Yoghurt lovers in Northern Ireland will soon be able to enjoy three new products from Clandeboye Estate in Bangor, the only significant producer of the dairy favourite here.

A Food NI member, the company, based on a dairy farm outside the city, has created two indulgent Greek style yoghurts in top hat format tubs that feature dessert style flavours.

The exciting new flavours, revealed by Clandeboye’s commercial manager Patrick Black, are: Apple and Cinnamon Crumble and Raspberry and White Chocolate.

“The crumble features a fruity apple and cinnamon compote with Greek style yoghurt accompanied by a tasty crumble topping,” Patrick says. “The raspberry and white chocolate is a tangy raspberry Greek style yoghurt accompanied by a topping of delicious white chocolate pieces and dried raspberries,” he adds.

The new desserts are already proving a major success with leading retailers like Asda Northern Ireland, Spar, Supervalu and Tesco Northern Ireland.

Clandeboye, which has been in business since its formation as a farm diversification by the late Lady Dufferin in 2008, is supporting the launch with a social media competition offering the lucky winner a relaxing spa break for two people at the Old Crawfordsburn Inn.

The third innovative taste is a Honey Greek Style Yoghurt that’s authentically strained from fresh, whole milk from County Down, blended with real honey and a hint of sugar.

“The thick and creamy Greek Style yoghurt is a perfect accompaniment to granola and fresh fruit,” continues Patrick

In line with the company’s tradition of incorporating Lady Dufferin’s artwork into the pot design, the new Honey Greek Style features Lady Dufferin’s painting of the bee-hive which sits in the walled Bee-Hive garden on the Estate.

To support the launch Clandeboye is running a unique painting workshop with local artist Dawn Crowthers.

The new yoghurt will be available across Spar, Supervalu and Tesco Northern Ireland stores. The workshop is being held on Sun 26^th May from 11:30am – 2:30pm, tickets are available from the company.

Burren Balsamics, the developer and marketer of a unique range of natural fruit infused vinegars, relishes and jams, celebrated its 10 anniversary at a major food show in Great Britain last weekend

Based in Richhill, the small enterprise, started by London trained chef Susie Hamilton Stubber, was one of the few local companies at the big Farm Shop and Deli Show in Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre.  Susie met existing and potential customers there with Bob McDonald, Burren’s highly experienced and respected product development chef and director.

The only other Northern Ireland food company with an individual stand among over 1,000 exhibitors from around the world was Craigavon’s award-winning Forest Feast, a producer of luxury snacks from dried fruits and nuts.

The show attracts 25,000 buyers  from farmshops and delis keen to see and sample the latest produce and is among the most important food and drink shows in Europe. It’s an amalgam of shows that also include the National Convenience, Forecourt and Restaurant showcases.

Multi-award-winning Burren Balsamics, a Food NI member, started in a home kitchen and is now exporting vinegars successfully to global markets such as the US, parts of Europe and the Middle East from a modern processing unit.

 The company’s most recent export market is Mexico’s most influential department store. It is also one of the few local companies to be doing significant business with Harrods, the world’s most prestigious department stores and food halls. Other customers include onion jam for Aer Lingus on international flights.

The enterprising food business was born in 2014 when close friends Susie and Susan Robinson, both with a background in catering in London and Northern Ireland, decided to make balsamic vinegars and sell them to raise funds for Marie Curie cancer care charity.

The popularity of their initial range of balsamic vinegars at the Christmas charity fair in December 2013 encouraged them to set up Burren Balsamics, named after a townland close to where they both lived. Susan stepped away from the business for personal reasons.

Bob McDonald subsequently joined the company to provide his vast expertise and experience in new product and process innovation.

“It’s been quite a journey, a real rollercoaster of experiences,” says Susie. “Burren Balsamics is built on exploring business opportunities here, in Britain, the Republic of Ireland and increasingly further afield. Farm Shop and Deli in Birmingham is the most recent in a long line of marketing activities over the past decade. There really is no other way to grow a business than by getting out into the markets and selling hard.

“The shows in Birmingham bring together hundreds of speciality suppliers to celebrate the best of UK regional produce. As such it’s an unrivalled opportunity for exhibitors to showcase their products to buyers and key decision-makers across the industry. We’d certainly like to see smaller and artisan producers from Northern Ireland at the shows.

“Taking part in the shows also assists new product ideas for customers. We are a very market-led and customer-focused business. We now have an extensive pfrogramme of marketing activies in our most important markets especially in Great Brutain. You’’ll also find us at key food markets across Northern Ireland. It’a  market which is immensely important to our business,” continues Susie.

It’s an excellent example and great role of a kitchen table entrepreneurs bringing innovation to Northern Ireland’s dynamic artisan food and drink sector.

Burren Balsamics was formally established in February 2014 following the fund raising fair and from the successful testing of the products within a focus group of family and friends.

“We are now producing a range of fruit infused balsamic vinegars, relishes and jams which use as many locally grown ingredients with zesty flavours as possible.  These include Armagh (PGI) bramley apples and quality fruits from local farmers such as blackcurrants strawberries and blueberries,” says Susie..

“We found a gap in the market which  we can fill with our flavoured balsamics. These versatile bottles of flavour pack a punch and add endless possibilities to enhance salad dishes, stews and casseroles, marinades and soups.  They are also delicious to just dip bread into,” she adds.

“We’ve created a range of balsamic vinegars infused with blackberries, bramley apples, blueberries, strawberries and mint and raspberries. We believe the fruit vinegars are unique and are ideal for addng delicious flavours for adding to a host of dishes such as poultry, steak, game and salads. They are perfect for barbecues now that we are entering the season. They also enhance desserts,” she adds.

Burren Balsamics has also developed an impressive track record for innovation and new product development, the most recent being a vinegar matured in Bushmills whiskey casks.

This dedication to innovation has been extended process and products through an investment in waste elimination and recycling which has won Burren Balsamics widespread acclaim.

FoodNI member Whitewater Brewery in Castlewellan, Co Down has launched a unique Taproom and Pizzeria, Beer Dough.

The new venture specialises in sourdough pizza and specialises in local ingredients. All the pizzas are made fresh in the brewery.

Owner Bernard Sloan, the master brewer and pizza creator, explains: “We are really almost passionate about our pizza as we are about our beer. We have created five supreme, sourdough pizzas that are handmade and to be enjoyed with our beers.

“We have our own sourdough culture that’s proven for 48 hours before stone baking to create supreme flavour and a delicious crust.”

The pizzas are available every Saturday from 5pm for sit-in or takeaway. The tap room enables the beers to be bought or enjoyed on-site.

Whitewater is a multi-award-winning craft brewery that specialises in a range of stouts and ales in bottles, cans and kegs, all of which are produced on-site in Castlewellan.

The brewery is now Northern Ireland’s most successful producer of beers. It recently began distribution of Tempted award-winning ciders and launched its own session cider in collaboration with the Portadown-based cidery.

I was dismayed last week to hear that three fine restaurants are closing due to the challenges from spiralling costs and the problems being experienced by people everywhere. Every week seems to bring more depressing news for our hospitality sector.

The latest restaurants to pull down the shutters are Sooty Olive in Derry, Clenaghan’s at Aghalee and Broker in east Belfast and They were all excellent establishments that added much to the sector especially in terms of creative dishes.

Many others have already closed, some without any publicity because of a crippling cocktail of higher costs from energy, business rates and staffing. In addition, VAT continues to be another serious problem for the companies. Consumers also have less money to spend and, as a result, are not eating out as much.  Among earlier closures was EIPIC in Belfast, once one of our most acclaimed Michelin star eateries.

I fear there are likely to be more closures in the months ahead. We all know what the sector needs – action on rates, help with VAT and staffing.  Restaurants in Britain have discounted rates of 75 percent and in the Irish Republic VAT is lower than it is here. 

Restaurateurs, including many in our successful Taste of Ulster scheme, tell me it’s harder now than ever to make an acceptable income in the sector. Margins are wafer thin. Many have invested heavily over the years in great food, quality services and superb facilities for local diners and visitors from abroad. They are a vitally important component in our tourism marketing campaigns.

We all know the huge contribution tourism makes to the economy. It’s widely acknowledged in the ‘corridors of power’ what is needed to accelerate the growth in tourism to help in regenerating our economy.

Research shows that tourists are significantly influenced by the availability of great food and drink when looking for a holiday destination or a short break. In Northern Ireland, however, the options for potential visitors…and locals, are being reduced because of a continuing failure to accord the hospitality sector the support and recognition it certainly deserves. It’s not seeking handouts but wishes support that will enable it to continue to contribute to the local economy.

Hospitality is, after all, our fourth largest private sector employer and has a turnover of £2bn.  Our £5bn food and drink industry also depends on business with hospitality. The hotel sector alone has invested more than £1bn over the last two decades, with the potential for a further £300 million to be invested by 2025.

I acknowledge that the Northern Ireland Executive is facing financial demands from every quarter and hasn’t a big enough budget to cover everything.  Greater consideration, however, of the needs of the hospitality sector would make good sense, because it would be one of the fastest ways to generate revenue for the economy from the individual businesses, their employees and suppliers in the local food and drink sector. The Restaurant Association of Ireland estimate that every closure costs takes £1.3m out of the economy, a stark reminder of the impact that shutting restaurants has.

NearyNogs, the Newry stoneground chocolate makers, showcased a range of handcrafted artisan chocolates at the big Craft Chocolate Experience in San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts.

The small company was invited by the organisers to show their unique Irish Collection of fine chocolates at the event with dozens of chocolate makers and experts from across the world.

Craft Chocolate Experience, held last weekend, brought diverse voices together and united the global chocolate community in the sweet pleasure of cacao while also discussing poignant issues like using chocolate to promote conservation, biodiversity, and supporting cacao farmers through transparent supply chains.

NearyNogs, an acclaimed craft business run by husband and wife team Shane and Dorothy Neary, has a longstanding commitment to environment preservation that includes using solar panels to power the plant’s chocolate making equipment and eco-packaging.

Shane Neary says: “We were delighted that the quality and outstanding taste of our handcrafted chocolate was recognised by the organisers who also backed our eco-initiatives at our small chocolate factory near Rostrevor in the Mournes. It’s quite an accolade to be invited to be part of the exhibition and dialogue at the Craft Chocolate Experience.”

The company was the first producer in Ireland of stoneground chocolate using cacao beans sourced direct from growers in plantations in the Caribbean and South America. It has won a host of quality and taste awards for its chocolates.

The Northern Ireland Food to Go Association, the trade body which represents and supports
takeaway and food to go businesses, has appointed a new Chairperson to lead their expert
Board for 2024/25.

Kiera Campbell, Sales Director at Henderson Foodservice, a leading supplier to the
hospitality industry across Ireland, has been named Chairperson and will help form and lead
the Board that will be made up of several key industry experts, including Michael Henderson,
who founded the organisation five years ago, and has been lobbying on behalf of the
Association’s 750+ members, and the wider sector ever since.

The NI Food to Go Association, which has recently rebranded from its former NI Takeaway
Association moniker to be more representative of the ever-evolving industry here, provides
an expert voice, advice and advocacy under its “unite, support, grow” ethos, while upholding
industry standards for businesses working in the sector across Northern Ireland.

A recent survey of the Association’s members highlighted key priorities for the board to help
lead their business members through, with 70% of respondents stating recruitment remains
a major issue due to the skilled workers definition leading to a workforce shortage. Other
issues included business rates, insurance, utility bills and sustainability.

Mr Henderson commented; “For the past five years, we have been lobbying on behalf of a
sector that has seen resilience in the face of huge challenges, while it continues to provide
vital career prospects for the future food to go entrepreneurs of Northern Ireland, but there is
still more to be done.

“I am delighted to welcome Kiera Campbell to Chair our Board, which will be carefully
selected to provide expert support for members of our Association, from HR queries to
financial advice, rates relief, and filling job vacancies – all the most important priorities for
our members. Kiera is a well-respected and prominent voice of the industry through her
career with Henderson Foodservice, which supplies to thousands of food to go customers,
many of whom are members of our Association.”

Kiera Campbell has over 20 years’ experience within the food and drink industry, and has
been a Director at Henderson Foodservice for 10 years. Engaging with hospitality
businesses on a daily basis, Kiera is well placed to lead the Board in providing expert advice
and support for members.

Commenting on her new role, Kiera said this is a sector of her industry that has been
underrepresented and she is looking forward to getting to work with some key priorities.

“Northern Ireland has one of the most thriving food to go industries in the UK, they are an
innovative group who are growing the sector after spotting some fantastic opportunities
through a very challenging few years. The sector has many of the same issues that the
wider hospitality industry is facing, but without a valid trade body to support them through the
complicated areas of the issues,” says Kiera.

“I’m proud to lead the NI Food to Go Association’s Board through its first year in situ, working
with members to provide expert advice, with wider groups lobbying on their behalf. This is a
much needed Association for our food to go businesses here and I look forward to meeting
even more members in the coming weeks and months.”

The NI Food to Go Association will work with local MLAs to create all-party advisory panel at
Stormont to help resolve industry issues within the Executive and Assembly at Stormont.