Shoppers in Marks and Spencer stores in Northern Ireland and the Republic of
Ireland will soon be able to enjoy artisan fudge handcrafted by three sisters in
Belfast.

Fudge from Melting Pot in east Belfast has just been listed by the prestigious retailer
for its 50 food halls in both parts of Ireland in a significant deal from the recent
Balmoral Show. Melting Pot, which was among around 100 local companies in the
huge Food NI Food Pavilion at the show, will see its fudge on the shelves in M&S in
September.

Jenny Lowry, one of the three founding partners of Melting Pot, continues: “This is
very exciting news that will enhance our business in both Northern Ireland and the
Republic. It’s a tremendous endorsement of the quality and taste of our products by
one of the most respected food retailers in the United Kingdom and Ireland, a great
way to celebrate 20 years in business.

“We were invited to pitch for business with an M&S buyer. It was a marvellous
opportunity that has now led to a listing for two of our fudges, traditional butter and
salted caramel, in the retailer’s food halls,” adds Jenny, who established the small
business with sisters Dorothy Bittles and Cathy Johnston in 2004.

The new business follows an earlier contract to supply a range of fudge to Dunnes
Stores for supermarkets in Northern Ireland and the Republic.
Melting Pot is an artisan fudge brand developed by Blackthorn Foods, the business
formed by the sisters, and is actually the second successful enterprise they’ve
established together.

The first venture, Salad Fayre, a producer of gourmet salads and desserts, was
formed in Newtownards in 2003 and subsequently sold at a profit. They then formed
Melting Pot was using a recipe for butter fudge developed by Patrick, their father, a
surveyor. The fudge has also won UK Great Taste Awards.

“We share a passion for premium fudge made using traditional, handcrafted
techniques,” explains Jenny. “Our fudge is all handmade and hand wrapped in small
batches, using the finest ingredients and natural flavourings. We have also
developed a gluten-free range.”

Going Dutch with our message about the importance of good food.

Food NI’s and the industry’s success in raising the profile of our food and drink
especially, in support of tourism, has attracted the attention of many regions across
the globe and has helped shape many important initiatives.

As a result, due to our measurable outputs during the Northern Ireland Year of Food
and Drink in 2016, and then winning Best Global Food destination in the International
Travel and Tourism Awards 2018/19, an achievement that still brings a smile, we are
now seen as a model of food/tourism development especially in emerging regions.
There’s widespread recognition of the extent of the food and drink revolution in
Northern Ireland during two decades.

The most recent region to seek guidance from us on the importance of indigenous
food and drink within tourism was Achterhoek, part of Gelderland in the Eastern
Netherlands, close to the German border, and a region of around 500,000 people
smaller than Northern Ireland, but with many similarities. A rural region with many
solid hard-working farmers who ‘just get on with it’ and don’t brag about what they
are doing, despite having innovated and pivoted their businesses and having won
many food and drink awards.

I had the privilege recently of taking part in a series of important discussions there
about food and drink tourism. Achterhoek shares with Northern Ireland a strong agri-
food industry that’s dominated by meat, dairy and other crops such as potatoes and
grains. Among other notable products is Grolsch beer and they even have their own
vineyards. I was delighted to meet a pig farmer turned wine-maker with a range of
wines named after local castles in the Achterhoeck region. Also, a leek farmer who
was growing pumpkin and poppy seeds for the bakery sector while running a farm
shop selling produce from the area.

As traditional agriculture has been downsizing, the focus on outdoor tourism has
flourished and the area is increasingly being seen as a destination for active tourism
– cycling, canoeing, hot air ballooning and lakeside retreats. The majority of visitors
are drawn from Germany, Belgium, Denmark and the Irish Republic, and I spotted
many of them cycling their way through the beautiful landscape of fields, canals,
traditional farmhouses and windmills.

My visit included meetings with food producers and tourism bodies included the
Achterhoek Food Platform which is on a journey that we’ve been travelling for many
years here in Northern Ireland.

The platform aims to assist Achterhoek on its journey to become a food region
whereby it’s citizens, employees and visitors can choose healthy and sustainable
food whilst producers take into account their impact on the climate, biodiversity,
landscape and animal welfare. We share their commitment especially the focus on
sustainability, biodiversity and animal welfare.
Achterhoek has the ambition to become “the healthiest and most vital region in The
Netherlands and Europe”. It is keen to work with other bodies, such as Food NI,
within “an international network of leading food regions and with Achterhoek Tourism
on an internationally distinctive profile for tourism there”.
Platform Achterhoek Food wants to strengthen the Achterhoek’s network of
entrepreneurs, farmers, schools, culinary teachers and students in the food
business, tourism, social organisations, food developers and sports clubs, which
automatically creates new and innovative partnerships and business opportunities.
Food NI can certainly relate to this strategy – it reflects much of what we have been
working on since our formation in 2016. I found the visit stimulating and worthwhile
and look forward to sharing experiences and ideas with Achterhoek. There’s much
that Northern Ireland and Achterhoek can benefit from through such an ongoing
collaboration in Europe.
As always on these journeys, you leave with the intention of explaining what you
have done, and you end up learning as much as you leave behind. I was highly
impressed at the link between health and food, the work they are doing on social
programmes, using food as a method of helping people return to education or
employment. I also met the inspirational Lena Friblick, the founder of the
Botildenborg Foundation which uses food to resolve social challenges in Malmo, and
Chef Bjorn Massop of Restaurant Lokaa in Doetinchem. Connections which I hope
will last for many years.

– Michele Shirlow MBE

Applications to trade at the Hillsborough Summer Fair (formerly Hillsborough Honey Fair) on 24th – 26th August are now open

Applications close 9am Wednesday 19th June. Click below to find out more and complete an application.

Food/Drink/Crafts Producer Application

Food to Go/ Tea/Coffee / Dessert Application

Contact oonagh@nigoodfood.com with any queries

Date/Time: Friday 5th July 2024 @ 8pm (doors open 7pm)
Cost: £20 per person

Get ready for a night of laughter in the Bramley Barn at Long Meadow Cider in conjunction with Prohibition Comedy.

Join the team at Long Meadow Cider for a hilarious comedy night filled with top-notch comedians, great company and unforgettable fun.

Enjoy a refreshing glass of cider on arrival with delicious table nibbles.

Don’t miss out on a fun-filled evening – reserve your spot today!

Cider and cider cocktails available to purchase throughout the evening.

LINE UP:

Master of Ceremonies

• Ro Boyle

Comedians

• Justin Cass
• Lianne McCooey
• Cathaoir O’Hagen
• Jazmynne Sierra
• Eamon McElwee

Please make the team aware of any food allergies.

Tickets are non-refundable.

This event is for over 18’s only.

Click here to book your ticket today

Comber Leisure Centre Carpark

Saturday 22 June

11am – 5pm

The annual Comber Earlies Food Festival is a wonderful day out filled with family fun, cookery demos in the Festival Kitchen and activities that celebrate the Comber Earlies potato which holds PGI Status.

Enjoy a wealth of artisan food and drink stalls, celebrity chef demos by Rachel Allen, children’s entertainment and lots more foodie favourites at this free family event!

There will be live music throughout the day, discussions with food heroes and an Artisan Bar – why not try a local beer brewed by McBride’s in the Square, Comber as well as other breweries from the area?

Find out more – https://www.visitardsandnorthdown.com/whats-on/summer-food-festival/comber-earlies-food-festival

Part of the Ards and North down Taste Summer Programme of events, 19 – 30 June 2024 – https://www.visitardsandnorthdown.com/whats-on/summer-food-festival

This event has received funding from DAERA’s Northern Ireland Regional Food Programme.

• The whiskey has been aged in American Bourbon barrels and finished in Moscatel wine casks and Sherry casks –
• A taste of things to come as Distillery’s first malt and pot-still whiskies near maturation –

The Copeland Distillery has released a 5-year-old Single Grain Irish whiskey – the second permanent addition to its Merchants’ Quay blended Irish whiskey range. Aged in single-use American Bourbon barrels, and finished in Muscatel and Pedro Ximenez wine casks, the 5-year-old whiskey has been carefully curated by the distillery team in the harbour town of Donaghadee, Co. Down.

Already home to award-winning spirits across various categories including gin and rum, whiskey has long been a priority for the Distillery, signalled by its six-figure, 2019 investment in its current facility – an abandoned cinema and former community centre. This investment kick-started the Distillery’s whiskey production, and now five years on, it has not only announced the release of a new five-year Single Grain whiskey but is soon to release the first malt and pot-still whiskeys distilled in Donaghadee, which are nearing maturation and will be launched at the end of 2024.

Gareth Irvine, founder of The Copeland Distillery, said: “2024 marks a significant moment in our whiskey journey. We continue to establish pedigree and showcase our creativity and craftmanship in blended whiskey through our Merchants’ Quay range, and it’s particularly important we do so, as we prepare for the first release of our own pot-stills and single malts later this year. There are currently over 500 casks filled and maturing in our cask warehouse on the Ards Peninsula, which equates to over 150,000 bottles.
“We’re incredibly proud of our identity as Northern Ireland’s most innovative distillery, and how we have instilled our local heritage and history into our spirits range. Our Merchants’ Quay range, for instance, reflects Donaghadee’s historic position as one of Ireland’s busiest ports and represents the colourful history of maritime activity in the town that can be traced back to the 13th century.”

With whiskey the third-highest growing spirits category in the US, and over 55 million litres of Irish whiskey sold across North America in 2022, it’s important that Irish distilleries develop their export potential by focusing on quality and brand identity

Mark Prentice, Commercial Director at The Copeland Distillery, said: “We’re incredibly grateful for the support the local market continues to give, but export is crucial to the long-term growth of the distillery. When it comes to whiskey, although Europe, the Middle East, Australia, and Africa remain important, the US is our primary market. It is a competitive environment, but we can speak confidently about our quality and our provenance which helps build connection with consumers. Over the last 12 months, we have proven our appeal, particularly amongst the Irish diaspora, and as the demand for Irish whiskey grows, we are well-positioned to meet demand through our expanded Merchants’ Quay range. It’s an exciting time as our whiskey offering is set to transform towards the end of the year with the release of the first cask of whiskey produced in Donaghadee.”

The new Merchants’ Quay 5-year-old Single Grain Whiskey is bottled at 46% ABV and has been aged in a unique combination of casks, giving a unique, rich and complex flavour profile. On the nose, drinkers can enjoy notes of caramelised apple, demerara sugar and marmalade / sticky orange. On the pallet, it is rich and intense with flavours of dates in dulce de leche, honey-drizzled black cherries, mandarin, warm oak, and sweet custard dominating the experience. The finish is an unexpected but perfected blend of sweetness and spice.

To celebrate the launch of the new Single Grain whiskey, up to 60 whiskey enthusiasts will have the opportunity to attend a ‘Whiskey Flight Night’ at The Copeland Distillery on Friday, May 31st. Visitors to the distillery can enjoy the range of Copeland whiskey, and their other spirits, every Friday night from 4-10pm where a range of cocktails and spirits serves are available.
The new Single Grain whiskey will be available in off-licences, bars and restaurants from 1st June and is priced at £39.99 (70cl).

For more information visit copelanddistillery.com or @copelanddistillery on Instagram.