Northern Ireland’s Mash Direct, a specialist in quick-serve convenience meals, has been named Overall Food Manufacturing Company of 2016 in the prestigious Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards.

The family-owned and managed company, based on a farm at Comber, county Down, also won the Chilled and Fresh Produce Company of the Year Award at a gala ceremony at the Hilton Hotel, London.

And there was a third major award for Northern Ireland. Moy Park of Craigavon, county Armagh, a previous winner of the overall award, also won award for Training Programme of the Year. Moy Park, now owned by JBS of Brazil, is Northern Ireland’s biggest food processor.

Both Mash Direct and Moy Park are Food NI member companies.

The awards, hosted by celebrity Carol Smillie and organised by Food Manufacture magazine, have been running annually for 16 years and are regarded as the most important in the UK food manufacturing industry.

They recognise and reward outstanding performance and innovation in manufacturing businesses of all sizes and across all sectors from beverages and bakery to dairy and chilled. These awards are guaranteed industry-wide recognition; positive customer attention and a huge team celebration for the business.

Mash Direct, established by husband and wife team Martin and Tracy Hamilton in 2004, is now among Northern Ireland’s most successful, innovative food and widely respected businesses. It has an impressive track record in new product development and supplies most of the leading supermarkets in the UK and Ireland. In addition, the company has significant export business in the US, Europe and the Middle East.

The company is the market leader in the production of a highly innovative and rapidly developing portfolio of delicious quick-serve potato, vegetable and cabbage products.

An emphasis on provenance and traceability means that the family farm produces the majority of the raw materials with the rest being meticulously sourced throughout the UK and Ireland to produce a range free from artificial additives, preservatives or colourings.

Mash Direct has also won recognition in other major competitions such as the US Great Taste Awards and the Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards.

Food Manufacture magazine is the market leading brand and recognised voice for the UK food manufacturing industry. With a leading monthly magazine, daily news website and a host of key industry events; Food Manufacture delivers the latest industry news and information to 1000’s of senior decision makers from UK food manufacturing companies.

Lisburn & Castlereagh’s highly-anticipated Treat Week launched on Saturday 29th October with a special Halloween Fest at Inns Market, Newtownbreda with just over 800 local foodies and residents visiting the market to enjoy chef demos, treats from local eateries and producers, and family fun throughout the day. Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council’s newly-launched Treat Week celebrates local restaurants, cafes and gastropubs with 59 eateries cooking up a culinary storm until 5th November across the council area spanning Moira to Dundonald.

Lisburn & Castlereagh features an eclectic choice of eating and drinking experiences with its restauranteurs and café owners tapping into changing lifestyle trends. This is reflected in the emergence of specialist cafes such as Goodness Rocks in Newtownbreda and themed diners and family restaurants from Sugar Ray’s in Dundonald to Del Toro in Lisburn.

Visiting Inns Market on Saturday for Treat Week’s launch event, Mayor Brian Bloomfield, Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, commented on the enthusiastic turn-out. “The enthusiastic attendance at today’s event is a reflection of the growing food culture in our council area. Lisburn & Castlereagh is lucky to host a wide variety of outstanding and unique eateries, restaurants, and bars spanning the Council Area which cater for all tastes and every occasion”.
Local Councillor John Gallen, who is also Vice-Chair of the council’s Development Committee , added “Treat Week will highlight the diversity and supreme quality of food and drink that is both produced and served across the Council area, and we encourage all residents to support their local eateries – and we would hope to encourage some of those living in the neighbouring towns and villages to come explore what we have to offer.”

In the last 12 months alone, the move towards more casual dining is evident and the prevalence of provenance reflected in the menus of recently launched and refurbished establishments by leading chefs such as Derek Patterson, Stevie Higginson and Danny Millar. With the Michelin trained Chef Chris McGowan choosing Moira as his location of choice following his move back to Northern Ireland, Lisburn & Castlereagh is making its mark in the province’s food scene. Just last week, Hillsborough’s Parson’s Nose and The Plough and Annahilt’s The Pheasant, each retained their position in the leading Michelin’s Eating Out in Pubs Guide for 2017.

“Northern Ireland’s food landscape has undergone a total transformation in recent years, with world class chefs emerging across the province,” said Joanne McErlain, Treat Week organiser. “The Year of Food and Drink has given us the impetus and confidence to shout about the provincial restaurant and café offerings, rather than hide in the shadows of the eating out scene in Belfast, Dublin or beyond. What has really come to the fore is our chefs’ inherent passion for provenance of the food they serve and they have been true ambassadors for our burgeoning food culture. We look forward to welcoming visitors to Lisburn & Castlereagh during Treat Week to continue to build awareness of the diversity and quality of eateries in our locality.”

Encouraging local people to make the most of Treat Week, Jim McCauley, Service Delivery Manager, Translink said, “We are delighted to come on-board as the official travel partner for Treat Week, and would encourage as many people as possible to make the most of this fantastic initiative. Whether you’re a regular restaurant goer or visiting for the first time, why not hop on-board the bus or train and let us get you there. Translink is always delighted to support local events and provide travel solutions so that passengers can sit back, relax and enjoy the wonderful array of Northern Ireland’s food and drink on offer!”

Throughout the duration of Treat Week, guests can also look forward to experiencing gourmet evenings, and pop up suppers and brunches, in addition to special offers and signature dishes featured throughout the week. Chef demos, masterclasses and village food trails will offer opportunities for exploration and discovery and highlight the fantastic local ingredients and forward-thinking restaurants that push our culinary boundaries right on our doorstep.

Treat Week’s seven days of celebration will culminate at Lisburn Square on Saturday 5th November from 11pm- 3pm with Kitchen Sessions and Meet the Producers Fair. Other events to look out for include special chef demos for all ages led by Chef Stephen Jeffers of the recently opened Forestside Cookery School as well as a culinary journey exploring locally produced food served in cafes and restaurants during the Moira Food Trail, on Saturday 5th November.

For more information or to explore the full line-up of Treat Week events held across Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council visit www.visitlisburncastlereagh.com or follow Treat Week on facebook.com/TreatWeek Twitter @TreatWeek and Instagram @TreatWeek2016.

How do Portstewart lobster, Bushmills whiskey steaks and Causeway Martinis sound? In celebration of the Year of Food and Drink Northern Ireland, the very first Causeway Coast and Glens Restaurant Week will run from 12-20 November 2016.

There will be themed nights and taster menus, featuring fresh, local and seasonal ingredients, complemented by fine wines, artisan ales and of course, the world’s oldest licensed whiskey from Bushmills.

Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Alderman Maura Hickey said: “Anyone who has visited recently will have noticed our burgeoning food scene with new restaurants, food trails and markets popping up throughout the area. From Ballykelly to Bushmills, from Cushendall to Cloughmills, and from Portstewart to Portballintrae, this new event is for both locals and visitors to enjoy and it offers a very different short break experience away from the traditional holiday season.”

Kerrie McGonigle, Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council Destination Manager added: “The tourism team has linked up with food trade partners and the Causeway Coast and Glens Food Network to create a nine-day culinary event that will showcase local produce and the expanding, vibrant restaurant scene in the stunning surroundings of coastal spots such as Portrush, Ballycastle and Ballintoy, and the market towns of Coleraine and Limavady.”

Chefs are planning and prepping menus to provide memorable, dining experiences. Featuring on the bill of fare will be many of the award winning food producers from the area, including Broughgammon Farm (goat) and Ballinteer Farm (quail), who have partnered with the restaurants to serve up some unique tastes.

As well as offering modern twists on Irish food heritage, restaurants will be offering French, Spanish, Australian and Turkish themed nights to transport the diner to other worlds. There are even menus to let you eat like a king from Game of Thrones!

Not sure where to start? Why not embark on a food tour, a wine and cheese appreciation evening or a gin pairing night! Accommodation offers and a full programme of Restaurant Week events can be found on www.visitcausewaycoastandglens.com

For further information contact Ballycastle Visitor Information Centre 028 2076 2024

After a successful first year, Belfast Design Week is set to return to the city this year with an extended programme from Friday 5th – Friday 11th November 2016. The festival aims to highlight and celebrate Belfast’s thriving creative and innovation sectors with a week-long itinerary of independent and fringe events held in various locations through the city.

This year to support the NI Year of Food and Drink, Belfast Design Week has incorporated several food focused events to showcase local talent for culinary design and Belfast’s creative hospitality sector. Two of these core events include the festival’s opening night event Design Dinner taking place at General Merchants 361 on Saturday 5th November, and the Homegrown event running on Tuesday 8th November at Brewbot.

To kick off the festival, guests of the opening night Design Dinner will enjoy a three-course sharing supper with paired wine while mingling with other design enthusiasts and listening to the event’s keynote speaker illustrator Paul Ryding. Upon arrival at artisan restaurant General Merchants 361 in South Belfast guests will receive a signature cocktail before settling down for an evening of feasting and celebrating Belfast’ vibrant design scene.

Design Week favourite Homegrown will return to the schedule this year for an afternoon of inspirational talks from some of NI’s top emerging and established designers. Blending together design experts from a range of backgrounds, Belfast Design Week is delighted to welcome Danni Barry, Michelin Star Chef at Deanes Eipic to the bill. Discussing her culinary journey and the art of recipe and food presentation design, Danni’s talk is sure to give delegates some food for thought.

Catherine McGinnis, Belfast Design Week co-founder said: “This year we’ve curated a real feast for design enthusiasts with events covering a wide range of design disciplines. Belfast’s food and hospitality scene is booming and we wanted to celebrate this in our programme. The Design Dinner and Homegrown present another strand of idea architecture and will hopefully encourage people to re-consider how design fits into everyday life.”

In addition to these events, the Belfast Design Week programme includes a diverse series of events to cater to all tastes including graphic design, web design, craft, fashion, film and much more. For further information on the Belfast Design Week programme and to purchase tickets visit www.belfastdesignweek.com.

– Potato producers taste success with ‘Best Use of Social Media’ accolade for industry-wide campaign

In October 2015, a group of potato growers, processors and producers came together to champion a communications campaign to promote the greatness, or indeed the mighty not humble nature of the spud. One year on, The Mighty Spud campaign, picked up Gold for ‘Best Use of Social Media’ at the recent CIPR Pride Awards, considered to be the Oscars of the PR and Communications industry.

The awards gala, held in the Culloden Hotel on Friday 21st October, recognised the elite of the local PR and communications industry. And the humble spud was no more as it was crowned ‘the cream of the crop’ for its innovative social media campaign, headed by one of Northern Ireland’s leading integrated communication’s agencies, Morrow Communications.

Ivor Ferguson, Deputy President, Ulster Farmer’s Union welcomed the accolade:

“We were thrilled when we learnt of the prestigious award picked up at the recent CIPR Northern Ireland Pride Awards. The campaign was recognised as a great example of investment in innovative measures such as social media to support growth, awareness and a continued contribution to Northern Ireland’s agri-food industry. The Mighty Spud has provided a hugely engaging platform for central messaging from the group utilising Facebook and Twitter. We’ve experienced a lot of success over the past 12 months in profile building and engaging key growth areas, especially young people.”
Annette Small, Communications Manager, Morrow Communications said:

“The Mighty Spud is an integrated campaign using both traditional PR and online platforms, designed to help the industry as a whole and raise awareness of potatoes in comparison to competitors. We want to thank the Northern Ireland Stakeholder Potato Promotion Group for entrusting their brand to us and allowing us to help them share their story with the world. We are already looking forward to bringing more inventive ideas to the table in the coming year.”

The Mighty Spud also had this to say about the campaign:

“I always knew I was award worthy but it’s great to get the bling to prove it. For years I have been overlooked as a modest spud, sometimes even considered boring. It’s a huge relief to now shake off my ‘humble’ name-tag and truly come out of my skin! The spud is the king of the carbs once more!”

To learn more about the campaign please visit www.mightyspud.com or follow @MightyNotHumble on Facebook and Twitter. All hail the Mighty Spud.

Tourism Northern Ireland has awarded the Kilmorey Arms hotel a three-star rating under its accommodation grading scheme.

The recently refurbished hotel has opened under new management achieving a three-star award on its first Quality Grading Assessment, indicating the accommodation is of a ‘very good standard’.

Having first opened in the 1800’s the Kimorey Arms is a listed building steeped in history with undeniable character, offering 24 affordable and comfortable rooms.

Caroline Adams, Quality and Standards Manager Tourism NI commented “I congratulate the Kilmorey Arms’ new management for joining the scheme and helping to send a strong message to our visitors about the quality available within the Northern Ireland tourism accommodation offering.

“The extensive refurbishment of the Kilmorey Arms, coupled with the friendliness of the staff, enhances the visitor offering in Kilkeel and County Down. There is great synergy between the Northern Ireland Year of Food and Drink’s focus on local produce and the Kilmorey Arms’ revamped food menu, which now features local ingredients including Kilkeel crab, Fivemiletown Goat’s Cheese and Mourne Lamb.”

Claire McCauley, General Manager Kilmorey Arms Hotel said; “We are absolutely delighted with our rating from Tourism NI. It is great to have our hard work and dedication over the past year recognised. It is a testament to our dedicated staff who constantly deliver warm and genuine service, impeccable attention to detail which provides for an excellent guest experience. “

For more information, visit www.tourismni.com