Local Company Wins Top 3-Star Award for NI’s Favourite Tea

Belfast based Thompson’s Family Teas, has won the maximum three stars for its hero brand, Punjana, Northern Ireland’s best-selling tea, at the prestigious UK Great Taste Awards 2016. Three stars is the highest achievement a product can win and is normally reserved for exclusive and specialised products rather than an affordable everyday product.

In this year alone, the family-owned business amassed a record breaking tota

l of 23 Star Awards. Another blend, Thompson’s Irish Breakfast tea bags also achieved top honours with the maximum 3 Stars.

Punjana tea bags now stand alone in their category – winning more Great Taste Awards than any other blended teabag in the UK and ROI over the past 10 years.

Cousins, Ross and David Thompson, who blend all of their company’s teas, have long held a passion for blending. Ross comments: “I feel that with this latest endorsement, we have come one giant step closer to our ultimate goal of blending the perfect everyday cuppa.”

The recently aired television advert, which features Ross and David on their tea journey, finishes with the line, “Punjana is everyday tea, but when the Thompson’s make it, everyday is special.” This award comes as a timely endorsement to their lofty claim.

Other winning tea products include Thompson’s Signature Blend

tea bags, Thompson’s Everyday tea bags, Thompson’s Decaf tea bags, and even Punjana’s brand leading loose tea which was accredited with 2 Stars.

The Thompson’s recent development into the luxury loose tea sector, serving the growing demand for special tea drinking occasions, was rewarded with a raft of awards for their exotic infusions, including Hedgerow Heaven, Scent of a Rose and Rhubarb Spritzer.

The Great Taste Awards are commonly referred to as the ‘Oscars’ of the food and drink world and are run annually by the Guild of Fine Foods in England. Food and drink entries are blind tasted by up to 40 judges in six different locations across the UK with less than 2% of all entries making it to the hallowed 3 Star status.

All Thompson’s Family Teas are imported into their state-of-the-art blending and packing facility in Belfast, before being distributed to outlets across the province and beyond to markets stretching from the United States to Australia.

David Thompson concludes: “Our factory has achieved BRC Grade A accreditation and is equipped with some of the world’s most advanced tea packaging and blending machinery, indeed our factory now produces tea for over a third of the country’s tea drinkers, equating to more than 1 million tea bags every day, in Northern Ireland alone.”

To find out more, visit www.punjana.com or like us on facebook at The Official Punjana Tea.

The only craft beer brewer in Northern Ireland to obtain a 2 Star Rating in Great Taste Awards 2016

Warrenpoint based Mourne Mountains Brewery has become the only craft beer brewery in Northern Ireland to be awarded a 2-star Great Taste Award for its Red IPA, Red Trail at the 2016 Great Taste Awards, the world’s most coveted blind-tasted awards that celebrate the very best in food and drink.

The brewery’s Red Trail Red IPA was judged by over 500 of the most demanding palates, belonging to food critics, chefs, cooks, restaurateurs and producers as well as a host of food writers and journalists in the Great Taste Awards 2016.

Of 10,000 Great Taste entries this year, only 878 products received a 2-star accolade, making Mourne Mountains Brewery’s success with Red Trail Red IPA even more phenomenal.

Brewery founder Connaire McGreevy said: “It is incredibly exciting for us to have been awarded our first Great Taste Award for Red Trail, our red IPA. It was one of the first beers developed by our talented master brewer Tom Ray when we established the brewery. He combines speciality caramalt and crystal malts with roasted barley in the grist and carefully creates a generous hop flavouring and aroma along with a long, dry finish.

“Winning a 2 Star rating for the Red Trail Red IPA at the Great Taste Awards is a massive statement about the quality of this beer. Mourne Mountains Brewery was only officially launched last September, and since then the momentum and support has been amazing. Having a brewer like Tom on the team has been integral to our success, his brewing experience is unrivalled in the local brewing sector.

 

“Our East Coast IPA has also been celebrated, winning a silver medal at the Dublin Craft Beer Cup earlier this year. Again it was the only brewery from NI to be recognised, and I’m just incredibly proud of everything the team has achieved so far.

“It’s early days for us as and we have some very exciting plans in the pipeline for new concepts and flavours. One of the best things about running a craft brewery is the freedom to be as creative and innovative as we like,” he added.

Great Taste is widely acknowledged as the most respected food accreditation scheme for artisan and speciality food producers. As well as a badge of honour, the unmistakable black and gold Great Taste label is a signpost to a wonderful tasting product, which has been recommended following hours and hours of blind-tasting by hundreds of judges.

Recognised as a stamp of excellence among consumers and retailers alike, Great Taste values taste above all else, with less regard for branding and packaging. All products are removed from their wrapper, jar, box or bottle before being tasted. Judges savour the products, confer and re-taste to decide which products are worthy of a 1, 2 or 3-star award.

The panel of judges comprised of industry behemoths including; TV chef and author, Valentine Warner, MasterChef judge and restaurant critic, Charles Campion, fifth generation baker, Tom Herbert from Hobbs House Bakery, and Great British Bake Off winner, Frances Quinn; food buyers from Harrods, Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason, Harvey Nichols and Waitrose and chefs including, James Golding, chef director of THE PIG Hotels, and Kevin Gratton, chef director of HIX Restaurants.

‘Fish City’ in Belfast, is Northern Ireland’s newest offering to the fish and chip industry with a very unique selling point. It focuses on seafood sustainability and traceability, including environmental issues relating to our coastline. Unlike their competitors, ‘Fish City’ already have a number of national and international accolades to their belt including professional memberships and awards.

Located next to Victoria Square opposite Pottingers Entry in Ann Street, John Lavery of Fish City stated, “we have taken a unique perspective on the industry and focus on developing what we have to offer. We are the first fish & chip shop in the United Kingdom to be invited to become a corporate member of the Marine Conservation Society.
“We were also the first retailer in Northern Ireland to have been awarded the Marine Stewardship Certification (MSC) as well as achieving a ‘4 Blue Fish’ rating with ‘Fish2Fork’.

The Marine Conservation Society is just one of the many agencies supporting Fish City stating, “MCS is delighted to receive Fish City’s support through Company Membership. We have been impressed with their commitment to serving sustainable seafood, which is so important to the health of our global fish stocks. They have been working closely with MCS and our Good Fish Guide to develop a new sustainable seafood policy, and we wish them all the very best at the new location in the heart of Belfast.” Sanjay Mitra, Corporate Partnerships Manager.

John continued, “We work hard to perfect what we deliver and are the first fish & chip shop in Northern Ireland to have received a silver in Green Tourism and Investors in People. An additional achievement, was representing our industry and country in becoming the ‘healthiest fish & chip shop’ in Northern Ireland. This fact was endorsed in 2015, as we were awarded one of the top three in the ‘UK Healthy Eating Award’, sponsored by Seafish at the National Fish and Chip Awards. No other fish & chip shop or restaurant in Northern Ireland has achieved these accolades. Our food speaks for itself.”

“We are very aware of the focus on children’s dietary requirements, and to that end we have produced a children’s menu which is innovative and a healthier option. We include a gluten free menu and an extensive range of seafood. We ensure full food traceability working with local food and drink producers whenever possible, offering customers a menu which is flavoursome and healthy.

“We are proud supporters of local, seasonal and sustainable produce. This is an amazing opportunity as we have strived to take fish & chips that one step further.”
Fish City offers a unique experience both in its food and décor with a new contemporary design to its premises. For more information about Fish City and how it’s the ‘plaice’ to be, go to www.fish-city.com #fishcitybelfast to keep up to date with new information about their unique menus and offerings.

Work is progressing on Belfast’s newest hotel, as the Beannchor Group announces it plans to open its highly anticipated new £4M hotel, Bullitt Belfast to the public this October.

The brainchild of the people behind the city’s five-star Merchant Hotel, The National Grande Café/sixty6, The Dirty Onion, Little Wing Pizzeria and over 40 pubs across Northern Ireland – the new hotel promises to bring a new and exciting hospitality concept to Belfast.

As construction of the new hotel steps up a gear, media were given a first sneak peek of the property, which wraps Victoria Street and Ann Street with a guided hard hat tour on Tuesday 2nd August.

Named after the Steve McQueen movie of the same name, Bullitt Belfast is a vibrant new concept that will provide a cool new space for people to Work, Play and Stay in the heart of the city. It will feature 43 stylish bedrooms, three bars (including Baltic, NI’s first ski-themed bar), a courtyard garden, 68-seater restaurant ‘Taylor and Clay’, an Espresso bar and a versatile private events space.

Blurring the lines between work and play, this urban playground will be the perfect hangout spot, with a relaxed atmosphere and laid back sophisticated vibe.

Accommodation comes in three options with double rooms and twin rooms, ranging from compact to spacious, and apartment accommodation planned for the second phase of the development.

In addition to the positive economic impact of the new hotel, which will create 100 new jobs when it opens, Bullitt will assist in fulfilling the demand for additional hotel bed space in Belfast. The city ranked first for hotel occupancy rates, standing at 84%, in a market tracking index released in March this year (Colliers International UK Hotels Market Index).

Commenting on the announcement, Conall Wolsey, director, Beannchor said:
“Our vision for Bullitt is to create a new and exciting hospitality concept. The hotel will offer so much more than just a bed for the night, it will also be a place where people can work, relax and socialise.

“It will be a space for meetings, coffee and lunch during the day and a place to meet and mingle over cocktails and food at night. Also on offer will be an eclectic calendar of events for both locals and visitors to enjoy.
“Design, technology and efficiency are at the heart of all of our plans; the hotel will be equipped with super-fast Wi-Fi, the only Kees Van der Weston coffee machine in Ireland, super-fast check-ins for guests, NI’s first ski-themed bar and of course, stylish bedrooms.

“Bullitt will also provide a welcome boost to the NI jobs market. We’re proud to be creating 100 new jobs that will offer employees a unique and exciting opportunity to work in an innovative setting and to become part of our business, which creates meaningful and rewarding long-term careers.”

For more information, visit bullitthotel.com, follow @bullittbelfast on Twitter or like Bullitt Belfast on Facebook.

This year Suki Tea have won 13 stars across 7 products in the renowned Great Taste Awards; including two top accolades of 3 stars for the Ayurvedic and *NEW* Oolong Orange Blossom blends.

At the awards, judges are simply presented with the drink to taste and provide valuable feedback. Great Taste is simply about just that, taste, with many judges tasting and commenting on each product before a rating of 1, 2 or 3 stars are awarded. No packaging or smart marketing gimmicks buy brownie points here. To win the 1-Star represents a ‘simply delicious’ product, a 2-Star means that a minimum of 10 judges thought it ‘outstanding’, and 3-stars commends a product that is considered ‘totally exquisite and faultless’.

Belfast-based Suki Tea is celebrating the news that a further 7 of their tea products have wowed the judges in this year’s Great Taste Awards. “As each year goes by and another set of award winning produce is announced we are always excited and extremely humbled by the awards we pick up, and feedback we receive, on our blends. The endowment of a 3 star award against two of our blends in the 2016 awards is fantastic news” says Oscar Woolley, co-director at Suki Tea.

Suki Tea received awards for new blends Japanese Matcha, Rooibos Crème Brulee, and Oolong Orange Blossom. Oolong Orange Blossom picked up the top award of 3 stars, the pale liquor was praised by the judges for its delivery of “delicately citrus and floral flavours as well as a pleasing savoury note.” The judges also awarded the Japanese Matcha and Rooibos Crème Brulee 1 star, commenting respectively “a vibrant cup colour and vibrant flavour with powerful depth” and “Innovative. A pleasant, lingering, comforting flavour, whilst also surprisingly refreshing”.

“With the launch of a number of brand new blends this year it is great to have seen three of these awarded, and one [Oolong Orange Blossom] with 3 stars none the less! Great Taste is such a widely trusted award so having this extra ‘stamp of approval’ on the new blends is invaluable in their success. We are absolutely delighted that our continued efforts in innovation and in house creativity continue to pay off year after year” says Esme Porter, Sales/Marketing executive and manager of Suki Tea’s Innovation and New Product Development.

The second 3 star award went to the well-established Ayurvedic. The judges were elated with this sampling calling the blend “a joyous drink: sweet, spicy, honeyed and comforting … Blended with skill and vision by someone who understands their ingredients.”

Both Suki Tea’s Indian Spiced Chai and Whole Peppermint were awarded 2 stars each.
Judges commented on the Whole Peppermint: “The liquid is beautifully bright with a similarly bright, crisp and invigorating flavour … wonderfully refreshing.” Meanwhile the classic Indian Spiced Chai blend was said to have a “…gentle tea base, and there is gentle heat from the spicing … a well-balanced spice mix, the cloves don’t overpower, growing a touch creamier when milk is added.”

Finally the judges awarded Suki Tea’s Chamomile a ‘simply delicious’ 1 star commenting “A fantastic looking blend with lots of flowers that are not damaged at all, they’ve held together, which we admire … A pleasant clean chamomile delivery in terms of taste.”

Belfast’s Boutique Blender, Suki Tea, was first set up in 2005 by business partners Annie and Oscar in their quest for the perfect cuppa. After both having spent time separately travelling Asia they returned to Northern Ireland inspired with a vision to provide ethically sourced high quality loose leaf tea delivered with a ceremonial experience.

Still hand-packing tea in Belfast and with a close knit team of 15, over the years they have now won over 40 Guild of Fine Food Great Taste Stars. The tea has been served up at cafes, restaurants, and hotels around the UK and across the world for a number of years now and is also available to buy at www.suki-tea.com as well as many independent delicatessens and garden centres.