Food NI members have been successful in being shortlisted for around 15 products in the annual Great British Food and Drink Awards 2024.

The shortlisted businesses, all artisans or smaller companies, cover virtually every sector of food and drink production here.

The Great British Food Awards were launched in 2014 to celebrate the country’s finest artisanal produce, as well as the hard-working people behind the scenes. This year, the awards are bigger and better than ever, with lots of new categories and amazing celebrity judges.

From dairy to cheese, artisan drinks to savoury preserves, The Great British Food Awards has a category for everyone.

Every year, fresh new faces are added to the judging panel, each wielding a hefty influence in the realm of British food and drink. Imagine being able to say the likes of Raymond Blanc, Michel Roux Jr or Shaun Rankin chose your product as the best cheese, gin or pie in all of Britain?

The Great British Food Awards provide companies with the opportunity to have your food and drink tasted by some of the UK’s most acclaimed chefs, critics and influencers.

The shortlisted products in each category will be sent to a panel of judges for them to pick their Gold, Silver and Bronze winners. They will pick up to three Golds and the rest will be given the Silver or Bronze accolade. Judges are located around the UK. The winning product in each category will then need to be sent to our final expert judge, for them to pick our overall winner – the Grand Champion.

The winners of each category will then be announced and will be featured in a special issue of Great British Food magazine at the end of October.

Food NI companies shortlisted

Ballylisk Cheese, Portadown for Triple Rose cheese

Burren Balsamic, Richhill for three vinegars including Bushmills Whiskey Cask Aged Balsamic Vinegar of Modena

Crawford’s Rock, Kilkeel for Coastal Seasoning

Granny Shaw’s Confectionery, Ballymena for Crumbly Salted Caramel Fudge

Irish Black Butter, Portrush for Irish Black Butter Sauce

Jackson Roze, Tandragee for two ginger wine drinks

Krazibaker, Dromore for shortbread

Marshall’s Beekeeping, Armagh for honey

Succulent and deliciously different meat flavours from South Africa which have been crafted by Northern Ireland-based Hellbent, a Food NI member, have been chosen by Dunnes Stores, Ireland’s biggest grocer and most successful retailer.

An innovation-led business formed by Ulster rugby stars Louis Ludik and Schalk van der Merwe, Hellbent has won business with Dunnes Stores for four original food products which combine the best Northern Ireland beef with distinctively rich seasonings and BBQ-led cooking techniques from their homeland in South Africa.

The enterprising duo has aleady introduced consumers in many parts of the British Isles to meats used on the Braai, an essential part of South African culture, that brings family and friends together in celebration of everything from birthdays to graduations to engagements and national holidays.

The word ‘braai’ is Afrikaans, originating from the Dutch word ‘braden’ which means ‘to roast’. The beauty of the braai is that it’s not specific to any one cultural group in South Africa, and it transcends the country’s troubled past to bring the nation together.

The four unique foods are: ‘Boerewors’ coiled beef sausages, Chakalata spicy beef sausages, burgers and chargrill burgers. All four products from Hellbent are high in protein and feature premium ingredients from fully traceable sources.

They have now been listed by Dunnes, a network with almost 140 stores in the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland.  

Chakalata is a coiled sausage made from 90 percent Irish beef seasoned with authentic South African Chakalaka curry along with onions and tomatoes. Chakalaka spice is popular throughout South Africa for spicy meals including breads, stews and curries.

Hellbent was established in March 2018 by Louis and Schalk to develop a range of meat products, including South African style boerewors beef sausages, burgers and meat balls.

Louis, commenting on the latest retail listing, says: “Dunnes Stores contacted us a while ago about stocking some of our products.  We were thrilled by the approach and keen to work with such an influential and successful food retailer that has scores of stores across the island of Ireland.

“It’s our first deal with Dunnes Stores and takes our business to a new and very exciting level for even faster growth,” he adds.

“Dunnes has a tremendous commitment to local artisan producers, in particular, and has listed many from Northern Ireland over the past few years.

“We are keen to work with Dunnes on tasting showcases for customers to increase consumer awareness and help ensure the success of our products which are packed with uniquely rich flavours and are high in protein. We believe they bring totally different flavours to the Irish and British marketplaces,” he adds.

Dunnes Stores has remained as the supermarket with the highest market share in Ireland, data from Kantar market research revealed. The privately-owned retail group has a 24.3 percent share of the market, with growth of 8.9 percent, year on year. Frequent shopping trips, up by 5.9 percent, were a key contributor to growth, adding €46.7 million to the overall performance.

Hellbent’s meat products are blended with spices, including coriander, cloves and nutmeg, to provide a traditional and distinctively rich taste of South Africa which both Louis and Schalk grew up enjoying there.

The ambitious company has also supplied major food retailers in Great Britain especially Scotland. It has won UK Great Taste and Blas na hEireann food awards for the quality and taste of its products.

 “We believe in quality and exceptional taste with no compromise,” Louis continues. “This means using the best locally sourced ingredients, along with a tradition of boerewors making (and eating) handed down through generations in South Africa,” he adds.

The name ‘boerewors’, he explains, is derived from the Afrikaans/Dutch words ‘boer’ meaning farmer and ‘wors’ meaning sausage. And for health-conscious sports stars Louis and Schalk the beefy sausages are preferred to the average Ulster Fry porker.

Containing at least 90 percent meat, and never more than 30 percent fat, the spiral shaped sausage is completely addictive and gluten free. They also feature a blend of spices, usually coriander seed, black pepper, cloves and nutmeg, for a distinctive taste. It’s a blend, however, they are keeping to themselves.

The recipe for the beef sausages they used to create the Hellbent version came from Schalk’s parents, farmers at Tzaneen, a fertile agricultural region – beef cattle country – that’s around 300 miles north of Johannesburg.

 “We’ve tweaked Schalk’s family recipe a bit for the Northern Ireland market with the help of Ulster University’s Business School and Dr Amy Burns in particular. Dr Burns did a marvellous job and has encouraged us in developing our business,” adds Louis.

Cream of the crop revealed by the world’s most trusted food and drink accreditation scheme.

Today, 30 July 2024, the Guild of Fine Food has released the results for Great Taste 2024. Products made in Northern Ireland have won a total of 164 awards, including 129 x 1-star, 28 x 2-stars and 7 x 3-stars, the highest accolade available at this level.  In addition, there were another 11 awards (1 x 3-star, 1 x 2-star and 9 x 1-star) given to products entered by Northern Irish companies, but made outside Northern Ireland.

Winners from Northern Ireland include:

• Great Taste 3-star: Devil’s Churn Classic Butterscotch from Seasons of the Glens (www.seasonsoftheglens.co.uk) 
• Great Taste 2-star: Ribeye Steak Burger from Lisdergan Butchery (www.lisderganbutchery.com)
• Great Taste 1-star: Finnebrogue Naked Smoked Back Bacon from Finnebrogue (www.finnebrogue.com) 

Nearly 3,500 companies from 115 countries around the world entered Great Taste this year, between them offering 13,672 products for review. The UK entered 8,008 products from 2,528 companies. 

Each entry was meticulously blind-tasted by the Guild’s expert judging panel of over 500 food critics, chefs, recipe creators, buyers, retailers, and other specialists in the field of food and drink. Entries were analysed across 92 judging days, each receiving detailed feedback, whether or not they obtained an award.

Only 1.9% of all entries (266 in total globally, 131 from the UK) received a 3-star award, given to ‘extraordinarily tasty food and drink’. With 10.1%, 1,386 in total globally, being awarded 2-stars, ‘above and beyond delicious’ and 28.8%, 3,938 in total globally, being awarded 1-star, ‘food and drink that delivers fantastic flavour’.

Those that have received 3-stars went on to be judged in a further stage of the competition.  The best of those 3-stars from each country or region have now been nominated for a Golden Fork, an ‘Oscar of the food and drink world’. The Great Taste Golden Fork winners – the best of the best – will be announced in an awards ceremony and tasting at Battersea Arts Centre in London on Tuesday 10 September. The nominees for the Golden Fork for Northern Ireland are:

• Porchetta from Hannan Meats (www.hannanmeats.com)
• Aghinlig Orchard Ice Cider from Applejames (www.applejames.com)
• Ghost Chilli & Black Lime Ketchup from Blackfire Food
  (www.blackfirefood.com)

John Farrand, managing director of the Guild of Fine Food comments: “It’s hugely important to us at the Guild to inject some positivity into the speciality food & drink industry. Given the economic headwinds that both independent retailers and small & medium producers are facing, the announcement of the 2024 crop of Great Taste stars is now an annual fillip for us all.  And it’s not just excellence from the UK, but from across the world, as we celebrate the best from 115 countries. We’re doing our bit for cultural relations across the planet when there is so much legislation trying to prevent it.  It’s a real privilege to support and underpin independent makers through the process of Great Taste.”

The awards are globally recognised as a mark of excellence and eagerly sought after by producers and food-lovers alike. For a full list of this year’s 1-, 2-, and 3-star winners, and a guide on where to buy them, please visit www.gff.co.uk/directory from 2pm BST today.

Photo credit Guild of Fine Food (Tim Johnston) showing Blackfire Food Ghost Chilli & Black Lime Ketchup, Hannan’s Himalayan Salt Aged Pork and Hannan’s Porchetta.

Gilfresh Produce, based in County Armagh, is set to supply an extensive range of local vegetable lines to all 16 Asda stores across Northern Ireland this year, including over 1,000 tonnes of root crops and 500,000 heads of brassica and salad crops.

Gilfresh Produce a FoodNI member, is one of the biggest vegetable growers and suppliers on the island of Ireland and has been supplying Asda since 2008. The relationship has grown in the past 16 years, and today Gilfresh Produce supplies a range of 21 lines of local vegetables to Asda, including cabbage, carrots and swede throughout the local produce season.

Founders of the business, the Gilpin Family, established Gilfresh Produce in 1965, when Thomas Gilpin started his career growing vegetables in a 4-acre field. Thomas’ son, William Gilpin joined the family business in 1999, and is the current Managing Director. Today, he leads a team of 140 staff based in the company’s Loughgall headquarters.

William Gilpin, managing director at Gilfresh Produce, said :“After a difficult start to the growing season in 2024, with the wet weather meaning crops were delayed going into the ground, we’re very pleased to be harvesting local crop, albeit a few weeks later than planned.

“Gilfresh Produce has supplied Asda for just over 16 years now with locally grown in season vegetables. Asda is a committed supporter of local growers and produce in Northern Ireland and we really value the long-standing relationship we have with them.

Cathy Elliott, Asda’s NI local buying manager, added: “We have been working with Gilfresh for nearly as long as Asda has been in Northern Ireland, and as we’ve expanded to 16 stores, they have continued to grow with us and supply a wider range of veg to stock our shelves.

“It’s important to us to work with companies who not only have a commitment to local farmers, but also a strong commitment to sustainability in their operations, processes and ultimately our supply chain. This means we can provide our customers with fresh produce that has been harvested and packed locally, as well as being mindful of the environment.”

William explained: “We promote a circular economy on site using an anaerobic digester plant and wind turbine to produce our own green energy using waste vegetables. This sustainably powers the site and reduces food waste.

“Working with large retailers such as Asda has allowed us to invest and take steps to reduce our carbon footprint, protecting our natural resources and enabling us to continue to work in harmony with the local habitat.”

Economy Minister, Conor Murphy, has launched a £46m Agri-Food Investment Initiative to support local agri-food and drink processors. 

The Initiative, developed by Invest Northern Ireland, has been designed to help improve the overall competitiveness and productivity of the agri-food and drink processing sector in Northern Ireland.

Minister Murphy said: “Agri-Food processing makes a significant contribution to local communities throughout the region, and especially to rural communities. By targeting support to this sector, this scheme will promote regional balance. The capital investment will help companies adopt greener technologies, and so contribute to our net zero targets. Importantly, the scheme also aims to increase the sector’s productivity.”

The Minister was speaking at an event attended by businesses and stakeholders for the agri-food and drink sector. He also visited drinks processing company Classic Mineral Water in Lurgan. The company has invested heavily in new production equipment resulting in productivity improvements for the business alongside growth in both employment and sales.

Welcoming the Minister to the company’s state-of-the art facility in Lurgan, Liam Duffy, Chief Executive and owner of Classic Mineral Water said: “Investing in your business is essential if you are to ensure continued success. 

“Since taking ownership of Classic Mineral Water I have made multimillion-pound investments in new machinery, process improvements and innovation. As a result, we are the first in Ireland to produce isotonic drinks for the private label market, the business is much more productive, our sales continue to grow and we now employ four-times the number of people we had five years ago.

“Access to support through an initiative like this will significantly help a business like mine continue to make capital investments in new technologies.” 

Joining the Minister on the visit, Kieran Donoghue, CEO Invest Northern Ireland said: “The aim of this new Initiative is to improve the overall competitiveness of Northern Ireland’s agri-food and drink processing sector. To this end, we are particularly seeking projects which are innovative and demonstrate how they will improve the productivity and sustainability of the business.

“The Initiative is now open to applications from all eligible agri-food and drink processors in Northern Ireland, and I encourage businesses in the sector to avail of this significant opportunity to invest for future growth. Classic Mineral Water here in Lurgan is an example of what can be achieved through investment and innovation undertaken in partnership with Invest NI.

“As well as providing efficiency and productivity benefits directly to the business, we also expect investments through this Initiative to have a positive impact on the agri-food supply chain across rural areas.”

Full details on eligibility, the support available and how to apply is available at https://bit.ly/3zVLaW4

American tourists and other international visitors to destinations in the Republic of Ireland such as the Cliffs of Moher and the Aran Islands are now able to enjoy chocolates and fudge handcrafted near Ballymena in Co Antrim.

Artisan Granny Shaw’s Fudge has seen “a significant growth” in exports to the Republic from its participation in a series of food markets and international trade shows in Dublin and other centres over the past year.

The boost in exports has also encouraged the company as it builds on a recent investment in new machinery for the production of boiled sweets for its impressive range handmade confectionery.

Granny Shaw’s Fudge, an award winning manufacturer of a range of original and flavoured fudges, has also expanded its product portfolio to include authentic Victorian confectionery in an investment of around £50,000. Typical Victorian sweets included toffee, liquorice, marzipan, marshmallows, soft favourites such as jelly babies.

“We’re excited by the potential of a new range of flavoured hard sweets in the near future. Our investment in the essential machinery for the sweets has been significant,” explains Glen Houston, the managing director, who runs the artisan enterprise with wife Rhonda.

The complex machinery, sourced from a US manufacturer, has now been installed in the factory in Broughshane, near Ballymena, and is turning out traditional favourites such as clove rock, pear drops and “Yellowman” honeycomb.

Commenting on the growth in exports to the Republic, Glen continues: “We took a strategic decision over a year ago to focus on growing our sales in the Republic as part of a drive to increase awareness of our fudge and chocolates across Northern Ireland.

“This included doing more shows there including Gifted trade show at the RDS in Dublin, the National Ploughing Championships in Laois, and Flavours of Fingal, near Dublin, one of Ireland’s biggest community events. The ploughing championships attracted upwards of 150,000 people and is one of Europe’s biggest outdoor events.

“This campaign helped us to connect with dozens of new stockists, distributors and other potential customers across the Republic.

“As a result of some of the contacts made during the campaign, we now have a generous chocolate and confectionery supply that now goes monthly to the visitor centre at the spectacular Cliffs of Moher in Co Clare and a large white label order of our Crumbly Butter Fudge goes to the picturesque Aran Islands, Inishmore and Inisheer, Co Galway.

“Both are located on the stunning Wild Atlantic Way which attracts thousands of tourists and other visitors every year to the Republic. Almost two million people visited the Wild Atlantic Way last year,” adds Glen.

The marketing drive and investment in growth, Glenn continues, has also “seen a recent increase in supply to Northern Ireland retailers/stockists”.  The small company is now popular at food markets here especially the big Causeway Speciality Food Market held in Coleraine and Junction One in Antrim on a monthly basis.

“The markets are a great way to increase awareness of the business and our wide range of products. We’ve also found that worthwhile business flows from the markets,” he says.

The small company is “fine tuning our offerings” in response to findings from the strategy. “We are looking for more potential stockists. We have recent collaborations, for example, with Christine Marshall of Marshall Beekeepers Honey that’s involved using her award-winning honey to make a range of fantastic confections, from boiled sweets, tablet, fudges and a delicious honey caramel. A new fudge is being produced using Mussenden Sea Salt from another artisan enterprise in Coleraine,” he adds. It also produces a range of creamy sauces for desserts.

Creator of the first genuine fudge factory in Northern Ireland, at Glenarm Estate in Co Antrim, one of Northern Ireland’s most enterprising country estates, in 2012, Glen has continued to develop confectionery products and has invested in retail and in production facilities at Broughshane.

The company’s unique identity and successful fudge recipe came from Rhonda’s grandmother. “We all liked the fudge she made and were also influenced to start Granny Shaw’s by the remarkable growth in artisan foods here over the past decade,” Glen explains. “All our confectionery is handmade using the freshest ingredients as is the case with all our fudge.  In addition to growing sales here, we also receive orders for varieties of our fudge regularly from international customers,” he adds.

Granny Shaw’s has won a UK Great Taste Award for its handmade, hand-cut kettle-churned soft fudge and traditional handmade tablet fudge.