Dinner with Neven set to Change Lives this October

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Bóthar Northern Ireland, with the support of top Irish chef Neven Maguire is asking local people across County Fermanagh to create their own Come Dine with Me experience by hosting a dinner party.

‘Dinner 4 Bóthar,’ which was recently launched with the support of the Co Cavan award winning chef, is calling on as many people as possible to join Neven along with Q101.2 DJ Bryan Gallagher in hosting their own dinner party with friends and family.

Using recipe ideas created by Neven, each dinner party host will ask their guests to provide a monetary donation on the evening and these funds will support Bóthar’s aim to help create sustainable living for local communities in the developing world.

Commenting on his support for the evening, chef Neven Maguire, said: “As a patron of Bóthar and after visiting their Uganda projects last year, I would urge as many people as possible to join me by getting involved and organising their own ‘Dinner 4 Bóthar’ evening. The charity needs your help to make a real difference to the lives of people living in poverty to provide them with the tools they need to help themselves.”

Bóthar NI representative Aoibheann Fearon added: “‘Dinner 4 Bóthar’ is not only a fun way to get together with family and friends but it also helps us to provide vital funds to support our work in the developing world with families that are reliant on our help and support.

“We hope that you’ll join us across Co Fermanagh by creating your own ‘Dinner 4 Bóthar’ experience!”

Anyone interested in finding out more about hosting a ‘Dinner 4 Bóthar’ can emailinformation@bothar.co.uk or free phone 0800 039 0267 to request an information pack and entry form.

 

Picture shows: Aoibheann Fearon from Bóthar Northern Ireland with Drivetime Q101.2 DJ Bryan Gallagher is calling for all consumers across Co Fermanagh to take part in ‘Dinner 4 Bóthar’ and create their own Come Dine with Me experience by hosting a dinner party. Using recipe ideas created by top Irish chef Neven Maguire, each dinner party host will ask their guests to provide a monetary donation on the evening and these funds will support Bóthar’s aim to help create sustainable living for local communities in the developing world.

Top Pubs Crowned at Pub Awards

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TOP PUBS CROWNED AT PUB OF THE YEAR AWARDS

The search to find Northern Ireland’s top pubs came to a dramatic conclusion this week, as the finest pubs from across Northern Ireland gathered at Belfast City Hall to toast the trade at Pubs of Ulster’s Pub of the Year Awards 2012.

The Pub of the Year Awards celebrate the excellence that exists in our local pub trade by presenting top awards to the winning pubs in a range of categories, including the coveted Northern Ireland Pub of the Year Award which was presented by Mark Stewart, chair of Pubs of Ulster, to Pier 36 in Donaghadee.

As well as taking the top Pub of the Year title, Pier 36 was also named Best Tourism/ Visitor Pub 2012.  Celebrating the award win, Lewis Waterworth from Pier 36, said:

“We are honored and delighted to bring the prestigious Pub of the Year 2012 and Best Tourism/ Visitor Pub titles to Donaghadee.

“We have invested a lot in the bar over the last number of years, especially in staff training and our overall customer service, as our biggest priority is always ensuring that our customers have the best experience when they visit us. I would like to thank all of our great staff, as if it wasn’t for their hard work and dedication, Pier 36 wouldn’t be the bar that it is today.  To receive recognition at the Pub of the Year Awards is a great incentive for us, especially in these tough economic times, to continue to develop Pier 36. Whilst encouraging us, I also hope the awards help ignite the industry and inspire all pubs to dig in and show the world how great the local trade is.”

The Pub of the Year Awards is the culmination of an extensive search for the best pubs in a range of categories across Northern Ireland.  Finalists were selected following an extensive judging process and were judged, depending on their category, by written submissions, interviews or by independent mystery shoppers.  An independent judging panel comprising of Martin Breen, editor of the Sunday Life; Gary McDonald, business editor of the Irish News; Adrienne McGill, business editor of the News Letter; Paul Connolly, managing editor of the Belfast Telegraph and Louise Murphy, editor of Hospitality Review then decided on the overall winners.

The Pub of the Year winners in each category are:

 

•Northern Ireland Pub of the Year:   Pier 36, Donaghadee

•Best Neighbourhood Pub:  The Front Page Bar, Ballymena

•Best Food Pub: Bureau by the Lough, Whiteabbey

•Best Family Friendly Pub: Curran’s Bar & Seafood Restaurant, Downpatrick

•Best New or Improved Pub:  Devlin’s Bar, Armagh

•Most Innovative Pub:  McHugh’s, Belfast

•Best Tourism/ Visitor Pub: Pier 36, Donaghadee

•Bar Hero:Willie Gregg, The Harbour Bar, Portrush

•Sunday Life Readers’ Choice Award:Head O’ The Road, Tartaraghan

 

This year’s ceremony also saw the Pub of the Year Awards first posthumous honour, as the late Joey Dunlop was celebrated for his contribution to the local licensed trade with Pubs of Ulster’s Chairman’s Award.  The special award, presented by BBC sports correspondent Stephen Watson to members of Joey’s family, recognises the role Joey played in establishing one of Northern Ireland’s most famous pubs, Joey’s Bar.  The award also honours Joey’s tireless charitable efforts, which often saw him make regular trips to Romania to deliver aid to orphans.  In 1996 his humanitarian work in Romania was officially recognised when he was awarded an OBE; an honour he stated was his proudest award.  Whilst its famous landlord is no longer pulling pints, Joey’s Bar in Ballymoney is still devotedly run by the Dunlop family and continues to play a vital role in the local community as well as serving as a Mecca for visiting motorcycle pilgrims.

Commenting on the awards, Mark Stewart, chairman of Pubs of Ulster, said:

“This year’s Pub of the Year Awards have once again highlighted the quality that exists in the local pub trade right across Northern Ireland.  We have world class pubs right on our doorstep and the awards allow us to recognise this by rewarding the excellence that exists in the industry.

I would like to thank all the pubs who entered this year’s awards and congratulate all the winners, especially Pier 36, for showcasing the very best that the local pub trade has to offer.”

During the awards chair, Mark Stewart also called upon all of our elected representatives to show their support for the licensed trade.  Whilst Northern Ireland has a modern industry, facing modern challenges, it does so under the restraints of outdated legislation.  Pubs of Ulster is therefore continuing its call for modernisation of current licensing laws, ensuring pubs remain a major economic asset to Northern Ireland and the livelihoods of thousands of people employed throughout the industry are safeguarded.

As the only competition to focus solely on the pub trade, this year’s awards were sponsored by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, Britvic, Coca-Cola, Diageo, Dillon Bass, Heineken Northern Ireland, Molson Coors, Richmond Marketing, Tennent’s NI and Drinks Inc.  The awards are also supported by the Sunday Life, Hospitality review and U105.

The Pub of the Year Awards were hosted by top local comedians Grimes and McKee and guests celebrated their success in style at the exclusive Pub of the Year Awards after party at the Merchant Hotel.

For full details of the winners of the Pub of the Year Awards 2012 please visit www.nipuboftheyear.com

 

2012 Pub of The Year and Taste of Ulster Members, Pier 36

 

Best Food Pub of the Year and Taste of Ulster Member, Damien and Dana from Bureau by The Lough

 

Best Tourism / Visitor Pub and Taste of Ulster Member, Pier 36

Asda Spooky Snowballs!

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Asda Spooky Snowballs to be huge Halloween hit for Howell House!

Asda are readying themselves for a frightfully good Halloween as their ‘Chosen By You’ brand launches new product “Spooky Snowballs” into 350 stores across the UK. The delicious treat, made by Howell House, a division of Northern Irish company Irwin’s Bakery, is a special Halloween version of the local bakery’s massively popular “Snowy Joeys.”

David Quigg, local Buyer for Asda NI said, “Only products which have been tried and tasted by consumers get chosen to become part of Asda’s ‘Chosen By you’ range and our new Spooky Snowballs are going to be a massive Halloween hit all across the UK – just as our Snowy Joeys and Jammy Joeys have proven to be.”

Chris Moore, National Account Manager for Irwin’s said, “We’re delighted that the quality of our snowball range has been recognised again. We’re hoping to sell up to 100,000 packs of our delicious Spooky Snowballs in the run up to Halloween and Bonfire Night. Priced at just £1 per pack they’re perfect for munching on beside the bonfire or while watching the fireworks!”

Local blue stickers get green light at Tesco!

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Ards Peninsula vegetable grower, Roy Lyttle Produce, is going from strength to strength thanks in some part to a simple idea from Tesco, to which they supply a wide range of seasonal vegetables.

Roy Lyttle, company owner, explains, “Last year Tesco Technologist Hannah Stewart visited our crops here on the Ards Peninsula.  She was very impressed with the quality and suggested that Tesco should highlight that the vegetables in store were grown in an area renowned for horticulture.

“We agreed on a simple blue sticker with local monument Scrabo Tower and our company logo depicted with the message ‘Grown on the Ards Peninsula by Roy Lyttle’ to be placed on the packs.

Launched firstly in autumn last year on the organic lines, the sticker was then applied to all leeks and most recently scallions, all home grown and packed on the Ards Peninsula.

Roy is also Chairman of the UFU Vegetable Committee, and is very positive about the prospects for the Horticulture industry in Northern Ireland.

“We are striving to increase the length of season of supply of all local produce in an effort to reduce imports, and consequently food miles, as the promotional company Food N. I. would say, ‘Grown here, not Flown here!’

Grown on the Ards peninsula sticker

“Northern Ireland has the potential to produce the wider range of products which today’s consumer demands. The majority of vegetable growers deliver a finished product which is very labour intensive. However the more products we can supply the more we will grow, harvest, prepare, package and deliver to the customers here in Northern Ireland and ultimately create and sustain jobs right across the food production industry. While labour and fuel costs have risen, research has shown that it is the consistently high quality of fresh, local, seasonal products which keeps the customers coming back.”

Based on this the company is growing additional vegetable lines and extending and refurbishing the packhouse facilities in order to accommodate the increase in demand.

Hannah said, “I am delighted with the success of this simple sticker idea.  Our shoppers get clear information as to the provenance of these products, and can make a distinct choice to support their local producers.  Working in partnership with Roy Lyttle Produce has been mutually beneficial and I am delighted with the success in highlighting local provenance to our Irish customers.”