Article written by Sam Butler

Specialist sourdough baker Go Yeast in Northern Ireland has developed a new range of white and wholemeal breads featuring heritage grains.

The company, which is based at Donaghadee in county Down, supplies its sourdough breads to delis and restaurants in Northern Ireland. They are also on sale at local farmers’ markets.

The new sourdough range, developed by experienced baker Ken McNaull, includes loaves baked using flours from ancient grains such as Egypt’s Emmer, Iranian Khorason and Einkorn grains from Turkey. They have been used to create new white, Italian herb and Emmer wholemeal sourdoughs.

Mr McNaull says: “I’ve been looking at heritage flours to give our sourdough different flavours and with increased nutritional values from higher protein and greater content of essential minerals. I was keen to source flours that are not over processed. The breads are all free from sugar and dairy, low in gluten and are vegan friendly.
Eikorn, for instance, is one of the earliest forms of cultivated wheat. Emmer was the first widely cultivated domestic wheat, produced initially in Egypt. Khorason, named after a region in Northern Iran, is produced from an ancient variety of Durum wheat and provides a wholemeal flour. Some people with intolerances to modern wheat varieties have found they can enjoy products made with Khorason flour.

Mr McNaull left a successful and lengthy career in accountancy to pursue a passion for bread-making especially sourdough. He now runs the artisan bakery with wife Anne.

“I’d always been keen on cooking and food and became fascinated by various types of artisan breads,” Ken says. “I jumped at an opportunity to take this longstanding interest a stage further by setting up a micro bakery in Donaghadee,” he adds.

“Naturally fermented sourdough breads are regarded as being healthier because they are more digestible than standard loaves and more nutritious. Lactic acids make the vitamins and minerals in the flour more available to the body. The acids slow down the rate at which glucose is released into the blood stream and lower the bread’s glycaemic index (GI), so it doesn’t cause undesirable spikes in insulin. They also render the gluten in flour more digestible and less likely to cause food intolerance.”

He studied sourdough techniques at the School of Artisan Food at Welbeck in Nottinghamshire.
He uses only stoneground, organic products from specialist suppliers such as Shipton Mills in Gloucestershire and Dunany Farm near Dundalk.

An enthusiastic supporter of the Real Bread Campaign and Real Bread Ireland, Ken now produces a range of sourdough, rye and malted products that he handcrafts and packages for distribution. He developed a unique breakfast bread coriander, fennel and orange zest.

With Easter on the horizon, Fermanagh-based Cavanagh Free Range Eggs is celebrating winning a contract with Asda to stock its new 12 pack of medium locally-farmed free range eggs across all of the retailer’s NI stores.

A previous participant of Asda’s Supplier Development Academy, Asda already sells Cavanagh’s 6 pack of extra-large and 6 pack of large eggs, with the new 12 pack offering a cost-effective option for families and bakers.

The family-run business currently has eight employees and five hen houses with plans to expand in the upcoming months.

“We are delighted that Asda is the first retailer to stock our new 12 pack range,” Company Director, Eileen Hall, said.

“At Cavanagh Eggs, we produce 13 million free range eggs each year and our ethos is that contented hens produce the tastiest eggs! Our recent ‘Highly Commended’ at the NIFDA Awards, alongside two Gold Stars in the Great Taste Awards 2016, is certainly proof our strategy is working.

“By meeting consumer demand for ethically produced free range eggs in a convenient pack size, we are not only able to deliver for Asda customers but grow our business too.”

Brian Conway from Asda NI’s Local Sourcing Team added:

“It’s great to see Cavanagh Free Range Eggs, a graduate of our Supplier Development Academy, continue to expand its range of top quality, fresh eggs. All of the eggs on-sale across Asda’s 16 Northern Ireland stores are locally sourced, which really appeals to our customers. Cavanagh Eggs continue to be really popular with our shoppers so we’re delighted to bring another option to the shelves.”

Cavanagh Free Range Eggs 12 pack medium is now available at Asda stores across Northern Ireland.

Deanes Belfast is celebrating 20 years in business in the city. At a celebration dinner on Thursday 30th March in Deanes Flagship premises on Howard Street; Michael Deane recreated a signature menu from his Michelin starred ‘Restaurant Michael Deane’ which opened in 1997 and held a star for 13 consecutive years; the longest ever in Northern Ireland. On the menu were classic dishes such as Chicken Ballotine with Lobster, Scallop with Black Pudding & Potato Bread and Beef Fillet with Marrow.

While Restaurant Michael Deane no longer exists, Deanes still holds a Michelin Star in Deanes Eipic, the most prestigious of the 7 restaurants in the city which Michael Deane has developed. Over the 20 years, Michael himself and Deanes Restaurants have achieved a string of accolades including Restaurant of The Year in Ireland, Restaurant of The Year in Scotland & Northern Ireland and Michael Deane was hailed as Entrepreneur of the Year in Ireland last year.

At the celebration dinner Michael Deane said, “From my earliest days I wanted to set a standard for the best quality and best value eating out experience possible. Over the years I have come to learn that it is the customers, not the critics who decide if you are a success and that is very humbling. Indeed, it’s our loyal customers and our dedicated team of staff that have made possible this wonderful celebration of 20 years in business”.

Tesco Northern Ireland surprises residents of Belfast street

It was no ordinary morning for the residents of one Belfast street, as they woke to find an uniquely Northern Irish parcel at every door.

To celebrate the launch of its new online magazine – NI Food Love Stories (www.tasteni.com) – Tesco Northern Ireland delivered the surprise foodie gifts to Lisbon Street, just east of the city centre, as the sun rose over Belfast.

Hampers full to the brim of local food and drink were left on doorsteps before the first curtain was pulled and included products from Punjana and Tayto; baking greats, Genesis and Scott’s; as well as artisanal craft cider and beer brands – an emerging specialism here in the region.

NI Food Love Stories is the first online magazine of its kind in the Province.

Full of local supplier profiles and news, tips from local chefs and recipes using the best local produce, it is designed to be the go-to hub for anyone passionate about local food and drink.

Caoimhe Mannion, Marketing Manager, Tesco Northern Ireland, said: “Tesco Northern Ireland is proud to have been the No1 retail champion of local food and drink for 20 years.

“During our 20th anniversary year in Northern Ireland, we wanted to go one step further in our support for the local food industry and so, have created NI Food Love Stories – a dedicated food and drink magazine.

“What better way to celebrate its launch than by surprising households with a specially created local food and drink hamper, and creating a sense of community as we start the journey of building our online community through NI Food Love Stories.”

NI Food Love Stories is a fully mobile optimised site, recognising the way in which people consume information. It comprises of a mix of independently written articles, guest blogs, video content and a twitter feed reflecting the latest trending news and updates from some of Northern Ireland’s foodie influencers.

To subscribe, visit www.tasteni.com

Re-Gen Waste Ltd, a Newry-based waste management solutions company, is celebrating receiving an Ambassador Award at the Waste Industry Safety and Health Forum for Northern Ireland’s (WISHNI) annual ceremony, held in the Dunsilly Hotel, Antrim.

The award was presented in recognition of the company’s first-class health and safety management activity at its Newry waste management facility and remote transfer stations across the United Kingdom.

The Ambassador Award Programme is an initiative developed by WISHNI, to recognise health and safety best practice within the waste industry in Northern Ireland.
Commenting on the award, Managing Director Joseph Doherty said: “We have worked very hard in the last three years, to create a best in class health and safety system that covers all aspects of our existing operations.

“This is a high risk industry so it is crucial that a robust health and safety strategy is implemented and rigorously observed.

“To be recognized by our industry associations, governing bodies and peers validates our strategy and is a reflection of the dedication and discipline of all our staff across the entire organisation.

“A safe workplace is most effectively achieved when every member of staff contributes to the promotion and sharing of knowledge and best practice, he said.”

The aim of WISHNI is to identify, devise and promote activities to improve industry health and safety standards. Members include representatives from professional associations, recycling organisations, and national and local government bodies involved in waste management and recycling.

Photo Caption: Tourism NI has welcomed Diageo as title sponsor of its flagship Northern Ireland Tourism Awards event, now in its 39^th year. The leading drinks producer is partnering with Tourism NI at a time of strong growth for the tourism industry which has been enjoying record overseas visitor numbers and hotel occupancy levels. Pictured are Jorge Lopes, Country Director Diageo, left, with Tourism NI Chief Executive John McGrillen. 

Tourism NI has welcomed Diageo as title sponsor of its flagship Northern Ireland Tourism Awards event, now in its 39th year. The leading drinks producer is partnering with Tourism NI at a time of strong growth for the tourism industry which has been enjoying record overseas visitor numbers and hotel occupancy levels.

Tourism NI Chief Executive John McGrillen welcomed the sponsorship;
“We are delighted to have Diageo on board as title sponsor for the Northern Ireland Tourism Awards. Last year tourism went from strength to strength with visitors spending on average £2.4 million every day. Tourism and hospitality businesses across the country worked extremely hard to provide a world class service and welcome to our visitors and it is only right that we take the opportunity to celebrate their contribution to growing the visitor economy. I look forward to working with Jorge and his team at Diageo to make this year’s event in Enniskillen on the 18th May even more successful.”

Jorge Lopes, Country Director for Diageo Northern Ireland, added;
“At Diageo we are committed to playing our part in helping to support and expand Northern Ireland’s tourism and hospitality offering. We know our iconic brands, such as Guinness, Harp and Smithwick’s, are enjoyed by visitors and locals alike and play a key role in the tourism experience.

“As such, we are delighted to sponsor the Northern Ireland Tourism Awards. The Awards provide a great opportunity to celebrate the achievements and successes of our tourism industry here. This is a chance to show our support for all the tourism and hospitality businesses, organisations and initiatives that have shown the ambition and drive to put Northern Ireland firmly on the tourist map.”

The Northern Ireland Tourism Awards bring together tourism and hospitality businesses from across Northern Ireland to celebrate their achievements. A total of twelve tourism awards are up for grabs including Hotel of the Year, Best Marketing Initiative and Most Promising New Tourism Business.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased via www.nitourismawards.com