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

Article written by Food NI CEO Michele Shirlow for Hospitality Review

A crucially important role for Food NI is our representation services provided to our 300 plus companies in Food and Drink facing issues such as restraint of trade.

A good example of this activity is our support for the Hospitality Ulster campaign to modernise our antiquated licensing laws over the past few years. We have a significant number of members in the drinks industry and especially in craft brewing, cider production, and distilling.

Indeed, the craft drink has become among the most vibrant and innovative sectors here. Significantly many of our members in the sector are also collaborating with other producers in other categories including bread, cheese, and beef in the search for unique products that could boost sales outside Northern Ireland.

The emergence of a dynamic craft brewing and distilling sector is in tune with the recommendations of the Agri-Food Strategy Board’s Going for Growth Strategic Action Plan to accelerate the expansion of the sector including the launch of at least two new potentially global brands to follow the lead of Old Bushmills, a prominent Food NI member, and Niche Drinks, the producer of Irish Cream Liqueurs and most recently The Quiet Man Irish whiskey, now available in 45 markets. In fact, most of Northern Ireland’s craft beer and cider firms are Food NI members. Several are already selling outside Northern Ireland.

The growth of these companies and their contribution to the economy, especially the rural communities in which most of them are based, is being inhibited by our restrictive licensing laws. A big problem for the companies is their inability to sell products to visitors to their premises – several have created visitors’ centres as part of the tourism drive and others are planned – and at food and drink exhibitions here.

For instance, the highly successful BBC Good Food Show, which was held in the Waterfront Conference Centre in October, was unable to sign up beer, cider and spirits producers because the existing legislation ruled out sales to the general public. Yet at similar shows in British venues, such as London and Birmingham, our companies took part and enjoyed good business in terms of sales to visitors. It just doesn’t make sense.

We lobbied ministers in the Executive before it collapsed. A bill was drafted for a measure of reform but has been stalled by the difficulties at Stormont. The chances of an early vote and implementation appear remote because it seems likely that there will be a lengthy period of negotiations to restore the Executive and Assembly.

Exciting plans for several tourist attractions may also have to be put on the back burner, a serious setback for two of our most promising industries – tourism and food and drink. We’re not giving up, nor is Hospitality Ulster. We’ll continue to back the body’s campaign for additional hours for the sale of alcohol, extra drinking up time, the relaxation of restrictive licensing hours over Easter, and a license to allow craft distillers/brewers to sell their products on-site and at events here.

Our smaller breweries and distillers need to be able to reach out to customers to increase awareness of their products and generate revenue because of their limited access to consumers outside the area in which they are located.

We’ve supported Hospitality Ulster in its campaign against our outdated laws. It’s an immensely important campaign which will benefit producers and enhance Northern Ireland’s appeal as a destination for tourists and short-break visitors.

Move over high-cost, low-result face masks, there is a new beauty regimen in town and it’s called… Mash Mask, Mashed Potato Face Mask.

Local company, Mash Direct, which have been farming potatoes for six generations has announced that it will be releasing its very own Mashed Potato Face Mask, made from 100% natural ingredients sourced from its family farm in Comber, Northern Ireland.

The humble spud has long been a staple in Irish diets, however, recent studies have shown that mashed potato, besides being a delicious accompaniment to almost any meal, is also an invigorating, natural, beauty enhancer.

Spudifrophene, a natural vitamin found in potatoes, has been proven to visibly revitalise tired skin cells to give a healthy, Irish glow. The benefits of Mash Direct’s Mashed Potato Face Masks are also said to include: hydrating skin, helping to combat blemishes and doubles as a handy, on-the-go snack.

Company director, Tracy Hamilton says: “We first noticed the trend from pictures of celebrities and influencers on social media turning to natural and raw remedies to combat, revitalise and hydrate their skin. After conducting our own research, we discovered that the heritage varieties of vegetables we grow on our farm contain copious amounts of spudifrophene. As our products are gluten-free and free from artificial nasties, it seemed only fitting that we should branch out into the beauty sector. To show the world that our award-winning Mashed Potato is just as good for your face as it is for your appetite.”

Mash Direct’s Mashed Potato Face Mask is the first of the range to launch and will be available to buy instore from 1st April 2017, with an RRP of £1.60 for 250ml.

Tourism Ireland’s latest video invites foodies everywhere to discover our culinary delights

Tourism Ireland has unveiled a new online film, showcasing the range of delicious food and fresh produce available right across the island of Ireland. It features various locations in Northern Ireland – including Titanic Belfast, St George’s Market in Belfast, the Lough Erne Resort and OX Belfast.

Called “Flavours from the Island of Ireland”, the short film provides a glimpse of the superb food scene here. From farm to fork, and from port to place, the message for ‘foodies’ and potential visitors around the world is that we’ve got incredible produce that inspires creative and delicious dishes in the restaurants and cafés right around the island. And, from creamy butter and freshly caught seafood, to gourmet creations and finger-licking street food – visitors can prepare for a delicious trip to Northern Ireland!

To view the film, click here.

The film is being promoted through Tourism Ireland’s social platforms, including Facebook (more than 3.8 million fans worldwide), Twitter (392,000 followers) and YouTube.