Protein-packed bakes, mouth-watering sauces and orchard-inspired drinks range amongst products available, while stocks last

Thirty artisan products from 12 local producers participating in Lidl Northern Ireland’s Kickstart Supplier Development Programme will land on shelves in Lidl’s 42 stores across the region from Thursday 19^th September.    

Available for a limited time, while stocks last, the new product selection forms part of a wider range of more than 100 Kickstart products to be stocked in Lidl’s 222 stores across the island of Ireland, and includes a variety of sustainable products, health-conscious options and restaurant-quality food products to try at home.  

From Strangford Coffee and SLICED’s delicious Oatco Overnight Oats to start the day the right way, to teatime treats including Cloughbane Farm Shop Meals, Mrs K Global’s Diggity Sausages and Lecale Harvest Slow Cooked Confit, the new Kickstart lineup has something for everyone.

Among the range is a selection of mouth-watering sauces and condiments, including Blackfires Hot Sauces and Lecale Harvest’s Smoked Sundried Tomato Tapenade.

In a showcase of Northern Ireland’s prized apple orchards, the Kickstart lineup also features Longmeadow Irish Craft Cider, Armagh Cider Company’s Spiced Apple Punch, and Symphonia Irish Apple Gin from Woodlab Distillery in Co Tyrone.

Lidl’s focus on promoting healthy lifestyles and supporting families to eat better and more sustainably for less, is also in focus within this year’s Kickstart mix. Fitness-focused customers in particular will love the selection of protein packed products, including Bertie’s Bakery’s Bertie’s Protein Rolls and Brioche Muffins and Rosie’s Banks Nutrilean Protein Pancakes, as well as natural, gluten-free, plant-based Energy Balls from Co Antrim’s Green Fingers Family.

Speaking as the Kickstart products hit Lidl’s shelves, Kate O’Driscoll, Supplier Development Manager at Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland said: “It is a very exciting and proud day for our Kickstart suppliers in Northern Ireland as they see their products land on Lidl shelves in our 42 stores across the region, with many being stocked right across our full network of 223 stores on the island of Ireland.

“This is the culmination of six months of hard work, collaborating with our in-house experts and receiving practical guidance on how to scale production and drive production efficiency, as well as product development, branding and packaging support, allowing these suppliers to optimise this opportunity and scale for success.

“Now, our producers get the chance to see their products on Lidl’s shelves and reach over 2 million weekly customers across the island of Ireland, which provides a real foot up in breaking into the competitive supermarket retail sector. We’re looking forward to seeing our customers’ response to these new innovative products.”

Lidl Northern Ireland is committed to supporting local producers and, alongside its established network of over 60 suppliers, the retailer’s Kickstart Supplier Development Programme exists to develop small and medium sized producers right across the region. Since launching in 2018, Lidl Northern Ireland has showcased over 50 innovative home-grown products through its Kickstart initiative.

Esther Paul, Business Development Manager at Armagh Cider Company Ltd, a family run business involved in the programme, said:“Gaining a place on Lidl’s Kickstart programme has been a great boost for our business. Not only were the seminars and expert-led mentoring sessions insightful for our business as we seek to grow into new product lines and markets, but the fact that our products will be available to such a huge Lidl shopper base across the island of Ireland is where we will see the biggest uplift.

“By getting our brand and products out there, we hope to drive sales significantly in order to further invest this into improving sustainable farming practices at our orchards and to expand into new product lines.

“We’re also firmly focused on growing our business to export, and that’s where we really see the value of our involvement with Lidl Northern Ireland. Having the ability to supply a major local supermarket with an international network of stores is incredibly exciting and I look forward to seeing what opportunities this could bring us in the future.”

The Lidl Kickstart Supplier Development Programme is just one of the many ways in which the retailer supports the local economy. In 2023, Lidl Northern Ireland significantly boosted the local agri-food industry, procuring £455 million across the region, representing a 30% rise, year on year. Of this, 80% percent of the goods are shipped outside Northern Ireland, using Lidl’s expansive international store network.

As it marked its 25^th anniversary in the region earlier this year, a major economic report revealed that Lidl Northern Ireland contributed a record £360 million into the local economy in 2023 – doubling its annual economic contribution over the past five years – and supported almost 7,000 jobs right across the region.

Now in its seventh year, Lidl Northern Ireland’s Kickstart programme is backed by the Northern Ireland Food & Drink Association (NIFDA) and aims to support small and medium-sized local producers to boost their brand, enhance their supply and reach new customer audiences. For more information, visit lidl-ni.co.uk/kickstart

Applications to trade at this year’s Enchanted Winter Garden can be found here: https://forms.gle/aLwKzQurU7fSpy1s6

Please read all information before submitting your application.

Closing date for entries is Thursday 26th September.

Help with affordability options:

Food experts in Britain this week named an Italian classic dish from Hannan
Meats in Moira as probably the best food in Northern Ireland.
Final stage judges in the prestigious UK Great Taste Awards, a global
competition to find and celebrate the world’s best food, named a new version of
porchetta, an stuffed pork dish from Rome, as the Regional Fork winner for
Northern Ireland.
The prestigious award was given to Peter Hannan, founder and managing
director of the steak, pork and lamb processing business outside Moira, at the
finals of the influential global awards in London’s Battersea Arts Centre.
Great Taste is the world’s largest food and drink award scheme. The awards
are judged by over 500 experts. More than 300 food and drink specialists and
companies attended the spectacular dinner on Tuesday night at which the
awards were announced.
Peter Hannan, commenting on the latest Great Taste Award, says: “We are
absolutely thrilled to win another major Great Taste Award from some of the
most discerning judges in the global food industry.
“Our unique reworking of porchetta is another successful example of our
approach to creating different and exciting tastes for our customers in Northern
Ireland, Great Britain, the Irish Republic and further afield by revising an old
favourite from Ital,.” he adds.
Peter’s version of porchetta is a boneless stuffed pork cut from a whole roast
pig that’s most closely association with Rome and is considered a dish for
celebrations.
A Food NI director, Peter has created a host of original food products which
have won acclaim from Great Taste judges. He has won the coveted Supreme
Champion title twice.
Hannan Meats is among the most ‘decorated’ meat processors in the UK Great
Taste Awards, the World Steak Challenge and also the Blas na hEireann Irish
National Awards, the finals of which will be held in Dingle, Co Kerry early next
month.
The company also supplies meats to over 400 of the UK, Ireland and Europe’s
leading restaurants and retailers including the iconic Fortnum and Mason
acclaimed food hall in London.

Images
Winner: Peter Hannan of Hannan Meats in Moira is the Great Taste
Northern Ireland Fork winner.
Success: Peter Hannan’s porchetta is Northern Ireland’s best food in 2024

Top bartenders across the UK have named gin and vodka from Boatyard Distillery in Fermanagh as the best.

Spirits from the small distillery overlooking the picturesque Lough Erne have been recognised for their superb quality and outstanding taste in the inaugural Class Report by Bar magazine

In addition to the remarkable endorsement by leading bartenders, Boatyard Distillery, a FoodNI member, was also listed the number seven best-selling gin, and number eight best-selling vodka. Boatyard is clearly holding its own among the world’s most recognised global players in both spirits.

Reporting on both the bartenders’ favourites as well as the best-selling brands,

the Class Report brings the UK bar industry insight into what brands the best

bars in the UK are using and their buying and selling habits. Brands do not enter these awards but are identified by consumer behaviour and the bartenders themselves as the brands that really excite them.

Commercial director at Boatyard Distillery, Declan McGurk says: “This important recognition received directly from some of the best bartenders in the UK is testament to the quality and innovation of work we are doing.

“I am a big believer that a spirit brand is best built by putting the bottles into the finest bartenders’ hands, and so I am thrilled the bar professionals believe in what we are doing. The high value of the Boatyard brand by the best in the business gives us great momentum for growth, as we look to expand in global markets and stature,” adds Declan.

Founder of Boatyard Distillery, Joe McGirr continues: “We are incredibly honoured to be recognised so highly alongside the world’s best-known global brands. This is evidence that Boatyard’s organic and sustainable spirits are advancing on the world stage as a widely sought after liquid.

“We owe a huge amount of thanks to all the UK bartenders who work with Boatyard and believe in our ethos. Our whole team have done an incredible job producing and bringing our spirits into these incredible bars,” he adds.

In 2023 The Boatyard Distillery became the first distillery on the island of Ireland

to become B Corp certified, and was also awarded Northern Ireland sustainable

company of the year at the 2023 Business Eye awards.

The distillery currently produces a core range of four premium products – Boatyard Double Gin, Boatyard Old Tom Gin, Sloe Boat gin and Boatyard Vodka.  The progressive company is also finishing its first generation of Irish whiskeys for release shortly.

The team also uses innovation to seek out new flavours and products for exclusive releases. They follow sustainable and environmentally conscious gin making practices where possible, continually looking at where improvements can be made.

Under Joe McGirr’s visionary leadership, Boatyard, for example, was the first distillery in Ireland to introduce recyclable pouches for consumers to refill already purchased glass bottles of the award-winning spirits.

With a radical shift in the way that consumers think about what they eat and drink, the Boatyard Distillery is now an agent of change in Ireland and in the distilling industry, intending to be at the front of the conversation, setting new standards in the world of spirits.

The progressive distillery places a great deal of emphasis on meticulously choosing the best quality ingredients and materials used in the spirits, from the beginning to end of the product, supporting and using organically farmed ingredients where possible including organic wheat sourced from an Irish farm.

The Boatyard Distillery team continues to question and challenge conventional beliefs and push boundaries to be the best it can be for its people, the wider community and environment.

The ambitious distillery takes its name from a former boatyard that has been converted sensitively into a state-of the-art, craft distillery overlooking the
picturesque lough. The complex also features a modern visitor and information centre which has hosted tourists from all over the world.

Joe McGirr’s concept for the distillery was born with the simple ethos to create award winning spirits from local ingredients for global markets. Since then, and
hundreds of thousands of gin and tonics later, Joe, an experienced spirit distiller, who learned his skills as major distilleries in Britain, and grew up on a family farm and his team, have developed the concept through to every level – a stunning location, precision engineering and spirit creation with a growing and passionate workforce. Among local ingredients is Sweet Gael, a Fermanagh favourite botanical, in the family’s bog.

The distillery has won international spirits awards for its distinctive bottle design
and branding.

The Boatyard Distillery now has a thriving on-trade business supplying its premium gins to some of the world’s best bars including the iconic American bar at the Savoy Hotel in London. The distillery has distribution partners in Ireland, UK, across Europe and is developing sales in the US. All major Irish airports and London city airport stock Boatyard products.

Tourism Northern Ireland has launched nine new food and drink experiences, showcasing the region’s vibrant food and drink scene while encouraging visitors near and far to plan their next giant adventure here.

From the peaks of the Sperrin Mountains, the lush drumlins of County Down and serene setting of the Fermanagh Lakelands, the fresh air of the spectacular Causeway Coast and the crisp countryside of Armagh, Northern Ireland’s culinary culture takes inspiration from its landscapes, bringing the beauty of our natural surroundings onto our plates.

With some of the freshest produce, local specialties and foodie legends taking our cuisine to the next level, a giant welcome awaits you and your taste buds.

Travel to the magnificent Mourne Mountains and learn to make Wheaten Bread at Mrs C’s Home Kitchen. Discover the unique story of Bonding and Blending at Two Stacks Irish Whiskey in County Down. Get into the sting and enjoy the magic of nettles with Noreen’s Nettlefest in County Armagh’s countryside.

Step back in time for an Estate Dining experience with the National Trust and Tully Millat Florence Court in County Fermanagh. Plan your next giant adventure in Derry to visit Wild & Fired BBQ School’s delicious wood-fired meal in the historic walled garden in Brook Hall Estate, and then head over to Dart Mountain Cheese for a peak into the world of artisan cheese production. Save room for more as you bake bread at Maeve’s Kitchen in County Tyrone overlooking spectacular views of the Sperrin Mountains.

Get hands-on with heritage alongside Willow & Lore – Fire, Feast and Folklore, as you work the land and cook over the open fire. Get lost in an immersive dining experience with Wilde Dining as they take you to the most enchanting locations for a dining experience to remember.

The nine new experiences were launched at a special event at Brook Hall Estate, Derry where members of the Irish Food Writer’s Guild, media, influencers and tour operators indulged in a curated wild and fired menu.

Tourism NI’s Food & Drink Tourism Manager, Gary Quate, said:

“Tourism NI is delighted for visitors to discover these nine new food and drink experiences on their next giant adventure across Northern Ireland. These passionate producers open their homes and hearts to visitors, continuing to tell the rich story of our food and drink history.

We were delighted to use this event as an opportunity to shine a light on our amazing food and drink. It was a magical evening at the beautiful Brook Hall Estate, amongst fellow food champions and friends. Guests let their taste buds do the talking, as every bite and sip told a story of our giant spirit.”

To find out more information and to plan your next giant adventure in Northern Ireland, visit www.discovernorthernireland.com

Entrepreneurial husband and wife team Andrea and Zsolt Bohar are confident of a significant business boost in the Republic of Ireland from two major taste events.

The enterprising couple, originally from Hungary, own and run Green Fingers Family in Larne, a small business specialising in unique granolas and energy balls that are made without additives, preservatives or processed sugars.  The company is a FoodNI member.

The foods are 100 percent natural, plant-based, vegan and gluten-free. Everything they produce is handmade in small batches in packaging that’s now environmentally friendly, Andrea, a talented baker, explains.

Already a UK Great Taste winner, Green Fingers Family has just been shortlisted for a Blas na hEireann award, the most important on the island of Ireland, and an Irish Quality Food and Drink Award, a prestigious competition which has significant influence on supermarkets and other retailers in the Republic.

Green Fingers Family is among 60 local food and drink producers shortlisted for the Blas final stage in October. Now in its 17th year, Blas  saw another record-breaking year across all categories along with many new producers entering the awards for the first time this year.

During the judging, which took place in June and July, over 3,000 entries were judged, testament to the number of brilliant producers across the country. The results will be announced as an integral part of the popular Kerry Food Festival in Dingle.

Local companies Morelli Ice Cream of Coleraine and Kilkeel’s Millbay Oysters have both won the top award at Blas.

Both the Blas and Irish Food and Drink short listings for Green Fingers are for innovative and healthy energy balls crafted with lemon and turmeric. The small business was, furthermore, given a one star for a nutty peanut butter granola in this year’s Great Taste Awards.

The company, in addition, gained a Silver Level Innovator Award from Mid and East Antrim Borough Council for the commitment to eco-friendly packaging.

“We are thrilled to be shortlisted in such prestigious awards in a marketplace which has become an important target for us over the past few years,” continues Andrea. “The awards are immensely encouraging for us because they increase awareness among retailers, especially in the Republic, and with consumers there,” she adds.

The family business has also won important business from Odaois Foods in Dublin, one of Ireland’s leading food distributors. Discounter Lidl has listed the energy balls.

Established by the couple in 2020, Andrea hopes shortly to be able soon to announce new business with a leading food hall with outlets in both Northern Ireland and the Republic.

“In addition, we are directly supplying local independent food stores and farm shops across Northern Ireland as well as selling online via our e-commerce website,” continues Andrea, a mother of three.

 Based outside the Co Antrim town, Green Fingers Family is pursuing a vision of “a world where delicious food experiences seamlessly intertwine with environmental sustainability”.

“We are responding positively to environmental concerns now growing in the local food industry by embracing innovative, eco-friendly practices in our production and packaging, supporting moves to create a healthier planet,” she says. “We both care deeply about our environment.  It was a challenge, in particular, to find plastic-free packaging alternatives that were airtight to keep the granolas fresh.”

This focus on sustainability led to Green Fingers being named joint winner of the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association Environmental Sustainability Award in 2022, celebrating the company’s commitment to efforts in using environmental friendly, compostable packaging for its premium granola.

Resident in Larne for almost 20 years, the couple’s decision to start a small enterprise was influenced by Andrea’s wish to take charge of her own health and wellbeing. Encouraged by Zsolt, she started growing vegetables on a small plot of land at their home.

She was convinced that with “the right food, right exercise and the right mentality, my body would do what it’s meant to do itself…. heal. It wasn’t only my body that needed healing, but my thinking and attitude too,” she explains.

It was Andrea’s sweet tooth that was to lead her to start developing her own range of granolas. “I had to change the way I made and baked sweet snacks at home. I replaced sugar with natural ingredients. My favourite snack is granola. I was shocked to read that the ingredients in many of the brands available were bulked up in different forms, and full of sugar and artificial flavourings,” she adds.

All granolas are homemade by Andrea “to make sure I can add that special pinch of love”.