Shoppers from Britain and abroad at Selfridges, the upscale London department store, are now enjoying award-winning cured meats from Corndale Free Range Farm, near Limavady in Co Derry.

Among the most prestigious and quality conscious in the UK, Selfridges, which is headquartered in busy Oxford Street, has Corndale Farm’s chorizo spicy sausage, fennel salami, garlic and black pepper salami and chilli chorizo in its popular deli of global foods.

The listing by the store, once described as the world’s best, came from the participation of Alastair Crown, Corndale Farm’s founder and managing director, in the big International Food Exhibition (IFE) in London last year. Corndale is a Food NI member.

The exciting new business, according to Alastair, who continues to own and run the small pig farm and charcuterie processing unit outside the Co Derry market town, followed initial discussions and subsequent negotiations with the prestigious store’s exacting buyers.

Selfridges is now a chain of UK upscale department stores founded in 1908 in London. It is the second-largest shop in the UK (after Harrods). Other Selfridges stores were subsequently opened in Manchester’s Trafford Centre and Exchange Square in 2002 and then in Birmingham a year later.

“We were absolutely thrilled to be approached by the buyers and subsequently to secure business with Selfridges, our biggest and probably most influential deal to date in the UK for a range of our charcuterie from our pigs reared on our small farm,” continues Alastair, the founder of the business in 2012, then the first charcuterie producer in Northern Ireland.

“It’s a tremendous springboard for our handcrafted charcuterie to shoppers from Britain and from visitors to London from all over the world. It’s very encouraging further to see our range of products ranked alongside Europe’s very best on the shelves of this marvellous food hall at the heart of London,” he adds. “We are now working with the team to strengthen our presence in the deli there, especially in terms of recently launched nduja and lnduja sauce along with other existing products and innovative foods,” adds Alastair.

The breakthrough deal with Selfridges is also now attracting interest from other major retailers in Britain, including from grocers in Scotland, a market in which Corndale has a significant foothold. And it’s a presence that the farm-based enterprise has also won retailing awards for tasty and innovative foods from leading grocery bodies there.

Corndale has already seen its charcuterie popular throughout Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and attracting interest directly from other markets abroad.

In addition to the charcuterie business, Alastair also provides a successful hog roast service for major outdoor events,

Originally an IT graduate from university in Glasgow, Alastair turned a longstanding interest in heritage pig farming into Northern Ireland’s first charcuterie enterprise, starting from a herd of just four saddleback pigs and a passion, in particular, for chorizo, then not produced here. He cures and air dries all his meat from the farm.

The company has since developed a substantial herd of pigs and processes charcuterie from its own plant close to the small farm. The charcuterie has won a string of UK Great Taste, British Charcuterie and Blas na hEireann awards for premium and delicious produce that’s regarded as being among the best from Italian, French and Spanish producers that have been in business much longer.

He developed a taste for chorizo at university. “We’d go to a small pizza place near the university after lectures for a reasonably priced meal. It was there that I first tasted chunks of chorizo,” he remembers. “I loved the spicy and smoky flavour of the pork sausage and ordered it regularly during my student days.  I’ve also experienced chorizo on holiday in Europe over the years,” he adds.

“It’s an experience shared by many local people on holidays and business abroad, because chorizo sausages and salami, in particular, are a regular part of the diet in many parts of Europe. Northern Ireland, of course, has an established and successful pork and bacon industry but had real involvement in curing spicy, sometimes fiery, products such as chorizo, salami and pancetta found in shops, restaurants and hotels in other parts of Europe and further afield….until  recent years,” he adds.

He explains his interest in pigs from his upbringing: “I grew up in a rural community in Limavady and have always been interested in rearing pigs, especially rare breed pigs.  I was keen to rear my own herd because they’re such a pleasure to work with. The farm is operated to the highest welfare and animal husbandry and hygiene standards. The produce is also fully traceable and safe,” adds Alastair. 

The charcuterie, of course, is absolutely delicious.

Finnebrogue has worked with Asda to produce ten new Christmas products, bringing the total number of listings for the Downpatrick based company to 36, across fresh meat, meat-free, chilled, frozen meat, and party food.

 The new seasonal products, which are exclusive to Asda and will be available across the retailer’s stores in the UK include Extra Special Truffle & Parmesan Pigs in Blankets and Extra Special Brown Butter & Spiced Rum Stuffing Wreath, Asda own brand Jingle the Reindeer Pork, Sage & Onion Rosy Noses, Cheesy Pigs in Blankets and Mini Hot Dogs, as well as new additions to Asda’s OMV! range, including Roast Fillet of No Beef, Mushroom Wellington, No Turkey & Trimmings for One, No Turkey Joint with Unami Gravy, and Mushroom No Pigs in Blankets.

 Finnebrogue’s relationship with Asda began in 2014, when the company secured the business to produce Extra Special Gluten-Free sausages. Now Finnebrogue supplies all Asda own-label gluten free sausages, including Just Essentials, Asda Brand, and Extra Special, three Asda Brand nitrite-free bacon products, a selection of plant based by Asda & OMV! Meat-Free products, as well as a selection of fresh and frozen Christmas lines.

 Barbara Mullan, product developer at Finnebrogue, explained: “We are over the moon to work with Asda once again to launch ten new products into stores in the lead up to Christmas. The range of seasonal lines caters for all occasions during the festive period – from Christmas centrepieces and Christmas dinner accompaniments to party food essentials in both the fresh and frozen aisles.

 “We’ve put a twist on the Christmas classic Pigs in Blankets – with two new innovations – Cheesy Pigs in Blankets, as well as Extra Special Truffle & Parmesan Pigs in Blankets.

 “We also created a large selection of vegan & meat-free lines, catering for those who want to try something different this Christmas and for people who are reducing their meat consumption.  We know the Vegan Roast Dinner for one will be a welcome addition to those catering for only one meat-free diner at the table.”

 Cathy Elliot, Asda’s buying manager for NI Local added, “We’ve worked with the Finnebrogue team for almost ten years now, and we are thrilled to see an extension of its Christmas products launched into stores, with ten new lines available in the run up to the festive season.

 “Our shoppers will be delighted with the addition of these new options for Christmas, bringing locally sourced products to the dinner table at this special time of year.”  The products are available to buy instore or online at www.asda.com

Top chef celebrates 30 years in successful food business

I’ve had the privilege and great pleasure of enjoying many fine meals created by Yellow Door, by both Simon and Andrew Dougan, both wonderful chefs and tremendous supporters of local artisans. Jilly Dougan is also a great champion of the local food and drink industry, respected for her pioneering work to promote the agri-food industry in schools here.

It’s hard to believe that Yellow Door recently celebrated 30 years of culinary excellence. Time really does fly!

The Yellow Door first opened its doors in 1993 in a small restaurant in Gilford, Co. Down that set a new standard in the local hospitality industry, a restaurant driven by the commitment of Simon to creative meals that were superb taste experiences.

Led by the talents dedicated efforts of Simon and his cousin, Andrew Dougan, Yellow Door has grown successfully over the years as a true family endeavour, expanding their footprint with various hospitality enterprises in Portadown and Belfast, including a stand-alone wholesale bakery supplying fresh and innovative breads and patisserie daily across Ireland’s hospitality sector. 

For many years the Yellow Door catered for members of the Royal family and visiting dignitaries from across the world at Hillsborough Castle and other venues throughout Ireland and beyond. The company also nourishes the Ulster Rugby team on a daily basis and have been crafting memorable experiences at some of Northern Ireland’s grandest events and weddings.  Many corporate organisations regularly turn to Simon, Andrew and their teams for memorable food.

Congratulations to the Yellow Door for all that has been achieved so far. Here’s to the next 30 years!

Saluting the achievements of the local food and drink industry gives me tremendous satisfaction. Particularly because there’s so much good news coming from our companies. It’s one of the most important Food NI roles to showcase the achievements of food and drink here.

Among recent success stories from Food NI members is the remarkable business growth of Karri Kitchen in Portadown, a creator and producer of an eight-strong range of excellent South East Asia meals.

Owned by Chris and Shera McAloran, Karri Kitchen has just been listed by the Henderson Group, another Food NI member, to supply its vast network of SPAR, EUROSPAR and VIVOEXTRA stores. This will strengthen the position of this most enterprising business especially in Northern Ireland. Karri Kitchen is a tremendous success story in our developing ready-meals category. It already supplies LIDL and Musgrave Group stores.

We’ve also seen Green Fingers Family in Larne, a producer of handcrafted granolas and energy balls winning significant business in the Republic of Ireland with major distributors like ODAIOS in Dublin and deals with top retailers like Donnybrook Fair and Avoca.

Owned by Andrea and Zsolt Bohar, both originally from Hungary and now loving life and business in Co Antrim, Green Fingers Family is becoming among our most innovative enterprises and one that’s focused on sustainability and preserving the environment though a sharp focus on eo-packaging.

Another ambitious and successful local family business is Melting Pot Fudge from east Belfast which has just been listed by Dunnes Stores for its premium Simply Better range.

Driven by three remarkable sisters – Dorothy Bittles, Jenny Lowry and Cathy Johnston, Melting Pot has created an impressive reputation in confectionery and now supplies its fudge, including gluten-free varieties throughout the UK and further afield. The deal with Dunnes, its biggest business to date, will enhance its position in the Republic through more than 100 stores operated by Ireland’s biggest retailer.

Berties Bakes in Magherafelt is also now supplying Tesco with a range of superb foods.

Shortcross in Crossgar, the first developer here of a local gin in over a century, has formed an innovative company, Irish Bonding Company, to expand sales of its successful Irish whiskey.

Two Stacks in Newry has won business with Tesco for its original whiskey and an award- winning and highly innovative Irish Double Cream Liquour, a winner of double golds in the World Liquour Awards – a great Christmas treat!

Another member to win business with Tesco is Symphonia Gin in Pomeroy, another highly original and delicious drink that is produced by sustainable processes.

As well as a great deal of hard work by all of these companies, credit also has to go a whole network focused on supporting the food and drink industry. For example, DAERA, for supporting initiatives that support the development of these businesses’ such as the Food Pavilion at Balmoral Show, to InvestNI for their excellent work on securing buyers and training businesses on how to present to buyers, and to councils for encouraging start up food and drink businesses.

Hearty congratulations to all the above companies on their outstanding achievements.

Fresh seafood chowder, tangy rum-infused and orange smoked salmon and two new pates – smoked salmon and smoked mackerel – are delicious foods just launched by the iconic Ewing’s Fishmongers in Belfast.

Based on the Shankill Road, Ewing’s, a Food NI member, is one of Northern Ireland’s most successful fishmongers, a supplier of the broadest range of fresh fish and seafoods since 1911.

The family business has a longstanding tradition in the development of healthy foods and has won widespread acclaim for its smoked salmon, generally sourced from the award-winning Glenarm Organic Salmon in Co Antrim, and cod loins from local trawlers.

The new products, according to commercial director Crawford Ewing, have been created by the company’s four-strong team of qualified chefs. “We’ve been working on several new products with those just launched,” Crawford explains. “All the new foods use only the very best ingredients sourced from our established local suppliers.

“We’ve our own kiln for smoked fish and have been doing so for more than a century. So, there’s nothing we don’t know about smoking fish for superb flavours,” he adds.

Rum from Copeland Distillery in Donaghadee is used to infuse the new smoked salmon.

The chowder, he continues, uses only quality fish and vegetables “without any trimmings” for a rich and delicious taste.

The company, which supplies 400 restaurants here, has been “very busy this year because more have been dining out again and seeking natural meals, especially fish and seafood”.

“Our shop on the Shankill Road has also been very busy due to the demand for naturally tasty foods that are easily cooked. Our smoked salmon, which is available in supermarkets like Sainsbury’s and delis, has won UK Great Taste Awards and continues to be extremely popular, particularly during the Christmas season,” adds Crawford.

This commitment to excellence has led to the company achieving the highest global standard for quality food, processing and safety for consumers, the

the British Retail Consortium (BRC) hugely important double A star rating, its highest certificate for a food business.

The First Family of Northern Ireland food recently celebrated 30 successful years of the pioneering Yellow Door food catering, hospitality, artisan food production and retaiIing in Portadown at a gala charity event in Belfast.

Celebrated chef Simon Dougan, wife Jilly and other family members have been tremendous champions of local food and culinary excellence over the past three decades. Other artisan food and drink producers have also shared in their outstanding success of their catering and deli operations. Jilly, who produces her own honey and other products, has become a stalwart of green campaigns particularly in local education. Both are active Food NI members.

The Yellow Door first opened its doors in 1993 in a small restaurant in Gilford, Co. Down that set a new standard in local hospitality. It was a restaurant driven by the commitment and talents of Simon to creative meals that were superb taste experiences.

Led by the talents of Simon and his cousin, Andrew Dougan, Yellow Door has grown successfully over the years as a true family endeavour, expanding its footprint in Portadown and Belfast, including a stand-alone wholesale bakery supplying fresh and innovative breads and patisserie daily across Ireland.

“The creativity and quality of foods our fantastic producers are now coming up with is very exciting. There has been an acceleration and new-found confidence in the world class produce we have all around us and talented individuals who want to make stunningly tasty products from the beautiful raw ingredients from farmers,” says Simon.

A native of Armagh, Simon gained his culinary qualifications at Belfast College of Business before sharpening his skills in Britain, France and Belgium. Returning home in 1990, he started creating fantastic food for diners and shoppers through the Yellow Door.

For many years,  Yellow Door has catered for members of the Royal family and visiting dignitaries from across the world at Hillsborough Castle and other venues throughout Ireland and beyond.

The company also nourish the Ulster Rugby team on a daily basis and has been crafting memorable experiences at some of Northern Ireland’s grandest events and weddings. 

Simon continues:  “There is no doubt that there have been many triumphs as well as challenges in the last 30 years. We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our loyal customers, trusted suppliers, and our incredible team who have been instrumental in our success over the years.”

The company also nourish the Ulster Rugby team on a daily basis and have been crafting memorable experiences at some of Northern Ireland’s grandest events and weddings. 

The gala celebration event in Belfast City Hall raised awareness of and significant funds for two important local charities, the NI Cancer Fund For Children and NI Chest Heart and Stroke.

Three talented sisters in east Belfast are hand making fudge which Ireland’s biggest retailer reckons is Simply Better.

Multi-award-winning Melting Pot gourmet fudge from sisters Dorothy Bittle, Jenny Lowry and Cathy Johnston, owners of Blackthorn Foods at Ballymacarrett, has just been listed by leading Irish grocer Dunnes Stores, which has an impressive reputation for premium food and drink.

The quality conscious retailer has placed a significant order for traditional butter fudge, salted caramel and vanilla flavours developed by the enterprising trio.

The order, Melting Pot’s biggest to date, will see the fudge an integral part of the top retailer’s premium Simply Better range in more than 100 stores in the Republic and its five stores in Northern Ireland.

“We’re absolutely delighted to be working with Dunnes on our fudge for its premium range,” says Jenny Lowry. “It’s a marvellous opportunity and endorsement for our products by the prestigious retailer and offers us tremendous scope to market our fudge throughout the island of Ireland. The Republic, in particular, is a target market for us. So, winning business with Dunnes Stores is exciting and a volume breakthrough for us there,” she adds.

A winner of UK Great Taste and Blas na hEireann awards, Melting Pot fudge is also available in Great Britain and in export markets. The company is a Food NI member.

The sisters set up Blackthorn Foods in 2004,  their second successful small business together. They previously established and sold  a popular enterprise specialising in prepared salads.

“We work well as a team, with each of us having different strengths,” says Dorothy. “When we started the fudge business we all had young children and working together gave us the flexibility to work the hours that suited each of us best. We also loved working together.

 They had loved making fudge with their father as children and subequently decided to develop this as their second business together. The sisters continue to hand craft fudge using traditional techniques and their father’s original recipe,”  adds Cathy.