Almost half of Northern Ireland’s working professionals eat the most important meal of the day at their desk according to a survey commissioned by local cereal producer White’s Oats.

An overwhelming 92% of working professionals surveyed confirmed they do eat breakfast which was welcomed by White’s Oats yet, while tea and toast was the most popular breakfast at home, porridge was the preferred choice of more than one in four at work.

‘Lack of time’ was cited as the primary reason for not eating breakfast at home by around one in four respondents. Other reasons given for skipping breakfast included more than half admitting they didn’t like eating too early in the morning. Weight management was cited by 12% as a reason for missing breakfast, despite endless research having shown that eating breakfast does in fact help manage people’s weight, while 8% preferred longer in bed.

White’s Oats partnered with the global initiative The Work Perk to reward 50,000 working professionals across Northern Ireland and Great Britain with delicious samples of its Toat’ly Oaty Instant Porridge and in doing so surveyed the pool of recipients.  Made with 100% wholegrain jumbo oats and nothing artificial, Toat’ly Oaty comes in handy microwaveable sachets which take just two and half minutes making it ideal for busy professionals who are always on the go.

Local nutritionist, Rachel Wright commented: 

“Evidence suggests it’s not just important to have a breakfast, but to have a healthy one such as porridge. As well as providing a good source of fibre, vitamins and minerals, porridge has a low Glycaemic Index which means it releases energy slowly keeping you fuller for longer.  Research indicates that eating whole grains regularly as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle may reduce the risk of many diseases such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer by up to 30%.”

Porridge is certainly a popular breakfast choice for working professionals with 45% of office workers in Northern Ireland eating porridge at least once a week and 29% eating it either daily or 2-3 times per week.

In GB an even greater proportion of those surveyed, at 61%, eat breakfast at work compared to 54% in Northern Ireland. Once again porridge is the top breakfast at work choice as revealed by 29% of GB respondents, followed by cereal at 22% and tea and toast at 21%.

Commenting on the findings, Danielle McBride, Brander Manager, White’s Oats added:

“We’re delighted to learn that porridge is not just a popular at home breakfast choice but also a popular option among working professionals in Northern Ireland. It’s also interesting to note that for so many of us time is a big factor in the morning. White’s Toat’ly Oaty Instant Porridge ticks all the boxes for a healthy and convenient breakfast offering 100% nutritional goodness in just over 2 minutes. So whether it’s at the desk or at home, we hope everyone makes the time to start the day with a bowl of White’s Porridge.”

The research also revealed:

-Among those who hadn’t eaten porridge before 42% claimed they didn’t like the taste; but after trying Toat’ly Oaty 59% of respondents rated the taste as either really good or good;

-Texture was another reason for not eating porridge according to 29% of respondents but after sampling Toat’ly Oaty, 58% ranked the texture as either good or really good.

White’s Toat’ly Oaty comes in four varieties: Original, Apple and Cinnamon, Wild Fruit and Multi Seed.

With only 115 calories per 30g serving* and packed full of vitamins and other key nutrients, Toat’ly Oaty is the quick and easy way of giving everyone a balanced and nutritional breakfast.

White’s Toat’ly Oaty Instant Porridge has a low GI index helping to release energy slowly throughout the morning and provides a rich source of soluble fibre beta-glucan which has been shown to help reduce cholesterol**. One 30g serving of Toat’ly Oaty* provides 1.3g of beta glucan which is over one third of the recommended daily intake of 3g per day.

Disclaimer

**The inclusion of oats as part of a diet low in saturated fat and a healthy lifestyle can help reduce cholesterol.

*Toat’ly Oaty Original

The findings are based on a survey of 7,695 working professionals- (1,701 in Northern Ireland and 5,994 in Great Britain). The survey was conducted as part of The Work Perk initiative on behalf of White’s Oats.

Charity Christmas Hamper Appeal

Local charity, Rural Support, is calling all local food and drink producers to help hard-hit farming families this festive season, by supporting its Christmas Hamper Appeal.

The local charity has teamed up with wind energy company, Simple Power, to launch its first ever ‘Christmas Hamper Scheme’ aimed at helping farming and rural families in need.

Rural Support, which provides help for farmers and rural families through a helpline offering a listening and signposting service, is asking local agri-businesses to donate products. In this first year, Rural Support, hopes to be able to deliver approximately 50 hampers to hard-hit families throughout Northern Ireland.

Rural Support’s Development Director, Jude McCann, said “Every year, families throughout Northern Ireland’s rural community face a difficult Christmas. Our hamper appeal aims to provide a little lift for these families that can make all the difference at this time of year. We plan to distribute in the region of 50 hampers across Northern Ireland and are calling on the many successful and vibrant local food producer and suppliers here to make a contribution. By kindly donating only 50 items of your product, you can make a huge difference to a rural family in need this Christmas.”

To get involved in the Rural Support ‘Christmas Hamper Scheme’, in partnership with Simple Power, call  02890 918 420 or email: sarah@jagocommunications.com.   For additional information, visit: www.simplepower.co/CSR.

Simple Power is committed to an on-going partnership with the local charity, providing financial support alongside fundraising activities.

Simple Power Chief Executive, Philip Rainey, commented, “We are delighted to launch this Christmas Hamper Scheme in partnership with Rural Support. Christmas can be a very special time for many but it’s important to acknowledge that it can also be a difficult time of year for those in hardship, particularly within the rural community.  We hope the Hampers will go some way towards providing a little Christmas cheer, alongside Rural Support’s very beneficial support service.”

Six UK cities (Belfast, Bournemouth, Cardiff, Liverpool, Newcastle and Stockport) will share one million pounds of funding to make healthy and sustainable food a defining characteristic of the city and use good food to address some of today’s most pressing social, economic and environmental problems including obesity, food poverty and climate change.

The UK’s first ‘Sustainable Food Cities’ programme aims to give everyone access to local, affordable and sustainable food. The funding will support the six cities to employ a dedicated officer to work with the local authority and partners such as schools, charities and restaurants to transform access to local, affordable and sustainable food for people across the city – setting it on its way to becoming a Sustainable Food City.

Tom Andrews, national programme manager of Sustainable Food Cities said; “Our vision is that Sustainable Food Cities will be places where every school, hospital, restaurant and workplace canteen serve only healthy and sustainable meals; where everyone has access to affordable fresh, seasonal, local and sustainably produced food no matter where they live; and where people of all ages and backgrounds have opportunities to learn about, grow and cook food.

“The programme is about using food to improve people’s health and wellbeing, creating new businesses and jobs and reducing our impact on the environment. Food is not only at the heart of some of today’s greatest challenges but is also a vital part of the solution. The six cities will become beacons of good practice to inspire other cities across the UK.”

The Sustainable Food Cities Network is an alliance of public, private and third sector organisations using food as a vehicle for driving positive changes.  More than eighty per cent of people now live in urban areas and people in towns and cities can have a huge impact on our food system. The Network helps people and places to share challenges, explore practical solutions and develop best practice in all aspects of sustainable food.

The Sustainable Food Cities programme led by the Soil Association, Food Matters and Sustain and funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, will create six exemplar models of what a city can do to transform its food culture. More than 100 urban areas across the UK are expected to join the network by the end of the three-year programme.

The Sustainable Food Cities Network is an alliance of public, private and third sector organisations using food as a vehicle for driving positive changes. The Network helps people and places to share challenges, explore practical solutions and develop best practice in all aspects of sustainable food.

It’s nearly that time of year again and unlike writing Christmas cards I’m hopefully on time with getting the word out about our ‘Christmas Pork Hampers’ (just the regular £50 pork box with a fancy festive name and maybe some cocktail sausages if I can persuade the butcher!) and a special new box called the ‘Pork Selection Box’ which is only £25 and includes 1kg of sausages, choice of 1 dry-cured gammon or leg roast (1 – 2kg), choice of 0.4kg dry-cured back bacon or loin chops and 0.4kg pork and apple burgers.

Just to remind you that I do need time to get the pig from the field to the freezer (via Ballymena and Newtownstewart) and approaching this time of year the butcher does get busy so it would be very helpful if you can place your orders as soon as possible (by next Monday 25th Nov if at all possible).  I will have a spare freezer full for later orders but I won’t be able to guarantee your order for Christmas/New Year if you place it after 25th Nov.

Also to remind you if you’re stuck for Christmas present ideas this year food is usually a good practical option that hopefully won’t appear on ebay on Boxing Day.  May I suggest a special, local, free range, virtually 100% organic Christmas Pork Hamper for example!

Kee’s Saddleback £50 pork box contains:

2kg sausages (by award winning sausage-making butcher) variety of pork and chilli, pork and leek and plain pork

0.5kg pork ribs (lovely in soup)

choice of 1 dry-cured gammon or leg roast (1 – 2kg)

choice of 0.8kg dry-cured back bacon or loin chops

0.8kg pork and apple burgers

choice of 1 shoulder roast or pork pieces/steaks

We are small scale Artisan producers of purebred British Saddleback pork in the foothills of the Sperrin Mountains, a designated area of outstanding natural beauty just outside Douglas Bridge, Co. Tyrone.  Being outdoor and free to roam all year round and fed on our homegrown feed the pork has a very distinctive flavour which is always remarked upon.  Described in Flavour magazine as ‘gorgeous, rich, hearty and unlike any pork I have ever tried before’ this pork needs to be tasted to be believed!

Also passionate about growing organic vegetables and herbs on the farm there may be a treat included with the box depending on the season and the surplus at the time!

Freezer ready, packed in small quantities.

Boxes include full cooking suggestions for all of the products.

Box Delivery – free in Co.Tyrone. £5 rest of N.Ireland and Donegal. Belfast deliveries will also be free with 3 or more orders.

Orders by email or phone.  Email updates are sent every few months with special offers and information.

Also supply to speciality restaurants and for hog roasts if suitable size is available.

Local, high quality restaurants have described our pork as ‘a 1st class meat and excellent product’.

You may find us at some food festivals throughout the year selling some cooked produce as well!

If you have any questions please be in contact.

Kee’s Outdoor Saddlebacks

Farm: 028 816 61172

Mob: 077 9020 6875

Food NI’s newest producer member, Clogher Valley Meats has just triumphed at the prestigious European Sausage Championship in Alencon in France. Kieran Meehan and his team of craft butchers impressed the judges at the Commanderie des Fins Goustiers du Duché d’Alençon.

They came away with a Grand Prix d’Honneur Award for their Pork sausage and another for their Pork and Spring Onion Speciality Sausage. They’re the first European awards for Clogher Valley Meats, but they won’t be the last.

 

Simon Darcy has just started working with the team at Soul Food Cafe, Ormeau Road, Belfast. We saw his friands and curd tartlets this morning and we were sorely tempted!