review NI
APRIL 2016
The VOICE of Northern Ireland’s catering, licensing and tourism industry
A SIZZLING SHOW: This year’s IFEX was a sizzling show, according to organiser Fresh Montgomery, with footfall up by almost 25%, substantial trading among exhibitors and positive feedback from visitors and exhibitors alike.
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BREWING & DISTILLING: is the theme for this month under the Year of Food & Drink, and HRNI hears from local brewers Mourne Mountains and Lacada, how Diageo keeps pubs’ beer lines clean and what some lucky bartenders got up to at The Old Bushmills Distillery.
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MASTER BLENDER: Fittingly for Brewing & Distilling month, this month’s A Day in the Life features Helen Mulholland, master blender at the Old Bushmills Distillery who faces the arduous task of daily tasting and sensory work across 220,000-plus casks.
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TENNENT’S VITAL: Headline performers have now been announced for Tennent’s Vital 2016, with Red Hot Chili Peppers and Fall Out Boy lined up for Thursday, August 25, and Avicii, Jess Glynne and Galantis taking to the stage on Friday, August 26.
THE LAST WORD: Fresh from winning DARD NI Chef of the Year at this year’s IFEX, James Richardson from Weavers Lodge in Banbridge shares a few of his favourite things from a good steak, cooked nicely, to Boundary Brewing’s IPA.
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APRIL HRNI • 3
comment
Support Hospitality Ulster’s petition B
Alyson Magee Editor
y the time this edition of Hospitality Review lands on doorsteps, another Easter weekend will have passed by with the hospitality industry again suffering from unfair restrictions hampering business during what would otherwise be a key trading opportunity. Unfair, of course, because pubs, restaurants and hotels are curtailed in the hours they can sell alcohol over the Easter weekend but retailers are not. Easter trading hours is just one example among many demonstrating the need for modernisation of our licensing laws. Another is highlighted by this month’s Brewing & Distilling feature, with fledgling local craft beer producers such as Mourne Mountains Brewery and Lacada currently unable to turn their small production sites into the tourist destinations they could be as they’re not able to offer sampling opportunities. If you agree the licensing laws should be reformed, please support Hospitality Ulster’s campaign by signing its petition and contacting your local MLAs. The links are: http://hospitalityulster.org/petition-of-concern http://hospitalityulster.org/petition-of-concern/Contact-Your-MLA
Hospitality Ulster estimates Easter trading loss at £16m L ost revenue of up to £16m has been estimated for the local hospitality sector over the Easter weekend due to restricted trading hours under current liquor licensing laws, in a report by accountancy firm BDO Northern Ireland commissioned by Hospitality Ulster. BDO’s survey estimated an average loss of £9,251 across 1,309 pubs totalling £12.1m, £10,575 across 152 hotels totalling £1.6m and £3,859 across 559 restaurants totalling £2.1m. “We are on the ground speaking with a range of members on a daily basis and the level of anger about the restrictive trading hours over the Easter period is something that I have not witnessed in recent years,” said Colin Neill, chief executive, Hospitality Ulster. “The industry is now at boiling point. There is anger about losing out on potential revenue; anger about losing trade to the Republic of Ireland in the border areas; and anger that the NI Assembly has left this issue hanging by not bringing forward the Bill that would modernise liquor licensing here. “We are an industry that creates wealth, gives jobs to people and pays a significant amount of tax. We are one of the biggest players in the
economy in Northern Ireland and cannot sustain working under such draconian legislation. It’s a crazy situation when alcohol is still available to purchase in supermarkets and off-sales (with the exception of Easter Sunday) as early as 8am in the morning but not in a place that is safe and regulated – the pub. “The industry is respectful of religious belief in relation to the sale of alcohol during this period, but the debate has moved on. It is no longer a black and white issue. It is about accepting that alcohol can be bought, but making sure that the entire hospitality sector can benefit. At the minute, the sector finds Easter a particularly difficult and frustrating period as business is going elsewhere. “We need to take a serious look at this issue and bring ourselves in line with the rest of the destinations that we are in competition with. Our outdated approach to Easter means that we are turning domestic visitors and tourists away to other places and cities, and continue to encourage drinking in the home which has been at a dangerous level for some time. “The NI Assembly must bring forward the updated Liquor Licensing Bill to modernise our outdated approach before we pass up on many
Tourism NI Chief Executive John McGrillen has added his support to the campaign to modernise Northern Ireland’s liquor licensing laws.
more millions of pounds in lost revenue. We are an industry that employs 45,000 people in food and drink alone and it can no longer be accepted that our prohibitive laws cannot change.” Brian Murphy, advisory partner, BDO Northern Ireland said: “We believe that local government should seek to create conditions in which businesses can flourish and create job opportunities, instead our existing licensing laws appear to be restricting growth within this sector.”
Editor: Alyson Magee Manager: Mark Glover Art Editor: Helen Wright Production Manager: Stuart Gray Subscriptions: 028 9078 3200 (Price £27.50 UK, £37.50 outside UK) Published by Independent News & Media Ltd: Hospitality Review NI, 5B Edgewater Business Park, Belfast Harbour Estate, Belfast, BT3 9JQ. Tel: 028 9078 3200 Fax: 028 9078 3210. Contact: alysonmagee@greerpublications.com. Tel: 028 9078 3246 Sales: markglover@greerpublications.com. Tel: 028 9078 3234 The Review is the official publication for: Hospitality Ulster: 91 University Street, Belfast, BT7 1HP. Tel: 028 9032 7578. Chief Executive: Colin Neill Chairperson: Olga Patterson The Northern Ireland Hotels Federation: The McCune Building, 1 Shore Road, Belfast, BT15 3PJ. Tel: 028 9077 6635 Chief Executive: Janice Gault President: Ciaran O’Neill Design & Production by: Greer Publications Design Printed by: W. & G. Baird Ltd. The opinions expressed in Hospitality Review are not necessarily those of Hospitality Ulster or the NIHF. 4 • HRNI APRIL
Hospitality Review is copyright © Independent News & Media Ltd 2016
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Global Greening initiative continues to grow The Derry~Londonderry~Doire Clipper Race yacht moored in in Qingdao, China was among new Global Greening additions this year.
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ome 190 iconic landmarks and sites around the world were illuminated in green last month, as part of Tourism Ireland’s 2016 Global Greening initiative to celebrate the island of Ireland and St Patrick. From Rome to Rio and from London to Las Vegas, a host of buildings and sites around the world turned a shade of green to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. New sites added in 2016 included 7 World Trade Center at Ground Zero in New York, Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Yas Viceroy hotel in Abu Dhabi and the Nelson Mandela statue in Johannesburg. ‘Old favourites’ include the Colosseum in Rome, the Sacré Cœur basilica in Paris, the Great Wall of China, Niagara Falls and the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.
Deane showcases NI food in Bangkok Michael Deane
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ourmet foods from Northern Ireland were showcased by Northern Irish Michelin-starred chef Michael Deane at a special event in one of the top hotels in Asia last month. Deane cooked meals for leading business people and food writers over a week-long stint at the critically acclaimed VIU restaurant on the 12th floor of The St Regis Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. Showcased local food and drinks included Shortcross Gin Cured Salmon, Copeland Island Scallops, Lough Neagh Smoked Eel, Fermanagh Pork and Black Pudding, Abercorn Estate Pigeon, Peter Hannan’s Sugar Pit Cured Beef Rib with Yardmaster Ale and Young Buck Cheese. “It was good, hearty Northern Irish food,” he said. “I was delighted to have this opportunity to showcase how the fantastic
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ingredients readily available in Northern Ireland can be harnessed to produce outstandingly tasty and original dishes. “Our dedication to sourcing the best local produce and demanding the highest standards of cooking and presentation continues to please customers abroad and at home, as well as those visiting from abroad, and that is the secret to our success."
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Work begins on world’s ‘most authentic Titanic hotel’
Pictured in one of the iconic Drawing Offices are James Eyre, Titanic Quarter commercial director; Kerrie Sweeney, CEO, Titanic Foundation; Trade Minister Jonathan Bell; and Angela Lavin, Heritage & Lottery Fund.
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ork has begun to fully restore the former Harland & Wolff Headquarters building and Drawing Offices in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter. The iconic buildings, where RMS Titanic and 1,000 other ships were conceived and designed, will include a new boutique hotel and public heritage space. The development of the four-storey, 84-bedroom hotel is being managed by Titanic Quarter, which is laying claim to the world’s most authentic Titanic-themed hotel. Titanic Foundation, with the help of a £4.9m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Heritage Enterprise programme, is supporting the restoration of the Drawing Offices. The scheme, which will include three pavilions, will be publicly accessible for tours, events and exhibitions. Both projects are due to open in 2017, creating 100 new jobs. “The Harland & Wolff Drawing Offices are one of Northern Ireland’s most significant and important historical buildings,” said Kerrie Sweeney, chief executive of Titanic Foundation. “It is a building of global significance where over 1,000 ships were designed including Titanic, Britannic and Olympic. This will give the public the opportunity to experience over a century of innovation and exceptional craftsmanship and allow the redevelopment of the rest of the building into a unique hotel.”
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news
UU hosting major international hospitality conference By Dr Peter Bolan
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ith hospitality and tourism in Northern Ireland seeing continued growth and 2016 shaping up to be an important year for tourism with initiatives such as the Year of Food & Drink, Ulster University is proud to bring the 25th Council for Hospitality Management Education (CHME) Conference to Belfast from May 4-6. CHME is a non-profit making organisation representing UK, European and International universities and colleges offering higher education programmes in the fields of hospitality studies, hospitality management, and related fields such as tourism. The organisation contributes to the professional development and status of UK, European and international hospitality management education, through the sharing of best practice in scholarship and pedagogy. Hosted by the Ulster University Business School’s Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management at the Belfast Campus, this conference provides an open forum in which a wide range of themes linked to hospitality will be debated, including the importance of education and training in the sector, the factors and trends influencing hospitality, as well as key innovations in food and drink and niche tourism. The conference will bring together leading international hospitality academics as well as industry practitioners and policy makers to debate and showcase innovative and best practice for further development and progression of the hospitality industry. Keynote speakers include Dr Ian Yeoman (Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand) a leading tourism and hospitality futurist, Dr Francesca Zampollo (international food design consultant) a renowned international expert on food design and innovation, and the University’s own Professor Peter Walker (head of the Belfast School of Architecture). Findings from a range of innovative industry research projects will offer delegates the opportunity to disseminate, debate and discuss best practice and the important issues that need to be considered for the hospitality industry to flourish and grow. This is particularly important here in Northern Ireland at the present time with strong growth and the momentum of such gathering pace. However, things need to be embraced, developed and driven forward in the right direction if we are to leverage maximum potential from such opportunities. This conference will provide the opportunity to hear how this has been achieved elsewhere from both international and local experts in their field. Special industry-focused workshops will also be provided (both pre-conference on May 3 and on May 4), including an STR Global ‘Certification in Hotel Industry Analytics’ a ‘Train the Trainer’ session and a HOTS Simulation workshop (delivered by Russell Partnership Technology). Evening social events will also take place for delegates at Belfast City Hall and the Belfast Harbour Commissioners Office. The event will take place on the University’s Belfast Campus from May 4-6 and further information on this international event (including the conference schedule) can be found at ulster. ac.uk/chme16 and you can follow on twitter via #CHME16. twitter.com: @Hosp_ReviewNI
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chefprofile
Tedfords Head Chef Christine McNally talks to HRNI
Christine McNally
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elfast born and bred Christine McNally had a keen interest in baking from an early age. “Although I never attended home economics classes at school, mum said I was glued to the TV, watching Gary Rhodes and Ready Steady Cook and would try to re-create dishes myself,” she says. “I think this was my inspiration, and this was why I decided to attend catering college.” Studying Professional Cookery at Belfast Met, Christine completed courses in pastry and, as a student, competed in the Nestle Toque D’or and IFEX competitions, which whet her appetite for the opportunities available to chefs. Another highlight, at that time, was visiting Canada with the Chefs & Cooks Association to provide a St Patrick’s Day Banquet for over 350 guests. “From College, I attended work experience
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at Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant, where I gained my first knowledge of a working kitchen,” says Christine. “I was drawn to the pastry section and really enjoyed working with desserts. When I graduated, I got a full-time job at Deanes on Howard Street, where I started as a commis pastry chef.” After a year at Deanes, “I completed a short stage at Gordon Ramsey’s Claridges restaurant before moving to the newly-opened Merchant Hotel, where I was a pastry chef,” she says. “I have also worked at Café Vaudeville in Belfast
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prior to joining the team at Tedfords.” Joining Tedfords, on Donegall Quay in Belfast, as pastry chef in 2008, Christine says, “there was a great vibe in the small kitchen and I enjoyed being part of this team. Over the years, I progressed to sous chef and, in 2014, while Alan was planning his new restaurant Tedfords Kitchen, I was promoted to head chef.” Tedfords, located in a former chandlery, overlooks the Lagan, offering three levels catering for lunch and dinner sittings, as well as a private room for corporate and social events. “We offer high end produce – turbot, scallops, monkfish, fillet steak, venison and that type of thing,” says Christine. “I would describe my style as modern French. We are a slower paced, fine dining restaurant. However, on a busy weekend night, we would cater for over 100 guests.” Crossgar Pallas is among suppliers to the well-established restaurant. “Our produce is local,” she says. “We are very lucky here in Northern Ireland and are really spoilt with the products available on our doorstep.” While leading the team at Tedfords keeps Christine busy, any spare time is orientated around keeping up with the international restaurant scene. “In the early days I would train in other kitchens,” says Christine. “However now I really only have time to experiment with eating out. It is very important for a chef to try other styles of food and when we get time off, I enjoy visiting London, Paris and other foodie cities to eat out.”
We are very lucky here in Northern Ireland and are really spoilt with the products available on our doorstep.”
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flogasprofile
Canteen, Belfast
Barry Heaton, head chef at Canteen on the Belmont Road in Belfast, talks to HRNI Caf - whether it’s something light or something hearty. You might have difficulty choosing from the Boathouse Seafood Chowder, Chickpea Falafel, Smoked Salmon Linguine or the chef recommended Hearty Venison Stew.
WHEN DID THE RESTAURANT OPEN? Canteen, Belmont Road opened in October 2015. We chose the location as we were inspired by the area and had a wish to be part of vibrant and cultural East Belfast, which is home to a community of eclectic independent retailers, delightful eateries and Belfast’s oldest cinema. At Belmont Road you can shop, eat and be entertained – it’s an ideal place to spend the day. TELL US ABOUT THE SPACE YOU HAVE We have a gorgeous large, open-plan space which features a 60-seater kitchen/caf which can be converted to a space for events up to 100 people.
DOES YOUR MENU CHANGE OFTEN? We change our menu seasonally – January, April, July, September and December – we aim to use the freshest, local produce and keep the menus interesting with all of the emphasis on exceptional flavour. WHAT ELSE DO YOU DO TO IMPROVE AND DRIVE YOUR MENU? We work closely with local suppliers and develop our own produce - breads, pastries, jams and are starting to grow our own salad leaves and vegetables. Our newly-crafted menu features producers, including Abernethy Butter, Leggygowan Farm Goats Cheese, Cavanagh Free Range Eggs, Rockvale Farm Chicken, Coffeys sausages and Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt.
WHAT FEEL ARE YOU AIMING FOR? We have created a casual eating experience focusing on great coffee, delicious food, regular supper clubs and unique events.
WHAT IS YOUR FOOD SOURCING POLICY? Our food sourcing ethos has and always will be to source our products locally and seasonally where possible and we hope our diners will enjoy the menu we have created from local produce which is very keenly priced supporting local suppliers tying in with Food NI members.
WHAT’S ON YOUR MENU AND WHAT IS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND IT? Canteen offers an All Day Menu and promises everything you would expect from a Kitchen
WHO ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS? We have a broad range of customers from the local area and beyond – on a daily basis our customers are a mix of local residents,
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businesses, schools and families using our play area. It has been great to see customers from our time at Saint Anne’s Square still supporting us in the next part of our journey. HAVE YOU FACED ANY PARTICULAR CHALLENGES TO DATE? The changes that we have made to the previous menu to adapt to the Canteen ethos have been a particular challenge to date to satisfy previous and new customers’ expectations. HOW DO YOU MAKE YOUR RESTAURANT STAND OUT FROM COMPETITORS? Canteen has long been renowned for providing exceptional coffee, and in 2013 was listed as one of the top 50 coffee houses in the UK. The new venue will continue to host the ever-popular Coffee Masterclasses, Canteen Jazz Sessions and new events including a Book Club and Charity Fundraising Events.
Opening hours: Mon-Wed - Breakfast 8.30amnoon; Lunch 12-3pm; coffee served until 5pm Thurs-Sat - Breakfast 8.30amnoon; All Day Menu 12-8pm Closed Sunday Tel: 028 9067 3136 E: info@canteenbelfast.com F: facebook.com/canteenbelfast Twitter: @CanteenBelfast
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foodnews
Beefy contract secured at Glenarm Castle’s tea room
Chefs Jason Bown and Justin Donaldson, owners of The Fatted Calf are pictured with Nigel Campbell, events and marketing manager for Glenarm Castle.
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ward-winning catering company, The Fatted Calf, has won a prestigious contract for the Tea Room at Glenarm Castle. The Tea Room,
which last year celebrated its 10th anniversary, complements Glenarm Castle’s stunning Walled Garden, which attracts over 70,000 visitors each year and is the Castle’s main visitor attraction. The Fatted Calf, owned by chefs Justin Donaldson and Jason Bowen from Belfast, set up residence in the Tea Room from St Patrick’s Day and will operate through to October 16. The Tea Room, situated in the old Mushroom House overlooking Glenarm Castle’s historic garden, is open from 10am-5pm Monday to Saturday and 11am–5pm on Sundays. This year the Tea Room will offer delicious brunch and lunch options, and also host evening meals once a month featuring a set menu of award-winning estate produce. “We are delighted to have top class chefs Justin Donaldson and Jason Bowen providing excellent quality meals in our popular Tea Room,” said Nigel Campbell, events and marketing manager for Glenarm Castle. “I am confident that teaming up with The Fatted Calf will add to the fantastic experience we currently offer and attract more visitors to Glenarm Castle and our Walled Garden, which is one of the oldest walled gardens in Ireland. “There’s an additional incentive too, as this year we are introducing new membership
cards, which offer unlimited access to Glenarm Castle’s Walled Garden throughout the season. “As a member, visitors will also gain free access to our new Castle Trail where they can enjoy more of the stunning Castle grounds, they will avail of a 10% discount on all giftware displayed in the Tea Room, free admission to Tulip Festival on 30th April – 2nd May, receive 50% discount to the Dalriada Festival on 16th and 17th July, our main highlight of the season, and the opportunity to purchase pre-sale tickets to our famous Glenarm Castle Christmas Experience before general sales are released.” Justin Donaldson, of The Fatted Calf, said: “Over the past 10 years, Jason and I have catered for numerous prestigious events and clients, and the famous Tea Room at Glenarm Castle will certainly be an exciting business venture for us. “The Walled Garden and Tea Room at Glenarm Castle is one of the top tourist attractions in the Glens of Antrim and we are really excited to be part of it. We look forward to treating visitors to tantalising menu options using gold star award-winning beef and salmon from the estate, and organic fruit and vegetables from the Castle’s Walled Garden. We want to ensure that we offer something that extra special.”
ANNOUNCEMENT FROM HMRC
ATTENTION ALL WHOLESALERS IF YOU SELL ALCOHOL IN ANY QUANTITIES TO OTHER BUSINESSES
YOU MUST REGISTER WITH HMRC BEFORE 31 MARCH 2016 OR YOU MAY BE TRADING UNLAWFULLY For further information go to – https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-alcohol-wholesaler-registration-scheme-awrs or contact Nicola Carruthers, NIDIG nicola.carruthers@gmail.com / 07976 578226
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APRIL HRNI • 9
ifexreview
IFEX delivers a sizzling show at Titanic Exhibition Centre
Pictured at the opening of IFEX are, from left, Titanic Belfast Chief Executive Tim Husbands MBE, Trade Minister Jonathan Bell, Salon Culinaire Director Sean Owens and IFEX Event Director Toby Wand.
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FEX organisers are reporting footfall up by almost 25%, substantial trading among exhibitors and visitors and overwhelmingly positive feedback from visitors and exhibitors alike. Over 6,500 people attended the event, which took place over three days at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast. Doors opened daily at 10am and visitors flocked to the show to be met by a wealth of new products and services from over 140 exhibitors. Exhibitor stands were both impressive and innovative, with IFEX stalwarts Lynas Foods housing an ‘in-stand’ café for both customers and new contacts. Hendersons Foodservice brought a ‘local supplier village’ featuring produce from many of its suppliers including a social enterprise bottled water company from Larne. In addition, other major stands included impressive areas from Brakes, Golden Glen, Express Foodservice and Hugh Jordan. Exhibitors’ efforts to showcase their businesses in the best possible manner added vibrancy to the event and visitors came hungry, sampling the food and drink on offer, including awardwinning products on display at the Great Taste Market; the first time it has come to Northern Ireland. On day one (March 8), IFEX was officially opened by Trade Minister Jonathan Bell, who joined Toby Wand, MD and event director at 10 • HRNI APRIL
Fresh Montgomery and Sean Owens, director of the Salon Culinaire on the podium. Minister Bell praised the quality of local produce on display and also welcomed the large crowds on the first day of the event: “With the Year of Food & Drink now in full swing, the IFEX exhibition is the perfect setting to highlight the quality of our produce and talent of our local aspiring and recognised chefs,” he said. “Visitors to IFEX will be fortunate enough to experience the Great Taste Market who will be at today’s event for the first time in Northern Ireland and will house the many award winning local products. It is the quality of these ingredients that has made such a positive impact on the visitor numbers coming to Northern Ireland to experience our hospitality offering.” Also on day one was the highly-respected Product of the Show Awards. With so many quality products and services on offer, Overall Product of the Show was jointly awarded to Holy Grass Vodka from Caithness, Scotland and Glass 2 Sand, from Gorey in Co Wexford. Showcasing its product for the first time in Northern Ireland, Holy Grass Vodka from Scottish Dunnet Bay Distillers took home the accolade for top food and drink product, whilst Glass 2 Sand was awarded the top non-food accolade for its Expleco Oppressor Recycling Machines which reduce glass bottles to sand instantly.
Glyn Roberts, chairman of the judging panel and chief executive of NIIRTA, said: “Both Holy Grass and Glass 2 Sand are very worthy winners. Very different products, Holy Grass Vodka stood out for its taste, quality and unique characteristics whilst Glass 2 Sand is a practical solution that reduces customers’ costs; therefore we felt it was only right to award both companies Overall Product of the Show. “At IFEX, where there are of hundreds of products and business solutions all under one roof, the Product of the Show awards are extremely valuable to companies as it showcases industry-leading products to the thousands of visitors.” Many exhibitors reported the event to be the best IFEX to date with exhibitor, Paul Lawless from Foods of Athenry saying: “IFEX has been a very successful show for us – we have got listed with two major food servicing companies and the feedback and reception we have been getting from the customers passing by our stand has been absolutely fantastic.” Day one concluded with the Federation of Small Businesses’ networking event attended by approximately 50 delegates. Stephen Magorrian, managing director of The Horatio Group, and Michael Gaine of Jamm Home Bakery were on stage discussing what the Northern Ireland Year of Food & Drink means for business here in NI.
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ifexreview
Richardson wins DARD NI Chef of the Year
(NI Chef of the Year) Pictured are Salon Culinaire Director Sean Owens, DARD Permanent Secretary, Noel Lavery, DARD NI Chef of the Year James Richardson from Weavers Lodge and IFEX Event Director Toby Wand.
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ne of the main shows taking place over the three days was the Salon Culinaire, attended by over 200 student and culinary chefs and James Richardson many spectators. from Weavers Lodge competes for, and With 17 individual ultimately wins, DARD category NI Chef of the Year. competitions in The ChefSkills Theatre, Edible Art and the La Parade des Chefs culinary colleges team event, hundreds of medals were awarded over the three days. Taking home one of the biggest awards at IFEX was James Richardson from Weavers Lodge, who was named DARD NI Chef of the Year. Richardson competed against five other culinarians to win the top ChefSkills accolade, impressing the judges with his creative flair and inspirational use of ingredients throughout the course of the competition. “IFEX is synonymous as the event where NI’s www.hospitalityreviewni.com
top chefs first won their medals and to be crowned DARD Northern Ireland Chef of the Year is incredible, especially in the Northern Ireland Year of Food & Drink,” he said. “I was up against some truly talented competition, but this year, I was determined to give the NI Chef of the Year competition 100%, and all of the efforts have now paid off.” On presenting the award, DARD Permanent Secretary Noel Lavery said: “The DARD Chef of the Year competition highlights the strong links between our farming industry, the culinary environment and our successful agri-food supply chains. As we progress through the 2016 Year of Food & Drink, it is important that we maximise all opportunities to showcase Northern Ireland as a quality food destination both locally and
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internationally. “Chefs here are incredibly fortunate to have some of the finest producers and artisan companies on their doorstep and it’s a testament to our agri-food industry that Northern Ireland’s international reputation is continuing to grow.” Paul Cunningham from Brunel’s Restaurant in Newcastle was named runner-up at the event, in which the standards were exceptionally high. Supported by the Department for Employment and Learning (DELNI), Stephen’s Catering Equipment Co and Flogas, the Salon Culinaire was a hotbed of activity. Other notable winners from the Salon Culinaire events included: • IFEX Young Chef of the Year: Wayne Elliott from Uluru Bar and Grill, Armagh • NI Year of Food Award: Darran Benham of Sodexo Ireland and Head Chef at Bushmills Distillery • La Parade des Chefs: South Eastern Regional College, Bangor • Edible Art Table of Honour: Karen Keaney IFEX, Northern Ireland’s biggest food, drink, retail and hospitality event took place over March 8-10 at the Titanic Exhibition Centre. IFEX returns in early 2018. To register interest with the team at Fresh Montgomery, visit www.ifexexhibition.co.uk. APRIL HRNI • 11
drinksnews
Wine Wizard!
Global award for Dunville on St Patrick’s Day Ciaran Meyler
Super Sauvignon W
by Ciaran Meyler
hy are we mad about Marlborough? Go crazy for Casablanca? And love the Loire? The answer is easy, Sauvignon Blanc is relatively simple to produce and very approachable to drink. Winemakers and consumers all love it. Known for its aromatic dry whites, Sauvignon Blanc is one of the most distinctive white grape varieties. In the glass, it is almost instantly recognisable. Sauvignon’s flavour remains true to itself because it rarely takes well to oak. Fruit flavours range from gooseberry to intense white grapefruit, pineapple and even blackcurrant sorbet. The best examples originated in the Loire Valley, Sancerre and Pouilly Fume. However, in the Bordeaux region of France, where it’s usually blended with Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc has been the featured white variety for centuries and can produce wines equal to the great white Burgundies. It’s hard to believe that it was only a few years ago, in 1976, when New Zealand first exported Sauvignon Blanc, a few big names immediately captured the attention of the world marketplace and Marlborough Sauv Blanc was born. Today, many New Zealand wineries are producing world-class Sauvignon Blanc. Be brave and step outside New Zealand; Chile and South Africa are producing some outstanding Sauvignons. Not copy cat styles but wines with a character of their own, South African Sauvignons tend be softer more subtle in style, almost European, and great Chilean Sauvignons from the Casablanca Valley are bursting with citrus fruits, green chilli peppers and fresh herbs. Sauvignon works fantastically well with starters, asparagus, wild mushrooms, prawn with avocado, goat’s cheese tartlets, Caesar salads etc. Try Nederburg Winemakers Reserve Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa or Santa Rita Medella Real Sauvignon Blanc. For the ultimate Sauvignon experience, you must indulge in a bottle of Langlois Chateau Sancerre.
Quote of the month: “What is the definition of a good wine? It should start and end with a smile.”
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orthern Ireland’s Echlinville Distillery has gained a major international award for its Dunville PX Single Malt Irish Whiskey. The distillery, based at Kircubbin in Co Down, came out on top in the Single Malt 12 years old or under category in the prestigious World Whiskies Awards. The award for the premium Dunville single malt was announced at a gala dinner on St Patrick’s Day in London, and followed an extensive blind tasting by a panel of expert judges. The World Whiskies Awards are part of the prestigious World Drinks Awards programme, launched in 2007. “This is a tremendous endorsement of the taste and quality of Dunville PX, our premium single malt,” said Shane Braniff, founder and managing director of Echlinville Distillery. “There could not have been a better time to win this immensely important recognition for our Irish whiskey than on St Patrick’s Day. The award will be hugely significant as we step global marketing of our Dunville whiskies, the PX premium single malt and our blended Three Crowns particularly in the crucially important US marketplace.” Braniff revived the Northern Ireland historic Dunville Brand, once among the biggest selling Irish whiskey brands in the US, as part of an investment in distilling that will see new product launches in both the short and long term. The company is developing a portfolio of spirits, including the recently launched single estate Jawbox Gin, using barley grown on Braniff’s Echlinville estate.
Hop House 13 launched in bottles D
ouble-hopped lager Hop House 13, which is brewed with Irish barley and aromatic hops and was launched exclusively on draught by Guinness just over a year ago has been launched in bottle format. It is now available in 500ml and 330ml bottles in on trade and take home trade outlets across Northern Ireland. Daniel Ryan from Diageo is pictured in Sweet Afton
William Sokolin Competition Last month we asked in what country does The Crossings originate? We are please to announce that the winner of a case of The Crossings Sauvignon Blanc is Heather Courtney. We will be in touch Heather. This month to win a case of the delicious Santa Rita Medella Real Sauvignon Blanc, please answer the question, what region in France is considered to be the best producer of sauvignon in the world? Send your answer to nina@unitedwines.co.uk before Friday 15th April 2016
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Local restaurants in line for top awards Year of Food & Drink continues with Brewing & Distilling
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orthern Ireland Year of Food & Drink 2016 is a celebration of everything that makes local produce so good including epic landscapes, time-honoured traditions and the people and producers behind its food heritage. The theme for April is Brewing & Distilling. THIS MONTH’S EVENTS: APRIL 1 Year of Food & Drink Sampling 10am-4pm - Tesco Newry, Carneyhough Twilight Market Newry 5pm-11pm - John Mitchel Place, Newry Beer and Cheese at Indie Fude 7pm - The Courtyard, Comber APRIL 2 Walled City Market 9am-4pm - Guildhall Square, Derry~Londonderry Ballycastle Diamond Market 11am-3pm - Ramoan Parish Centre Car Park, The Diamond Chocolate Ecstasy Tour with Neary Nogs, Belfast APRIL 5 Bangor Beer Club 8pm - Salty Dog, Seacliff Road - Bangor APRIL 7 Comber Farmers’ Market 9am-1:30pm - St Mary’s Parish Church car park, The Square - Comber APRIL 9 The Causeway Speciality Market 9am-4pm - The Diamond, Coleraine
Craft Beer & Gin Tasting Newforge House APRIL 16-17 Big Cheese & Beer Expo Derry~Londonderry APRIL 19 Taste of Tourism Summit Culloden Estate & Spa APRIL 21 Queen’s University Campus Food & Drink Market Elmwood Hall, University Road APRIL 22 Newry’s Food Festival 12-6pm - Newry Variety Market APRIL 29 Newry Farmers’ Market 9am-2pm, Hill Street, Newry APRIL 23 Woodland and Whiskey Tour Co Down APRIL 30 Inns Market Newtownbreda 10am-2pm - Saintfield Road, Belfast Ballymoney Market 11am-3pm - Castlecroft Square, Ballymoney
The theme for APRIL is Landscape & Places. For more information on getting involved in Year of Food & Drink 2016, visit www.hospitalityreviewni.com twitter.com: @Hosp_ReviewNI www.discovernorthernireland.com.
By Michele Shirlow, chief executive, Food NI
T
he outstanding quality and innovation of food and drink being prepared and served by restaurants across Northern Ireland were once again showcased last month in Derry, venue for the Ulster Regional Final of the prestigious Irish Restaurant Awards. And what a tremendous and inspirational occasion it was. Derry, of course, was the ideal venue because of its success last year in being named runner up in the Irish Foodie Town Competition. I am delighted to say that restaurateurs, including our most celebrated chef/owners, are now engaging increasingly with the restaurant awards, the competition organised annually by the Restaurant Association of Ireland. There’s a great determination to showcase their skills and creativity in Northern Ireland and especially well beyond. Michael Deane is an excellent example of this. Last month he highlighted his talents and the quality of our food during an amazing week-long stint at the five-star St Regis Hotel in Bangkok. We need to be taking the messages about the stunning meals that our chefs are creating from local ingredients to an international audience. If we are going to attract thousands of new visitors to Northern Ireland to enjoy our food we need to be presenting our food story to them more consistently where they live and work. Food NI is actively engaged in brokering business relationships and information exchanges between our chefs and those in Britain and Ireland. But back to the Irish Restaurant Awards. Success in the awards is just one way to reach discerning audiences outside Northern Ireland and to encourage them to travel north to enjoy what I believe is the best food and drink in Ireland. But then I am just a little bit biased! The awards, now in their eighth year, are the island’s biggest food awards over 70,000 individual nominations were cast across 14 categories, showing that these are the awards that everyone wants to win. And I want to see as many local restaurants as possible coming out on top. They awards are important because of their profile with the media and also because they recognise the talents of our people and their hard work and commitment to ensure diners receive the very best food and service each and every time they choose a particular restaurant. The awards certainly attracted more entries than ever before from Northern Ireland. I’d hope to see every restaurant here becoming involved in a competition that signposts quality. My congratulations to all the regional winners in Derry and, to the organisers of the event in the city, on a job very well done. I hope to see Derry going one better than runner up in this year’s ‘Foodie Town’ competition because the food scene there really is excellent. The city has many fine and ambitious restaurants, a developing cluster of artisan food producers and some great street food outlets. I’ll be watching the results of the all Ireland awards in the categories of Best Customer Service, Best Gastro Pub, Best Casual Dining, Best Hotel Restaurant, Best Chef, Best Restaurant, Best Wine Experience, Best Restaurant Manager, Best Kids Size Me, Local Food Hero, Best Emerging Irish Cuisine and Best Newcomer as well as two new main award categories – Best Café and Best World Cuisine. All County winners now compete for the Regional and All Ireland Title which will be announced at the Irish Restaurant Awards in the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel, Dublin on Monday, May 16. It would be great to see Northern Ireland sweeping the boards during our Year of Food & Drink. APRIL HRNI • 13
brewing&distilling
Lacada offers ‘art in beer, democracy in business’ By Alyson Magee First Minister Arlene Foster is pictured with Heather Quiery (second left) and Laurie Davies (second right) visiting Lacada in February.
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midst the buoyant local craft beer scene emerging in the last few years is a North Coast community co-operative offering a quirky range of beers by the people for the people. The seeds of Lacada Brewery were sown (or perhaps hops and malt were brewed would be more appropriate) when Laurie Davies, now head brewer and a co-director of the co-op, had been home-brewing and friends encouraged him to pursue it commercially. “I looked into it but it was quite a lot of money up front and I’d always thought, if I was to go into business, I’d do it as a co-operative,” he says. Reading a piece in The Guardian about the Co-Operative Business Hub offering assistance to local co-ops, he went along to an event. “That really gave me the confidence this could actually work,” says Laurie, with the Hub offering reassurance he’d “be surprised how many people will want to own a brewery.” A steering group of enthusiasts was established and, after six months, held its first beer tasting in Portrush Town Hall. One of the first through the door was Peter Bolan, a senior lecturer in travel and tourism management at Ulster University, regular contributor to HRNI and now co-director of Lacada. The fledgling microbrewery ran a community share offer in November 2014, which raised £97,000 and brought 270 members on board. Most members are local but ex-pats as far afield as France, Spain, Norway and the US have also bought into the concept. Following market research, a decision was made to create an approachable range of beers appealing to male and female drinkers alike. 14 • HRNI APRIL
mistakes made,” says Laurie. “If you get a kit that’s proven, you can run with it.” PBC assisted with the first brew, while Laurie had also visited a number of breweries across Ireland and England for research. “The brewing industry is very collaborative,” he says. “People don’t go into brewing and make money; they do it because they love brewing.” The co-op now employs seven part-time employees including drivers, bottlers, sales and administrative staff, and hosted Arlene Foster back in February. The First Minister Looking for a site to set up the microbrewery, was bemused with Stranded Bunny, Lacada’s the main focus was finding somewhere with porter, which sits alongside its Giant’s capacity to expand. “We could easily Organ IPA, Sorley Boy’s Stash have got grants and support Golden Ale and Utopian if we’d set up in the rural Stout, the first in the community but we felt it Salamander series was important to be of limited edition in the town centre beers. because we’re Lacada looking towards references the tourism Lacada Point, potential,” says where the Heather Quiery, a Girona was marketing coach wrecked and and chair of the the famous 10-strong co-op ruby-encrusted Board of Directors. Salamander A suitable building among the treasure was secured and Head Brewer Laurie Davies at work. recovered. While renovated, with planning prominent on the limited approval granted in August edition lines, the Lacada 2015 and brewing underway branding is minimised on the main the following month. “When we started range with future export markets in mind. “It’s out, all the bottling was done by co-owners,” an Anglicisation of an Irish term but it sounds says Laurie. “We wanted to find out how it was Spanish and we didn’t want there to be any done before we started employing people.” confusion,” says Heather. “Our Stranded Co-owners also assisted with clearing out and Bunny has really surprised the market, and we painting the building, the planning application, want that to be able to sit in an off-licence in the marketing concept behind the brand, the Camden and be able to be sold as itself with quirky name choices and label graphics. “You’re its own personality.” able to pull on such a diverse range of expertise Already available in 60-plus outlets, Lacada and skills sets and experience, and that’s been a is gaining popularity on the North Coast and real strength,” says Peter. in Belfast and Derry’s burgeoning craft beer Manchester-based PBC supplied the scenes. “It’s consumer led,” says Laurie. And commercial brewing kit, supplemented by a with 270 co-owners and their family and couple of repurposed milk tanks. “We weighed friends all ardent supporters, “we call them up doing a self build but it would have taken special agents because they’re everywhere.” us longer and there would have been some twitter.com: @Hosp_ReviewNI
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brewing&distilling
Celebrating a month of crafty brews By Connaire McGreevy, founder, Mourne Mountains Brewery
Founder Connaire McGreevy and Master Brewer Tom Ray
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ith craft breweries popping up across Northern Ireland, Tourism NI couldn’t have picked a better time to celebrate Brewing & Distilling month as part of the 2016 Year of Food & Drink. The latest tally of local microbreweries stands at almost 30, so I hope we’re not the only one with exciting plans to mark this special month. The sheer number of breweries here suggests a sea change in drinking habits and preferences. Gone are the days when your choice was limited to a stable of massproduced lagers and stouts and I, for one, am very happy to see creative, small brewers taking up the mantle to offer something a little bit more unique. Dare I say that Northern Ireland is in the midst of a craft beer revolution? Since we launched almost a year ago, we’ve had a fantastic response from both stockists and consumers – the problem isn’t in selling the concept of these quality, small-batch brews, it’s in keeping up
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with demand! The beauty of being a small brewery is that we can be agile, adapting to feedback and market trends quickly. From an initial core of three beers, we introduced two seasonal specials that were quickly added to the core offering due to phenomenal demand. Our first three beers were Big Rock, a German style wheat beer (5% ABV) that has a spicy flavour thanks to the variety of yeasts used, Red Trail, a red IPA (5.5% ABV) that’s a bit stronger in terms of alcohol and hoppiness and Mourne Gold, a pale ale (4% ABV) which is lighter in flavour. The next two beers we added were Mourne Mist, a pilsner (4.5% ABV) that is brewed with Czechoslovakian hops and East Coast, an IPA (5.5.% ABV) whose citrusey aromas give way to an assertive, bitter finish. It was our East Coast IPA that allowed us to celebrate our first big award as a brewery, a silver medal at the international Dublin Craft
Beer Cup in February 2016, and we were especially honoured to be the only NI brewery to take home a medal. It’s all about flavour and quality; that’s what you get when you pick up a bottle of craft beer. I’m lucky to have a highly qualified and experienced master brewer in the form of Tom Ray, and he is ultimately tasked to devise the rich and varied blends that make up the perfect flavour for each of our beers. His knowledge combined with my passion have resulted in a varied range of products that appeal to every palate, from regular specialty beer fans to the craft beer novice. Since our inception last year, we’ve also launched three limited edition seasonal specials that really let our creative side run wild! In autumn 2015, we brewed Pumpkin Porter, a dark and mysterious beer made with fresh pumpkin from Alderside Farm in Newry, with added spice and chocolate malts. We followed that with The First Noel to celebrate our first Christmas in business; it was an amber lager style beer that incorporated a range of seasonal ingredients including fresh orange peel and citrusy American hops, spiced with cloves for a really festive feel. And in March 2016, we announced our most limited edition brew yet, Chocolat Chaud, a Belgian Stout created using raw cocoa nibs to give a deep, chocolately flavour, along with orange peel and cloves late in the boil. It’s our aim to keep producing seasonal beers, creating opportunities for beer enthusiasts to taste unique brews that are produced locally and we’ll have at least a couple more specials later this year. The key ingredient in every one of our beers is the wonderfully soft water from the Mournes. As water is a major component of beer, the quality of that water is paramount and we’re lucky to be situated in a place that enables us to get it straight from Spelga Dam and a couple of other small reservoirs. We’re now stocked in more than 70 outlets in Northern Ireland, and have ambitious plans for further expansion down the line, both here and in export markets. We’re obsessive about quality so we’ll drive volume in a way that never compromises flavour or taste. I challenge you to try something different during brewing month – there are so many fantastic products on offer and I know that like us, each and every local microbrewery would be glad of your support. Our challenge is to keep innovating, to keep giving the consumer something new and exciting to try. That’s what craft beer is all about. For more from Mourne Mountains Brewery visit www.mournemountainsbrewery.com or follow us @MourneBrewery on Twitter or Facebook.
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brewing&distilling
Diageo continues the Guinness legacy of quality with latest innovation Luke Meenehan, quality manager of Diageo in Northern Ireland, talks to Alyson Magee of outlets where we work to install the system properly. We thought long and hard with our partners to try to figure out how we could continue to improve our procedures, we carried out lots of trials both in trade and in the brewery and last year we launched Surge20X. WHAT OTHER SERVICES DOES DIAGEO PROVIDE TO PUBLICANS? We also provide a lot of consultation to the trade. For example, if a publican is deciding to put on a new lounge or revamp the outlet, often times the first port of call is ourselves and we would call and give a fairly in-depth service in terms of our advice. We have three field managers in Northern Ireland working closely with trade, and we would see that as a major strength of ours. We can deliver that little bit extra and often go above and beyond what good service might be regarded as. We spend a lot of time, effort and energy to make sure our installations are nothing short of world class. Ultimately our customers and consumers know the difference between a quality experience and one which doesn’t quite come up to standard.
Luke Meenehan
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WITH DIAGEO? I’ve been five years in on-trade sales, five years in take home sales and then eight years in the world of quality so a nice spread. It gives you a good across-the-board notion of how things operate. At Diageo, we would absolutely try to encourage people to move across different functions in order to up-skill themselves. WHAT DOES YOUR ROLE INVOLVE? Quality is the number one sales driver for us, if quality isn’t right, everything else in the mix falls down. We employ 30 full-time people in Northern Ireland, and their job is to ensure the quality of every single pint is perfect; in terms of investment, it’s in the millions. Quality is a legacy for our business right back to Arthur Guinness’ day, and is of fundamental importance to our brands and the business. We need to maintain our large asset base and service every single beer line in Northern Ireland every 25 working days. What we strive to do is deliver a consistently high standard every day, everywhere. The Guinness brand has a unique place in the whole world of quality. Whenever somebody says ‘that pub 18 • HRNI APRIL
serves a great pint’, they are usually referring to Guinness, so we have got that unique brand to hang our hat on. TELL US ABOUT DIAGEO’S LATEST QUALITY INNOVATION We have just launched a new way of servicing beer lines called Surge20X; this has been a significant investment, but is ground breaking in terms of what it allows us to deliver. In previous times, we used a line cleaning detergent to clean yeast off beer lines. This is fundamental to beer dispense; if you don’t service on a regular basis, your beer will start to taste bad, look bad and you’ll get complaints from consumers. We have taken beer line cleaning to the next level using rapid influxes of water and detergent x20 times per 20 minute cycle during the cleaning cycle to ensure lines are cleaner for longer and customers get a fresh pint every time. HOW WAS SURGE20X DEVELOPED? We partnered with a company in Co Dublin called Qualflow Systems who develop innovative dispense technologies. It’s a new way of working for all our people on the ground too, and we’ve had to change the infrastructure
TELL US ABOUT DIAGEO’S BAR ACADEMY PROGRAMME We have been training bar staff on a regular basis but it has been formalised over the last three years with the Bar Academy programme. Bar Academy is simply about ‘raising the bar’ with trade and underlines the importance of our partnership with trade. A Bar Academy course takes a couple of hours and can happen in outlets or a special venue….we have taken some customers to our facilities in St James Gate recently which has proved to be a big success. The course includes some in-depth discussions around draught beer and best practice, the world of spirits and the huge opportunities available to trade. All this is underpinned by excellent service. In the last three years, we’ve spoken to 4,500 delegates in Northern Ireland. HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR PUBS TO KEEP ON TOP OF QUALITY AND TRAINING? We have all seen too many pubs closing their doors over the last few years. Every pound spent in the hospitality industry is an important one and it could be spent somewhere else; on the high street, on health and fitness or on people investing in their homes. What we’re about is partnering with trade to encourage as many of those pounds as possible to be spent in the hospitality industry.
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q&a
A Day in the
Life… Helen Mulholland, master blender at the Old Bushmills Distillery
Helen Mulholland
WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT ROLE? My current role is master blender at the Old Bushmills Distillery, and I moved into this role ten years ago. The position involves control of all the whiskey stocks, the completion of all brand formulations by sensory evaluation (sight, smell and taste) and the development of all new whiskey brands. WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND? I have a Master’s Degree in Science, and have
been with Old Bushmills for 20 years in total. I started off in the laboratory before moving into quality, environmental and health and safety roles before I became the master blender. WHAT ARE THE BEST/WORST PARTS OF YOUR JOB? The best part of my job is working throughout the entire whiskey-making process; we are a grain to glass distillery and carry out all parts of the whiskey production on-site from mashing, distillation and maturation right through to bottling and despatch of our brands. We also have the brand home here, and welcome visitors to the distillery every day.
WHAT DO YOU FIND MOST We are a grain CHALLENGING ABOUT THE to glass distillery and SECTOR? We are fortunate to be one of Northern Ireland’s leading carry out all parts of exports, bringing with it vast distribution channels around the world. So often we are the whiskey production working to different time zones when dealing with on-site from mashing, distributors and suppliers, so it can mean working around the distillation and clock at times. OUTLINE A TYPICAL DAY maturation through Every day is different at Bushmills. However, it would normally start in to bottling.” the morning with a check around the site to ensure all is well, followed by the tasting
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and sensory work required. This will involve working with samples taken from some of the 220,000 plus casks we mature in our 17 warehouses on-site. Many days we are lucky to have trade visitors to the site and we recently welcomed the three prize winners in the Bushmills Cocktail Competition. I spent the afternoon with them, helping them blend their own whiskey. PROUDEST MOMENT OF YOUR CAREER TO DATE The proudest moments of my career have been seeing the new products that I have developed launched and on sale, the most recent being The Steamship Collection. The Steamship Collection Sherry Cask is a travel retail exclusive which was released in February this year to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the maiden voyage of the Steamship SS Bushmills. BEST THING ABOUT BEING INVOLVED IN THE LOCAL SECTOR As we are based in one of the most beautiful parts of Ireland, we are fortunate to have so many tourists passing through the area and stopping off to visit us at the distillery. We have over 120,000 visitors coming through the distillery gates each year and it’s wonderful to welcome so many people and to show them our craft that we’re so proud of. WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO TO UNWIND AWAY FROM WORK? My favourite way to unwind is to spend time with my family, and go horse-riding with my daughter. TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF NOT MANY PEOPLE MAY KNOW Everyone knows me as Helen Mulholland but my married name is Dysart.
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tennet'svitalpreview
Red Hot Chili Peppers and Avicii to headline Tennent’s Vital 2016 Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Avicii
Fall Out Boy Jess Glynne
Galantis
H
eadline performers have now been confirmed for Tennent’s Vital 2016, with Red Hot Chili Peppers leading the first day of the festival (Thursday, August 25) followed by Avicii on the second day (Friday, August 26). One of the most successful acts in rock history, the Red Hot Chili Peppers has sold over 60 million albums, including five multi-platinum LPs. The band has six Grammy Awards to its credit, including Best Rock Album for Stadium Arcadium, Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group for Dani California, Best Rock Song for Scar Tissue and Best Hard Rock Performance With Vocal for Give It Away. The band holds the all-time record for most number one singles at Alternative Radio - a total of 11 singles with a combined 81 weeks at number one, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. The US giants of rock last played Belfast www.hospitalityreviewni.com
as part of the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2011, and singer Anthony Kiedis, bass player Flea, drummer Chad Smith and guitarist Josh Klinghoffer will play Tennent’s Vital. Special guests Fall Out Boy made it big on the international stage with a run of amazing albums, with Infinity On High hitting the number one album slot in 2007 and Save Rock And Roll in 2013. Day two will see global superstar Avicii, who wowed audiences with his sell-out Tennent’s Vital appearance in 2013, back in Belfast to headline, with special guest Jess Glynne. Recognised as one of the world’s most influential dance music artists of his generation, Avicii’s genre-defying debut album True
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cemented his place in the firmament of superstar recording artists. True, released in 2013, sold more than five million copies worldwide, charted at number one on iTunes in 84 countries, and included Wake Me Up, the fastest-selling single of 2013. Triple Brit Awards nominee (for Best British Breakthrough, Best British Female and Best Single) Jess Glynne has also stormed the music scene. Armed with the biggest selling debut album of 2015, she launched into 2016 with a brand new single Aint Got Far To Go, from her platinum-selling album I Cry When I Laugh. Also performing on day two is Galantis, music mega-names Christian Karlsson, aka Bloodshy, and Linus Eklöw, aka Style of Eye. In 2015 Galantis was named Best Breakthrough Artist at the 30th International Dance Music Awards, and is best known for Peanut Butter Jelly and Runaway (U&I). “Tennent’s Vital is shaping up to be a remarkable who’s who of contemporary music, with two days that will set Belfast rocking,” said Brian Beattie, marketing director for Tennent’s NI. “We have the Red Hot Chili Peppers headlining Thursday, August 25 with Fall Out Boy In support, followed on Friday, August 26 by Avicii with Jess Glynne; a fantastic highpoint for the summer of ’16. Along with our partners at MCD, Tennent’s NI is delighted to be bringing big-time music to Belfast and re-affirming the international reputation of Tennent’s Vital.” Tickets can be secured via Tennent’s Vital’s official ticket partner www.ticketmaster.ie. Tickets are also available in person from Ticketmaster outlets nationwide or via the 24hour telephone hotlines: (NI/UK) 0844 847 2455/ (ROI) 0818 719 300. APRIL HRNI • 23
bushmillscocktailcompetition
Creativity, pride and flair on display at Bushmills cocktail competition B
ushmills Irish Whiskey held an inaugural cocktail competition in late 2015, with the event hosted by Aether & Echo’s Anthony Farrell. The competition was trialled with Belfastbased bartenders by Proximo Spirits, which distributes the Bushmills and Casa Cuervo stable of brands, in partnership with Aether & Echo. It was designed to showcase the versatility of the Bushmills whiskey range in its use of cocktails, and is part of a programme of events and initiatives that Proximo will be running within the NI licensed trade to mark Northern Ireland Year of Food & Drink. Proximo’s NI business is headed up by Patrick Morgan, regional sales manager. “I am delighted with the success of this initial event, and the interest shown by the bartenders in the competition,” he said. The standard was excellent, with superb creativity and pride shown by the bartenders. All the guys presented their cocktails with great flair; well done to them all. We are all excited to show how such an iconic, traditional brand such as Bushmills can be used as a great ingredient in cocktails, for today’s consumers. “Bushmills whiskey has a fantastic history and foothold in our local market, and we will be working hard with NI bartenders this year and beyond, to develop its presence in the NI on trade.” The winner of the competition was David Mulholland, Love & Death (see right for cocktail), with the two runners up being Martin Forrestal, The Apartment and Paul Rocks, Rita’s. As part of their prize, David, Martin and Paul enjoyed a day at the Bushmills Distillery, blending their own Bushmills whiskey with Master Blender Helen Mulholland. "I always watch these things with excitement and a sense of anticipation and it’s why I have for a long time now removed myself from the judging process,” said Anthony Farrell. “I have found of late, especially with the Bushmills cocktail competition, the emergence of a family in the city of great bartenders has begun to knit them together. Rivalry of the past is no longer bitter but competitive and it’s great to see, as too the great Bushmills Irish Whiskey drinks on the day as well. I’d like to say thanks to the competitors, the judges and to Proximo, and we look forward for the next competitive joust.” 24 • HRNI APRIL
Old Bushmills Distillery Master Blender Helen Mulholland is pictured with, from left, Bushmills cocktails competition winner David Mulholland and runners up Paul Rocks and Martin Forrestal.
Martin Forrestal competing in the cocktail competition at Aether & Echo.
Winner David Mulholland had the honour of blending his own whiskey at the Old Bushmills Distillery.
David Mulholland recreates his award-winning cocktail Heart of the North at Love & Death Inc.
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bacardibrown-formanbarprofile
Jack’s Bar, Derry Proprietor Mehawl Jack talks to HRNI WHAT IS ON OFFER AT JACK'S BAR? Jack’s Bar offers customers a wide range of drinks. Being a free house, Jack’s has a superb range of draught beers on tap, with 11 different beers ranging from lagers and ales to craft beers on the bar. MY ROLE My role in Jack’s is a working proprietor, which enables me to engage with my customers and interact with them. It's a personal business so I feel it is good to get to know your customers well. WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT FOCUS? Our current focus is to raise the profile of Jack’s Bar. Jack’s Bar is Derry’s only over-25s bar from
6pm. This idea came about when my wife Ciora and I were out for a night and wanted to go someone were there would not be young people in. We just wanted a place where we could enjoy some live music in a cosy environment with older people and no hassle. Jack’s has ticked all these boxes now. BEST SELLERS AND PERSONAL FAVOURITES Our best sellers would be the Coors range of draught beers – Coors, Molson Canadian, Blue Moon and Cobra. On weekends, our cocktail list is a real flyer. We have adopted the
Bacardi Brown-Forman brands for the list and tailored it towards our clientele. The daiquiris are the favourites; the Bacardi Brown-Forman brand support is second to none with bespoke glassware to complement the drinks. The marketing and point of sale on offer is excellent. WHAT INSPIRES YOU What inspires me is the feedback we get back from our customers - the customer service and how customer-focused we are. My staff policy is if we don't look after our customers, someone else will and we will fail. We never take a customer for granted. With this policy and the range of drinks, we won the Coors Bar of the Year award for 2015; something all of us at Jack’s are extremely proud of.
Mehawl Jack is pictured, front right, with his wife Ciora and friends celebrating the bar’s first birthday.
Mehawl Jack, Coors rep Philip Morgan and Manager Gavin Doherty.
My staff policy is if we don't look after our customers, someone else will and we will fail. We never take a customer for granted."
© 2015 bacardi brown-forman brands. bacardi, the bat device, oakheart, grey goose, the geese device, bombay sapphire, 42 below, cazadores, noilly prat, martini, the "ball and bar" logo, dewar's, 'white label', oxley, leblon, eristoff, st-Germain, patrón and their trade dress are trademarks. jack daniel's, jack daniel's tennessee honey and old no.7, southern comfort, chambord, woodford reserve, finlandia and southern comfort are trademarks. all rights reserved.
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hotelnews
Andras Hotels unveils £500,000 investment
Rajesh Rana, director, Andras Hotels, is pictured with mentalist, David Meade, and Hugh Black, president of Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce.
B
elfast’s largest hotel group, Andras Hotels, has unveiled a £500,000 upgrade in the conferencing and banqueting suites of its flagship property, The Ramada Plaza, Belfast. Over 150 guests were treated to a sumptuous five-course meal with entertainment from world-renowned mentalist David Meade,
in the newly refurbished Malone Suite. The finished project, which was supported by Danske Bank and designed by multiaward winning interior designer Philip Rodgers, boasts a major upgrade of the hotel bar and conference centre. The contemporary finish in neutral colours gives a new modern
vibe to one of the City’s longest running hotels. The work completes stage four of a five-stage plan for the leading hotel, which recently benefited from a £1m refurbishment including a complete transformation of its Grand Ballroom, lobby and Laganview Suite. “We are thrilled with the end result of the next stage in our continued growth and development,” said Rajesh Rana, director of Andras Hotels. “This refurbishment has been design-led, with designers Philip Rodgers providing a unique look that features handmade fittings and bespoke items of furniture and lighting that will ensure that the Ramada Plaza is offering customers the very best it can and complements the rest of the hotel’s exceptional standard of interiors. “The result is a five-star level of fit-out, guaranteeing that we can provide a wide range of top class events facilities to suit our clients’ tastes and requirements. “We anticipate that the upgraded conference centre and new-look Malone Suite with new pre-function area, will secure further business and gala events to the hotel and we look forward to strengthening our burgeoning conferencing and wedding markets.” Andras Hotels, Belfast’s largest hotelier, now boasts five internationally-branded hotels in the city with the new Hampton by Hilton Hotel on the way in 2017 ensuring that the tourist, events and business markets are all catered for in the thriving city of Belfast.
The Everglades celebrates 40 years of hospitality O
ne of Derry~Londonderry’s most famous hotels, The Everglades, turns 40 this year and, to celebrate, the hotel management is asking people across Northern Ireland to send them any old photos they may have and details of any special memories. The hotel is planning to put some of the best on display as part of their 40th celebrations. “We want everyone across the country, and further afield, to search through their old photo albums and scrap books and see if they can uncover some gems capturing the Everglades Hotel during its 40-year history,” said Neil Devlin, general manager, Everglades Hotel. “I’m sure there will be some fantastic photos out there and we can’t wait to see them. “The same too for those who have special memories of the hotel – we would love to hear them. Perhaps someone had their wedding here or other special events that have stuck in their minds? Or had a meal or stay that was really memorable – were you proposed to in the Everglades? With a history spanning four decades, we know there must be some terrific memories. “We have been in business since 1976 so it would be great to hear from any of our suppliers and staff who worked with us during this period - they must have some great stories to impart.” The hotel is planning to put some of the items on display in its reception area.
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If you want to email something in, then it should go to Julie Hastings at julie@hastingshotels.com and any memorabilia, artefacts, old brochures or menus, can be posted or delivered to Neil Devlin at the Everglades Hotel, Prehen Road, Derry~Londonderry, BT47 2NS.
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tourismnews
Seven new routes announced by Ryanair Pictured are, from left, Michael O’Leary, Ryanair; Graham Keddie, Belfast International Airport; Dic Milliken, Ryanair; and Danny Kinahan MP South Antrim.
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yanair launched its Belfast winter 2016 schedule last month, adding seven new routes to Alicante, Berlin, Krakow, Lanzarote, Malaga, Milan and Tenerife, as well as five additional daily flights to London Gatwick. The schedule is expected to deliver over one million customers per year, and support 750 jobs at Belfast International Airport (BIA). “This large inward investment (over $300m) and new job creation is the latest example of how Northern Ireland benefits from the UK’s
membership of the European Union,” said Michael O’Leary, chief executive of Ryanair. “Low fare air travel, which was pioneered by Ryanair in the UK and Europe, is one of the EU’s great success stories. We are calling on everyone in Northern Ireland to vote ‘yes’ to Europe in the Brexit referendum in June, because staying in Europe will mean stronger economic growth, more tourism and more jobs for young people, whereas leaving will reduce the UK to the same status as Norway – namely outside the EU, but part of the single market (for which Norway still pays and still obeys the EU rules), but with no role in setting EU policy or strategy.” Graham Keddie, managing director of BIA, said: “To say we’re delighted with this expansion would be an understatement. For us, the inclusion of Berlin fulfils a major ambition, and is the long-awaited breakthrough we have worked to achieve. “This new network comes at no cost to the taxpayer or support from Government. It will provide direct access to Northern Ireland, drive
Star visitor quality from Portrush to Ballygawley
up tourism numbers, increase Northern Ireland’s international appeal and lead to many hundreds of new jobs. “Belfast International has just recorded a February growth rate of 20% over the same month last year. Our existing airlines are adding capacity which is wonderful news for the passenger. “We have a glimpse of what is possible and we’re determined, with or without Government support, to lead an aggressive route expansion that will deliver greater choice and, crucially, new opportunities for in-bound tourism.” easyJet, meanwhile, is adding a further 250,000 seats to its summer 2016 schedule at BIA, leading to more than 100 new jobs in aviation support, retail and supply companies which will inject almost £1.6m in wages into the local economy. The 8% increase will see seat capacity boosted on London, Liverpool, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol and Newcastle routes. In addition, Lanzarote will be extended through the summer.
Tourism Ireland and Paul Rankin promote Year of Food & Drink
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Pictured are, from left, Councillor Michelle Knight-McQuillan, Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens, Nicola Neill, proprietor, Blackrock House and Aine Kearney Tourism NI.
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ourism Northern Ireland has made two recent awards for accommodation and visitor experience excellence. Blackrock House has become the first five-star B&B in Portrush, while Todd’s Leap in Co. Tyrone has recently been upgraded to a fourstar visitor experience. Tourism NI's independent grading scheme awards tourist facilities and services with a one- to five-star rating to indicate the level of quality a visitor can expect when visiting an attraction or activity. To achieve a star-rating, visitor attractions are subject to checks from a mystery visitor. The quality assessment takes multiple aspects of the visitor experience into account,
34 • HRNI APRIL
from initial booking to customer care and the overall experience of the attraction.
Aine Kearney of Tourism NI congratulates Patrick Rafferty of Todd’s Leap Activity Centre, on successfully upgrading from a three- award to a four-star award (with Neil Maguire on the climbing wall).
ourism Ireland and Paul Rankin have joined forces to highlight Northern Ireland’s Year of Food & Drink in Great Britain. A new promotion is underway, with a special ‘visit Northern Ireland’ message appearing on some 1.6 million packs of Rankin Selection Irish brown soda bread distributed across GB. The on-pack promotion, which will run until May, will encourage people across GB to come and visit Northern Ireland and experience its superb food and famous hospitality. It includes a competition to be in with a chance of winning a two-night stay in Belfast, which will include a delicious Belfast Food Tour. “Tourism Ireland is delighted to join forces once again with Paul Rankin for this special promotion to highlight Northern Ireland to potential holidaymakers in Great Britain,” said David Boyce, deputy head of Great Britain at Tourism Ireland. “Northern Ireland is increasingly known for its excellent food offering, wonderful chefs and worldclass restaurants, and we welcome this opportunity to promote Northern Ireland as a David Boyce of Tourism Ireland is pictured (right) with Paul Rankin. great food destination.”
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businessnews
New Belfast Waterfront board announced
Pictured are, from left, the five non-executive directors, Alan Dixon, Simon Goldrick, Ellvena Graham (chair), Robert Holt and Patrick McClughan.
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elfast City Council has announced details of the non-executive board directors who will oversee the operation of Belfast Waterfront and the Ulster Hall from April 1. The five appointees - drawn from business, finance and commercial backgrounds, following a UK-wide recruitment process - will be responsible, along with a managing director, for the daily running of both venues, after the
council previously approved the creation of a council-owned company following the £29.5m transformation of Belfast Waterfront. Chaired by Ellvena Graham, a former head of Ulster Bank with an impressive track record in the financial sector, the board of the new Belfast Waterfront and Ulster Hall will focus on meeting commercial and non-commercial targets set by the council for the remodelled building,
which hosts its first major conference on May 11-13. These include generating £100m for Belfast, and creating over 1,500 new hospitality and retail jobs by attracting 50,000 conference delegate days each year by 2020. The other appointees to the board are Alan Dixon, an independent business advisor to a range of public and private sector institutions; Robert Holt, who has a successful track record in managing and delivering complex construction and property programmes; Simon Goldrick, with over 20 years’ experience of marketing and communications management; and Patrick McClughan, currently head of Corporate Affairs with global renewable energy firm Gaelectric. The board will hold its first meeting in April, with a managing director appointed by the summer. Belfast City Council will continue to own both Belfast Waterfront and the Ulster Hall, with councillors overseeing their future growth through a new committee set up to ensure they achieve the best economic return for ratepayers.
Edgewater announces £1m investment and 11 new jobs
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dgewater in Toomebridge is investing £1m to refit its manufacturing facility, rebrand and create 11 new jobs. The Co Antrim Company currently employs 45 staff and more than 100 subcontractors providing interior fitout, refurbishment and specialist joinery services to the hotel, commercial and residential sectors. “Edgewater has ambitious plans to grow its export sales to over £40m in the next 18 months,” said Trade Minister Jonathan Bell. “This major investment in its premises and staff will give it the infrastructure it needs to achieve that. “The 11 new high value jobs, which will have salaries well above the Northern Ireland private sector median, will contribute over £430,000 to the economy annually and are excellent news for the local manufacturing sector. The company is being supported by Invest Northern Ireland, which has offered it over £96,000 to support the job creation. “Edgewater is a small export-focused company that has established a reputation for quality service. This has helped it secure a number of prestigious contracts in the past few years including, most recently, an £18m fit out contract with award-winning property developers Redrow London on their current development of Blake Tower in the Barbican London.” Seamus Murray of Edgewater said: “We have worked hard over the last three years
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Pictured with Trade Minister Jonathan Bell is Seamus Murray, managing director of Edgewater.
to raise the company’s profile and have established links with a number of well-known hotel brands including Hilton, Jurys, Maldron, Clayton and we have recently completed the refurbishment of the five-star Aghadoe Heights Hotel Killarney.
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“We now want to build on this success by strengthening our management team and current manufacturing facilities. This will enable us to continue to offer a complete service to our clients from the initial design to project completion.”
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36 • HRNI APRIL
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APRIL HRNI • 37
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38 • HRNI APRIL
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APRIL HRNI • 39
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40 • HRNI APRIL
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review NI APRIL HRNI • 41
thelastword
The Last Word
NAME : JAMES RICHARDSON • JOB TITLE : HEAD CHEF • COMPANY : WEAVERS LODGE, BANBRIDGE HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THIS ROLE? Since June 2015. DESCRIBE A TYPICAL DAY Every day is varied, and can consist of a variety of tasks – everything from ordering and pricing, meeting with event clients, menu planning to, of course, cooking. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB? My first ever job was helping my mum and dad with their outside catering business. Apart from a brief hiatus, all of my jobs have been in the catering industry.
ENTERTAINMENT:
FAVOURITE TV SHOW: Anything sport related FAVOURITE FILM: Apocalypse Now ALBUM CURRENTLY LISTENING TO: Muse - Drones FAVOURITE BAND: The Cure LAST BOOK READ: Go Set a Watchman – Harper Lee FAVOURITE CELEBRITY: Gordon Ramsey
SOCIAL:
FAVOURITE FOOD: I really enjoy a good steak, cooked nicely. FAVOURITE RESTAURANT: I am particularly fond of Rustic Stone in Dublin LAST HOTEL YOU STAYED AT: Wineport, Athlone LAST BAR/NIGHTCLUB YOU VISITED: Muriels in Belfast FAVOURITE PLACE IN WORLD: Florence INDOOR CONCERT OR FESTIVAL: The Cure, Royal Albert Hall, March 2014 LAST HOLIDAY: We have been so busy over the last couple of years that my last holiday was in Spain about two years ago.
DRINKS:
FAVOURITE HOT DRINK: Really strong peppermint tea
This above all, to thine own self be true”.
FAVOURITE SOFT DRINK: Sparkling water with lime BEER OR CIDER: I love the IPA from Boundary Brewing, Belfast WHITE OR RED WINE: I don’t ever drink wine WHISKEY OR BRANDY: I do enjoy an occasional Glenfiddich GIN OR VODKA: Grey Goose COCKTAILS OR BUBBLY: Bubbly every time
WITHOUT? Japanese Mandolin
WHAT FOUR PEOPLE WOULD YOU INVITE TO A DINNER PARTY? Gordon Ramsey, Eric Cantona, Scotty T from Geordie Shore, Alex Ferguson
INSPIRATION IN YOUR LIFE? My parents
ONE ITEM YOU COULDN’T LIVE 42 • HRNI APRIL
WHO WOULD PLAY YOU IN A MOVIE OF YOUR LIFE? That is a hard question – maybe Bradley Cooper? WHAT IS YOUR IDEAL JOB? I love what I do now. FAVOURITE QUOTE: “This above all, to thine own self be true.”
THE MOST IMPORTANT LIFE LESSON YOU’VE LEARNT? Don’t count your chickens before they hatch
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