Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat…

With Christmas coming we are busier than ever at SD Bell & Co HQ, but we are taking some time out to sit at our desk with our Winter Warmer blend tea and send out the Creating a Stir December issue.

To thank our customers for your continued support we are offering 10% off on our web store until 10th December with the code “sdbellxmas14”. So enjoy stocking up on our specialty coffees and gift-wrapped SD Bell’s speciality tea selection tins before the big day and pick up some last minute gifts.

Remember when you spend over £50 UK & Ireland shipping is free!

“A simple cup of tea is far from a simple matter.”  – Mary Lou Heiss

 

SD Bell’s “Barista 1887” Signature Roast wins a Great Taste Award

We are delighted to announce our signature roast “Barista 1887” has won a Great Taste Award! It is made from Santos beans roasted between a medium and dark roast. Ideal for bean-to-cup espresso and perfect for an after-dinner cafetiere. Try it for yourself here.

 

Evening Opening

We are now open on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings until 9pm. You can enjoy a light, bistro meal with live acoustic accompaniment. BYOB.

Also, following this summer’s renovations our 100 capacity venue is bigger and better than ever before and now available to hire for your own events.

For more details contact sales@sdbellsteacoffee.com

 

Coffee of the Month

Nepal Everest Supreme

An organic, full flavoured, strongish, nutty medium roast. The plantation is irrigated with melting Himalayan snow, rich in minerals from the Everest range. Perfect for an after dinner coffee on Christmas day

 

Tea of the Month

Jaipur Winter Warmer

The perfect tea equivalent of mulled wine to warm your cockles this winter. An India-China blend with orange peel, cinnamon and mixed spices. Christmas in a cup.

 

Java Jive Jazz Brunch – Artist of the Month

Matt Evans Quartet – 4th January 2015, 12pm

These four young musicians, all under 20, first met in the Ulster Youth Jazz Orchestra. They bring a vibrant, deep groove to the classic jazz repertoire in a funky style that not only reflects their age but their fresh interpretation of the canon. Just the tonic to welcome in the New Year.

Matt Nixon – Tenor Saxophone, Matt Evans – Piano, Danny Boyle – Bass, Ryan Duffy – Drums.

Reserve your table here.

Welcome to Browns Restaurants Northwest Newsletter

 

Browns On The Green

New Years Eve
We are now taking reservations for New Years Eve at Browns On The Green. We have a full Early Bird and A La Carte menus available.
Bring in the new year in a wonderful setting, with amazing food, delicious drinks and friendly service.
For a unique and perfect start to 2015, reserve at Browns On The Green NOW

 

Browns Restaurant
New Years Eve, Sunday Opening Times and an extra Shopping Trip
We are now taking reservations for New Years Eve at Browns Restaurant, Bonds Hill. We have tables available for our A La Carte menus after 5.00pm.
Sunday Opening Times are 12.00 – 3.00
Due to popular demand another Belfast Shopping Trip has been organised for Sunday 21st. You can get all the details on our website here

 

Browns In Town

Ian Orr Cooking Demonstration
Ian Orr will be demonstrating his amazing cooking skills on Saturday 14th of December at Browns in Town. Ian will cooking christmas dinner “Browns Style”. To take part call now on 048 7136 2889 to book. There is a cover charge of £30 and this includes a fabulous 3 course meal that will be served after the cooking demonstration.

 

Browns Restaurant
Bonds Hill
Derry/Londonderry
Tel: 028 7134 5180

Browns In Town
Strand Road
Derry/Londonderry
Tel: 028 7136 2889

Browns On The Green
Barnhill
Letterkenny
Tel: 074 91 24771

Excitement is building for the Christmas Market sprouting up this Saturday 6 December, in Carryduff Shopping Centre, 10am-4pm.

The event will have something for all the family with a children’s activity den that will feature making your own Christmas stockings and decorations, face painting, story-telling and clay modelling. There will even be a mini hand weaving loom which children can have a go on to make their own Christmas cards.

The weekly fresh food shop and Christmas shopping for the foodies in your life, can be taken care of at the farmers market, with local fresh food and artisan producers from Inns Market in Newtownbreda, coming along as well as some new faces. Visitors to Inns Market will be familiar with regulars such as Passion Preserved, Cherry Valley Farm, Kearney Blue, Go Yeast, Still Waters Fishing, McCarthy Meats, Tom & Ollie, and Mange Tout Patisserie. As it is the festive season, we couldn’t be without a turkey or two, so we will be joined by specialist free range farm, Buchanan Turkeys.

Pop Up Carryduff is a Castlereagh Borough Council initiative supported by the Northern Ireland Executive through the Department for Social Development. The motivation behind the event is to inject economic activity and community life back into the heart of Carryduff, encouraging both local businesses and local residents to get involved.

Yvonne Burke, Economic Development Officer with Castlereagh Borough Council, says “We are really hoping to encourage local residents to support the event and to shop local this Christmas. With the changing face of the retail landscape, consumers are more conscious of where their food is sourced and the positive impact on the local economy of buying local. Our aim is to reinforce that ethos.”

Economic revitalisation is a key remit for Castlereagh Borough Council, and there has been a lack of vision and strategic direction in many suburban shopping districts as to how to differentiate themselves from mainstream shopping centres.

“The importance of the shopping experience is under-rated and misunderstood by traditional retailers. Shopping is now seen as a leisure pursuit. We are hoping that the Pop Up event at Carryduff will showcase how small local enterprises are at the forefront of boosting our local economy with a fabulous diversity of products, whilst at the same time providing a personal shopping experience that adds to the sense of community. We are also tying in with ‘Small Business Saturday’ so the timing couldn’t be more perfect.”

There will be plenty to keep the little ones entertained in the activity den, plus street entertainers, fitness workshops, and a bicycle clinic – you can even get your Christmas gift shopping underway with the gift and craft collective. With the obligatory weekend specialist coffee fix and chill out zone, there really is no excuse not to shop on your doorstep this coming Saturday, 6 December in the heart of Carryduff Shopping Centre, 10am-4pm.

Picking the sprouts for the Farmers Market at Pop Up Carryduff are – Joanne McErlain, from Babble, organising company for Pop Up Carryduff  Paul Hamilton, Cherry Valley Farm, Comber; Claire Kelly, Passion Preserved.

 

Local independent coffee chain selected by Tesco for new Banbridge store.

The newest and biggest Tesco Extra store in Northern Ireland is set for a further boost with the addition of local independent coffee chain Ground Espresso Bars.

The team behind the fast-growing coffee brand will create up to 10 jobs in the new Banbridge store, which will further boost Tesco’s offering in this their 55^th branch.

With significant investment  in the 1,800sq ft coffee shop, the new Ground Espresso Bar will offer a welcome respite to busy shoppers looking for a break, as well as provide a sizeable kid’s play area packed with the latest must-have toys, alongside an area to park prams.

This is the latest venture for the family-owned business, which has gone from strength to strength by providing locally sourced quality food, high-quality coffee and exceptional customer service.

Karen Gardiner said: “We are delighted that a local brand like ours has been selected from a number of large coffee providers to deliver for a multi-national brand like Tesco. It is a great sign of confidence in what we have achieved here in Northern Ireland and will hopefully spur us on to future expansion and job creation”.

“Tesco is trialing new concepts that will focus on delivering more for their local communities and we hope we can supply more than a little bit extra to our customers in Banbridge and beyond.”

Ground Espresso Bars, a family owned and operated business, was established in 2001 in Coleraine. Employing over 120 staff across 11 stand-alone stores and concessions in Northern Ireland, Ground Espresso Bars’ mission is to provide a haven for customers where comfort, friendship, happiness, quality and ethics become synonymous with their name.

The new Tesco Extra store at Bridgewater Park in Banbridge opened earlier this month bringing 252 new jobs to the area and potentially boosting cross-border trade.

Stephen Magill, ,manager of Tesco Extra, Banbridge, said “We are delighted to welcome Ground Espresso Bar and the team to our store, and hope that our customers will enjoy a nice cuppa and snack there after shopping with us.”

Chef Jeanne Rankin has launched a lovely new Cancer Focus Northern Ireland cookbook in time for Christmas.

The unique Well Being Cookbook is packed with need-to-know tips to help cancer patients during treatment, with their recovery and to help them stay well in the future.

The cookbook, which makes an excellent Christmas gift, was written by Jeanne along with Cancer Focus NI staff members Deirdre Conlon and Niamh McDaid.

As well as a host of delicious recipes and advice on nutrition, Jeanne – a yoga specialist – has created a special well-being section on breathing and relaxation techniques to help calm the mind and de-stress the body.

The book is primarily aimed at cancer patients but there’s plenty in it for everyone to enjoy.

Deirdre Conlon, Care Services Manager, Cancer Focus NI, said: “There are many different ideas and theories about diet and cancer and during and after diagnosis you may become even more aware of what you eat and drink.

“When you’re going through any type of cancer treatment, eating a nutritious, balanced diet can be hard to do, especially if you have problems with side effects or you just don’t feel well.

“The most important thing is to keep up your strength, which may mean changing your diet. The information and recipes in our book will help you in a practical way to eat well and keep up your energy levels.”

Jeanne said: “As a trained chef I know the value of good food, prepared simply. Hopefully we have chosen simple recipes that are easy to make and will not seem too much of an effort at times when your energy is low. And the togetherness that can be felt when good food is shared and enjoyed with family and friends can offer unique inner healing through the act of ‘breaking bread’.”

There are sections on fighting fatigue, simple comfort foods, calorie boosters and sweet things to tempt your appetite when you’re feeling low. And there are tips on nutrition, food labelling and food safety, all vitally important when you’re living with cancer.”

Recipes include old favourites such as hearty vegetable soup and salmon and leek tart along with quinoa salad, vegetable frittata, blueberry pancakes and chai tea.

For your copy, costing £9.95, go to our online shop at www.cancerfocusni.org,  email care@cancerfocusni.org or call 028 9066 3281.

Is your business interested in recruiting a Work Placement Food student from Queen’s Institute for Global Food Security?

Queen’s students are now actively seeking opportunities to start in 2015, further information can be found here  or by contacting Mark Gallagher directly at m.gallagher@qub.ac.uk

Here are some of the key considerations for your business;

• Students gain placements in a variety of food sub-sectors and in small as well as larger enterprises
• All students will have completed two years here at Queen’s and a CIEH Level 3 Qualification in Food Safety Supervision for Manufacturing.
• Students typically have worked in the following areas; quality assurance, product development, HACCP plans, audit preparation, microbiological testing and marketing.
• You recruit only if you have met a suitable student who meets your requirements.  We expect students to ideally apply in writing and be interviewed for any potential placement on offer.

Students registered have two placement options either a;

• Long placement (46 weeks), to be carried out between Easter 2015 and September 2016. (Students can split the year with two host placements)
• Short placement of 16 weeks, to be carried out between Easter and September 2054.