food event, and were hugely encouraged by the very positive response of everyone who sampled the new juices. We will now be marketing the juices energetically in Northern Ireland and them further afield.

“We are confident the range will prove to be a very successful development for the company,” Mrs Troughton adds.

Armagh Cider Company has been at the leading edge of cider processing since 2006 and has won a string of national and international awards for its extensive range of drinks, including A J Apple Juice, and cider vinegar.

The company has created many of the most successful Northern Irish ciders, such as Carsons Crisp, Maddens Mellow and Doyles, which are listed by most major supermarkets, most recently Marks & Spencer, in Northern Ireland and are also sold in the Republic of Ireland and Britain.