Support our local bakeries at Easter

March is a busy month with Mother’s Day, St Patricks Day and Easter all falling close together. The inevitable hot cross buns have started appearing in the supermarkets, a sure sign that Easter is just around the corner. Easter eggs have been on the shelves for some time and there is a little bit of Spring appearing in the hedgerows. I wonder how the Comber Early potato planting is going?

I do enjoy a traditional hot cross bun from one of our local bakeries, and we are really fortunate to have a number of fine bakeries, both large and small, in our substantial membership.

I am always keen to encourage support for local shops and in particular local bakeries because of their focus on quality, innovation and service. Many have won UK Great Taste and Blas na hEireann, Irish National Food awards for their commitment to excellence in everything they do and their outstanding taste.

We are extremely fortunate in Northern Ireland to have maintained an infrastructure of good bakeries that are locally-owned and quick to respond to the tastes of local customers, as is evident in the growth of speciality sour dough bread in recent years. I am still a big fan of Nutty Krust, wheaten, Veda and our traditional breads, particularly wheaten farls, none of those seem to last long in our house.

I hope they are all able to continue to do so in the years ahead. Times are challenging for them as they grapple with energy and other costs and also from the cost-of-living crisis among consumers. They deserve our support. They are helping to keep Northern Ireland’s great baking traditions and products alive and well.

As well as traditional wheaten loaves, potato, soda, pancakes and treacle breads we are also outstanding at producing sausage rolls, barmbracks, fruit and cherry scones all fresh from the griddle and oven. Where else would you find a ‘donkey’s lug’ coconut coated finger or a fruit square, a slice of tipsy cake or an infamous monster fifteen?  Even Derry has a bakery famous for cream horns, as was epitomised in the episode in Derry Girls where Granda Joe was spotted with a cream horn on the way to see a female friend. Our high streets in cities, towns and villages need the rich aroma wafting from a local bakery, and our bakery traditions are an important part of our culinary culture.

FoodNI has played its part in keeping traditions alive through our involvement of the Tiptree World Bread Awards and especially our support for the Irish Wheaten Bread and Potato Bread categories over the years.

It is interesting to see what the big supermarkets have done to turn the hot cross bun into a mass-produced seasonal commodity by pairing it with cheeses and now chutney and various types of chilli, a really hot bun. There’s chocolate chip, triple chocolate, banoffee, orange marmalade buns, apple and cinnamon, lemon and blueberry. There are gluten free hot cross buns too.

While I’ve never been one to stand in the way of new product development – and bakery is among the most innovative food sectors, I yearn for some traditional tastes such as the hot cross bun, lightly toasted with some local butter and maybe some local lemon curd. I love the gentle aroma of the cinnamon and mixed spice.

Hot cross buns, of course, have been synonymous with Easter since they first appeared in 12th century England. Hot cross buns, I understand pre-date Christianity, with their origins in paganism. Ancient Egyptians used small round breads topped with crosses to celebrate the gods. Later the Greeks used them to mark the change of the season Here we are, thousands of years later still enjoying them, the buns have certainly come a long way since those days but nothing beats sharing them with family or friends over a cup of tea. 

The multi award winning hotel has retained the title of Northern Ireland’s Leading Hotel for the seventh year in a row

Since opening its doors in 2017, Titanic Hotel Belfast, located on Belfast’s Maritime Mile, has been named Northern Ireland’s Leading Hotel every year by the World Travel Awards. The prestigious award for 2024 was announced to the world’s largest gathering of international tourism professionals at the World Travel Awards Europe Gala Ceremony in Berlin.

The World Travel Awards, renowned for recognising excellence across all sectors of the tourism and hospitality industry, has honoured Titanic Hotel Belfast for the seventh consecutive year, celebrating its unwavering commitment to providing exceptional service, unparalleled luxury, and a memorable guest experience in an incredibly unique building steeped in history and heritage.

Adrian McNally, General Manager of Titanic Hotel Belfast, said: “I am humbled by the news that Titanic Hotel Belfast has been named Northern Ireland’s Leading Hotel at the World Travel Awards for seven years in a row. As custodians of this magnificent building I firmly believe that it’s an honour for our staff to be entrusted with showcasing and promoting this one of a kind hotel in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter.

“Words like unrivalled and unique are so often used to describe tourism destinations but we can truly say with hand on heart that there is no other hotel that can compete with what we have on offer at Titanic Hotel Belfast in Northern Ireland and therefore this award is extremely fitting. With this seventh consecutive win, Titanic Hotel Belfast solidifies its position as an unrivalled leader in Northern Ireland’s hospitality landscape, setting a benchmark for excellence that inspires and motivates industry peers worldwide.

“It’s a much loved wedding destination, the accommodation choice of world leaders, the perfect place for families who wish to celebrate milestones in stunning surroundings and for business leaders seeking to close the deal in privacy. From the exquisite Drawing Offices to the award winning Wolff Grill restaurant, domestic and international guests are enthralled by their experience of Northern Ireland’s Leading hotel – the jewel on Maritime Mile.”

Titanic Hotel Belfast opened its doors in 2017 having been lovingly restored to its former glory. Boasting 119 nautical themed rooms and the Drawing Offices where RMS Titanic was designed, the hotel delivers unparalleled comfort and sophistication. It embodies the spirit of Belfast’s rich shipbuilding heritage nestled under the Harland & Wolff cranes, offering guests an unforgettable experience.

To make a reservation, please visit www.titanichotelbelfast.com and follow Titanic Hotel Belfast on social media.

Gilfresh Produce, the leading vegetable growers and producers based in Co. Armagh, are delighted to have secured listings for over 20 new lines in Iceland Foods Northern Ireland stores.

The exciting new launch will offer Iceland Foods Northern Ireland customers access to the highest quality, freshest vegetables which are all grown locally in the farming season.

Gilfresh Produce is a long-established family business, which was first established in 1965 by Thomas Gilpin, who started off growing vegetables in a 4-acre field at the Gilpin’s family home.

The business has grown from strength to strength ever since then and has firmly established itself as one of the leading vegetable growers and suppliers on the island of Ireland.

The lines, which Gilfresh Produce will supply to thirty-seven Iceland Foods Northern Ireland stores, include a range of whole head vegetables, such as carrots, spring onions, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, mushrooms, leeks and strawberries. Gilfresh will also supply a number of lines from the Gilfresh Produce Prepared Vegetable range including Oriental Stir-Fry, Broccoli
Florets, Shredded Cabbage, Cut Soup Veg, Broccoli, Cauliflower and Carrot Mix and Carrot Batons.

Iceland Foods Northern Ireland is proud to support local suppliers and farmers, with over 400 locally produced lines offered in-store and online. Sarah McDonald, Head of Buying for Iceland Foods Northern Ireland, commented: “We are thrilled to have Gilfresh Produce as our newest
business partner. They are a long established, successful company who have been present in Northern Ireland coming up to 60 years. They are trusted experts in their field and continue to thrive through ongoing innovation and development. We are excited for this collaboration which
will elevate the produce category in our stores with fresh, first-class quality vegetables delighting our customers! We are positive this is the beginning of a long and successful partnership, which will bring our total local supplier base to over 35.”

Both Iceland Foods Northern Ireland and Gilfresh Produce are hugely passionate about caring for the environment and reducing their carbon footprint. Gilfresh Produce have implemented a number of initiatives in recent years to reduce their impact on the environment, including the
installation of an anaerobic digester plant and a wind turbine on site to power their factory using renewable energy. It doesn’t get much greener than that!

Caroline Dalzell, Head of Sales, Marketing & NPD for Gilfresh Produce commented, “We are delighted to have secured these new listings with Iceland and are really looking forward to supplying their stores with a wide range of lines from our range of locally produced vegetables.
We are thrilled to be working with the team at Iceland and will take great pride in ensuring that we supply the freshest, quality products for their customers to enjoy.”

The new range will be available in all Iceland Foods Northern Ireland stores from Tuesday, 12th March 2024.

Glastry Farm’s best-selling vanilla bean ice cream is now tastier than ever before as a result of deal with a growers’ co-operative.

Based on a dairy farm near Kircubbin in Co Down, Glastry, a FoodNI member, has teamed up with a co-operative in Madagascar for a direct supply of vanilla beans that provide an authentic flavour for its award-winning ice cream.

Will Taylor, Glastry’s founder and managing director, explains: “We were approached by representatives of the newly formed group of growers and readily agreed to work with them to use their beans to enhance our ice cream flavour and also to help the growers and their families with a fair return for their product that have been described as “the most expensive crop in the world”.

“We’ve taken delivery of the first consignment and have been including the beans in our most popular ice cream. I believe it’s the first time in Ireland that their beans have been delivered directly from the northern region of the island in the Indian Ocean. The vanilla plant thrives in this sub-tropical environment,” Will, a widely respected dairy farmer, adds.

The farm has long featured a successful ice cream and low fat sorbet business which has won a host of UK Great Taste and Blas na hEireann awards.

 Eighty per cent of the world’s vanilla is grown by small holding farmers in the island’s hilly forests. They are prey to thieves in season.

Glastry Farm includes over 70 of its high quality milk from its pedigree herd for its base mix of its ice creams. The family-run business, in keeping with its location, takes pride in its focus on the environment and in the highest standards of animal husbandry.

“Working with the growers to help ensure their prosperity is also in line with our clean, green, natural image,” Will continues. “Our focus is on a natural choice for our valued customers. Chemical vanilla from some flavour houses is not compatible with our focus on natural products,” he adds.

Gilfresh Produce, leading vegetable growers and packers based in Co. Armagh, are delighted to have been awarded a tender to supply several prepared vegetables lines to ALDI Ireland as part of its ‘Nature’s Pick’ range.

Gilfresh Produce have been supplying ALDI with a wide range of whole head and prepared vegetable products since May 2022. The lines that Gilfresh Produce will supply include Nature’s Pick Carrot Batons, Nature’s Pick Shredded Cabbage, Nature’s Pick Carrot, Cauliflower & Broccoli Florets and Nature’s Pick 5 Veg Soup. These lines are in addition to Gilfresh Produce’s very own Oriental Stir-Fry, which is already available in 161 stores nationwide. Last year, ALDI spent over €1.3M with Gilfresh Produce, showcasing just how popular their products are amongst Irish shoppers.

Gilfresh Produce is a proud family business, first established in 1965 by Thomas Gilpin. Thomas began growing vegetables in a 4-acre field at their family home, with the business now growing in excess of 600 acres per year. Gilfresh continues to go from strength to strength and has firmly established itself as one of Ireland’s leading vegetable growers and packers.

Matthew Johnston, Account Executive with Gilfresh Produce commented: “Since we began supplying ALDI in May 2022, our working relationship has grown from strength to strength. We are delighted that ALDI have awarded Gilfresh these new lines and will take great pride in ensuring that we supply the freshest high-quality products for all ALDI customers to enjoy.”

Welcoming the additional product lines, John Curtin, ALDI Group Buying Director said: “Gilfresh Produce have extended their portfolio of prepared vegetable products since we began working with them in 2022. We are delighted that several of their products are now part of ALDI’s ‘Nature’s Pick’ range, which is highly rated by our customers. At ALDI, we are committed to working with producers like Gilfresh Produce who continue to expand and grow their business, delivering customers a wide range of high-quality products.”

Look out for the exciting new range of Nature’s Pick Prepared Vegetables available in your local ALDI store now.

Consumers in Dubai are enjoying tasty crispy onions from Milgro in Limavady from a deal with one of the world’s leading grocery chains.,

Northern Ireland’s largest commercial grower and producer of onion products, Milgro, a farm-based business, has added a new market for its multi award-winning crispy onions by securing an agreement to supply Spinney’s retail group in the affluent United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Spinney’s is a British multinational supermarket chain active in the Unit Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, Qatar, Lebanon, Oman and Pakistan. It is now a premium supermarket retailer in the Middle East, and operates 18 stores in Lebanon, 15 in Egypt, two in Jordan, four in Oman and 56 Spinney’s in the UAE.

Milgro, a Food NI member, is now supplying its new ONiT! Crispy Onions brand to Spinney’s stores across the Middle East, to add to their already established supply base in the Republic of Ireland which now includes Tesco, Aldi, Eurospar, Spar, Mace, Londis and XL stores, as well as a large number of independent butchers.

Gerald Miller, Milgro’s managing director, says: “This is very exciting business for us in an extremely dynamic and quality conscious market.

“Since launching in November 2022, the ONIT Crispy Onions brand has won several awards, including Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards, Scottish Retail Food and Drink Awards, and the prestigious Blas na hÉireann awards.”

Not content with this exciting news, Milgro will also be launching a new format for their catering range at IFEX, which takes place at the TEC Belfast this week.

An innovative fully recyclable and resealable pouch will be a welcome solution to many catering settings, with supply already established through market leaders Sysco, Henderson and Lynas Foodservice.