The High School Ballynahinch invited its pupils to shake up their wake up on Monday 20 January. Article 24 of the UNCRC states that all children have the right to nutritious food and the School Council and the Rights Respecting School Steering Group encouraged the pupils to make breakfast part of their day.

The event was part of the celebrations for Farmhouse Breakfast Week (20-26 January 2013) and was one of hundreds across the country celebrating the most important meal of the day.

To help the pupils to feel the benefits of breakfast, The High School Ballynahinch provided a free breakfast on each day during the week sponsored by Crossgar Foods, Supervalu, White’s Oats and Linwoods. On Friday 25 January there was an All Day Breakfast served.

Farmhouse Breakfast Week is a nationwide annual campaign in its 14th year, organised on behalf of UK cereal farmers and producers. It aims to educate people about the importance of eating a healthy breakfast and to encourage the public to start the day with breakfast.

New research  conducted for the campaign shows that nearly half of us (47%) skip breakfast at some point during the week and 15 per cent do not eat it at all! Research also shows that 32 per cent of British children are regularly missing breakfast . This is despite the fact that scientific research has shown that eating breakfast can make you healthier and happier.

Guest of honour: Ed Kilgore, Head of Mountain Rescue, Newcastle

NORTHERN Ireland’s leading hotel group is continuing its quest to support local suppliers with the launch of a new booklet showcasing its breakfast offering to guests.

Hastings Hotels launched its Who Made My Breakfast? booklet at an event in the Stormont Hotel which was attended by a host of local politicians including Ian Paisley Jr and Alastair Ross, industry experts and local suppliers.

Howard Hastings, Managing Director of Hastings Hotels said: “We are Northern Ireland’s only hotel group to use only 100% local produce for our breakfast. Food Provenance is of major importance to us as a group and the aim of the Who Made My Breakfast? booklet is to showcase the true Northern Ireland breakfast experience we offer at Hastings Hotels which would not be possible without our wonderful local suppliers.

“We use only the finest local produce and provide a breakfast experience which is consistent across the six Hastings Hotels and this booklet is about the people behind the magnificent produce which offers guests a true Northern Ireland experience  (used twice in sentences above??),” Howard said.

“Who Made My Breakfast? allows us to tell the story behind the breakfast giving guests the opportunity to find out more about what they are eating. They can even see the pictures of the people responsible for what they are eating including the suppliers from Armagh Apple Juice, Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt, bacon from Hannon Meats, Clements Eggs in County Down, Malachy McKenna Mushrooms from Mid-Ulster and Get Fresh Tomatoes from Drumbeg.

“Food is a hugely important part of the visitor experience, so the more we can do to promote the quality of our local produce and our local suppliers, the better. At Hastings Hotels, we are proud of what our local soils, our local climate and our local people can produce and we hope that this booklet will help our local suppliers, which I think are amongst the best in the world, increase their business,” Howard concluded.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PHOTO CAPTION

Howard Hastings of Hastings Hotels was joined by Bob Colhoun from Get Fresh Tomatoes, Jilly Dougan from Hannan Meats and Stephen McKenna from McKenna Mushrooms at the launch of the Who Made My Breakfast? booklet at the Stormont Hotel. Hastings Hotels launched the booklet to showcase the true Northern Ireland breakfast experience offered at Hastings Hotels as well as its local suppliers. The booklet tells the story behind the breakfast giving guests the opportunity to find out more about what they are eating and where it came from.

Not so long ago, nobody went out to eat in the city centre of Belfast. It’s taken years of hard work and dedication by local chefs to bring people in, but all that hard work may have been for nothing as the hospitality industry struggles to cope with the impact of the ongoing flags protests.

After a dismal Christmas, many may not make it to the spring. Taste of Ulster supports the Backin’ Belfast campaign 100 per cent. It stands with the rest of the people of Northern Ireland who want peace and our evening economy restored.

Show your support by pledging to eat in three different places over the next week. Why not breakfast in one, lunch in another and dinner somewhere else?  If we all did this, it would give bars and restaurants much needed revenue boost and show them we want our city back.

#TakeBackTheCity

We all know it’s the most important meal of the day, but breakfast is also one of the most important parts of our Northern Ireland food economy. Marking the start of Farmhouse Breakfast Week (20-26 Jan), Tesco has revealed that it purchases over £56Million of products from local companies whose foods we love to eat for breakfast.

Independent consumer research* carried out in May 2012 revealed that favourites such as wheaten bread, potato bread and the humble Ulster Fry are among the top items cited by shoppers as summing up “the taste of Northern Ireland”.

Tesco is celebrating the local suppliers of our favourite breakfast heroes with its own Taste NI Tesco Breakfast Week.  Local companies including White’s Oats, Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt, Punjana Tea, Skea Eggs, Cookstown and Irwin’s Bakery will be taking part in the big Tesco Breakfast roadshow this week.  They will be in a selection of stores, offering shoppers free samples and tastings of their latest breakfast products and sharing their passion for the local foods that start the day.

Tesco Breakfast is part of the ongoing Tesco Taste Northern Ireland campaign to connect shoppers with the local people, producers and places behind their favourite foods.

Cliff Kells, Commercial Manager, Tesco NI said, “Farmhouse Breakfast Week encourages people to make time for breakfast and to take advantage of the excellent range of home grown produce here.  It’s a meal we do really well in Northern Ireland and it’s the one that visitors and ex-pats long to come home to.  We have a superb range of traditional cooked breakfast goods and breads made locally, and we’re seeing local bakeries like Irwin’s and Genesis really capitalising on the love of regional favourites like scones, pancakes and soda breads, with superb ranges on offer in our stores now.

“We’re seeing growth in healthier breakfast items, with companies such as Co Armagh’s White’s doing great business with its Toasted Oats and porridge.  We also have a brand new supplier, Just Live a Little, a small family business based in Portaferry making a delicious range of granola and muesli.  Team this up with some of Clandeboye Estate’s Heavenly Herd Greek yoghurt with Mango or Strawberry and you’ve got a really delicious, healthy and all-local kick start to the day.”

In commercial terms, breakfast is big business for local companies including Downpatrick’s Finnebrogue which supplies Tesco Finest sausages to Tesco stores in Northern Ireland, Dungannon-based Skea Eggs which supplies eggs under the Skea brand locally and also under the Tesco brand in both Northern Ireland and GB, and Dale Farm which supplies all Tesco-brand milk in Northern Ireland.

Cliff Kells continued, “Buying local breakfast goods means supporting local jobs, farmers and producers.  It’s a healthy start to the day and it’s keeping our agri-food economy healthy too! We would encourage people to get into the healthy breakfast habit and to enjoy and celebrate the excellent range of local, high quality breakfast foods available across Northern Ireland.”

This week, you can share your favourite breakfast ideas online by uploading and sharing photos of your favourite NI breakfast to www.facebook.com/tastenorthernireland.

15th January 2012

Local food was on the menu today at a Farmhouse Breakfast in Greenmount. The agri-food industry sat down to breakfast together to support the HGCA’s Farmhouse Breakfast Week (20th – 26th January 2013) which encourages people to make time for breakfast and to take advantage of excellent home grown ingredients.

The breakfast was a collaborative venture supported by HGCA, DARD, UFU and FoodNI with all ingredients provided by local suppliers. CAFRE students provided floral and food displays celebrating the best of local ingredients.

Opening the event UFU Seeds and Cereals Chairman and FoodNI Chairman John Best said; “ This event is set up to encourage our guests to get into the healthy breakfast habit and to enjoy and celebrate the excellent range of local, high quality breakfast foods available across Northern Ireland.   Our agri-food industry currently turns over £4 billion a year and events such as the annual Farmhouse Breakfast week, provides us with the opportunity to remind ourselves of the importance of this industry and to celebrate the contributions of Northern Ireland’s producers.”

Martin Grantley-Smith, HGCA’s Head of Business Development visited the province to support this prestigious event.  He said; “HGCA is delighted to be returning to enjoy Farmhouse Breakfast at Greenmount.  The strong support we continue to receive from Northern Ireland’s farmers and producers play an important role in continuing to raise awareness of the benefits of eating a healthy breakfast – and the wealth of wonderful breakfast produce available.” www.shakeupyourwakeup.com

UFU President Harry Sinclair added; “Breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day, so it is apt that we are celebrating this important industry with a breakfast meal. Despite rising production costs, Northern Ireland’s producers are still committed to ensuring that delicious and healthy food is available for our breakfast tables. With the success of another Farmhouse breakfast I would like to extend a special thanks to all the breakfast partners for their support and contributions today.”

Michele Shirlow from FoodNI concluded; “It is a privilege to have been able to work with Northern Ireland producers to put on the Northern Ireland Farmhouse Breakfast this year. There is an abundance of good food grown locally here in Northern Ireland, as can be seen by the contributions at this event, so there is no excuse for consumers not to be eating a healthy and delicious breakfast. Not only is this event highlighting the importance of breakfast but it is providing an excellent platform for recognising the quality of food produce here in Northern Ireland and the hard work and commitment of producers.”

Farmhouse Breakfast Week is supported by retailers, producers, schools, restaurants, cafes, hotels and farmer’s markets, so there’s no excuse for not getting out there and benefiting from the best meal of the day-breakfast!

Sincere thanks to the following companies who have provided the ingredients for our breakfast:

Dale Farm, Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt Company, Armagh Cider Company, White’s, Irwin’s, Fivemiletown Creamery, Hannan Meats, Gracehill Black Pudding, Annaghmore Mushrooms, Clements Eggs, Bailies Coffee, Suki Tea, Punjana Tea, Harnett’s Oil, Broighter Gold Rapeseed Oil, Linwoods.

 

Brussel Sprouts sourced directly from family business Gilfresh Produce, based in County Armagh are now available at Tesco stores across Northern Ireland.  This quintessential Christmas dinner vegetable comes through Gilfresh Produce from a number of local growers including Robert Thompson, from County Down.  Shoppers should be delighted to hear that the Northern Ireland sprouts will be available for the duration of the festive season in Tesco stores.

Normally considered as the ‘love them or hate them’ vegetable, Brussels Sprouts are like miniature versions of the common cabbage, they grow in multiple rows along a thick, central stalk and have a sweet, nutty flavour.  They also have many health benefits as they contain Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Folic Acid and Dietary Fibre.

Sandra Weir, Tesco Northern Ireland Buying Manager, said: We have had an extremely wet summer which has had a major impact on local farmers and produce yields. However thanks to the dedication, hard work and expertise of both Gilfresh Produce and their growers, Tesco customers will continuously be supplied with fresh vegetables sourced from Northern Ireland,  including Brussels Sprouts, throughout the Christmas period.”