Henderson Food Group, a Food NI member, has released the popular pre-packed food-to-go Christmas range for 2023, introducing five seasonal sandwiches under the Delish brand.

The Delish range of sandwiches was launched earlier this year in partnership with local Newry based food-to-go manufacturer, Around Noon, which has been supplying Henderson Group with pre-packed sandwiches, wraps and salads for over ten years. 

The rebrand also introduced a new premium range to the Delish offering, ‘Delish Selection’, which focusses on big flavours, and can also be spotted in the 2023 Christmas range.

This year, ‘Delish at Christmas’ welcomes two returning favourites and the introduction of three brand new products. Shoppers can try the new Festive Ham, Cheese & Fruit Chutney Wrap, or take a taste of the new vegetarian option Applewood Cheese & Fruit Chutney Sandwich. Also introduced this year is the first ever premium festive sandwich, part of the ‘Selection’ range, Turkey, Stuffing & Cranberry Feast on granary bloomer bread.

Not to mention the highly anticipated return of two shopper favourites, Turkey, Smoked Bacon & Stuffing Wrap and Turkey, Sausage & Stuffing Sandwich.

The Delish at Christmas range has launched in over 160 SPAR, EUROSPAR and ViVO branded stores across Northern Ireland and will be available until 31st December with 10p from the purchase of every pack donated to SPAR and EUROSPAR NI’s charity partners, Marie Curie and Cancer Fund for Children.

Around Noon supply Henderson Group with 55,000 products a week, with a range of over 40 products on shelves in local stores for shoppers. The range includes standard, deepfill and triple sandwiches, subs & rolls, wraps, pasta salads and premium sandwiches. This product range also includes a ‘Choice’ selection of products which includes a number of vegetarian, vegan and low calorie products.

Julia Galbraith, brand development and marketing manager for the Food To Go category at Henderson Group, says: “We’re excited to be launching the Delish at Christmas range, bringing three new products to our shelves as well as welcoming back our shoppers’ favourites. This year’s range introduces exciting and tasty new products for shoppers’ convenience when on the go, providing additional choice and upgrading their lunch options for an affordable price, all while getting into the Christmas spirit.”

Stuart Kidd, senior account manager at Around Noon, adds: “The new Delish at Christmas range introduces more choice and new flavours to lunch on the go, as well as offering Christmas favourites. Our ongoing partnership with Henderson Group allows us to develop their ranges to meet customer’s ever changing needs, while providing the highest quality products. Whether it’s a quick lunch in the office or indulging in your first Christmas sandwich of the year, the Delish at Christmas range offers options for all shoppers and at great value.”

David Boyd-Armstrong, the joint founder and master distiller at Rademon Estate Distillery in Crossgar, Co Down, a Food NI member, has been elected chairman of Drinks Ireland in Dublin, the industry leading body. His role will be on guiding the spirits category in Ireland towards continued success emphasising the quality of Irish spirits on a global scale

David founded the Rademon Estate Distillery, home of Shortcross Gin and Whiskey, with his wife Fiona Boyd-Armstrong in 2012. He has been elected to a two-year term as chair of Drinks Ireland Spirits council, taking over from Bryan Fallon of Heaven Hill. 

Drinks Ireland Spirits represents the spirits industry across Ireland on policy advocacy, taxation, trade and market developments, and the ongoing international protection of Ireland’s Geographic Indicators (GIs). He is the director of distilling and blending at Rademon Estate Distillery, which is one of the oldest in the country.. 

David says: “The spirits industry across the island of Ireland has a vibrant offering and is central to the economic, social, and cultural fabric of the island. Domestic sales and exports have steadily risen after a challenging few years.

“It is wonderful to see the growing awareness and appreciation both at home and abroad of unmatched quality of Irish spirits, especially our protected Geographic Indication (GI) spirits: Irish Whiskey, Irish Cream and Poitín. I look forward to helping bring the category into a new chapter of continued success and growth,” he adds.

Aengus King, head, Drinks Ireland Spirits, continues: “This is an incredibly exciting time for the category with our members producing high quality drinks for enjoyment by consumers here at home but also across some 120 export markets. These businesses are situated in every county across the country, creating jobs and stimulating local economic activity.

“Our exports have shown remarkable growth over the last decade, and we are confident of the long-term future development of our sector, nonetheless there are challenging economic headwinds impacting on the sector at present – inflationary impact on inputs and consumer spending globally, high excise duties and the cost of finance. 

“However, I know that David Boyd-Armstrong will bring his years of invaluable experience and expertise to the role of Chair, and I look forward to working with him. I also want to sincerely thank our outgoing chair, Bryan Fallon, for his years of hard work.” 

Three FoodNI members producing alcoholic spirits are now at the forefront of initiatives demonstrating environmental responsibility.

The small producers of spirits – Boatyard Distillery in Enniskillen, Giant’s Basalt Distillery in Bushmills and Two Stacks, a bonding and bottling operation in Newry – are focusing resources on sustainability and providing inspirational leadership in what has become Northern Ireland’s most dynamic sector and an increasingly significant exporter.

Whiskey, gin, vodka and poitin are now shipped to customers in 30 global markets. Regular customers include major international distributors, hotels, bars and restaurants such as Core by Clare Smyth in London, number four in the world.

The growing focus on sustainability comes as consumers and retailers in most global markets are backing producers showing concern about the environment and carbon footprint.

One of a handful of companies here to achieve B Corp accreditation for its investment in sustainability, for example, is Boatyard, a distillery on Lough Erne founded by Joe McGirr, an industry pioneer. B Corp recognises a series of leading-edge initiatives Joe has taken to preserve the environment especially around the distillery’s picturesque Lough Erne base.

The distillery, a producer of a multi-award-winning double distilled gin as well as vodka and soon a single malt whiskey, was recently named Sustainable Company of the Year.

Boatyard has become one of the island’s most successful and a bartender favourite in London and further afield including, most recently, Seoul in South Korea. After a rigorous 14 -month validation process, the distillery earned B Corporation certification, making it the first distillery on the island to achieve this important rating. 

“The certification signals a huge milestone our ethical, sustainable, and environmentally conscious mission,” says Joe. “B Corp certification rewards the achievement of the highest levels of social and environmental performance, public transparency, and accountability,” he adds.

The certification also encapsulates a range of sustainability initiatives at the distillery. It has eliminated single-use glass bottles in visitor centre and created a bottle refill programme allowing customers to take their own bottle back to the distillery for refilling. More recently, it has launched a refill pouch bars and restaurants which uses 84 percent less packaging than a conventional bottle.

Two Stacks Irish Whiskey has just revealed a new bottle design featuring up to 70 percent recycled glass, as part of the brand’s market-led commitment to innovation, quality and environmental sustainability.

The new design, according to Shane McCarthy, one of the three founders of Two Stacks, features an embossed bottle design with natural cork stoppers.

The creation of the new bottles took two years of research and development process, with the objective of reducing the company’s carbon footprint. The design will be implemented throughout Two Stacks’ entire portfolio, debuting as part of the next chapter in the Polaris collection – a 7-year-old Pot Still – launching soon.

Shane explains: “We’re dedicated to setting new standards of excellence in Irish whiskey, and championing sustainability and accessibility in all that we do.

“We’ve seen other brands prioritising expensive ultra-clarity glass in their bottling when it has no effect on the quality of the spirit inside, and the reality is that this premium is passed on to customers to pay.

“We’re incredibly proud of our new embossed bottle design, made from recycled glass and natural branded cork. It’s important to us that our packaging reflects our core values and ethos, driving our sustainability strategy forward and helping shape the whiskey industry of tomorrow.

“We’re also introducing a reusable bottle bag with this release, to encourage people to reduce waste and over packaging, but still provide a premium gift bag, perfect for carrying your whiskey bottles or cans,” he adds.

Giant’s Basalt Distillery has also launched sustainable eco-refills, marking a significant milestone in an ongoing commitment to sustainability. Made to pair with the gin’s hexagonal and iconic glass bottle inspired by the Giant’s Causeway, the stylish aluminium bottles are designed to be delivered straight to the doorstep and used for refilling a glass gin bottle at home.

“We are passionate about preserving the unspoilt nature of our homeland, including the Giant’s Causeway on our doorstep, while also celebrating its magnificence. The introduction of our eco-refills was a conscious decision to make our luxury gin less impactful on nature by reducing waste generation and carbon output,” says joint founder James Richardson.  

“By offering an eco-friendly alternative, we aim to reduce waste and minimize our carbon footprint, all without compromising on the quality that has made Basalt Distillery a recognised name in the industry,” adds James.

The results have been announced of the winners in the Slow Food UK Awards and Food NI has been well-represented in the Northern Ireland section.

Slemish Market Garden won the Best Greengrocer and their own Frank McCooke won Person of the Year.

Seaview Farm was given the Best Butcher award. Ewing Seafoods was named Best Fishmonger and Edo Restaurant in Belfast was awarded the Best Restaurant/Eatery prize.

Every year, the Slow Food UK Awards highlight the best-loved slow food producers in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. They are announced on Terra Madre Day.

One of the most important Food NI roles is to promote the local food and drink industry and especially the achievements of our member companies. One of the most important elements in our promotional activities is our extensive website (www.nigoodfood.com)

The mission of the website is to record everything relevant about the local industry including the much positive work undertaken by organisations and councils across Northern Ireland.  We believe that it has become the first port of call for all those keen to find out more about what is happening in the industry, the outstanding achievements of our member companies and the innovative food and drink being developed all the time by entrepreneurial and creative people.

We endeavour to offer a platform for all those involved in what is Northern Ireland’s single biggest manufacturing industry and a vitally important exporter. We record all the many successes on our companies in international competitions for quality and taste. These range from the UK Great Taste and Blas na hEireann awards to the UK Quality Awards and the International Spirits Awards.

Our companies have an impressive track record of success in such awards. They can hold their own in quality, taste and innovation with the world’s very best.

And it’s important to remember that our food is now sold in over 60 countries worldwide, from the US to China and Sweden to South American. Our food today is to be found on the shelves of most of the biggest international supermarkets.  We look to the companies to tell us about their achievements as soon as practicable. This will enable us to reinforce their marketing endeavours.

We also support the website with a proactive and ongoing promotional campaign through several social media channels.

Our website is also constructed around our carefully developed around Our Food: the Power of Good marketing/promotional messages for the entire industry. We’ve invested heavily in this platform – with generous support from the Department of Agriculture, Enterprise and Rural Affairs Rural Food Development Programme.

Our extensive work with local councils and other bodies in sectors such as vegetables is also important to us. We are focused on strengthening the province-wide support eco-system for the food and drink industry.

This involves support for initiatives, the most recent being an imaginative programme by Ards and North Down Council to develop the local food and drink industry and help to enhance its existing contribution to the local economy. We’ve already support similar initiatives by other councils such Mid and East Antrim. Focusing on food and drink is a great way to assist start-up and established small food and drink enterprises in areas such as marketing, new product development, employee training and new jobs.

Our website is also an important reference point for national and international retailers seeking data on local companies and their products.

As I mentioned earlier, Food NI website has become an essential reference point for those interested in the local food and drink industry. It’s open to all our member companies and relevant organisations keen to see this important industry progress. We welcome success stories and other information from all.

Christmas has arrived at SPAR and EUROSPAR, with 100% of the dinner menu sourced locally.

Everything from the all-important turkey, ham, plus all the trimmings from sprouts, carrots, potatoes and parsnips are only travelling a short distance from local farms across the island of Ireland to stores, ready to fill up dinner plates come December 25^th.

Nicola Hillier, Assistant Produce Trading Manager at Henderson Group says provenance, quality and convenience are at the top of the retailer’s wish lists when it comes to sourcing all the ingredients to make up a festive feast.

Nicola commented; “Shoppers can be assured that all year round, we source over 75% of our fresh food from 180 local suppliers, which is more important than ever at Christmastime.

“Our sprouts, potatoes, parsnips and carrots all come from the rich soil of County Down’s fields. The Grove Farm turkeys are sourced from County Monaghan and the gammon joints are from Cookstown in County Tyrone. The Great Taste award winning desserts, from SPAR’s exclusive The Kitchen range, are also all made in County Armagh.

“This means quality, provenance and freshness are guaranteed and best of all we’ve got everything our shoppers could need for Christmas under one roof.”

Stephen Murdoch is a fifth-generation vegetable grower on the shores of Strangford Lough, and his farm has been supplying Brussels Sprouts, cabbages and leeks to Henderson Group for 15 years.

Stephen commented; “Each year, we grow around 1.5 million cabbages and leeks, while also sowing thousands of sprout seeds in spring, so they’re ready for Christmas – one of our busiest times of the year. Being based in County Down, with such ideal growing conditions, not only guarantees a higher quality of product, but also optimum freshness for the shopper thanks to our minimal food miles when delivering to stores.”

Nicola finished; “At SPAR and EUROSPAR, we aim to provide a choice of products that are convenient to the shopper with many of our community supermarkets’ in-store butchers offering fresh, locally sourced, high quality meat options for Christmas dinner.

“When it comes to all those lovely occasions surrounding the big day, our shoppers will also find a range of locally sourced party food in-store, that’s ready to pop in the oven at home, saving even more time for our shoppers.

“Many of our Great Taste Award winning desserts can simply be popped in the microwave, which gives our shoppers more time spent around the table with loved ones, in the run up to and on the big day.

“We’re making sure Santa is the only one that travels around the globe at Christmas, because your Christmas dinner really doesn’t have to.”