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Ireland’s answer to Luscombe? Glastry Farm Ice Cream
Laura Brown Arcadia Delicatessen Belfast Abernethy hand churned butter Abernethy Butter has recently been listed in Fortnum & Mason. It’s made by hand using traditional methods, with cream bought from a local farmer, who pasteurises his own milk. The butter is all hand-wrapped in greaseproof and brown paper. Broighter Gold rapeseed oil Made in Limavady, in north-west Northern Ireland this product is higher in Omega 3 than olive oil and has a higher smoking point so it can be used at higher temperatures.
www.glastryfarm.com
The Taylor family has been farming dairy cows and producing milk since 1856 at Glastry Farm on the Ards Peninsula in Co Down. Fifth generation Will Taylor is the man behind the farm’s ice cream. Glastry’s current flavours include vanilla bean & Kilbeggan – an Irish whiskey based ice cream made from the award-winning Kilbeggan Irish whiskey – as well as coconut, cappuccino Milano and raspberry & lavender. It also produces sorbet in pear, apple schnapps, Champagne and raspberry ruffle flavours. Glastry’s retail range is widely available across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, but as yet it doesn’t have a distribution network in the rest of the UK.
DP Connolly & Sons www.dpconnollyandsons.ie
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ny similarity between DP Connolly & Sons’ range of all-natural soft drinks from Co Laois and a well-know premium brand from the south-west of England is not entirely coincidental. When FFD asks if this is a “Luscombe for the Irish market”, company co-founder Denis Connolly tells us: “Yes, on the button.” Founded four years ago, the DP Connolly brand is sold in many upmarket Irish outlets, including Avoca and Fallon & Byrne. It has already been picked up by
Selfridges in the UK, and to get round problems of wholesale distribution from Ireland Denis Connolly has set up his own warehouse, in Battersea. “We’re in about 25 delis and coffee shops around London,” he says. “The nice thing for us is that ‘Irish’ is almost seen as local in the UK. So a lot of delis that would normally carry Luscombe or James White will take ours as an alternative.” DP Connolly’s products include lemonades, juices and elderflowerinfused drinks. Another premium sideline is Irish matcha porridge, sold in a novel glass bottle. “We’ve taken something from Japan, matcha tea, which is renowned for all sorts of wonderful things but doesn’t taste all that nice, and made something more suitable for Western tastes,” Connolly says. Denis Connolly, whose premium bottled products extend to an Irish matcha tea porridge
Moyallon dry-cured bacon This bacon from Hannan Meats is a proper old-fashioned style product that’s a repeat purchase for those who try it once. Red Dog Foods sour cherry chilli jam A favourite in my own kitchen, this chilli jam is made in rural Co Down by a Californian. Its blend of sweet, sour and heat makes it perfect for accompanying sausages and burgers, stirring into curries and marinating meat on the barbecue. Suki Tea Belfast Brew tea pyramids This Irish breakfast tea is a great tasting brew that is also Fairtrade. www.arcadiadeli.co.uk
Gracehill Fine Foods www.gracehillfoods.co.uk
Created by Scotsman Hugh Anderson, Gracehilll Fine Foods produces traditional black and white pudding using recipes derived from the Scottish Highlands. Authenticity is paramount, says Anderson, and the ingredients used for the puddings are sourced from local suppliers. All the recipes are made with fresh onion. The puddings are currently supplied to the retail and foodservice trades in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Stockists include Carnbrooke Meats, Get Fresh, Fresh2U and The Hastings Group Culloden & Slieve Donard Hotels. A supplement to Fine Food Digest
Mash Direct www.mashdirect.com
Established nine years ago as part of a farm diversification initiative, Mash Direct produces quick-serve potato and vegetable products including colcannon, potato cakes and cauliflower cheese. Emphasising provenance and traceability, the Co Down-based family farm produces the majority of the raw materials with the rest sourced from the UK and Ireland. It produces more than 30 retail lines, all of which carry the Mash Direct brand and are free from artificial additives, preservatives and colourings. Mash Direct vegetables are all steam-cooked and packaged on the family farm and distributed via chilled freight throughout Ireland and the UK. It has a van distribution operation based in North London, serving independent retailers in the Greater London area. Food & Drink from Ireland 2013-14
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