Northern Ireland’s Dale Farm, a Food NI member, was the only local success in the recent World Cheese Awards. Held at Trondheim in Norway, Dale Farm, Northern Ireland’s biggest dairy business, was among over 4,000 cheeses entered in the global competition.

Dale Farm, best known for its Dromona range of cheddars, gained a bronze medal for its extra mature block. The award was the most recent for Dale Farm, which produces its cheddars at Dunmanbridge, near Cookstown, in international competitions.

The Northern Ireland company is among the biggest cheese processors in the United Kingdom, using milk from local farms to produce a wide range of successful cheddars.

Organised by the Guild of Fine Food, the World Cheese Awards draws entries from up to 31 different countries each year.

Cheeses of all shapes and sizes make their way to the venue where cheese experts taste and grade over 3,000 in a single day – giving Bronze, Silver, Gold and Super Gold awards to worthy entries.

A final judging panel then debate the top 16 cheeses in front of a trade and consumer audience before crowning the World Champion Cheese. This year’s winning cheese came from a dairy in Norway.

Award-winning family-run Bertie’s Bakery in Magherafelt, a Food NI member, is creating 12 jobs after securing a £2 million-a-year deal to have 12 of its lines initially available across 19 Tesco Express stores across Northern Ireland.

This will involve the roll-out of 30 lines into 24 of Tesco’s main superstores later this year.

Bakery industry leader Brian McErlain opened Bertie’s Bakery in 2020, and it operates from a 15,000 sq ft site outside Magherafelt.

The new jobs will be across the business including bakery and sales personnel, bringing its total staff to 45.

Brian said: “Bertie’s Bakery is named after my mother who, with my father Joe, were founders of the original McErlain’s bakery in 1968. Her mantra was ‘don’t sell anything you wouldn’t love to eat yourself’, and it is that core value which is driving us today.

“We have sourced the best flours, oils, seeds and grains to produce both traditional breads, cakes and snacks and new interpretations of old favourites. All our products are hand-crafted and hand-finished which stays true to our artisanal ethos.

“Securing this listing with Tesco marks another significant step forward for Bertie’s Bakery, making our products even more widely available to consumers across Northern Ireland and enabling us to create more jobs locally.”

Gareth Morton, head of category commercial NI at Tesco, added: “We’re proud to support local suppliers, and our new partnership with Bertie’s Bakery reflects our commitment to continually improving and expanding our offering.

“Bertie’s is a local business with a long history in Northern Ireland and we are excited to be able to provide their products to Tesco customers.”

Bertie’s Bakery’s new 90 products include hot plate goods, baps and rolls, oven bread and scones, cakes and pastries.

The bakery’s wee sodas and sliced wheaten picked up Great Taste awards in August, adding to 2022 awards for big pancake and toaster wheaten.

Eggs, sauces, vinegars and pickles from Northern Ireland have been voted among the best food and drink in Britain.

Four local artisans – all Food NI members – have won gold, silver and bronze awards in the annual Great British Food Awards for eight foods, the most ever won by local
companies.

The overall Northern Ireland winner was Cavanagh Free Range Eggs in
Newtownbutler, Co Fermanagh which won the title as “Sustainable Egg Producer” of the year. The family-run business also collected two silvers for its six breakfast eggs and 12 medium eggs.

The judges praised “the delectable taste of Northern Ireland’s eggs with this pack of 6 Breakfast Free Range Eggs. Bursting with flavour” “They make every breakfast delightful treat. The quality is apparent in their rich and vibrant yolks, a testament to the hens’ welfare. Knowing they are well looked after only adds to the satisfaction of enjoying these delicious eggs.”

Cavanagh Free Range Eggs is owned and managed by husband and wife team John and Eileen Hall, who said they were “delighted by this outstanding recognition of the Fermanagh company’s success”.

The other big winners in the awards were Burren Balsamics of Richhill, Co Armagh; and Lo and Slow BBQ Sauces from Derry. Burren, which is run by founder Susie Hamilton Stubber and Bob McDonald, both respected chefs, gained gold awards for three products – pickled tomatoes; proper digestive biscuits and wild garlic, salt and pepper mill.

Raymond Blanc described Burren’s proper digestive biscuits, as “a Great British Biscuit, showcasing modern artisanal baking”.
Derry’s Lo&Slo BBQ Sauces, owned and run by Emily McCorkell, won gold for its Screaming Banshee Ghost Chilli and Seaweed Blend and silvers for Chilli Mop Sauce and Sweet and Smoky. Gary Stewart, head chef at the Tartine restaurant in the Distiller’s Arms in Bushmills won silver for his pickled sauce and bronze for his raspberry and apple sauce.

Launched in 2014 the Great British Food Awards to celebrate the country’s finest artisanal produce, as well as the hard-working people behind the scenes. This year, the awards were bigger and better than ever, with lots of new categories and amazing celebrity judges such as celebrity chefs Raymond Blanc, Oliver Marlowe; Michel Roux Jnr and Shaun Rankin.

Passengers on Aer Lingus international flights are now able to enjoy a unique tapas snack box developed by Burren Balsamics in Co Armagh.
The Armagh company, which is based at Richhill, has worked with the international airline’s catering team to create “carefully selected and perfectly crafted grazing tapas that are bursting with flavour”, Burren’s Iona Hamilton Stubber explains.

“From moreish salty broad beans to sweet pickled tomatoes, this array of luxury antipasti and snacks is the perfect start to a flight,” adds Iona. 
The tapas boxes contain some olive tapenade, made with the Armagh company’s citrus white balsamic vinegar as well as some pickled tomatoes that are all developed and made at Richhill.

A multi-award-winning producer of balsamic vinegars, relishes, chutneys and jams, Burren Balsamics, a Food NI member, has an established business relationship with Aer Lingus that has featured the development of an onion jam for international flights.

Three of its products recently won gold at the Great British Food Awards. The winning products were: Pickled Tomatoes; Proper Digestive Biscuits; Wild Garlic, Salt and Pepper Mill. The pickled tomatoes in particular have won and they are going into the tapas box for Aer Lingus 

The Armagh company has also started exporting to Dubai and can now been found in Spinney’s and Waitrose, alongside Broighter Gold rapeseed oil from Limavady there.
The Aer Lingus contract consolidates the reputation of Burren Balsamics as one of Northern Ireland’s leading and most successful innovators in artisan foods especially for high-profile customers in international markets.

The company, run by Susie Hamilton Stubber and Bob McDonald, two respected chefs, includes Harrods and Partridges in London among its portfolio of influential customers for its extensive range of fruit infused balsamic vinegars, many of which use locally sourced fruits and other ingredients.

The small company also supplies its fruit infused balsamic vinegars to the House of Commons gift shop and is a UK Department of Business and Trade Export

Ambassador, a role which involves encouraging and advising other smaller
companies here seeking to develop exports.

In addition to its latest business with leading retailers in the affluent United Arab Emirates (UAE), Burren Balsamics, which was established in February 2014 by Susie, recently secured a significant export contract for its products to be sold in Mexico’s most prestigious department stores.

Taste of Ulster member Killeavy Castle Estate has added another award to its cache with the 4 Star Lux Hotel of the Year at the Irish Hotel Awards.

The awards took place at an event at the Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa in Sligo on Tuesday, October 17^th, 2023. 4 star Lux Hotel is a new category in the Awards which have been running since ??

Killeavy Castle Hotel also won Fine Dining Experience of the Year, Great Irish Breakfast of the Year and Castle Hotel of the Year for Ulster

The other big winners were Manor Country House Hotel in Enniskillen, Fermanagh and Titanic Hotel, Belfast.

The Manor House Country Hotel won Waterside Wedding Venue of the Year and Breakfast Venue of the Year. Frances Cathcart won Breakfast Manager of the Year, Ulster and all-island. Josata Zostautiene won Housekeeping Manager of the Year, Ulster. Una Monaghan won Wedding Planner of the Year.

Titanic Hotel won Wedding Hotel of the Year and Gourmet Getaway of the Year for Ulster. Staff awarded were Nigel Mannion, Chef of the Year; Courtney McLaughlin – Event Manager of the Year for Ulster and Yvonne McIlree Marketing Manager of the Year.  William McIlroy was Concierge of the Year for Ulster and Overall winner.

Neil Walker from the Seagoe Hotel, Portadown, Co. Armagh won Bar Manager of the Year and Corick House Hotel and Spa in Tyrone won the Country House Hotel award in Ulster.

We are proud to announce that renowned food expert Olly Marlowe has awarded Screaming Banshee Ghost Chilli & Seaweed Blend by LO & SLO a Gold Badge at this year’s Great British Food AwardsWith Sweet & Smoky Original BBQ Sauce and Sweet & Spicy Chilli Mop Sauce both winning Silver.

The gold winning entry, Ghost Chilli & Seaweed Blend, a seasoning salt with versatility of use and a focus on punchy, natural ingredients, will now be regarded as one of the very best products available within the UK’s exciting food and drink sector in 2023.

The item was judged by top industry expert Olly Marlowe to be a prime example of Great British food and drink – demonstrating not only delicious flavour, but also providing an optimum eating experience and one-of-a-kind enjoyment. He described LO & SLO’s Screaming Banshee Ghost Chilli & Seaweed Blend as: “The cream of the crop, as it were, was the Screaming Banshee Ghost Chilli & Seaweed blend. Despite my mouth still being on fire from 30 minutes ago – the individual flavour and tang was toppest! We plan to use it as a salt rim for our Chilli and Cucumber Margaritas – immediately!”.

Having been awarded the highest accolade within the Great British Food Awards 2023, LO & SLO’s Screaming Banshee Ghost Chilli & Seaweed Blend will now be promoted across Great British Food’s print, online and social channels in celebration of its achievement. 

Of the win, Emily McCorkell, founder of LO & SLO and creator of their range said, “Our team is extremely proud of our Ghost Chilli & Seaweed Blend winning Gold! It’s always an honour to be recognised for the hard work and creativity that goes into every product we make. This Seasoning Blend is really something special and I can’t wait for people to discover it for themselves!”.