SEARCH BEGINS FOR NORTHERN IRELAND’S HOSPITALITY STARS

The search to discover Northern Ireland’s best pubs, hotels and restaurants is getting under way as the new look annual Pub of the Year Awards are launched for 2015.

In recognition of the widening scope of the hospitality industry in Northern Ireland, a record FOURTEEN Awards are up for grabs, each designed to highlight the very best that the sector has to offer.

With the introduction of three Pubs of the Year Awards, recognising the best pubs and bars in rural, urban and city locations, this year’s Awards are set to be the most inclusive ever.

Also new for 2015, three Commitment to Local Food Awards (in partnership with FoodNI/Taste of Ulster) will recognise the growing importance of locally sourced food within Northern Ireland’s best pubs, hotels and restaurants.

With community involvement continuing to be an important focus for the local hospitality industry, 2015 also welcomes the introduction of three Commitment to the Community Awards for pubs, hotels and restaurants.

This year’s Best Hotel Bar category features two accolades with Awards for the Best 1, 2 & 3 star Hotel Bar and Best 4 & 5 star Hotel Bar.

One Award category will invite nominations from the general public. People can nominate their favourite barperson by writing to The Sunday Life, which is joining forces with Hospitality Ulster once again to find out who’s the Best Barperson in the pub personality stakes.

The Awards will also recognise the industry’s rising stars and those that have played a vital role in shaping the sector with two new Awards: Hospitality Ulster’s Rising Star (in partnership with Ulster University) and the Industry Legend Award (in partnership with Hospitality Review).

All submitted Award entries, along with public nominations from the Best Barperson and the Industry Legend Awards will be vetted and judged by an independent judging panel comprised of industry experts, before being mystery shopped to ensure they meet industry standards and best practice guidelines.

Commenting on the Pub of the Year Awards 2015, Olga Walls, chairman of Hospitality Ulster, said:  “The Pub of the Year Awards celebrate all that is great about our Northern Ireland’s hospitality industry and the Awards are hotly contested each year.

“We have some of the best hospitality venues in the world right on our doorstep and many of these are setting industry standards when it comes to their customer offering and service as well as innovation.  

 “As our industry has evolved, so have we as an organisation and so too have our Awards. That is why we are introducing a number of new categories for 2015, which recognise the widening scope of the industry.

 “Whilst retaining the proud title of ‘Pub of the Year Awards’ and celebrating and honouring all that is great about the Ulster Pub, we have also introduced several new Awards that recognise the growing diversity of our pubs, hotels and restaurants.

“I would encourage all businesses to get involved and enter this year’s Awards, as we strive to celebrate the real heroes of Northern Ireland’s hospitality industry.”

The prestigious Awards aren’t all that’s up for grabs; the winners of each Award will be offered an exclusive place at an interactive Masterclass, with one of the UK’s most sought after speakers and trainers, David Meade.

David will guide the chosen few through a host of practical techniques that focus on driving sales by developing their customer experience.  In this unique session, exclusively for award winners, David will reveal the real secrets behind motivating staff and driving sales. Combining his personal interests of popular psychology, consumer behaviour and choice, this innovative workshop will encourage participants to think critically about the challenges around them and how to strive for success in a challenging marketplace.

The Pub of the Year Awards are the only industry recognised awards. This year’s Awards are supported by Britvic, Coca-Cola, Diageo, Dillon Bass, Henderson Foods, Heineken Northern Ireland, Molson Coors, Richmond Marketing, Tennent’s NI, Drinks Inc. and media partners, Sunday Life, Downtown/Cool FM and Hospitality Review NI.

The closing date for entries for Hospitality Ulster’s Pub of the Year Awards 2015 is Tuesday 15^th September 2015. A final shortlist will be announced by the end of October, revealing the premises shortlisted in each category. The winners of the 14 Awards will be revealed at a prestigious Gala Dinner on Wednesday 11^th November 2015 at La Mon Hotel and Country Club.

For further information about the Pub of the Year Awards and to enter online, visit www.nipuboftheyear.org

 

The world’s most coveted blind-tasted food awards, Great Taste, has just released the Great Taste stars of 2015 and several Food NI members are amongst the producers celebrating as its their goods are now able to proudly carry the little gold and black Great Taste logo.

Baronscourt Estate’s Wild Sika Venison French Rack seduced judges with its “iron richness” and perfectly “gamey” and “buttery texture”. They also won stars for Wild Sika Venison Loin and Wild Sika Venison Sausage
Dale Farm’s Fivemiletown Ballyoak,impressed with their “creamy and buttery” soft Irish smoked brie. There were 2 stars for Belfast Black Suki Tea. Suki also won stars for Nana Mint and a star for Belfast Brew, Chamomile, Fairtrade, Organic and Rainforest Alliance Certified Earl Grey Blue Flower, Earl Grey, Lemongrass, Peppermint, Red Berry and Breakfast Teas.
Glastry Farm Ice Cream won two stars for their Ling Heather Honey ice-cream. There were two stars also for En Place Food’s Black Garlic Mostarda and a star each for Chipotle Smoked Chilli Relish, Korean BBQ Sauce and Chorizo Picante Savoury Jam with Oloroso Sherry. Dale Farm took two stars each for their Boilie Goats Cheese Barrel and Spelga 0% Fat Greek Frozen Yogurt Mixed Berries and a star for Whipping Cream, Loseley Butter, Loseley19 Extra Mature Cheddar, Loseley19 Mature Cheddar Loseley R&C Yogurt Plain 150g and Spelga Greek Style Yogurt with Honey. Yellow Door’s Christmas Pudding took two stars as did Hillstown Brewery for their Goats Butt Wheat and Rye Hybrid Beer and Ann’s Pantry for their Guinness Oven Wheaten and a star for their Oatmeal Biscuit, Custard Tart, Spelt Brown Soda Spelt Potato bread with black pudding, Spelt Madeira and All Butter Shortbread. There were also 2 star awards for La Coquine Masala Chai and Salted Caramel, Salted Chilli Caramel and Safari Joe chocolates, Morelli’s Rhubarb & Custard, Espresso coffee and Caramelised Hazelnut Ice Cream and SD Bell’s Natural Leaf and “Directors’ Brew” Teas and Colombian Supremo Coffee Beans.
Long Meadow Cider from Portadown won one star each for their Medium and Sweet varieties. There were also 1 star awards for Quails 28 Day salt dry aged fillet steak and Homemade Pastrami, Hillstown’s 35 Day Dry Aged Shorthorn Rib Eye Steak and Steak and Stout Pie, Northbound Brewery’s 8, Kolsch Styled Beer, Abernethy Seaweed Butter, AJ Pure Apple Juice, Keen Nutrition, Almond Crunchy Maple Nut Butter, En Place Apricot “Pairology” Extra Fruit Jam, Irwin’s Barm Brack and Potato Bread, Whitewater Belfast Ale and Belfast Lager, Rich Sauces Garlic Mayonnaise, Bison Bar BBQ Mustard Sauce and Rib and Wing Sauce. Brambleberry Jams won with a Sea Salted Caramel Sauce and the Krazi Baker took a star for his Shortbread biscuits.
Broighter Gold took a star each for their Rapeseed Oil, their Black Truffle & Porcini and Garlic and Lemon infused flavours. Hilden Brewey won a star for Buck’s Head, Hilden Halt and Headless Dog.
Kennedy Bacon now have a 1 star sticker for their Dry Cured Back Bacon as do Clandeboye for their Greek Style Yoghurt and Madagascan Vanilla Greek Style Yoghurt and Gracehill Fine Foods for their White Pudding. Miss McKeown has a star for Heritage Breakfast tea and Mint Humbug. Tamnagh Food’s Kilcreen cheese, Passion Preserved’s Spiced Damson Jelly, Thompson’s Decaffeinated Tea Bags, Thompson’s Perfect Pyramids, Thompson’s Punjana Original, Keenan Seafood’s Traditional Natural Oak Smoked Cod Loin, White’s Hazelnut, Almond & Honey Granola and Speedicook Porridge Oats and Kilmegan’s Wild Elderflower and Real Ciders. Mash Direct did well with Carrot and Parsnip and Carrot, Parsnip and Turnip mashes.

CEO of Food NI, Michele Shirlow said “Our producers just keep getting better and better. The range of foods and drinks that our members are producing is far more diverse than ever before. We have always had great raw ingredients but there is a growing number of artisans who are really pushing boundaries. This is a huge achievement for Northern Ireland food and drink and it’s something we will be able to build on for next year which has been designated the Year of Food. We are so proud of all of their success.”
Judged by over 400 of the most demanding palates belonging to food critics, chefs, cooks, restaurateurs, producers and a host of food writers and journalists, Great Taste is widely acknowledged as the most respected food accreditation scheme for artisan and speciality food producers.

Recognised as a stamp of excellence among consumers and retailers alike, Great Taste values taste above all else, with branding and packaging ignored. Whether it is cheese, ale, steak or chutney being judged, all products are removed from their wrapper, jar or bottle before being tasted. The judges then savour, confer and re-taste to decide which products are worthy of a 1-, 2- or 3-star award.

There were 10,000 Great Taste entries this year and of those products, 130 have been awarded a 3-star, 597 received a 2-star and 2,382 were awarded a 1-star accolade. The panel of judges included Masterchef judge and restaurant critic Charles Campion, TV presenter and cook, Aggie Mackenzie, Great British Bake Off winner, Frances Quinn, Masterchef the Professionals finalist, food buyers from Harrods, Selfridges, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer, and chefs, who have together tasted and re-judged the 3-star winners to finally agree on the 2015 Top 50 Foods, the Golden Fork Trophy winners and the new 2015 Supreme Champion.

Finally on Monday 7 September, at an Awards’ Dinner at the Royal Garden Hotel, London, the great and the good from the world of fine food will gather to hear who has won the Golden Fork Awards and the final applause will be reserved for the Great Taste Supreme Champion 2015.