Trading with Northern Ireland now a problem for companies in Britain

It’s hard to believe that this January will mark three years since Brexit was implemented, and six and a half since the referendum was held.  Post referendum there was talk that it would ‘all be sorted’ in six months, wishful thinking.  Of course, it was followed by the pandemic, which lasted almost two years, starting in March 2020 and ending in December 2021. Even now I still hear the mantra weekly, we are just getting back on our feet. Therefore, its timely to look at how food and drink businesses view the business landscape given the national and global disruption.

Almost two thirds (63 per cent) of food and drink companies in Britain are finding it hard to trade with Northern Ireland via the Trader Support Service, with a further 69 per cent struggling to use preferential origin under the UK’s Free Trade Agreements, a new survey by business consultants BDO has found.

Concerns about the new trading regime for companies dealing with Northern Ireland are highlighted in the latest annual Food and Drink Report by BDO, which has a significant presence in Belfast.

These are worrying findings about the impact particularly among companies in Great Britain, the biggest single marketplace for our food and drink producers.

Food NI is not politically partisan. Our role is to promote and support the local food and drink sector, especially in home markets and to encourage them to take first steps outside Northern Ireland into Great Britain. It is disturbing to read that 63 percent of food and drink companies are finding it difficult to trade with this part of the United Kingdom.

These findings clearly merit further investigation of the problems, real or perceived, as a matter of urgency.  There’s clearly further work required to identify and remove any barriers than may to exist to trade within the United Kingdom.

BDO’s annual Food & Drink Report, which surveys manufacturers in the sector, shows a high degree of optimism among food and drink manufacturers. It’s a great source of information about the food and drink industry in general.

Encouragingly, the majority of leaders in the UK food and drink sector feel “positive about the prospects of the industry over the coming year”, according to new data, but mounting pressures will “continue to test” resilience. These mounting pressures stem especially from rising input costs including energy, ongoing staff shortages and the Ukraine war. The developing crisis in the Middle East is also now pushing up energy prices again.

BDO’s survey also highlights the “myriad of challenges” businesses in the sector are facing. Half of the companies responding reported difficulties in recruiting staff, with engineering and project management or production-related roles being the hardest to fill.

Almost two fifths (39 per cent) of those experiencing recruitment challenges believe skills shortages are worse now than before Brexit and Covid-19.

The long-term nature of many of the threats facing UK food and drink companies, the report says, suggests that leaders will need to stay flexible and think strategically about the future of their businesses.

A total of 70 per cent of food and drink companies are feeling positive about the future of their own business in the next 12 months, the report finds.

This is buoyed by the big jump in optimism for the sector overall, which has increased from 69 per cent in 2022 to 81 per cent.

More than a third (40 per cent) of companies say they expect an increase in their gross profit margins over the coming year and, as the buoyant mood continues, a further quarter (24 per cent) are planning acquisitive purchases.

Thirty per cent say new product development will be a key driver for growth across the next 12 months, whilst 29 per cent say expanding in non-European Union (EU) markets is an important focus.

There are certainly opportunities in these markets for our food processors, and we’ve seen some important successes in recent weeks, including Scott’s Crispy Onions in Aghadowey winning its first business in Denmark; Burren Balsamics and Broighter Rapeseed Oil both successful in the United Arab Emirates. Burren Balsamics has also just developed innovative tapas boxes for Aer Lingus international flights.

As the report is appropriate titled, the ingredients for success in the new normal are flexibility and a dash of experimentation.

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, 2023. The 4 star Lux Hotel is a new category in the Awards which have been running since 2017.

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 from 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.

Aghadowey-based Scott’s Crispy Onions are set to be featured in food-on-the-go snacks in Denmark from a significant deal with one of the country’s leading food wholesalers.

The family business, which pioneered the development of a 5-strong range of original and flavoured crispy onion snacks, has also recently strengthened its position in the strategically important market in Great Britain through agreements with leading food distributors in England and Scotland.

Outlining the significant new business, Jodie Scott, the Coleraine company’s marketing co-ordinator, says the agreements follow concerted campaigns by its marketing team to expand sales of the crispy onions, including a new gluten-free variety, here and especially in markets outside Northern Ireland.

The new gluten-free crispy onions are an excellent example of the family-owned and managed company’s longstanding and successful commitment to product and process innovation.

“We are enjoying significant growth in all aspects of our business, especially our recently launched snack pots for the dynamic ‘on-the-go’ market and a unique gluten-free product.

“The new business in Denmark should see our original crispy onions widely available in the country and particularly through the many street food providers in centres such as Copenhagen, Aarhus and Odense,” Jodie continues.

“We are very excited by the reaction to our innovative gluten-free product, which we have pioneered and is now proving popular with retailers both here, in Britain, the Republic of Ireland and abroad,” she adds.

The new business in Denmark for crispy onions – long popular as tobacco onions in restaurants virtually everywhere –  followed participation in a leading trade show, while the extension of contacts in England and Scotland resulted from a marketing drive there with existing customers, such as Cress Company in Dunfermline, and new leads the marketing team had pinpointed and subsequently turned into business.

“We are all very excited about the potential of the Danish breakthrough, a new market for us, as well as the latest agreements with successful and established distributors in Britain. These significantly increase our presence in what is a hugely important and easily accessible marketplace for us,” says Jodie.

“We are continuing to invest time and other resources there to increase awareness of our award-winning crispy onions that will lead directly to further sales in the months ahead,” she adds.

The crispy onions are a tasty addition especially to Denmark’s classic open-faced sandwiches, smorgasbord, a slice of rye bread with various toppings such as pickled herring, roast beef, eggs….and now crispy onions direct from Coleraine!

The handy snack pots have become extremely popular as a genuine alternative to chocolates, other sweets, popcorn, crisps and nuts.

The ambitious family-owned and led company, a Food NI member, is now the market leader and was the first to create crispy onion products, promoted extensively as ‘No Ordinary Onions’.

The freshly sliced onions, which are handmade, cooked and packed in a modern processing unit, are now available in flavours such as steak, smoky bacon, sweet chilli and Chinese salt and chilli. All ingredients used in the process are completely natural.

It’s a progressive company which continues to stay ahead of competitors by investing in innovations such as the new snack pots and gluten-free product.

The handy and convenient snack pots now account for around 15 percent of the company’s business…and are continuing to go strongly with people ‘on the go’ due to their convenience, quality and especially outstanding flavours.

The company, which employs around 20 people, began producing unique ready-to-eat crispy onions in 2013.  The onions, which can be eaten hot or cold, are produced fresh daily to ensure consistent, restaurant quality for professional chefs, street food vendors for burgers in particular and home cooks.

The idea for crispy onions came from a leading local chef, Darren Watt, who had seen the popularity of tobacco onions with diners ordering steaks or burgers. He urged the company, then a hugely successful distributor of fresh vegetables and fruit, to make the first version for restaurants and home cooks eager to include a delicious tobacco onion-style taste to meals.

The experienced chef supervised the development of a test batch of crispy onions for initial consumer tests, trials which proved the product was tasty and offered significant potential for both hospitality and retail outlets here and further afield.

As well as being essentially plant-based, the crispy onions are suitable for vegans and vegetarians and are now also ideal for those concerned about gluten.

The products are now found here in the network of farm shops, delis, independent grocers, family butchers and convenience stores, as well as Dunnes Stores.

The Lighthouse Bistro, Whitehead has extended its commitment to local suppliers, adding to its Taste of Ulster accolade since 2018, a menu of Arancini of Jubilee Farm Bacon, Provencal Sauce & Parmesan and a Jubilee Farmhouse Pork Terrine.

Jubilee Farm is founded on farming and conservation in partnership under a Creation Care ethos where all aspects of the farm have an opportunity to flourish. Working to agroecological principles, chemical free, no dig and growing to the NI season it is a leading example of sustainable food production. Pork on the plate at The Lighthouse Bistro comes from the pasture-raised, organic pigs where high-welfare is a daily task of the farmer and volunteers. Jubilee Farm is owned by 150 people, and it is NI’s first community owned farm, powered by volunteer contribution!

Chef Proprietor Joni Lutzman of The Lighthouse Bistro says, “Working with local, sustainable food producers is key to our menu, it highlights our likeminded ethos, and it delivers on taste because it is fresh, local, and to the season. Pasture-raised pork from Jubilee Farm helps us deliver on our local promise, we have visited the farm and been able to enjoy seeing the pigs in a high-welfare and natural environment, and in turn it supports the
community owned farm. Our menu reflects the story of local food with flavours from across the world.”

Portia Woods of Jubilee Farm says, “We are delighted to work with The Lighthouse Bistro in bringing our sustainability collaboration to life. It is important to us that we can give opportunity for people to make food choices and in an easy way. Whether it be about low food mileage, supporting local, chemical-free food, food security or animal welfare, Jubilee Farm ticks all the boxes. It tastes delicious too!”

Just 12 miles apart, Jubilee Farm, at the top of the Glynn Brae in Larne, and The Lighthouse Bistro in Whitehead, they are both just a ‘giant’ step off the Causeway Coastal Route journey that many locals and visitors love to travel.
It’s not the only important route for this collaboration, it’s part of a wider movement in sustainable food. Both plotted in the Mid & East Antrim Borough Council area they are part of the Sustainable Food Network.

Carly Ogilvie, Sustainable Food Co-ordinator of Mid & East Antrim Borough Council says, “We are working as a proactive area, in collaboration to highlight sustainable food. To such we have put in an application to become awarded as a Sustainable Food Place at Bronze Level. It would be a fantastic acknowledgement of the ongoing effort in our Borough to establish a more equitable and sustainable food system. Being able to apply for the award
underscores the collaborative work of various stakeholders including businesses, community organisations, dedicated volunteers, public institutions, and local government all with a shared commitment to improve the food choices for our people. I would like to congratulate Jubilee Farm and The Lighthouse Bistro in bringing this significant collaboration
of pasture to plate to the table!”

Find out more at www.jubilee.coop and https://lighthousebistrowhitehead.com

With spooky season creeping upon us quicky, it’s time to start thinking about Halloween festivities. What better way to get in the chilling spirit, than with tasty, seasonal Halloween themed dishes to enjoy with friends, family or trick-or-treaters.

Whether for warm, hearty lunches, an attempt to make dinner time exciting for the kids or for a ghastly evening dessert, these pumpkin-themed dishes will make your Halloween banquet one fit for the freakiest witches, wizards, ghosts and vampires.

Pumpkin potion soup

(Serves 4)

This easy pumpkin soup recipe is perfect for using up leftover Halloween pumpkin and makes a great autumnal starter. If enjoying as a main, serve the soup with two portions of your favourite vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium pumpkin
• Olive oil
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• 1 garlic bulb, sliced in half, horizontally
• 1 brown onion, roughly chopped
• 1 red chilli, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1tsp ground coriander
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 500ml water, boiled
• 1 handful pumpkin seeds
• 2 tortilla wraps
• 10 black olives, pitted

Method:

1. Begin by preheating your oven to 200ºC. On a large chopping board, slice your pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds. Cut your pumpkin into small chunks and spread onto two baking trays. Drizzle with the olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper and roast for 30-35 minutes until cooked through and golden at the edges. Once roasted, the skin can be easily peeled by hand.
2. Ten minutes prior to removing the pumpkin from the oven, in your largest saucepan, heat two tablespoons of olive oil over a medium heat. Add your onion, garlic and chilli and cook for ten minutes until soft. Adding the cumin and coriander, cook off for two to three minutes. Once the pumpkin has cooked, add it to the saucepan along with the vegetable stock. Allow to simmer for ten minutes and then blend to a smooth consistency. If necessary, add some more warm water.
3. Cut out spooky shapes from the tortilla wraps and pop them onto a baking tray. Bake until golden for around three minutes.
4. Serve the pumpkin potion in bowls along with a drizzle of olive oil and some pumpkin seeds scattered across the top. For extra creepy presentation, serve the scary tortilla chips on the side and slice olives to make googly eyes, arranging them over your soup for an extra fear factor.

Roasted pumpkin & pesto spookghetti

(Serves 4)

If luring your little people to the dinner table on Halloween night is a challenge, then this dish is for you. This dish is best served with two portions of your favourite vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium pumpkin
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• 1 pack lardons
• 150g walnuts
• 500g spaghetti
• 1 jar of green pesto

Method:

1. Begin by preheating your oven to 200ºC and on a large chopping board, slice your pumpkin in half, scooping out the seeds. Leave these to the side. Cut the pumpkin into medium sized chunks and spread onto two baking trays. Drizzle with the olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for 35-40 minutes until cooked through and golden at the edges. Once roasted, the skin can be easily peeled by hand.
2. In a cold frying pan, add the bacon lardons and fry gently over a medium heat until crispy.
3. When your pumpkin is cooked, grab one of the baking trays and pop on the walnuts. Put it into the oven for five minutes (max) to toast them.
4. In a large saucepan, boil some water and add a large pinch of sea salt. Add the pasta and cook for nine to ten minutes. Once cooked, drain the pasta, reserving a little bit of the water in a mug and popping back into the large pan.
5. Add a jar of pesto and stir to combine, followed by adding the pumpkin, bacon lardons and walnuts and mixing carefully. If it needs loosening, add a little pasta water.
6. Divide into four bowls and serve.

Warm pumpkin blondies

(9 pieces)

Not sure what to do with leftover pumpkin after you’ve finished your Halloween carving? Try this tasty spin on brownies, made with sweet white chocolate and pecan nuts. Substitute the pumpkin for squash, if you’d prefer.

Ingredients:

• 275g pumpkin flesh, cubed
• 175g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
• 2cm ginger, peeled and grated
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 200g light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 225g flour
• 125g white chocolate, roughly chopped
• 100g pecan nuts, roughly chopped

To serve:

• Vanilla ice cream
• White chocolate, finally chopped
• Pecan nuts, finely chopped

Method:

1. Place the pumpkin flesh in a saucepan and cover with boiling water from the kettle. Boil for 15 – 20 minutes until tender. Drain, return to the pan and mash, then set aside and allow to cool.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 5. Grease and line a 20cm x 20cm square shallow cake tin.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, ginger, vanilla and sugar until creamy. Add the egg and beat well. Stir through the mashed pumpkin. Sift over the flour and fold into the mixture using a wooden spoon. Fold in the white chocolate and pecans. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the surface.
4. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until an inserted cocktail stick comes out clean. Cool in the tin for ten minutes, then remove and cool on a wire rack for a further 15 minutes.
5. If using for dessert, cut into 9 squares and decorate with the finely chopped white chocolate and pecans. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients available at all Lidl Northern Ireland stores across the region. With pumpkins on offer for as little as £1, pick up all the essentials you need to carve up your terrifyingly tasty pumpkin dishes.

Food NI member Wilson’s Country in Portadown, Northern Ireland’s largest potato packer and processor has invested £2 million in the development of an anaerobic development (AD) system for generating electricity from waste such as peelings.

Located within the site of the existing business, the new plant will provide 60 per cent of the company’s annual electricity requirements.

Wilson’s Country managing director Lewis Cunningham said: “The potato waste from the business will be used as the main feedstock for the AD operation. It has taken two years to get the project through near to completion.

“The last piece in the jig saw puzzle was the establishment of an inter-connector between the AD plant and the national grid.”

He added: “The new system is being gradually been brought on line over the next number of weeks and will reach full operational capacity by the end of November.”

Company founder and chief executive Angus Wilson added: “We have been using certified ‘green electricity’ only within our entire operation for the past couple of years. This step, alone, has allowed us to reduce the carbon intensity of the company by 75 per cent.

“Being able to generate a significant proportion of our green electricity on site allows us to reduce our overall energy bill while, also making more efficient use of the waste streams produced within the business.

“It all adds to the sustainability of Wilson’s Country into the future.”

AD is the conversion of organic feedstock by micro-organisms in the absence of oxygen into biogas and digestate. The produced biogas can be used to generate electricity and heat.