Farm Pours Its Way To Success

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A County Down family farm, which is the only one on the island of Ireland able to grow and market its own range of oilseeds, has just sold its millionth bottle of its award-winning oils.

 

Harnett’s Oils, based in Waringstown is the only producer of Hemp oil in Ireland and was able to achieve this milestone after it started commercial production onsite in 2002.

 

The farm has been in owned by the Harnett family since 1656 and its customers come from across the island of Ireland, as well as America, France and Spain on account of its online shop, www.harnettsoils.com. The company was even one of a small range of local artisan food companies invited to showcase their products at a recent supplier event organised through Taste of Ulster at the House of Commons.

 

Young farmer, Jane Harnett who heads up the business, says it’s very much a family affair, with her parents Ann and Michael and also her brother Will heavily involved.

 

She said; “I feel it is our strong family network that has made producing and marketing the oil so successful. We started small and obtained customers through trade shows, word of mouth and local promotion, however, as consumers became more educated about the health benefits of pure oil, and in particular Hemp and Rapeseed, we have been able to tap into this rapidly expanding market. Also, due to the size of our press, we are attracting attention from major supermarkets that need large volumes produced.”

 

Once grown, the production, bottling and packaging also takes place onsite. Oilseeds are cold-pressed to produce virgin oil and then filtered producing extra-virgin oil, which is either bottled direct or flavoured or added to produce a range of dressings.

 

Miss Harnett added; “We are best known for our Rapeseed and Hemp oils and this is what our hospitality clients, as well as the general public regularly buy from us. We have also diversified our core product range to encompass vinaigrettes and flavoured infused oils, and we have seen a spike in sales, particular in St George’s Market –where we have a weekend stall. The future is very exciting for us as we have plans to aggressively target European and International markets.”

 

The most popular products in the standard range is the Rapeseed oil and in the flavoured oils it is the Chilli and Garlic and the Raspberry vinaigrette in the dressings.

*Credit to Pulse PR

It’s a Hat Trick for Belfast’s SHU at UK National Restaurant Awards

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SHU claims Best Restaurant in Northern Ireland for third year running: Lisburn Road restaurant SHU has claimed the ‘Best Restaurant in Northern Ireland’title for the third year in a row at the 2014 National Restaurant Awards – the industry’s most important annual event.

The popular Belfast eatery ranked 76th in the UK, moving up ten places from 2013, at the prestigious industry event which celebrates the 100 best places to eat out in the UK, as voted for by 150 strong National Restaurant Awards Academy, made up of the country’s top industry experts

Judges were impressed by the innovative menu created by Head Chef Brian McCann and by the consistency of service and hospitality provided by Restaurant Manager Julian Henry’s front of house team.

Owned by restaurateur Alan Reid, SHU is the first restaurant in Northern Ireland to claim the prestigious accolade for three years running and the team are understandably delighted to once again be the only Northern Ireland restaurant recognised in the top 100 listing.

Reid and Henry collected the award last night at a glittering ceremony held at the Hurlingham Club London. The hat trick of success reinforces the restaurant’s position as one of the country’s shining stars in the industry.

Reid commented: “We are delighted and humbled to have once again been awarded Best Restaurant in Northern Ireland. To be ranked in the UK’s top 100 restaurants is such a huge honour for every one of us. I am so pleased for our team as the accolade is a testament to the hard work they all put in on a daily basis to maintain the high standards we have set ourselves to create an exceptional guest experience.”

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FoodNI Members Visit the House of Commons

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A host of Food NI members are on their way to London tomorrow to showcase their superb produce in the House of Commons.

They’ve been invited by David Simpson, MP. His office has organised the event which will take place in the historic hall where Members of Parliament used to meet. It’s happening on Wednesday from 10am-4pm.

Westminster is a stunning setting for an event which will spread the world in the Big Smoke about our great Northern Ireland food and drink.

Award-winning Chef Paula McIntyre will be cooking up some bite-size beauties like Soda farl, grilled Glenarm sirloin beef and Made with Love chutney and  Cavanagh free range egg frittata with Young Buck cheese, guanciale and Roy Lyttle leeks.

Business is all about building relationships, so let’s hope it leads to some new customers for Broighter Gold rapeseed oil, Mash Direct, Harnett’s Oils, Clandeboye Yoghurt, White’s Oats, Hilden Brewery, Long Meadow Cider, Thyme & Co Gluten-Free Cakes, Flossies Fudge, Made With Love chutneys and relishes, Keen Nutrition Nut Butter, Posh Nosh Salad Dressings and Cavanagh Free Range Eggs.

LegenDerry Food Festival finalist in Business Awards

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The LegenDerry Food Festival has been nominated under Best Tourism Initiative in the Bank of Ireland Derry Business Awards, after attracting a staggering 36,000 visitors in its very first year.

 

Throughout the festival visitors flocked to the immense marquis which filled the Guildhall Square with mouthwatering aromas over the St Patrick’s weekend to enjoy some of the finest local cuisine rustled up by the city’s top chefs. They were joined by TV favourites Rachel Allen and Neven Maguire, and a whole host of local food producers for a three day celebration of all things delicious.

 

The event was organized by Derry City Council, and Festival Organiser Mary Blake said she was delighted that the event has been recognized through this nomination by the Chamber.

 

“We are absolutely thrilled to have been shortlisted and to be finalists in this award, we are also thrilled to see World Host win the event as we move towards World Host city status. ” she said “The LegenDerry Food Fest sets out to support our restaurant sector in the city and to recognize the excellent range of produce available locally to us. We have such a wealth of high quality food stuffs on offer and are fast developing a reputation as a food tourism destination of note, and securing positive recommendations from food critics in the national press.

 

“Our chefs and restaurants are enhancing the profile of the city and winning national recognition. This award recognizes the importance of collaborating with the private sector in developing high quality events for visitors and locals alike.”

 

The LegenDerry Food Festival showcased the cuisine of 14 of the best local restaurants from the region, all promoting the LegenDerry brand and supporting local food producers.  The programme highlighted the importance of the local food chain and was supported by key funders the DARD Agri Food programme, City of Culture, Derry City Council and delivered with support from Food NI the National Food Agency.

 

As well as all the kitchen action and the delicious array of dishes available in the Festival Marquee, the event included celebrity chef demonstrations by RTE’s Brian McDermott and Neven Maguire, and BBC favourites Rachel Allen and Paula McIntyre.

 

Food fans also got to sample some local delicacies at the Lough’s Agency Oyster Bar as well as learn more about the native flatbed Oyster. The LegenDerry Food Hall in the Guildhall featured over 20 exhibitors selling everything from locally made chocolate and patisserie, to cheese-making kits and ice cream.

 

Pictured at the awards in the City Hotel Derry are Left to Right Louise Millsopp DARD NI Regional Agri Food Programme, Brian McDermott Celebrity Chef and compere, Mary Blake, Tourism Manager and Event Organiser Derry City Council and Annmarie Moore the Northwest Regional College.

The Old Schoolhouse Inn scoops prestigious ‘Grub Club’ Award and announces new Fine Dining Restaurant

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The Old Schoolhouse Inn in Comber, run by 27 year old chef Will Brown, has won the prestigious “Grub Club Restaurant of The Year 2013/14 Award”, confirming it’s position as one of the best restaurants in Ireland.

Established over 30 years ago, the Grub Club is an exclusive private dining club, which scours the whole of Northern Ireland to find the very best restaurants that the region has to offer. With strict criteria to select its winner based on the excellent calibre, integrity and innovation of its entire food, beverage and service offering, the Grub Club celebrates culinary excellence at its best. Past winners have included Deane’s, Shanks and Roscoff.

The award win comes at an exciting time for the Old Schoolhouse Inn as this week chef Will Brown confirmed plans for a new ‘fine dining’ restaurant on site, which is set to open in the spring. The 30-seater restaurant, which will be known as Will Brown at The Schoolhouse, will introduce a whole new food offering, with a stunning menu of new dishes, fine wines and cheeses served at the high standard that the restaurant is currently well known for.

The existing restaurant will become The Schoolhouse Bistro and will continue to serve local classic dishes as well as the popular five-course tasting menu. Plans also include a new kitchen and a polytunnel where the majority of fresh ingredients will be grown. Will commented,

“Winning the ‘Grub Club Restaurant of The Year’ Award is a real honour – I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved at The Old Schoolhouse Inn and am delighted that the hard work we put into our food is being recognised.

Off the back of this award, there’s no better time for us to announce the launch of our new fine dining restaurant – Will Brown at The Schoolhouse – which will open in March. We will continue to offer customers the same local classics along with the popular tasting menu in the main restaurant  – which will be renamed The Schoolhouse Bistro  – however the new fine dining restaurant will give us the opportunity to show what we are really capable of in terms of technicality and flair, which should appeal to both our current customers and hopefully some new ones too.

At The Schoolhouse Bistro we will be serving an even wider range of great dishes but at local prices – from burgers and salads through to favourites like Strangford lough mussels and beef bourguignon.  The Bistro signature dish is one that I hope everyone will want to try – a lobster hotdog!”

Will Brown took over The Old Schoolhouse Inn in 2012 and in that time has succeeded in firmly placing it on the culinary map having received several accolades to date; the restaurant has been named as one of the top 100 restaurant in Ireland, Will has been named one of the top 10 chefs in Ireland and he has also been tabbed as one to watch by culinary guide, Bridgestone. Will’s success has also extended to television thanks to him taking in part in Great British Menu 2013 where he reached the final heat in London and was nominated as one of Northern Ireland’s top three chefs.

The Old Schoolhouse Inn is Will Brown’s first restaurant, bringing together 10 years of experience in London and Ireland. He started his cooking career at the tender age of 17 when he joined the team at Marco Pierre White’s Mirabelle, since then he has trained at a myriad of Michelin starred restaurants within the UK and Ireland including The Square, Mayfair, Gordon Ramsey’s Maze, The Glasshouse for Bruce Poole and Roscoff for Paul Rankin. Head Chef, Will Brown uses the best of Ulster’s produce to create simple yet accomplished dishes which reflect their Irish heritage.

www.theoldschoolhouseinn.com

Festival of Flight

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We are delighted to announce that FoodNI are linking up with Down Council to create a food village for the Festival of Flight.

This event will take place on from Friday 8 August to Sunday 10 August 2014 in Newcastle, County Down.

During last year’s Festival of Flight, 125,000 people attended the event and all food stalls sold out of product. There will be numerous County Down food suppliers at the village this year.  This guarantees to be a great family event which many food stalls including a range of products for both adults and children.