Speciality-Food-Magazine-JanuaryFebruary2025

14 @specialityfood A TASTE OF NORTHERN IRELAND Meet just a few of the brands Speciality Food caught up with at the Invest NI Showcase DEVIL’S CHURN Only the best Irish ingredients are stirred together to conjure Devil’s Churn’s award-winning caramel sauces – from premium butter, to salt from the North Coast Smokehouse (featured in the delectable Campfire Salted Caramel Sauce), and top shelf Bushmills Black Bush Irish Whiskey. “The feedback from the food industry and judges is it’s a really good caramel sauce. We do use expensive ingredients, but it’s absolutely worth it,” says Eoin McConnell, part of the Seasons of the Glen charity which founded the brand to help support its hyper local food and drink markets, and NI producers. With the organisation holding charity status, you know every jar bought has a part to play in helping small artisan markers thrive. Standout products include the award-winning Butterscotch and Irish Cream Caramel sauces. JUST LIVE A LITTLE Kestrel Foods prides itself on shaking up the speciality sector. Through its Forest Feast brand it’s brought a contemporary feel to the flavoured, coated premium fruit and nut market. It’s also making waves at the breakfast table with Just Live A Little – granola for the modern consumer seeking out all-natural gluten free, refined sugar free options. “In the last year or two it’s really taken off,” says Kestrel Foods’ Damien McCrory. “Utilising our manufacturing capability and refreshing the brand has helped it continue to grow.” Speaking of growth, Damien says they’ve noticed a rise in interest in gluten free products. “We’re finding we over index in the UK and it’s not just because people are coeliacs. Many see our products as a healthier option compared to standard granola. We’ve taken time to develop the recipes to be full of flavour, with much less sugar.” Flavours include Raspberry, Coconut & Cashew, and Maple & Toasted Pecan. Just Live A Little has recently added to its line with brand new porridge pots, with all the same high fibre, low sugar, gluten free claims as its granola. “The insights are telling us grab and go porridge is a growing market,” says Damien. “These are fresh out the door and people are really enjoying them.” The launch flavours are Maple Syrup and Apple & Cinnamon. STEEPER CULTURE Kombucha and other tea-based drinks are starting to take off in Northern Ireland, and Steeper Culture is delighted to have been at the cusp of this new wave drinks revolution. Founded by Pete Barrett six years ago, the business has grown exponentially, encompassing both kombucha and sparkling teas, livening up the category with delicious twists. The bestseller by far, says Steeper Culture’s Erin Bell, is Lightning McGreen - a refreshing, light kombucha brew made purely with green tea. “The others use a blend of green and black teas, and have infusions like turmeric and orange, or ginger and lemon. One of my favourites has peach, grapefruit and hops – it’s very much like an IPA style flavour so hits the spot if you’re not drinking alcohol. There’s layers to it – a real depth and complexity.” Sparkling tea infusions launched in 2023 and are, says Erin, a good entry point for those unsure about kombucha, coming in fresh, bright flavours such as Cherry Lime and Strawberry Lime, joined soon by a seasonal edition made with fresh pressed apples, picked by the Steeper Culture team. BURREN BALSAMICS Vinegar is a category retailers should be taking more seriously, says Bob McDonald of Burren Balsamics which was founded by his business partner Susie Hamilton Stubber 10 years ago, initially as a way to raise money for Marie Curie. The brand’s USP is the “amazing flavour” of its products, he adds. “And the fact we don’t go on age, we go on density. It’s unique. We work with one family company in Modena to source our vinegars. There are usually two ages – 12-years-old or 25-years-old. If you see a 10-year-old balsamic it will have a percentage of vinegar that old, but it’s no guarantee of quality!” Starting at a density of 1.09 (weighing 1.09kg for every litre) to 1.35, Burren Balsamics guarantees a rich, luscious flavour and texture across the range, with no added caramel (as often seen in supermarket varieties). “Because we focus purely on quality, our customers are incredibly loyal to us,” Bob adds. believe the quality of fruit we use!” Alongside pure balsamic and infused vinegars, are vinegar spheres, relishes, chocolates, biscuits and more, with the Proper Digestive Biscuits winning a Great British Food Award, judged by Raymond Blanc MBE as some of the best he tried. “It doesn’t get much better than that,” says Bob. CLANDEBOYE ESTATE YOGHURT Yoghurt is a category experiencing a lot of traction right now as shoppers prioritise products that are high in protein, and low in additives. At Clandeboye there’s no cutting corners in producing excellent quality dairy, says Patrick Black. Based in a former schoolhouse, the team use whole milk from Jersey and Holstein Friesian cows grazed on the estate’s pastures, supplemented by milk from nearby farms sharing their values. “We are very fortunate in that our facility is powered by renewable energy,” adds Patrick. “Three hundred Quality extends to infusions. PGI Armagh Bramley Apples, produced just down the road from the kitchen, flavour one variety. “And we work with one of the best soft berry growers in the country, producing strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants and blackberries. We could buy cheaper, but they wouldn’t have the flavour. When the site auditor for SALSA came to visit in the middle of production, they couldn’t ‘Northern Irish food and drink have a story to tell’ Speciality Food spent time with Invest NI, discovering the passion and people behind some of the region’s best-loved artisan products