Northern Ireland’s premier gardening event, Garden Show Ireland is set to celebrate home grown produce at this years event. Throughout the weekend leading local chef Paula McIntyre will be showcasing a multitude of recipes that can be created using plants and produce grown in back gardens all over the country.

For the duration of the Show, Friday 9th – Sunday 11th May, Paula will take to the stage at the Garden Gourmet Pavilion to demonstrate how to create a variety of unusual dishes from common home grown produce and plants including a Floral Afternoon Tea comprising of Hibiscus and Whin Champagne, Lavender Sponge with Rosewater and Raspberry cream and Crystallised Rose Petals. Paula is looking forward to the show, “It is fantastic to be be involved in this event and promote an area that is so close to my heart. We are surrounded by stunning produce in this country and it is important that we all understand the potential that sits in our own back yards!”

The Northern Ireland Tourist Board, a key supporter of Garden Show Ireland, recognises the unique nature of our local produce as Chairman Howard Hasting comments, “ Northern Ireland is blessed with some of the best natural produce in the world – from our Comber Potatoes to our Armagh Apples  – and it is great to see Garden Show Ireland encouraging visitors to make use of a variety of home grown produce.”

Taking place in a brand new venue for 2014, an expanded new look Garden Show Ireland will include appearances by Alys Fowler from BBC Gardeners’ World, Ireland’s world-renowned plantswoman Helen Dillon and .Bunny Guinness – winner of 6 Chelsea gold medals, author and regular panelist on BBC’s Gardeners’ Question Time.  With thousands of specialist plants, great garden shopping, garden designers and show gardens, a craft village, a free design pavilion, artisan food stalls, live music, garden gourmet, garden challenges, a dedicated kids zone and more, the event promises to be the ultimate garden show experience for gardeners of all ages and experiences.

The 2014 Garden Show Ireland will run from 9th – 11th May at Antrim Castle Gardens and is open daily from 10am-6pm with parking nearby. Adults are £10 (concession £8) and the event is FREE for children under 16. There is a reduced rate for online booking and for more information visit www.gardenshowireland.com.

Northern Irish company Willowbrook Foods recently hosted a ‘Leafy Salad Innovation Day’ to incorporate all businesses involved in leafy salads from the breeder to the consumer. The full day event, held at the Hilton Hampton Hotel, Corby, captured information from the leading breeders, growers, Willowbrook Foods (the processor) and UK foodservice company, Pauleys.

 A debut event of its kind for Willowbrook Foods, the event was hosted to communicate new information about new leafy salads either already on the market or soon to appear to Willowbrook customers. World leading breeders and growers demonstrated the research & development processes, new technologies involved and the existing and future of lettuce breeding and growing worldwide.

 Breeders speaking at the event included Shamrock Seed, Enza Zaden and Rijk Zwaan. With grower presentations from speciality produce company Jepco, Valefresco and Len Wright Salads.

 Peter Summerton, Head of Sales at Willowbrook Foods commented, “The primary objective of the Leafy Salad Innovation Day was to bring together the key players in the industry – breeders, growers, processors and customers all of which are working towards the satisfaction of consumers.

 ‘It is important as a processor to keep conversant with consumer demands and identify key products to bring to market. We aim to provide innovative ideas to our customers who then pass the product on to the end user, be that in a retail store or on your dinner plate in a restaurant.”

 With changes in the UK climate in recent years, breeders and growers have faced difficult episodes, in terms of providing solutions to create various lettuce seeds which will sustain the extreme weather conditions and also create greater robustness, colour and taste.

 Willowbrook Foods’ Procurement Manager, Jonathan Magowan added, “Selecting leafy salad varieties which can sustain washing, drying and chilled haulage is vital. Yet we also have to look towards innovation, trialling new breeds and getting the right product to market.”

 Recently the discussion about food waste has been prevalent in the media, with lettuce being one of the most heavily wasted products in our supermarkets and restaurants. According to Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) 2012 figures over 100 tonnes of leafy salads and lettuce were wasted in the UK. The Leafy Salad Innovation event enabled an opportunity for Willowbrook Foods discussed the opportunities to provide solutions to waste, hence providing a more positive experience with purchasing and eating lettuce. The opportunity to provide tastier and more desired lettuce leaves for restaurants and catering companies was a key discussion to support healthier eating and recognising lettuce as a healthy meal option and not just a garnish.

 With new leafy salad products being trialled all over the world there are many opportunities to enhance the consumption of lettuce as an edible fresh food product and not just a garnish on a plate.

 The event was not just informative but educational on the process of breeding the right seed right through to the processing of the product. Feedback from the event was positive, Richard Walker, Director of Specialist Sales, commented that there was “clear evidence that everyone is joined up supporting successful crop management and development.”

 The development work is ongoing with extreme field and factory trials programmed throughout the year. John McCann, Managing Director of Willowbrook Foods added, “Innovation is at the heart of all activity at Willowbrook Foods. We must be at the forefront of development across all categories we operate in. In 2011 we opened our Food Innovation Centre and in order to complement our activities in salad production we will also drive innovation through our ‘Willowbrook Fine Foods’ semi-ready meals and meal accompaniment division which is scheduled to launch in the Autumn this year.”

 As well as breeders and growers, other participants include senior representatives from foodservice operations including the UK’s leading fast food providers, caterers and chefs. The next stage of the innovation process will be to visit the growers and view the crops growing.  

Top chef Danny Millar from Killinchy’s Balloo House.

Danny, an ambassador for the charity, attended the recent open day of Cancer Fund for Children’s short break centre Daisy Lodge, near Newcastle. He is pictured here with centre assistant manager, Joan Burden, in the facility’s state-of-the-art new kitchen.

HILDEN BREWERY REVEAL PLAN FOR LOCAL INDUSTRY

THE award winning Hilden Brewery has stepped forward as the driving force behind a plan to establish a new organisation aimed at promoting Northern Ireland’s craft brewing industry.

The growth in demand for locally brewed beers and ciders has seen a dramatic increase in the number of manufacturing outlets across the province in recent years.

Now the industry believes that the time is right to actively use a unified promotional platform to get across the positive message surrounding the flavour and diversity of its products.

Seamus Scullion, the founder of Hilden Brewery, Ireland’s longest established independent brewer, says the sector needs to have a collective voice in order to promote effectively in modern consumer market conditions.

He pointed out there was general agreement across the craft brewing industry of the importance of offering for sale the widest possible range of quality products.

“At present the drinks market is dominated by the likes of Tennants and Diageo,” he said. “They can bring huge financial muscle to any sales table.

“However smaller can be better. By being able to concentrate on the development of what are essentially bespoke beers and ciders craft brewers have a decided advantage in terms of delivering taste and quality.”

The Hilden Brewery chairman pointed out the demand for naturally sourced and traceability linked products provided craft brewers with additional customer friendly tools.

“Interest in all things related to the craft beer and cider industry has never been stronger,” said Mr Scullion. “When we started up Hilden Brewery more than 30 years ago we were operating in a relatively limited market and customer base.

“The greater awareness however that now exists about the craft beer and cider division of the drinks trade has opened up huge opportunities.

“As a craft industry we can best exploit those opportunities by speaking with a shared voice.

“By developing a strategy to service and protect the expansion of the industry, and its customer base, the new body will have a vital role to play.”

He went on; “It will allow us to share ideas and campaign on issues relevant to the brewing industry across Northern Ireland, while at the same time promoting craft brewing and the community of craft beer drinkers.”

One of the key elements of the new strategy will be to tap into the tourism and wider economic potential of the industry.

“By working with the likes of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, Food NI, Invest NI and Pubs of Ulster we believe the innovative culture of local craft brewing has the potential to be showcased on a world-wide platform,” said Mr Scullion.

“You only have to look at the visitor benefits being generated in Scotland as a result of the focus on its whisky distilling industry to see how important an economic generator it has become.

“Of course it is impossible to draw direct comparisons but nevertheless there are vital economic tourism lessons that Northern Ireland, and our industry can learn from a craft brewing perspective.” 

One of Northern Ireland’s leading family businesses celebrated ten years in business this week. Mash Direct hosted an event at their new factory to mark their tenth anniversary and celebrate diversifying from a small family farm into an award winning household brand.

In attendance were Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster and Finance Minister Simon Hamilton who praised Comber company Mash Direct for it achievements over the last decade and for their continued commitment to innovation with the launch of their new Vegetable Burger range.

Minister Foster said: “Mash Direct is a superb example of how the enterprise has transformed from a small family farm into an award-winning and increasingly successful exporter.

“Martin, Tracy, Lance and Jack have shown outstanding commitment to both their family-run enterprise and the food industry. Their dedication is a source of inspiration to others in the farming, food and business communities.

“Innovation and new product development have been at the forefront of the business. Their innovation, ‘taking the food from field to fork’, has led to Mash Direct being highlighted as an industry leader and to have achieved so much in such a short space of time is outstanding.

“This is a remarkable success story of a company which is now a market leader in vegetable accompaniments with an impressive range of convenience meals and ‘food to go’ dishes which use potatoes and vegetables grown on the family farm. Mash Direct products are currently exported to Europe, the US and the United Arab Emirates.

“Mash Direct’s exceptional achievements in markets outside Northern Ireland and their expertise in new product development and manufacturing, have led to an impressive list of international awards the most recent being in the UK ‘Free From’ Food Awards at the end of March.”

“Endorsements from influential bodies such as the UK Guild of Fine Food, Food Manufacturing Excellence, Deloitte, Quality Food Awards, and The Grocer are testimony to the professionalism of the business and the outstanding quality of all the products,” added Minister Foster.

 Ulster/Ireland Rugby, star Rory Best, also a fan of Mash Direct, brought the Six Nations trophy with him to the tenth anniversary event.

 Mash Direct now employs over 120 people in one of the most modern and innovative processing facilities in the UK. They source the majority of the fresh potatoes and vegetables from the family farm, in addition to buying from other Northern Irish suppliers. It is the steam-cooking process and the quality and variety of the vegetables that give Mash Direct products their award-winning taste and texture of homemade food. There are now 37 different dishes in the company’s product portfolio.

 For more information: visit www.mashdirect.com

Photo Caption: L-R: Jack Hamilton (Director, Mash Direct), Martin Hamilton (Founder and Managing Director, Mash Direct), Rory Best (Ulster/Ireland Rugby Star), Arlene Foster (Minister of Enterprise), Tracy Hamilton (Director, Mash Direct), Simon Hamilton (Minister of Finance) and Lance Hamilton (Sales Director, Mash Direct) celebrate Mash Direct’s 10^th year in business. Rory Best brought the six nations trophy along to Mash Direct’s celebratory event.

Northern Ireland Allotment and Community Garden Forum A free networking event for allotment and community garden organisers, including local speakers, discussions and site visits. Where: The Andrews Memorial Hall, Comber When: 25 April 2014, 10am – 4pm Register Now The Federation of City Farms and Community Garden and our hosts Ards Borough Council would love to welcome you to the 10th Northern Ireland Allotment and Community Garden Forum. Twice a year, the Forum brings together a range of stakeholders from all over Northern Ireland and from the South too – councils and local authorities, government agencies, NGOs and allotment and community garden representatives. It’s a chance for people to meet, share ideas, get to know each other, and find out what’s going on around the country. Please come along and enjoy the day. We will be discussing everything you need to know to keep your project growing! Speakers: Mayor of Ards, Councillor Stephen McIlveen Maurice Patton, Ards Allotments Alberto Oscoz, Comber Regeneration Community Partnership Discussions: Long-term management and project sustainability Evidencing need in funding applications Stalls: Bumblebee Conservation Trust Conservation Volunteers Killinchy Keepers and the Ulster Beekeepers’ Association Comber Horticultural Society Site Visits: Ards Allotments Andrew Memorial School Gardens Incredible Edible Ballygowan (TBC) Lunch: Delicious local seasonal food from Root and Branch Organics! Scroll down and click ‘Register Now’ to book your place. (NB: In order to keep our numbers managable we’re limiting bookings to a maximum of 4 people per project.)