Hospitality Review Sept 2014

review NI

SEPTEMBER 2014

The VOICE of Northern Ireland's catering, licensing and tourism industry

LATEST AGENCY NEWS: EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTOR OF HAND CRAFTED, ARTISAN DINGLE ORIGINAL GIN ONE OF ONLY TWO GINS MADE IN IRELAND T: 028 9066 7744 E: orders@drinksinc.com DRINKS INC HOSPITALITY REVIEW (JULY).indd 1

23/07/2014 14:28

18-19 Create Your Legacy: Belfast saw the greatest number of entries outside London for the Bacardi cocktail competition, with Micheal Brown from The Albany (pictured celebrating among his fellow competitors) lifting top honours with The True Caney.

17

review NI

13-16

Starry success: Northern Ireland has over-performed again in this year’s Great Taste Awards, raking in the stars, with producers hoping to develop new markets on the back of the prestigious accolades from the Guild of Fine Food.

17

They killed it: Social pics from this year’s Tennent’s Vital, held over the August Bank Holiday weekend, with The Killers headlining one evening and David Guetta the other.

22-25

Hospitality Exchange: See what’s offer at this year’s event, to be held over October 14-15 at the Europa Hotel including profiles of speakers street food advocate Richard Johnson, master sommelier Gearoid Devaney and chef Aiden Byrne, youngest ever recipient of a Michelin star.

32-33

A fond farewell: HRNI profiles retiring Northern Ireland Tourism Board Chief Executive Alan Clarke, who identifies the Titanic signature project, Derry~Londonderry City of Culture 2013 and the Giro D’Italia as among his career highlights.

Recent ABC figures have revealed Hospitality Review NI is...

• Market leader in the Northern Ireland Hospitality trade publication sector • the ONLY trade publication in Northern Ireland with a named controlled circulation

July 2013 – June 2014

We are delighted to deliver the highest number of editions per year to your door.

We would like to offer huge thanks to our readers and advertisers for your continued support! We are only as strong as you make us!

Thank you from Team Hospitality Review NI

HR • 3

news

Culture Night Belfast schedule announced

Editor’s t n comme

C

It’s as easy as ABC

H

ospitality Review NI is pleased to announce it is the only local hospitality trade magazine with any controlled circulation, and also offers the highest number of editions per year of any publication covering the sector – according to the latest figures from ABC. ABC is the industry body for media measurement, and its figures cover the period July 2013 to July 14. Controlled circulation means we know the magazine is personally requested by people of relevance who want to receive it, offering a reliable platform to reach your target audience.

We’re also feeling good about a packed few months ahead for the local hospitality sector. The festival frenzy may have come to an end, following another successful showing for both Belsonic and Tennent’s Vital, but the fun continues this month with the likes of Culture Night Belfast and Guinness Amplify (see right).

Also coming up, meanwhile, are the Crossgar Pallas Inspiration Trade events over September 22-23 and 25-26 and Hospitality Exchange over October 14-15; not to mention Pubs of Ulster Pub of the Year Awards on November 12. Enjoy!

Alyson Magee

ulture Night Belfast (CNB) 2014 will take place on Friday, September 19 throughout the historic Cathedral Quarter and beyond – welcoming locals and visitors of all ages into the heart of the city for an evening of exploration and adventure.

Now in its sixth year, the programme includes over 250 events, tasters, tours, talks, trails, demonstrations, activities, gigs, recitals, screenings, interventions, altercations and interactions. Last year’s event attracted a record 42,000 people aged 8-80 into Belfast’s city centre to immerse themselves in the unique Culture Night Experience.

Among the many highlights are fast rising local music star UNKNWN in St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast Roller Derby with the Belfast Banshees and Norn Iron Maidens, live bespoke CNB broadcasting from Imprint Radio and The Hidden Courtyard featuring circus and music performances.

“There’s a fantastic buzz in the CNB office this year,” said Adam Turkington, manager of CNB. “As the programme began to come together it became clear more than ever that Culture Night has become a totally unique event. No other event in Northern Ireland attracts the variety of submissions and captures the imagination of the population quite like CNB, and that’s why it works – it’s the people.”

Culture Night Belfast is presented by the Cathedral Quarter Trust, and the supported by Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Tourist Board, Belfast City Council, Arts and Business Northern Ireland and Department for Social Development, Community Relations Council, HSS Hire, Third Source, Translink and Ewarts.

Culture Night takes place from 4pm to late, across the city centre and beyond. To find out more, go to www.culturenightbelfast.com or visit @CultureNightBel or the Culture Night Belfast Facebook Page.

Belfast music acts feature in Guinness Amplify campaign

B

elfast music act, UNKNWN (pictured), has been selected as one of five music acts to feature in the new GUINNESS AMPLIFY billboard campaign shot by renowned Irish music photographer Alan Clarke. The acts were chosen from the 800 bands and performers signed up to take part in Guinness Amplify.

UNKNWN is an electronic duo consisting of East Wall’s singer-producer, Gemma Dunleavy, and Belfast music producer, Chris Hanna, who have been making music together since May 2013. After meeting through a mutual friend, the pair has recorded the track I Cry and has received support from both Annie Mac and Ellie Goulding.

“I loved doing the shoot, it was so cool,” said Gemma Dunleavy, “and Guinness Amplify is such a great campaign. I’m delighted to be a part of it.”

Guinness Amplify has also released an online film, The Artist’s Journey, telling the story of artists who have taken the creative plunge, facing daily obstacles and struggles in an attempt to make their dreams a reality.

The film features a number of bands and musicians including Northern Irish indie sensation ‘AND SO I WATCH YOU FROM AFAR’ and London-based Irish musician, WIFE. The voiceover for the film was recorded

by Irish actor, Liam Cunningham of Game of Thrones.

“We enjoyed being part of the filming process,” said Rory Friar, guitarist with ‘AND SO I WATCH YOU FROM AFAR’. “The music industry is basically a joyful slog. It takes a lot of determination and effort but it is most definitely a worthwhile journey.”

Guinness Amplify is a new exciting music programme that was launched earlier this summer to turn up the volume for emerging musicians in Ireland by supporting them as they unlock their full potential. It will feature 500 free gigs across five weeks in September and October, including Ulster over September 18-21.

Manager: Nicola Daly Editor: Alyson Magee Art Editor: Helen Wright Production Manager: Stuart Gray Contributors: John Ferris, Peter Bolan and Tom Cotter.

Subscriptions: 028 9078 3200 (Price £27.50 UK, £37.50 outside UK) Accounts: Gerardine Carson Publishers: James and Gladys Greer.

Published by Greer Publications: 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 / nicoladaly@greerpublications.com. Tel: 028 9078 3234 The Review is the official publication for: Pubs of Ulster: 91 University Street, Belfast, BT7 1HP. Tel: 028 9032 7578.

Chief Executive: Colin Neill Chairman: Mark Stewart.

The Northern Ireland Hotels Federation: The McCune Building, 1 Shore Road, Belfast, BT15 3PJ. Tel: 028 9077 6635 Chief Executive: Janice Gault President: Mandy Patrick The Institute of Hospitality, NI Branch: 80 Bryansburn Road, Bangor, BT20 3SB. Tel: 07886 594770. www.instituteofhospitalityni.co.uk. Chairperson: Michael Cafolla.

Design & Production by: Greer Publications Design Printed by: W. & G. Baird Ltd. The opinions expressed in Hospitality Review are not necessarily those of Pubs of Ulster, the NIHF or the Institute of Hospitality.

4•

HR

Hospitality Review is copyright © Greer Publications 2014 Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/#!/HospitalityReviewNI Look at our Website: www.hospitalityreviewni.com

NOW DISTRIBUTING RÉMY COINTREAU RANGE: REMY MARTIN, COINTREAU, THE BOTANIST GIN, MOUNT GAY RUM & BRUICHLADDICH WHISKY T: 028 9066 7744 E: orders@drinksinc.com

Hastings Hotels teams up with Diageo

DRINKS INC HOSPITALITY REVIEW (JULY).indd 2

23/07/2014 14:28

H

Pictured announcing the new partnership is Jorge Lopes, country director of Diageo Northern Ireland (right) with Howard Hastings, managing director of Hastings Hotels.

astings Hotels has announced a new commercial partnership with the premium global drinks business Diageo, which will supply its six luxurious hotels across Northern Ireland with the iconic Guinness brand.

“Guinness is an iconic global brand and synonymous with tourism in Northern Ireland and indeed across the island of Ireland,” said Jorge Lopes, country director of Diageo Northern Ireland. “Hasting’s Hotels, Northern Ireland’s premier hotel group, also has excellent credentials and expertise in providing first-class experiences for both local and foreign visitors and we see them as a great partner and a perfect fit for the history and heritage of Guinness.

“At Diageo, we remain committed to investing in the on-going development of a vibrant tourism and hospitality sector and supporting the industry to help it reach its full potential. We will continue to support the Guinness brand in playing its role in providing visitors with a unique and authentic experience and, with Hasting’s hotels first-class offering and great locations, this partnership will help us to deliver that.”

Belfast-Dublin rail line investment to boost tourism

E

U funding of over £17m has been awarded to two cross-border railway projects, including £12.2m allocated for a major upgrade of the Belfast to Dublin Enterprise service to deliver increased passenger numbers including tourism trade.

Aimed at significantly enhancing the transport infrastructure of the region, both projects will be funded through the European Union’s INTERREG IVA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), and are scheduled for completion in 2015.

The Belfast to Dublin upgrade will involve a significant overhaul of the train’s mechanical systems, new interiors, new livery, replacement of the Passenger Information System and a completely new electronic passenger reservation system and CCTV system.

The second project involves a major refurbishment of the Boyne Viaduct in Drogheda, originally built in 1885 to support the main Dublin-Belfast railway line.

“These projects represent a significant section of our transportation infrastructure,” said Shaun Henry, director with SEUPB. “In supporting their refurbishment, the EU’s INTERREG IVA Programme is meeting one of its core objectives, namely improving access to essential services that will improve the quality of life for people living on both sides of the border.

“Upon completion, both projects will enhance one of our main cross-border infrastructure links, thereby supporting trade and tourism development for a more prosperous and sustainable region.”

Match-funding for the projects has been supplied by the Department for Regional Development (DRD) in Northern Ireland and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) in Ireland. Translink will act as lead partner for the Enterprise project with Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail) leading on the Drogheda Viaduct refurbishment.

“Belfast and Dublin are the most heavily populated cities on the island but for historical reasons have turned their backs on each other,” said Irish Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar. “There should be much more business and travel done between the two cities. This European investment is a big win for everyone living along the Belfast-Dublin rail corridor.”

Planning approval extended to £14m film studio project

E

nvironment Minister Mark H Durkan has approved a planning application to extend Titanic Studios, where HBO TV series Game of Thrones as well as other TV and movie projects are filmed.

The £14m project is set to almost double the size of the site, adding two new studios and film production workshops totalling 100,000 square feet of additional space.

Titanic Studios incorporates the Harland and Wolff shipyard’s former Paint Hall building.

“This planning application for two film studios and supporting facilities would if constructed, put Belfast on the map as one of Europe’s largest film production locations,” said the Minister. “The use of sustainable technology with the roof mounted solar panel system is also to be welcomed. These photovoltaic roof mounted panels convert solar radiation into electricity which reduces costs – a win-win for business and the environment. Developments like this are leading the way in helping Northern Ireland move towards a low carbon economy.

“It is my aim to ensure planning creates a better environment and a stronger economy. This development helps to do this.”

HR • 5

Mount Charles Group wins new Southern Regional College contract

T

he Mount Charles Group has been awarded a multi-million pound contract to provide catering, cleaning, vending and ancillary services to the Southern Regional College (SRC), adding 80 new positions as a result.

The contract, which lasts seven years and is worth over £1m per annum, will see the Belfast-based foodservice and business support provider operate in nine SRC campuses.

“We are of course delighted to have won this prestigious contract after a rigorous tender process,” said Cathal Geoghegan, managing director of the Mount Charles Group. “While it’s a tough sector to work in with the increasing imperative to keep costs low and quality of service high, we have substantial experience in meeting those needs. The multi service nature of our business means that we can create tailored packages that meet specific business needs.

“This contract with SRC has boosted our employee figures by 80, taking the total number to 1,600. Those 80 team members have TUPE’d across to work for us and with their help, we have begun to successfully operate the contract.”

The Mount Charles Group also provides cleaning and catering across four South Eastern Regional College campuses as well as several schools, including Belfast Royal Academy and Friends’ School Lisburn.

“Southern Regional College is looking forward to working with the Mount Charles Group and to getting the new contract up and running as we approach a new term,” said Jim O’Hagan, director of Finance and Corporate Services at SRC. “It is important that high quality and keenly priced services are provided for the benefit of our students and we believe this will be achieved through this partnership with Mount Charles.”

Cathal Geoghegan, managing director of the Mount Charles Group.

Beannachor issues swift rebuttal over ‘for sale’ story

T

he Beannchor Group released a statement of reassurance its venues were ‘business as usual’ after a local newspaper published a front-page story last month suggesting its flagship property The Merchant Hotel and a number of its pubs were up for sale.

With the sale actually involving a routine transfer of debt between financial institutions, rather than the properties themselves being on the market, the newspaper published a clarification several days later.

A spokesperson for the Beannchor Group said: “The Merchant Hotel is not for sale. We continue to work with the bank and any change in our funding arrangements will have no impact on jobs, our staff or the day to day running of The Merchant or our other businesses.”

“As we have been already quoted as saying, this process is part of a well-publicised strategy by Ulster Bank to reduce its debt book, North and South. For Beannchor, it means we may have a new funder but, other than that, it is very much business as usual for The Merchant and the pubs in this portfolio. Our focus on the successful running of these high-performing assets continues unabated; we will continue to provide excellent levels of service to our loyal customer base, support and develop the best staff in the industry and deliver robust and profitable trading.”

Colin Neill, chief executive of Pubs of Ulster, said: “Transfer of debt by banks and financial institutions is not unusual and Ulster Bank’s intentions to transfer its debt within particular sectors is well known. Pubs of Ulster understands that it is business as usual for Beannchor and that none of the Group’s licensed premises are for sale.

“Beannchor has contributed significantly to the growth in the hospitality industry in Northern Ireland; it has played a key role in reviving Belfast city centre, where it is apparent that a new and vibrant night time economy is flourishing, and indeed in other places across Northern Ireland. Pubs of Ulster is confident that the portfolio will continue to trade very successfully.”

drinks trade

Jackman & Pye Paying more for quality, local seafood, and working with other restaurants to boost tourist trade, is working well for the Portrush winebar and seafood restaurant, says Sean McIlroy, co-owner of the business with Johnny Jackman. decor reflects the atmosphere in our restaurant, which is a relaxed and friendly one, and while our staff are attentive and enjoy a bit of banter with customers, they aren’t imposing.

Overall, we want people to come, eat in pleasant surroundings, to enjoy good food and go home feeling they were well looked after.

Tell us about your menu.

Being based by the sea, our menu has a strong emphasis on seafood, our specialities being whole North Coast lobster and crab claws. We tend to try and keep our fish as fuss free as possible; good quality seafood doesn’t need dressed up. We do cater for all tastes, as limiting your menu to just seafood would deter a lot of the Northern Irish market, so we have an equal number of meat and vegetarian dishes to our seafood ones. We change menu regularly to make use of the best seasonal products and local produce.

Tell us about the space you have.

It’s relatively small compared to some restaurants, seating 54 with a quieter, relaxed atmosphere downstairs. The space upstairs is more open, and therefore a bit more lively. It seats 45 and is often used by larger parties and ideal for smaller functions.

What feel are you aiming for?

Our decor is simple yet cosy and we have some amazing artwork of local scenes - my favourite being a large painting of the Portrush lifeboat. The

What do you do to improve and drive your menu?

Ideally it involves eating! Eating out - eating in, but trying to eat food different to what we serve in our restaurant. We like to try different cuisines from different cultures, and then experiment at building that in, even in a very small way to our own clienteles’ taste. We also talk to our suppliers so that we know what’s seasonal, what’s fresh, what’s selling well elsewhere. We’ve also made a few additions to our menu to cater for more specialised dietary requirements.

Gluten-free options are becoming increasingly important, and we also

have a light choices menu for those who are watching what they eat.

What is your food sourcing policy?

As much as possible, we aim to use local suppliers and produce.

Our lobsters are brought in at our three closest harbours at Portrush, Portstewart and Causeway. We have a good relationship with our suppliers, and base our buying decisions on quality rather than simply price. We know that, with some of our products, we pay more. Fish for example, we could get cheaper elsewhere, but we use a registered supplier that buys at Irish markets to get the freshest fish. This is particularly important for high risk items such as oysters - our supplier provides us with purification certificates whereas others can’t. We wouldn’t take the risk.

Who are your customers?

Our customers come from a wide range of backgrounds; we serve the local market, the family market, the seasonal tourist market, the golfing market. This year, we have been getting regular American tour groups who are doing tours of Ireland - lovely friendly people who enjoy good food and have great banter with the staff.

How do you make your restaurant stand out from competitors?

We haven’t tried to stand out from our competitors as such; we just opened up doing what we do, fresh whole seafood served simply and it has built from there. When we first opened, we saw a niche in the seafood market.

Given our location, no one else was really offering it to a great extent.

It’s always been a love of mine, something I loved cooking and eating and so, when the premises became available, we knew that was the route to go down. We opened up without advertising or having a grand opening night, and we’ve never advertised.

Our business is built by word of mouth, and locals return time and again, and tourists return season after season.

We have a good relationship with other restaurants in the town; we may all be competitors but at the same time this is a tourist town and we need to work together to promote the area as a whole. If someone comes to stay for a week, they aren’t going to eat in the same restaurant all week so it’s good people have such a huge variety of good restaurants in the area.

Have you faced any particular challenges to date?

Winters are tough in a seasonal town.

Portrush may be buzzing at the height of the summer but, on a stormy winter’s day in Portrush, you may quite literally have to baton down the hatches and get on with it. You have to make hay while the sun shines as they say - that is the ups and downs of a seasonal town, but there is still no better place to be. We have survived two winters so far and are about to go into our third. I hope there are many more to come.

How has trade been this year?

As any restaurateur will know, it’s a tough market, particularly when new restaurants are constantly opening, but our trade has held up and I’m happy with how my business is progressing.

HR • 7

chef profile

Chef profile John Ferris talks to Kelan McMichael, head chef at The Poacher’s Pocket

K

elan McMichael had just walked through the doors of The Poacher’s Pocket in December and was about to do an about turn and leave when Balloo Inns Managing Director Ronan Sweeney grabbed him.

Sweeney had been a frequent visitor to McMichael’s last place of work – Rathmullan House – and had asked him “up for a chat”.

“I was literally about to go when Ronan grabbed me and he’s a charming man, a real motivator. He took me through the restaurant to show me what it was going to look like, showed me the plans. I knew how serious he was then, which really impressed me.”

Between Sweeney and one of the group’s other directors – Danny Millar – McMichael was sold on the idea.

“I met Danny and, as chefs do, we started talking food. I don’t think a chef’s a chef until at least a good 12 years grounding.

“You understand your own flavours then, you know what style of food you like, your own ethos and ethics about everything and I’m really comfortable in my own flavours and style now. I

HR • 8

was chatting to Danny and he loved everything I had to say. Danny and Ronan gave me full freedom to do my own thing.”

Rather than cooking, however, McMichael originally sought a different career path when, after good A Level results, he went to university.

“I wanted to do Business Law and German for some reason. I went to university and left after about four months. Mum and dad, of course, freaking out were asking ‘what are you going to do with yourself’?”

Well travelled as a young child, getting to taste and see food from different cultures, he always had a love of food and so decided to “take it seriously”.

“I got in to Beech Hill in Derry as a very young kid and there was an old two-star Michelin chef working there at the time. He was kinda retired at the time but he taught me a lot and from there I went to America with a friend.”

He spent nine months in New York, including a stage at Daniel’s.

“Daniel Boulud… that was interesting.

There were 57 chefs, it was 24 hours a day… and pastry coming out at 1am.

It really is the city that doesn’t sleep –

people were coming in at 1am fresh as a daisy. “That was an eye opener, just the whole management of kitchens.

It was unreal. The whole culture of kitchens is completely different than over here.”

He moved from New York to Florida where he worked in “loads of seafood beach restaurants” getting a good grounding and introduced to a “load of fish prep”.

He came home and, after two years at a small seafood restaurant, he got a call from Noel McMeel who, at the time, was executive chef at Castle Leslie.

“Noel asked me come on board and I went in as sous chef. The head chef left so, within a year, I was head chef and cooking Paul McCartney’s wedding. Had Donald Sutherland in every other week, it was a real celeb haunt.

“There was a great team in there and it was great working with Noel and I’ve a great respect for him. For me, he’s one of my mentors, not only in cooking but how to make chefs work together, how to portray yourself, how to manage a team, work suppliers, get the best out of people. He’s a good people person. You can cook all you want but, if you’ve got no personality, you’ll go nowhere.”

Still a “young and eager” chef, he took over Roscoff’s in Linen Hall Street (now Coco’s) and stayed for a year before he got a call from Derek Creagh.

“He was in Deane’s chasing stars and asked if I wanted to come on board. I worked with Derek for a good while. Getting the star there was great.

I was never far off that level myself… I always had a minimum of two or three Rosettes in every place I worked.

“But getting that star was great, a real busy Belfast city restaurant – lunch,

dinner… working hard with long hours but I got on really well. I worked a lot with Derek but I have to say Michael is an absolute gentleman as well in the kitchen. He’ll come up to you and look you in the eye, a very sincere man.

“I just loved the way Derek was – he wouldn’t ask anyone to do anything he wouldn’t do himself. At the end of the night he still cleaned down his section – a lot of chefs drop everything and walk.” He then spent five years at Rathmullan House.

“Getting a third Rosette was a great achievement for myself at a time when there were only four restaurants in Ireland with three. I then got introduced into foraging and we had a selfsufficient garden down there. We reared our own cattle, pigs and sheep and the fish was bought right off the boats.

“I loved Rathmullan – it is my favourite part of my career to date.”

The love of foraging has continued on into his new role at the helm of the Poacher’s Pocket, with the company now employing a full-time forager.

“I’m getting everything from fresh cut Samphire to sea spinach, sea lettuce and mushrooms. You really live the seasons and you don’t live the seasons more than if you’re in the country.

“The kitchen has such respect for the seasons and now we’re coming into game season… The Poacher’s Pocket, game, it’s perfect for us. I’ve just finished the new menu. We’re going to do a Poacher’s fried rabbit that’s going to come in a little takeaway box like KFC, chicken dripping French fries.

“There’s also game pie with the little claw coming out of the pastry.

“We’re up and running now, it’s been tough because it’s been twice as busy as we predicted. Now I’ve got the team, it’s slick, but now it’s time to raise the game. Bring it on.”

advertorial

Crossgar Pallas is cooking up inspirational ideas to help your business at the Inspiration Trade Events

O

n the 22nd-23rd and 25th-26th of September, restaurateurs, hoteliers, café owners and indeed anyone in food and hospitality, will have a chance to see, touch and taste the vastly expanded Crossgar Pallas offering at its second ‘Inspiration‘ Trade Show. The two events will take place on 22-23 September in the Hilton Hotel Templepatrick, Belfast, Northern Ireland and on 25-26 September in the Radisson Blu, Letterkenny, Donegal.

The Inspiration show will feature customers’ favourites plus artisan produce from many local produces,

which are now distributed by Crossgar Pallas. The Inspiration Trade Shows offer businesses in the hospitality industry the chance to inspire their menus, uncover new products and avail of substantial show-only discounts.

Plus, there are also FREE oneto-one sessions with Development Chefs, who are experts in advising restaurateurs and chefs on how to grow their business through inspirational menus, and there’ll also be live cooking demonstrations throughout the show.

The Inspiration Show will demonstrate how Crossgar Pallas helps its customers to grow their businesses. Over the two days at each event, there’s set to be

thousands of products to sample, including produce that’s perfect for starters, main courses and desserts.

From Speciality bread, fresh fish, dry-aged beef and grass-fed lamb, many of the products that will be on show are award-winning through accreditation from the ‘Great Taste’ awards. There’s also set to be handchurned butter, ice cream and much, much more.

For inspiring ideas on how to grow your business in the months ahead, make sure to save the date: The show opening times; • 10am to 6pm on Monday 22nd September, 2014 (Hilton, Templepatrick).

• 10am to 5pm Tuesday 23rd September, 2014 (Hilton, Templepatrick).

• 10am to 6pm Thursday 25th September, 2014 (Radisson Blu, Letterkenny).

• 10am to 5pm Friday 26th September, 2014 (Radisson Blu, Letterkenny).

A trade only event.

Please register your attendance by logging onto www.pallasfoods.eu The Crossgar Pallas trade shows are promising to be ‘Inspiring’ events.

HR • 9

foodservice q&a

Unilever Food Solutions sets its sights on an expanded NI presence HRNI talks to Jim Reeves, customer director at Unilever Food Solutions Ireland.

WHAT DOES YOUR ROLE INVOLVE? We have recently moved to an all island of Ireland business; something we are very excited about. Our team, while based in Dublin, will now look after customers in Northern Ireland.

Our customer base in Northern Ireland is rapidly expanding and one element of my role entails the development of new relationships across the region while also building and strengthening the ones we already have.

WHAT PRODUCT LINES DOES UNILEVER SUPPLY INTO FOODSERVICE? We have a range of ingredients that we offer chefs. We’ve been in food since the 1880s, and are home to some of the world’s favourite brands: Knorr, Hellmann’s, Colman’s, Lyons, Flora, Meadowland and Stork. We work closely with businesses of all sizes, from independent restaurants through to hotels chains and contract caterers, so we understand that critical balance between impressing your guests and making a profit.

HAS UNILEVER INTRODUCED ANY NOTABLE INNOVATIONS INTO THE MARKET IN RECENT YEARS? Our more recent innovation was the introduction of Meadowland Professional 250g into the market.

Meadowland Professional 250g is the most genuine alternative to butter with 72% of chefs surveyed recently agreeing that it performed the same or better than their usual butter.

We have also recently launched a new service to support the foodservice industry in complying with upcoming food allergy information regulations.

The Allergen and Diets Guide for Professional Catering is a free-todownload interactive PDF that provides a comprehensive guide to the new legislation and what it means for operators and their guests.

We also carried out some really interesting consumer research to coincide with the launch of our third World Menu Report. This research investigated the attitudes and behaviours of consumers when eating out of home, specifically our attitudes towards healthy eating. Using our toolkit, chefs can give their guests the best of both worlds: a slightly healthier

10 •

HR

version of their favourite dish where the chef has made smart ingredient choices, reviewed portion sizes and reassessed cooking techniques. As part of this toolkit, we developed an innovative tool that is free to download from the Unilever Food Solutions website (www.ufs.com). This tool has the potential to support the foodservice industry in implementing calorie menu labelling – something that is very much on the Government agenda.

Our calorie calculator allows chefs to experiment with different ingredients to see how these can affect the calories of a dish. You can search for specific ingredients and create a dish from scratch or search through a database of popular dishes tailored to your specific outlet.

WHAT OTHER SERVICES DOES UNILEVER OFFER TO THE FOODSERVICE SECTOR? We launched the inaugural Culinary Lecturers’ Guild meeting at Limerick Institute of Technology in May 27.

With representatives from all of the catering colleges on the island of Ireland present, the day featured lively discussions around the Irish foodservice industry, as well as an interactive culinary demonstration with special guest Mark Sergeant, who is the former head chef of the Michelin-starred Claridge’s in London and current Knorr ambassador.

The Culinary Lecturers’ Guild is the brainchild of our Business Development Chef Mark McCarthy and it is an opportunity for us to give back to lecturers who put blood, sweat and tears into the students.

WOULD YOU SAY TRADE IS PICKING UP IN THE FOODSERVICE SECTOR? Certainly - feedback we are getting from our customers, especially across the Northern Ireland region, is that trade is definitely picking up. We are constantly examining and implementing ways to improve the business for all of our customers. Competitions such as Great Carvery of the Year or initiatives like our World Menu Reports, the Allergen and Diets Guide for Professional Catering or our Wise Up on Waste Mobile App all help our customers at a core business level allowing them the opportunity to develop and grow.

LOOKING AHEAD, WHAT AREAS ARE UNILEVER FOOD SOLUTIONS FOCUSING ON? We are focused on our Sustainable Living Plan. We know that small changes can make a big impact for healthier living and the environment and, as part of our global Sustainable Living Plan, we aim to help chefs and operators to make 200 million meals healthier, tastier and more enjoyable every day by 2020, sustainably source 100% of our agricultural raw materials by 2020 and help chefs to run a more efficient kitchen and reduce their waste.

We are taking the following steps to deliver on these goals: Waste reduction: Our United Against Waste programme now operates in 15 countries. Our Wise up on Waste App enables chefs to monitor how much waste they produce and ultimately save money in their business.

Sustainable sourcing: Unilever was the first major tea company to commit to sustainable sourcing on a large scale. Our PG Tips and Lyons tea are fully Rain Forest Alliance. We are one of the world’s largest buyers of processed tomatoes, using an

estimated 3% of global production volume. When you buy as many tomatoes as we do, there’s a clear need to source them from farmers and suppliers that comply with the Unilever Sustainable Agricultural Code (SAC) Healthy eating: Our Calorie Calculator, available on www.ufs. com, demonstrates how you can reduce calories without compromise. The drag and drop capability means that you can substitute ingredients and see where small changes can reduce the overall calories in a dish. You can also save recipes and there are tips on how to reduce calories also.

For the last two years, we have sponsored the Sustainable Restaurant of the Year award as part of the Irish Restaurant Awards. The Sustainable Restaurant of the Year award recognises the restaurant in Ireland that demonstrates best practice in the area of sustainability specifically in reducing food waste.

We are constantly looking at new ways to improve kitchen efficiencies and overall sustainability for our customers, something our World Menu Reports focus on. We plan to release the newest report in 2015.

CP12057_MP 250g Full Page Ad_HOSP REV NI.indd 1

26/08/2014 16:42

Like

Love 72% of chefs surveyed said Meadowland Professional 250g block performed as well as butter in key usage occasions* CLAIM YOUR FREE SAMPLE AT WWW.UFS.COM/MEADOWLAND250

Buttermilk & vegetable oil blend with a CREAMY BUTTERY taste

*Source: Kadence International Meadowland Professional 250g Product Test, March 2013 n = 99 UK Chefs

food news

Henderson Foodservice’s Formula for Success

L

eading local foodservice company Henderson Foodservice is gearing up for its annual conference and has secured Northern Ireland-born international motorsport expert Mark Gallagher as key speaker.

The event, which has a theme of Formula for Success, takes place at the Europa Hotel in Belfast on Friday, September 26. It will be attended by staff and key suppliers including household names such as Heinz, Unilever and Nestle as well as local companies Crosskeys Meats, Willowbrook Foods and Punjana.

Gallagher has worked in Formula One for almost 30 years and has spent the last 15 working as a senior executive within the Jordan Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing and Cosworth.

Starting out as an F1 journalist and broadcaster, he went on to become a media consultant for major sponsors including Marlboro and Canon. In 1995, he became head of marketing for Eddie Jordan’s F1 team and was on the team’s management board during its most successful years.

Joining Jaguar Racing in 2004, he stayed with the team during its transition into Red Bull Racing before leaving to establish his own sports management business and racing team, Status Grand Prix.

Today he heads a sports investment group and uses his experience to work with teams, sponsors and drivers as well as making regular media experiences.

In 2012 he published The Business of Winning, drawing on the business lessons to be learned from the high finance, high octane world of Formula One. Henderson Foodservice, a division of the Malluskbased Henderson Group, supplies and delivers a wide range of products to customers across Ireland including hotels, schools, restaurants, fast food outlets, hospitals, nursing homes, cafés, sandwich bars and retail convenience stores.

Earlier this year, it was named one of Ireland’s most successful companies in the Deloitte Best Managed Companies Awards Programme, which recognises excellence in business management and performance.

“In the past two years we’ve seen sales growth of 25% and staff numbers have increased by 15%,” said Damien Barrett, managing director of Henderson Foodservice. “But we want to build on that by generating new sales leads and expanding into new markets while continuing to provide an excellent service to our customers.

“Like motorsport, the Foodservice business is a fastpaced and competitive one, so the theme of Formula for Success is extremely apt. We’re looking forward to hearing some fascinating insights from Mark Gallagher.”

At the conference, Henderson Foodservice will present awards to its top suppliers in categories including local supplier of the year, overall supplier of the year and Country Range supplier of the year.

Damien Barrett, managing director of Henderson Foodservice, gears up for its annual conference.

Henderson Foodservice supplying Sperrin Blue

H

Pictured are Paula Beckett, independent contracts manager at Henderson Foodservice; Sean Owens, head of food operations at the Downey Group; and Julie Hickey of Tamnagh Foods.

12 •

HR

enderson Foodservice has secured a deal to supply cheese handcrafted in the Sperrin Mountains to some of Belfast’s best known dining spots.

Sperrin Blue, a product from the Dart Mountain Cheese Range made by Tamnagh Foods, based near the village of Park on the banks of the River Faughan, will now be available to diners in the Downey Group-owned restaurants McHugh’s, The Apartment and the Kitchen Bar. Mallusk-based Henderson Foodservice supplies a vast range of products to the catering industry across Ireland, and plays a key role in providing small, local artisan companies with a route to market.

“How local is local is a very big question for us in the restaurant trade as Northern Ireland takes its rightful place in the local cuisines of Western Europe,” said Sean Owens, head of food operations at the Downey Group. “The rise in tourism has seen more and more customers asking for local products and Henderson Foodservice is responding to that demand to supply us with those fantastic local brands.

“As a Derry man, very familiar with the area where the milk used to make this cheese comes from, obviously I was intrigued by the Sperrin Blue product. It’s a subtle blue cheese, creamy and mellow, with a slight nutty taste which lends itself to a range of dishes but we intend to use it with a Foyle Gourmet Range of beef which we believe will be very popular with our customers.”

Julie Hickey, of Tamnagh Foods, said: “It’s fantastic that our product, handcrafted in small batches in the scenic Sperrin Mountains is going to be used in these delicious dishes created by Sean Owens and available in some of Belfast’s best known eateries.

great taste awards 2014

Guild of Fine Food applauds NI’s Great Taste

N

orthern Ireland punches far above its weight in food and drink products with a record number of producers awarded stars this year, according to the Great Taste Awardsorganiser Guild of Fine Food.

“Judging in Belfast earlier in the year gave our Great Taste judges an opportunity to taste hundreds of entries and there was a collective appreciation of the innovative, the traditional and the sheer perfection of some of the products judged,” said John Farrand, managing director of the Guild of Fine Food. “It is obvious that skill, talent and the dedication to grow the speciality food sector in Northern Ireland is driving forward superb quality and raising the bar each year.”

Great Taste success for Long Meadow Cider

I

t’s a case of raised glasses and loud cheers for the McKeever family from Portadown following the success of its Long Meadow Cider in the 2014 Great Taste Awards.

The McKeever’s Medium Craft Cider was given gold star status in the UK’s most important taste competition organised annually by the UK Guild of Fine Food.

Entering the competition for the first time, the company is amongst 99 Northern Ireland-based companies that have secured an all-time record of 264 awards in the prestigious food and drink competition.

“We are absolutely delighted to have received a gold star for our Long Meadow Medium Cider in this year’s Great Taste Awards,” said Pat McKeever of Long Meadow Cider. “With our range of ciders only introduced to the market at the end of last year, we look upon this as a major achievement and recognition of the quality of our cider.

“As a family business, we are very encouraged with the results that have been achieved in a very short space of time and we are looking to build further on that success in the coming months.”

The McKeever family has been involved with apple growing in Co Armagh for more than 50 years, with a third generation now involved in the business. Peter McKeever initially grew apples used for processing and in the baking sector. Pat McKeever joined his father on the family farm 30 years ago and now, together with his son Peter, has diversified into cider making. The Long Meadow Cider business is very much a family affair with Pat and Catherine McKeever assisted by son Peter and daughters, Alanna, Catrina, Patricia and Nuala.

Pat, Peter and Catherine McKeever at Long Meadow Farm, Portadown.

Long Meadow Cider won a gold star at the 2014 Great Taste Awards.

HR • 13

great taste awards 2014

Foster hails Great Taste record breakers

A

total of 99 Northern Irish companies have secured an all-time record of 264 awards, including 11 in the highest three-star category, in the UK’s most important taste competition organised annually by the UK Guild of Fine Food.

“This is an outstanding set of results in what is regarded as the most significant and trend setting food and drink event in the British Isles, and many parts of Europe,” said Trade Minister Arlene Foster.

“It demonstrates the quality, outstanding taste and creativity of producers, mostly smaller businesses and artisan enterprises here. The spread of award winners to virtually every part of Northern Ireland recognises the strength of our food industry, and in particular the meat sector, where eleven of the 18 products listed received three-stars.

“Our companies have achieved more three-star

golds this year than ever before, an overall total of 349 gold stars, and more than any other region of the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. This highlights that Northern Ireland has become the UK’s main food and drink production centre, a source of products that offer outstanding taste, wholesomeness and safety. I would like to congratulate all of those who have been recognised for their hard work and dedication.”

Hannan Meats in Moira, winner of the Supreme Champion Award in 2012, gained an unprecedented seven three-star golds, the highest ranking in the awards, for its beef and bacon that’s dry-aged in the world’s biggest Himalayan Salt Chamber.

“The Northern Ireland Executive recognises the potential of the food industry to strengthen rural communities in terms of wealth creation and greater employment opportunities and supports the Agri-Food

Strategy Board’s Going for Growth Action Plan,” said Foster.

“These Great Taste results, especially the new food ideas, are already attracting the attention of major UK retailers including Harrods – the sponsor of the Great Taste Awards, Selfridges and Fortnum and Mason.

“Invest Northern Ireland is already working closely with many of the award winners to help them to turn their achievements in the competition into business with key retailers in Britain and further afield.”

The 18 products to rate three-stars go forward to the final stage of the awards on 8 September in London, when the Supreme Champion Award will be announced along with other category winners in the Ambient Foods, Farmshop and Deli Signature Dish and the Northern Ireland Regional Fork. The Northern Ireland companies will also be in the running to be included in the Top 50 Foods.

Great Taste Awards: put them on your menu

R

ich Sauces have just won their 14th Great Taste Award at this year’s event, but now the real work starts. “The awards are nice but the real result is turning these into increased business,” says Tim Kells of RS Marketing.

The Newtownards, Co Down-based Great Taste Award-winning producer now holds five two-star golds, and nine single-star Great Taste Awards.

“As a business-to-business producer, our focus is on adding a unique selling point to the menu of any establishment in the hospitality trade,” says Kells.

“Quality and consistency is always our focus and the stars give our customers the option to promote that they are supporting great local companies.

“The awards are increasingly recognised here in Ulster by consumers as a mark of taste, and being a local producer ticks all the provenance, and quality boxes customers look for when deciding where to eat.

“Having stars beside menu staples like mayonnaise, ketchup, tartar and our four bouillons is great as it shows punters they are not getting a commodity but recognised quality. Our GREAT Chipotle sauce is bang on the1 London street food trend so hopefully the awards will see more of it on Ulster menus.”

TASTE AD 206x94.pdf 25/08/2014 12:05 For Free samples of Rich Sauce’s Great Taste Award winners, call 028 9181 9004 or visit www.richsauces.com.

14 •

HR

great taste awards 2014

Hat trick for new entrant Keenan Seafood

B

elfast-based Keenan Seafood, a third generation business which has expanded rapidly over the last five years, has scored a notable success in this year’s Great Taste Awards.

In its first year of entry, all three products put forward gained stars with its Traditional Natural Oak Smoked Haddock, Traditional Natural Oak Smoked Hake each gaining two stars, and one star going to its Irish Whiskey & Maple Cured Salmon.

“It was the first time we’ve entered this competition and we’re thrilled to win three awards with the products we submitted,” said Gerry Keenan, managing director of Keenan Seafood.

“It gives us an edge and a platform on which to develop our business.

I have to give credit to our General Manager Robert Shanks who came up with the products and developed them at home in his own kitchen.”

While the family business dates back to 1942, it was rebranded as Keenan Seafood in 1991 and has undergone a period of rapid development with double-digit growth over the past five years, bolstered last year by a £500,000 investment in doubling its production and cold store space and expanding office and staff facilities.

This investment was partly financed

by the European Regional Development Fund.

The business, which has its own in-house smokery, employs 22 staff members and operates a fleet of seven vehicles covering Northern Ireland. “It’s a state-ofthe-art set up we have here,” says Keenan, with the site fully HACCAP compliant and currently applying for SALSA accreditation.

Restaurants, hotels and contract caterers represent the main client base for Keenan Seafood in Northern Ireland, while a supply partnership with Brakes gives an All Ireland advantage to the company. “It gives us an opportunity to move into areas and sectors where Brakes has a strong presence.”

The business is also a major supplier to the public sector supplying hospital and school boards, and is expanding its presence in the independent retail

BLACKSTAFF ROAD, KENNEDY WAY, BELFAST

16 •

HR

sector as well as supplying Musgrave Retail Partners with a range of counter serve-over fish and ready-to-cook prepacked dishes.

“We have a young team keen to move on with the business,” says Keenan. “With all the healthy-eating aspects of fish, most restaurants now

TEL: 028 9061 8088

have a number of fish dishes on their starter and main menus and it’s a good opportunity for us to grow our business on the back of that trend.”

“I’m very pleased with our success in Great Taste Awards 2014 and am looking forward to experimenting further in 2015,” adds Shanks.

www.keenanseafood.com

social scene

Sell-out crowd at Tennent’s Vital 2014 D

avid Guetta brought Tennent’s Vital 2014 to a spectacular close on Bank Holiday Sunday, celebrating his single Lovers on the Sun topping the UK singles chart with over 30,000 music fans at Boucher Road Playing Fields. Before Guetta took to the decks, Steve Angello brought a big club vibe to the event following on from DJ Al Gibbs and DJ Rigsy and Austrian production duo Klangkarussell. Tennent’s Vital kicked off this year on August 21 with sets from The Killers, Bastille and Belfast group Go Wolf.

“Together with our partners MCD, we’d like to say a huge thank you to the Tennent’s Vital fans for helping make the 2014 festival such a huge success.

It’s been wonderful to see so many people having a great time, and to see some brilliant performances by some of the biggest artists in the world,” said Sarah Shimmons, beer marketing manager for Tennent’s NI. “There’s been an incredible atmosphere and we’re delighted that it has been a truly special two days.”

Noel and Bernadette Flannery of the Hatfield Bar with Sarah Shimmons of Tennent’s NI.

Dan Diamond, Eamon Diamond and Harry Diamond of The Washington.

Paul Graham, Johnny Grant of Tennent’s NI and Gary Connolly of Anzac Wholesale.

Jack O’Hare and Donna Murray of O’Hare’s Lounge Bars, Newcastle.

Connor Magill of Tennent’s NI and Phil McGurran of The Errigle.

Tom McCusker of Tennent’s NI with Pubs of Ulster Chairman Mark Stewart (The Coachman, Magherafelt) and Nikki Stewart.

Brandon Flowers of The Killers, headliners on Thursday evening.

Marianne Smyth, Tim Herron of The Dirty Onion, Christianne Smyth and Rose Skehin.

HR • 17

bacardi create your legacy competition

The Albany’s Micheal Brown triumphs at local heat of Bacardi Legacy

T

he True Caney was the winning cocktail in the local heat of Bacardi Legacy with its creator, Micheal Brown of The Albany, set to represent Northern Ireland in the national stage of the cocktail competition later this month in London.

The Albany was also host to the local heat of the competition, held in late August, with Northern Ireland seeing the greatest number of entries outside of London this year.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity to showcase, not only my personal skills and development, but also Micheal Brown with The True Caney, the NI heat of Bacardi Legacy. what Belfast’s cocktail scene has to offer,” said Brown. “The Albany has had a massive impact on the scene in Belfast and I feel privileged to be a part of it. Bacardi Legacy is the cream of the crop when it comes to cocktail 50ml Bacardi Superior competitions and I intend to represent The Albany 15ml Averna and Belfast proudly with my drink The True Caney.”

15ml Martini Extra dry Three finalists from the national heat in London 2.5ml Pimento dram will then go on to compete in the global final of 2.5ml sugar syrup Bacardi Legacy next March.

winning cocktail in the

The True Caney Method: stirred over ice Glassware: 5oz coupe Garnish: Orange twist

Belfast up there with the best Shervene Shahbazkhani, UK brand ambassador for Bacardi Rum, reflects on the Belfast heat of the Bacardi Legacy cocktail competition.

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE COCKTAIL STANDARD IN BELFAST? Honestly, I was very impressed. There were a lot of first time competitors that held their own. On the whole, drinks were well balanced, innovative and appealing.

LIVE PASSIONATELY, DRINK RESPONSIBLY

www.drinkaware.co.uk BACARDI, BACARDI UNTAMEABLE AND THE BAT DEVICE ARE TRADEMARKS OF BACARDI & COMPANY LIMITED

18 •

HR

ARE YOU SEEING ANY TRENDS THROUGHOUT THE UK? It’s interesting, as every region has its own style.

A huge trend I would say is bringing it back to classics. Simple and replicable. Drinks that are not too complicated with loads of ingredients.

HOW DOES BELFAST COMPARE WITH OTHER CITIES IN THE DELIVERY OF COCKTAILS? With regards to technique and bar etiquette, Belfast was up there with the best. I think that delivery and confidence need to be worked on, but I guess that will come with more competitions being held in Belfast; practice and confidence.

DO YOU FORESEE ANY CHANGES IN THE COCKTAIL MARKET? I think cocktails are becoming more approachable and drinkers are becoming more informed. You tube channels like Jamie Oliver’s drinktube are showing how easy cocktails can be made at home and help demystify cocktails, making them more approachable.

I think the general drinker will become more cocktail savvy and popularity of cocktails will grow even further.

WHAT WAS YOUR OVERALL EXPERIENCE OF THE NI HEAT, AND HAVE YOU ANY ADVICE FOR THE COMPETITORS? I think overall there was a good standard. We had at least five people there which I would have been very happy to take through to the national final. I would say, prepare a structured presentation. Practice and project with confidence! The majority of drinks were delicious and well balanced; it’s just delivery that needs to be worked on slightly. Overall though, exciting times, and I look forward to see what next year brings.

bacardi create your legacy competition

Shervene Shahbazkhani, UK brand ambassador for Bacardi Rum, is pictured (right) with fellow judges Jane Ryan of Diffords and Adolfo Comas, training and mixology manager for Bacardi Brown Forman.

Competitors in the Bacardi Legacy Northern Irish heat are pictured in The Albany.

Also representing Bacardi at the Belfast heat were, from left, local representatives Ryan Brown, Aaron Skinner and Richard McCluskey.

LIVE PASSIONATELY, DRINK RESPONSIBLY

www.drinkaware.co.uk BACARDI, BACARDI UNTAMEABLE AND THE BAT DEVICE ARE TRADEMARKS OF BACARDI & COMPANY LIMITED

HR • 19

hospitality exchange 2014

Street food fighting man Richard Johnson, author of Street Food Revolution and founder of the British Street Food Awards talks to Alyson Magee about the street food revival spreading across the UK. HOW DID YOU GET INTO STREET FOOD? I’d been a food and drink journalist for years, and was profiling Marco Pierre White in New York. We’d had a night out on the razzle, and he was due on the Martha Stewart show and needed something to soak it up so we ended up eating the best burgers on the street in Manhattan. At the time, I was a restaurant critic at The Independent which was all very well but I started to think about street food over here and why can’t it be more like New York with a network of streets where you can ‘eat the world’.

In 2009, I set up the British Street Food Awards and the prize the first year was a stick blender. Two years later, it was the right to trade at the 2012 Olympics. In a short period of time, street food has gone from a bit of a joke to a big thing.

HAS THE STREET FOOD REVOLUTION TAKEN HOLD? Definitely; it’s not there, it’s just in its infancy but it’s spreading. It in the beginning, it was perceived as

Richard Jordan

24 •

HR

an East London, skinny trouser hipster thing but this year, the Awards have six regional heats and the best traders from Europe are coming over. We have a tattoo artist from Stockholm coming over with his soft shell crab tacos. We’re ahead of Europe by at least a year.

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE FILM CHEF AND IS IT LIKELY TO BOOST INTEREST IN STREET FOOD? It does illustrate the universality of it. If you can use it as the keystone of a Hollywood movie, there’s got to be something in it. There’s an ingenuity to street food; it tends to be a one-person operated business and the passion comes over.

WHAT’S THE HISTORY OF STREET FOOD IN THE UK? People say we’re not a street food culture but they’re wrong. In Dickensian times it would have been a songbird being eaten on the street and then later

it would have been pig trotters or whelks. The Victorians did for us, with that association of the eating of food with carnality and we lost confidence in eating in front of others. For me, it was the arrival of McDonald’s when I was a kid and the excitement of sitting and eating and not worrying about red sauce running down your chin. And then, with the recession, street food has become the perfect food.

ARE THERE ANY CHALLENGES SPECIFIC TO STREET FOOD? Working out of a kitchen the size of a postage stamp, having to pack up your kitchen at the end of the day and what I would consider one of the great things about it – constantly interacting with the public. It’s a different approach to food. In a restaurant, you can have a more cerebral menu and can get the public to sit down and get them interested in a dish.

With street food, it’s much more about the smell; the guttural, primal reaction to the food and wanting to eat it and that’s why comfort food works so well.

WHICH UK LOCATIONS EXCEL AT STREET FOOD AND WHY? London is still the centre but Leeds has an amazing reputation for street food now. The Council is very progressive, makes it easy to work there and wants to turn it into a boulevard-y city. In last year’s Awards, the Best Street Food Collective went to Bristol and Best Street Food Event to Birmingham so things are devolving away from London. Frome in the West Country has a very exciting street market; anywhere there is access to good ingredients which means there are great opportunities in Northern Ireland.

HAVE YOU ANY EXPERIENCE OF STREET FOOD IN NORTHERN IRELAND? One of the finalists in our first awards was Rocket & Relish from Belfast and it was so wonderful to see them pulling up in their silver Airstream trailer and doing an amazing regional dish with their Cashel Blue Burger which just blew people away. There’s a chapter in my book on the success they’ve had.

I have heard rumblings about more going on in Northern Ireland and am looking forward to seeing it for myself when I’m over for Hospitality Exchange.

WHAT WOULD YOUR ADVICE BE TO NORTHERN IRISH CHEFS ALREADY INTO, OR THINKING OF GETTING INTO, STREET FOOD? I would approach the Nationwide Caterers Association, they run wonderful courses, and I would download the British Street Food app. You have to work out what your big idea or niché is and think about how to present it; not just with a gazebo and plastic table. It doesn’t have to be expensive, and you need to get yourself on social media and get a Twitter account.

Billed as the biggest street food festival in the world, the British Street Food Awards 2014 will be held at Millennium Square, Leeds over September 2628. This year’s Awards had over 3,500 entries.

For more information, see fortheloveoffood.co.uk.

Richard Johnson will be speaking at Hospitality Exchange on Tuesday, October 14.

hospitality exchange 2014

Stars in his eyes

Aiden Byrne

Aiden Byrne, head chef at Manchester House and the youngest chef to ever earn a Michelin star, speaks to Alyson Magee.

HOW DID YOU GET INTO FOOD? I’m 42 now and was one of the few that, at 14 years of age, decided to take home economics in school and was the only boy in the class wearing a pinny back then. I just knew as soon as I walked into that classroom.

WHEN DID YOU DECIDE TO AIM FOR SOMETHING HIGHER? I knew I wanted to cook for the rest of my life, and I knew I needed to throw myself in at the deep end. When I was younger, it was a dog-eat-dog world and there was no political correctness; the way they treated personnel was very different to what it is now and I had to find out whether I had the stamina and determination to go further.

WHICH PART OF YOUR CAREER HAVE YOU ENJOYED THE MOST? The one I enjoyed the most was the opportunity at 21 to become a head chef. I had not been cooking for long professionally before the opportunity came along and I had to grab the bull by the horns. I had to look at text

books to work out how to do things as I didn’t have anyone to ask questions to.

The most inspirational was working for Tom Aikens; that set you up for what was going to happen in the future.

WHY DO YOU THINK YOU WERE THE YOUNGEST CHEF TO GAIN A MICHELIN STAR? The situation arose and a lot of it was down to being in the right place at the right time. The guy I was working for at the time had personal problems, and the kitchen had just lost its Michelin star. My boss said to me that standards drop when you walk out that door, and grabbed me by the scruff of the neck so it was just one of those moments and I ran and ran with it so the opportunity was there and the kitchen had had one before. It was just my training and determination that got the star (aged 22), although it does require a certain amount of talent to pull that off.

ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE CULINARY SCENE IN NI? I worked for Paul Rankin for a year as head chef and the day I arrived

in Belfast was the day of the Omagh bomb but I had a naivety towards what was going on which held me in good stead. We ended up having a really good team and it was an amazing experience. You had Rankin, Michael Deane and (the late) Robbie Millar, and all the youngsters have come through now.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO UP AND COMING CHEFS? I’m an old school kind of cook, and

I’m a true believer in getting your head down and working as best as you can. You’ll reap what you sow.

Too many youngsters out there run before they walk and classical training is disappearing; you start losing that backbone and the fundamentals. I think we need to move away from molecular gastronomy and back towards classical cooking.

Aiden Byrne is appearing at Hospitality Exchange on Tuesday 14, October.

Master of the wine universe

By Alyson Magee

W

ho would have thought a part-time job at the Wellington Park Hotel would pave the way to becoming one of only 200 master sommeliers worldwide?

Gearoid Devaney

For Gearoid Devaney, then studying for his A-levels, the casual employment inspired his subsequent decision to study Hospitality Management at Jordanstown, where he threw in a wine course.

“I came to London when I completed my course and had no idea about the world of wine,” says Devaney, who had taken up a position at the Capital Hotel in Knightsbridge and then found himself stepping into the assistant sommelier role when someone left.

“The sommelier didn’t exactly sell it to me, telling me it would be 15-hour days and he’d be shouting at me all the time,” he says, “and my head was telling me no but my gut, yes.”

Planning to try out the role for a year, Devaney was hooked and stayed on at the Capital while it secured a second Michelin star in 2001 becoming head sommelier there aged 23.

He continued his career at threeMichelin starred Pierre Gagnaire in Paris, and then headed back to London

to assist Tom Aikens in opening his signature restaurant and gaining a Michelin star.

Devaney found himself rising in the ranks, to be named Sommelier of the Year by Restaurant magazine in 2007 and Tatler in 2008. Along the way, he began studying for the prestigious master sommelier accolade, which carries a pass rate of 4%, taking his first courses in 2006 and passing the diploma in 2009.

As one of the elite few to hold the title, comes a responsibility to mentor other aspirant sommeliers. “As a master sommelier, you have to get involved,” he says. “At the minute, I’m helping to write the exam.”

Moving onto new challenges, Devaney is now a shareholder and director of London-based Flint Wines, which specialises in his favourite highend Burgundies.

Which other wines hold particular appeal? “Italian Barolo and Barbaresco, and there are some great ones to watch from the cooler climate

parts of California,” he says.

A good sommelier can encourage customers to experiment more by gaining their trust. “It’s about showing your passion and your belief in wines if you recommend something a bit different,” he says.

“People in a restaurant generally want to have a good time. There is no formula; every table is a different experience.”

Problem customers have been few over the years, says Devaney, with one standout who laid claim to the impossible feat of visually identifying ‘volatile acidity’ in a wine.

He is looking forward to catching up with the local scene during Hospitality Exchange which, when he left, included only Rankin at the high end “but now you have Michael Deane and James Street South and it’s a much more vibrant scene.”

Gearoid Devaney will be appearing at Hospitality Exchange on Tuesday, October 14.

HR • 25

drinks news

Our passion is Wine

Win Premium Prizes

Premium Prize’s To Be Won With

including ipad mini’s

Santa Rita promotion offers exclusive prizes for local consumers

S

anta Rita, distributed by United Wine Merchants, is launching a competition exclusively for consumers in Northern Ireland with 120 premium prizes on offer including iPad minis and Aspinal of London leather gloves, briefcases and wallets.

To enter, consumers simply scan the QR code on Santa Rita 120 promotional neck tags or in-store POS, with the promotion running for three months from August 1.

One of Chile’s oldest and most enterprising wine producers, Santa Rita was founded in 1880 by Domingo Fernandez Concha while exclusive distribution rights in the Northern Irish on and off trades in Northern Ireland were acquired by United Wine Merchants in January of this year.

“This is the first time ever that Santa Rita will be executing a fully integrated marketing campaign in Northern Ireland which will include outdoor, social media, print and radio and we are delighted to announce that all 120 premium prizes will be won by 120 local consumers,” said Emma Haughian, brand manager at Santa Rita.

“Santa Rita offers a diverse range of top quality awardwinning wines and we wanted to specifically promote the

120 range to communicate its exceptional quality and value by linking up with premium prizes.

“We have chosen to give away prizes that are of superior standard which we feel reflect the Santa Rita 120 brand and philosophy. With significant investment behind the campaign including two bursts of outdoor advertising and radio, United Wine Merchants are demonstrating their long term commitment to the brand and driving the quality message.

We believe this campaign will enable widespread consumer engagement and help strengthen Santa Rita’s positioning within the market.”

Santa Rita 120 is inspired by 120 soldiers who – led

by General Bernardo O’Higgins whose father was born in Sligo, Ireland – regained their strength at Santa Rita Cellars to continue their fight for Chile’s independence.

The portfolio boasts a variety of wines including Medalla Real, Gran Reserva and the world class Casa Real, which was awarded 94 points by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate for the 2011 and 2002 vintages and, in August 2013, Casa Real 1989 became the first wine from Chile to receive the highly respected Decanter Wine Legend award. In addition, the Santa Rita 120 range is one of the most widely known wines and is the top selling Chilean wine in Ireland.

West Coast Cooler announce continued sponsorship of Belfast FASHIONWEEK

T

he fashionable partnership of West Coast Cooler and Belfast FASHIONWEEK is set to continue for at least another three years as the popular drinks brand announced on-going sponsorship at the FASHIONWEEK launch in Belfast in August.

The event, celebrating its 10th year and 18th season, also brings together an eclectic mix of Belfast hospitably venues, with nightly pop up sushi and cocktail bars from Japanese eatery Zen at the main catwalk shows, as well as Sushi Saturday at Shiro, and the popular Style Sunday event – which this season is held at SHU and supported by leading supermarket LIDL. Karen Anderson, brand manager for West Coast Cooler, said: “It’s that time of year again and it’s going to be another very busy season of show-stopping fashion, as well as lots of fun off the runway too. It’s hard to believe that we’re continuing on with the 10 year celebrations – and with it, the wonderful collaboration that is FASHIONWEEK and West Coast Cooler – so we were very pleased to announce that we’re renewing our sponsorship agreement for at least a further three years.”

NI Exclusive See promotional bottles in- store for more details. iPad mini is a trademark of Apple, registered in the US and other countries. Apple is not a participant in or sponsor of this promotion.

26 •

HR

HOOLEY IN THE VALLEY

C

ountry and western music fans Catherine Earley and Joanne McGirr are pictured enjoyed the festivities at the sixth annual Hooley in the Valley Festival in Augher.

The weekend event was supported by Harp Lager, and featured performances from rising star Derek Ryan and local Tyrone man Jim Devine.

drinks news

Tennent’s NI makes Time for Friends

Wine Wizard!

The Art of Italian Wine

I Colleen Shaw (centre, left) and Claire Hogarth from Friends of the Cancer Centre are pictured getting behind the Make Time for Friends fundraising drive with Tennent’s NI employees (front row, from left) Seamus Donaghy, Damien Magerr and Declan McDonagh, (back row, from left) Michael McCambley, Jeff Tosh, Annemarie McDonagh, Rod McCrory, Ryan Knox, Paula McAloone and Connor McCausland.

E

mployees of Tennent’s NI will be ‘making time for friends’ this year in a bid to raise £20,000 for leading local cancer charity, Friends of the Cancer Centre.

Damien Magerr, quality dispense technician with the Belfast-based drinks company, is currently undergoing treatment for Prostate Cancer. He was so impressed with the treatment, services and support provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Centre at the City Hospital that he asked his friends at work to give a little fundraising support – but they went even further, making Friends of the Cancer Centre their designated charity for the year under the fundraising banner, Tennent’s NI: Make Time for Friends.

“Damien is a hard man to resist and, when he campaigned for Friends of the Cancer Centre to become our nominated charity, we were only too happy to get behind both him and this great good cause,” said Jeff Tosh, head of NI On Trade for Tennent’s NI. “Each year around 11,000 people in Northern Ireland are diagnosed with cancer so the chances are high that cancer may have touched our own lives or the lives of family or friends, giving Friends of the Cancer Centre particular resonance with not only our own employees, but also with our friends in the hospitality, drinks and entertainment sectors.

The Magners Berry Maiden trophy was presented to Joe Keeling, chairman of Horse Racing Ireland and co-owner of the winning horse Texas Rock, by Sarah Shimmons, marketing manager for Tennent’s NI.

Jeff Tosh, head of NI On Trade for Tennent’s NI, presented The Apple Orchard Handicap trophy to Eamon McAvoy, representing the owner of the winning horse, Windward Passage.

Summer is a good time for Magners and racing

T

he Magners July Race Evening had racegoers descending on Down Royal Racecourse in their droves. Summer’s longer hours of sunshine provided the perfect opportunity to socialise with friends while enjoy a refreshingly chilled Magners Irish Cider and enjoying racing late into the evening.

While some people came along after work, others had clearly taken the day off to don their best summer outfits for the occasion which delivered seven exhilarating races for all to enjoy.

It’s a good time to be writing about Italian wines because they are so trendy at the moment. Everyone is drinking Pinot Grigio, Prosecco, Primitivo and Montepulciano. But there is more to Italian wines, with over 600 different grape varieties used for wine production in 21 regions cultivated by almost 40,000 wine-producing businesses Italy is a joy to explore. However you only need to focus on the 80 grape varieties which are not only reliable in terms of quality, but also account for significant volumes of Ciaran Meyler wine exported.

The grapes responsible for the great Italian wines are mainly cultivated in the north.

Piedmont remains one of the most praised regions in the wine press, almost always surpassing Tuscany. The great wines of Barolo and Barbaresco produce wines of very high price to quality ratio made from the Nebbiolo grape. We also should never forget the superb sparkling from Piedmont, Asti. I can you hear you saying “not Nasty Asti”. It’s one of the most refreshing fruitful ways to finish off a meal.

Tuscany here the Sangiovese grape is king, producing the five great DOCGs of Chianti, Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Carmignano and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (named after the town, not to be confused with the grape grown in Abruzzo).

Veneto was made famous recently for the huge amounts of Pinot Grigio and Prosecco. Pinot Grigio is incredibly popular because in the main it’s quite light neutral almost insipid, spend a few extra quid and you’ll experience more depth of fruit and a rich complex finish. Prosecco is the real buzz word at the moment. Prosecco is the name of the grape grown mainly around the town of Treviso, slightly off dry it has a universal appeal and has been a great success during hard times when people still want to drink bubbles but can’t afford Champagne.

However the real wines of Veneto are produced mainly from the lesser known Corvina grape. The DOCGs of Bardolino Superiore, Amarone and Recioto della Valpolicella.

I’m going to have to come back to Italy later in the year, I’m limited to 400 words and I’ve already gone over, 300,000 still wouldn’t be enough to describe Italy.

In the meantime try a lovely lively Prosecco to kick start your Saturday night dinner party, Riondo Spumante or Frizzante, but be sure to get a few bottle of Sartori Amarone della Valpolicella a truly exceptional well structured, fragrant red wine which keeps on getting better.

QuoteS of the month “I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice bottle of Chianti.” “I do wish we could chat longer, but I’m having an old friend for dinner.”

Hannibal Lecter, The Silence of the Lambs.

For more information contact United Wine Merchants on 028 38316555 or contact the Wine Wizard directly on 07774226387.

HR • 27

Carling sales continue to rise in Northern Ireland Carling delivers growth in NI on-trade with 11% sales increase.

Nielsen figures to June 2014 have confirmed Carling as one of Northern Ireland’s fastest growing lagers with an increase in draught volume sales of 11 per cent (MAT)*, massively outperforming the overall draught market which experienced growth of 3.8 per cent during the same period.

One of the on-trade success stories of the past 12 months, Carling is now the number four draught lager in Northern Ireland, continuing to drive growth in the lager category with more than a quarter of a million additional points enjoyed by local consumers year on year.

Since its arrival in Northern Ireland, Carling has certainly established itself as a brand with big ambitions and parent company Molson Coors is certainly pulling out all the stops to realise those ambitions with continued high profile marketing activity.

It’s good…

But it’s not quite Carling Carling’s forward momentum was also enhanced with a high visibility, fully integrated marketing campaign across Northern Ireland, which kicked off on TV in June with the latest in the “It’s good…

But it’s not quite Carling” series of adverts.

The ads are based around two key characters John and Dylan, an instantly likeable duo who come ‘close’ to perfection in what is a highly entertaining and engaging TV spot.

In October this year an exciting series of outdoor and TV ads will be supported in the on-trade with ‘instant gratification’ activity designed to create excitement and in bar-theatre at participating outlets, offering Carling lovers the chance to win some great prizes like a North Face Jacket and a Carling Boot Bag on the spot.

With a considerable media spend across outdoor, digital and TV, Carling is on track to achieve a massive boost in awareness amongst its target audience. *all figures quoted are from Nielsen MAT data June 2014

7371.001 HR Trade Press ART.indd All Pages

Putting your business and customers first Over the last year, Carling has been driving growth for your business by investing heavily in bringing the brand to life through creative marketing campaigns which encourage people to engage both online and in clubs and bars around the country.

By enticing trial through targeted brand building promotions in both the on- and off-trades, Carling has experienced a surge in demand from a whole new breed of consumers, with its refreshingly perfect taste converting first time drinkers into repeat customers.

With the latest figures showing that more and more lager lovers in Northern Ireland are turning to Carling as their pint of choice, the summer months saw Carling bring its experiential Perfect Putt promotion on a country wide tour of the on-trade this summer.

The staffed promotion generated high levels of engagement and talkability in on-trade outlets throughout Northern Ireland, challenging customers to master the twists and turns of our unique putting game to win a free pint of Carling as well as other fantastic prizes. In addition, off-trade outlets were supported with Carling’s biggest ever glass giveaway.

Creating conversation On the digital front, the conversation never stops on Carling’s Facebook page and the new Carling Refreshment Society celebrates the perfect refreshment that Carling is known for, uniting and engaging with Carling fans with a shared love of beer, football, music and entertainment.

Fans who join the Carling Refreshment Society are in with a chance to win a Samsung LED TV, PlayStation 4 with FIFA 14 and, of course, a case of Carling.

There is no doubt that Carling is on an upward spiral and investment in the brand is set to continue throughout 2014 with the continuation of Carling’s heavyweight TV and outdoor campaign that will continue to differentiate Carling from the rest of the pack, appealing to its ever growing consumer base in a fresh new way.

To become part of the Carling success story and take advantage of its meteoric rise in popularity, call the Molson Coors team: Paul Hanna Key Account Manager +44 7734 548158 Gavin Bleakley Regional Sales Manager +44 7734 547758

29/08/2014 14:26

Bacardi Brown-Forman bar profile

The Merchant Hotel Cocktail Bar, Belfast A wide range of classically-made cocktails served in a relaxed atmosphere and elegant surroundings characterise the Cocktail Bar at Belfast’s flagship hotel, while on-going training ensures bar staff are kept up to date with global trends, says Cocktail Bar Manager Michael Patterson.

WHAT IS ON OFFER AT THE MERCHANT HOTEL COCKTAIL BAR? Classically-made cocktails, served at the table by professional and knowledgeable staff. We have 150 drinks on our menu and what we make off the menu as well, which is a lot.

Our feel is relaxed and comfortable.

We want someone to feel they’re being looked after. Our guests should not have to look for service, it comes to them. The style is of a pre-prohibition bar.

MY ROLE There are a lot of different aspects attached to my role as Bar Manager and no two days are ever the same.

It can involve everything from making sure the correct stock is coming in to the bar, liaising with drinks companies when choosing new products, consulting with other departments within the hotel regarding their drink programmes and payroll to staff training and development.

WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT FOCUS? One of our big focuses is a whiskey tasting evening by the fireside. The evening will take place in the New Year and will be something whiskey enthusiasts will be able to look forward to after Christmas. We will be pairing up with an Irish distillery to showcase a complete portfolio of their whiskey brands and a few rare, almost unattainable whiskies from that same

30 •

HR

distillery. We will be offering a food pairing with each sample of whisky in the form of a canapé.

BEST SELLERS AND PERSONAL FAVOURITES For me choosing a drink depends on many things, mostly my mood, the time of day and the occasion. I do however have a few staple, go-to drinks like a Hemingway Daiquiri or a Sazerac.

Our best sellers at the Merchant: just coming out of summer time, long drinks have been very popular. Mojitos are always popular, as are our Brambles and any of our tropical, Tiki drinks. I am currently working on a seasonal menu for winter cocktails.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU? I love to draw inspiration from other leading bars around the world. In fact many of my holidays have been planned around visiting bars (and distilleries) that I feel I need to see and experience to broaden my own knowledge and understanding of the ever-evolving drinks business. The success of other bartenders from my peer group also continues to be an inspiration for me; some of whom have done great things after leaving Belfast and some who stayed here and have done great things for the local bar scene.

HOW IMPORTANT IS TRAINING? As I already mentioned, the drinks industry is constantly evolving and, with that in mind, we are constantly training

and developing our staff to keep them up to date with what’s happening within the trade. At the Merchant, we have an international clientele and we need to be on top of that and make sure the guys are up to speed with what is trending around the world. We do a lot of in-house training ourselves and we also work closely with companies like Bacardi who come to us offering training sessions. Training is a vast subject and can cover anything from brewing tea correctly and making perfect cappuccinos to cooking a batch

of grenadine and of course mixing, shaking, stirring and pouring drinks.

FUTURE PLANS To continue to grow and be a flagship bar in Belfast. We’re certainly the go-to bar for a great cocktail in Belfast and, at the Merchant, you will have it served to your table in a luxurious, relaxing environment.

DESCRIBE THE COCKTAIL BAR IN THREE WORDS Stylish, professional and approachable.

tourism news

Cross-border regions collaborate on tourism

F

our county council areas have joined forces under the banner of the Border Uplands Project to showcase their ‘world-class tourism offering’ to people in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The four counties feature many visitor attractions including the Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark in Fermanagh, the Burren Park in Cavan and natural wonders of Glenade Lake, as well as one of the largest and most important megalithic sites in Europe, Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery in Sligo.

A joint venture between the Irish Central Border Area Network (ICBAN), Fermanagh District Council and the county councils of Cavan, Leitrim and Sligo, the Project will create much-needed outdoor access, recreational and amenity infrastructure in the scenic uplands of the region. With a total budget of over €3.1m, it is funded under the EU’s INTERREG IVA programme and managed by the Special European Union’s Programme Body (SEUPB).

“The natural beauty of these four areas and their distinctive geology and bio-diversity provides us with a unique tourism opportunity that has huge potential and real stand-out,” said Una Collier from Fermanagh District Council.

“The variety and quality of the attractions and places of interest in each county is what makes them special and must-see destinations for holidaymakers. As they already have mature and growing hospitality sectors plus great shopping districts, busy local food scenes and countless events that continually draw people to them every year – they are each a force to be reckoned with in their own right.”

Pictured are Paul Kirkpatrick from Leitrim County Council, Grainne O’Connor from Cavan County Council, Martina O’Neill from Fermanagh District Council and Ray O’Grady from Sligo County Council.

Happy Days for top international media

T

he 2014 Happy Days Enniskillen Beckett Festival, celebrating the life and times of Irish Nobel Prize-winner Samuel Beckett, attracted interest from a prestigious group of international media from Great Britain, North America and the Republic of Ireland.

Influential journalists from The Observer, The Times, The Pictured in the Gordon Wilson Library, Lough Erne Resort Independent, The New York are, from left, Rebecca Franks, BBC Music Magazine; Michelle Times, The Stage and BBC Music McKenna, NITB; Sean Doran, Happy Days International Beckett Magazine, as well as Bolton & Festival; and Boyd Tonkin, The Independent.

Quinn, were guests of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, which arranged their itinerary and hosted their stay in Fermanagh.

“This group represents some of our core tourism markets and international media visits of this calibre are essential as they help not only to highlight our fantastic and unique cultural heritage, but also are a positive platform to present the best of what Fermanagh and Northern Ireland has to offer,” said Michelle McKenna, events officer at NITB. “NITB is delighted to support this fabulous festival with £167,200 of financial assistance through our International Tourism Event Funding Programme.”

Subsequently, The New York Times (circulation 2.1 million) ran a piece In Northern Ireland, a Celebration of Samuel Beckett. Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said: “I am delighted to see such positive exposure for the Happy Days Festival and Enniskillen in important publications like The New York Times and The Guardian. Inviting influential media to come and experience at first-hand what Northern Ireland has to offer is a key element of our publicity and PR programme, helping us to spread the good news across the world about the many things to see and do in Northern Ireland.”

Roasting Quality Coffee & Blending Tea in Ireland since 1905

Summer Iced Tea...

Dashing from car to call over the last two weeks I have to confess I have lost count of the number of times I have been soaked. The North Face fleece has been retrieved from the bottom of the laundry basket and Gore tex is suddenly this month’s must have fashion accessory. Summer is officially over…

But with the spirit of optimism that I normally reserve for doing the Euro lottery every week, I predict that the good weather is just around the corner. So with due haste, we must ready ourselves. This month it is time to give the coffee machine a rest for an hour and lift the spirits of the nation by getting the jugs out! Ooh-err Mrs!

Robert Roberts special Lemon and Apple Iced Tea...

Monin lemon flavoured tea concentrate is a refreshing blend of all-natural fruit juice, plant extracts, and gourmet teas selected from the best the world has to offer. It comes premixed and all you have to do is blend with water.

Best prepared in a jug or pitcher, this is a quick, simple and very profitable drink that can be prepared in advance in bulk and kept in the fridge until required. Very refreshing and something that is that little bit different.

Take one large jug or pitcher and add 50% Monin Lemon tea syrup and 50% Monin apple syrup filling approx. 1/5 of the container.

Slice a lemon and add to the syrup.

Fill the remainder of the jug with cold water and stir, mixing thoroughly. Sparkling water may be used if desired.

Serve in a tall tumbler full of ice and garnish with a wedge of lemon.

The Monin range for use in tea and coffee is available Robert Roberts.

Peter D Lavery Training Manager

For more information, please contact Robert Roberts Tel: 028 9267 3316 www.robert-roberts.co.uk

HR • 31

tourism profile

A fond farewell for hospitality hero Northern Ireland’s tourism scene has come a long way since he joined NITB, says retiring Chief Executive Alan Clarke, but is still in need of better standout within the Ireland brand. By Alyson Magee

W

hen HRNI interviewed Alan Clarke last December for the 2014 Yearbook, he was riding high on the success of Derry~Londonderry City of Culture and the World Police & Fire Games, and looking ahead to Northern Ireland hosting the Giro d’Italia Big Start.

Now less than a year later and the beloved industry figure, with a sense of humour to match his drive and determination to take local tourism to the next level, is retiring.

While Clarke may be leaving the Board with a challenging future – the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment has extended its consultation on John Hunter’s review of NITB and wider tourism structures to September 22 – he has undoubtedly elevated its scope and resources to a level unimaginable when he joined as chief executive in 2001.

“Tourism is a very different place

32 •

HR

now than when I joined,” says Clarke, citing the three highlights of his career at NITB as the Titanic signature project, the UK City of Culture 2013 and the Giro d’Italia in 2014, while time spent with the US Coastguard undergoing leadership training was also memorable.

“Obviously the Titanic was the most challenging but also the most rewarding,” he says. “We didn’t have a penny when we started out but we had a strong vision that it would work.”

Back when the idea was conceived, Northern Ireland’s then permanent secretary granted NITB free range to pursue the idea but without any financial support from government, while Belfast City Council was also supportive of the concept.

Pictured is Alan Clarke with the Titanic signature project, which elevated Northern Irish tourism to a new level.

“We didn’t even know what it was going to be,” says Clarke. “Was it going to be a building or if it was a ship, would it be in the sea or on land; those were all options that had to be worked through.”

A £25m application for Big Lottery funding failed but “it was a very complex process and it bonded people together,” says Clarke. “And then we got money through under the Assembly when they returned to power in 2007.”

Current Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister Arlene Foster and Nigel Dodds, who held the role back in 2007, were supportive and helped push through financial support for the Titanic project.

“The highlight wasn’t so much when it opened as when the Assembly voted through the funding,” says Clarke. “At least, then, what we’d talked about for four to five years was going to become a reality; before it was just a dream.”

Fast forward a few years and the Titanic has become a huge success,

tourism profile and the centrepiece of not only the tourism industry but the thriving Titanic Quarter spearheading Belfast’s postrecession recovery from its expanding film studios to the Belfast Waterfront.

Momentum continued with Derry~Londonderry named the first UK City of Culture in 2013, extending tourism opportunities west of the River Bann.

“When the City of Culture was announced, I was sitting next to John Hume and I had an overnight bag with me but hadn’t booked anywhere as I wasn’t expecting to be staying,” says Clarke. “You could sense the energy in the Guildhall that night.”

And Clarke is still buzzing from the public reaction to Northern Ireland hosting the Giro d’Italia this past May. “We could never have imagined that the public would have gone for it so much,” he says. “The Giro was not well recognised here but the public turned out in droves.”

Northern Ireland was able to secure such a prestigious, high profile opportunity, he says, on the back of successfully hosting events such as the MTV Awards, Irish Open and the UK City of Culture. “It all built up confidence that we could deliver world class events,” he says.

EVOLUTION OF NITB Beyond the big name events, a further highlight for Clarke has been the development of NITB into the effective operation it is today with a strong staff and cabinet full of awards and accolades. Among them, Clarke was the first public sector official to be recognised by Hospitality Review NI as a Hospitality Hero, in 2012.

NITB’s Our Time Our Place campaign even scooped the Chartered Institute of Marketing Best Brand Development Campaign award in 2012. “I’ve been a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing for years but I never thought we would win the UK award,” he says.

Key to Clarke’s vision for Northern Ireland has been “momentum and imagination,” he says. “Tourism is now more important than agriculture and has gone from 4.9% of the GDP in 2010 to 5.2% in 2013.”

However, Clarke looks to Wales – where he has also worked and tourism represents 13% of GDP – as representing the opportunity existing for further growth.

“There is opportunity still there and that requires further investment,” says Clarke. “You can’t turn the tap off on investment as it’s hard to turn it back on. You would lose all the investment you’ve made over the last few years.”

FUTURE CHALLENGES While delighted with the progress made during his tenure at NITB, a lot of work is still to be done, says Clarke, to create greater differentiation for Northern Ireland from the Republic of Ireland and all-Ireland marketing.

“We need a model for the NI brand,” he says, and NITB is accordingly engaged in collaborative

Alan Clarke presents Luke Durbridge, Australian cyclist and winner of the Giro D’Italia Team Trial in Belfast, with his white jersey.

Alan Clarke is pictured in 1974 as a trainee pulling the NITB caravan. An unfortunate toppling incident did little to deter his future career in tourism, which would include stints in Wales, England and Scotland as director of Marketing for Edinburgh and Lothians Tourist Board and chief executive of Aberdeen and Grampian Tourist Board before returning to NITB as chief executive in 2001.

work with local universities and Invest Northern Ireland to create a ‘common narrative’. “It’s more about the narrative than the creative execution and working together to enhance the reputation. Our job is to put as many credits on the balance sheet as we can.”

Markets such as Great Britain or Canada, for example, have high awareness of Northern Ireland but there is little standout in terms of tourism opportunities.

“I still think we’re struggling,” he says. “NITB’s former Director of Marketing said the challenge is to get standout in the Ireland brand and I’m leaving thinking it’s still the case.

John Hunter’s review states we need more diversity and flexibility within the Ireland brand. We organise the party but rely on someone else to send out the invitations.”

More needs to be done to exploit particular markets, including Great Britain. “We haven’t really had any growth in the British market,” he says.

“Things have improved more over the last few years but it’s been driven more by the Tourism Recovery Task Force.

The Tourism Ireland Board had not really listened to the needs of Northern Ireland over many years.”

Such needs include improving air connectivity with direct routes to more non-sun destinations such as Dusseldorf. “They need easy access if we’re to be a competitive destination,” says Clarke.

And a further need, highlighted in the John Hunter review, is skills development to equip the hospitality sector in line with the Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister’s tourism growth targets.

Also on the wish list is more beds to accommodate rising visitor numbers, more flexible lending from the banks and more flexible planning policy “so there is more confidence in the industry in beginning to invest,” says Clarke.

“We need more capital investment.”

Projects such as the Belfast Waterfront extension, Fermanagh gateway at Enniskillen’s Castle Keep and the proposal for a new maritime museum at Ebrington are vital to maintain momentum, while many existing attractions such as the Ulster American Folk Park in Omagh and

Dunluce Castle on the Antrim Coast require investment.

Belfast is also in need of a second major attraction after the Titanic, preferably an art gallery or cultural venue of some kind, he says.

Confidence and investment is also vital if Northern Ireland is to continue to attract major events, with bidding typically starting five to seven years out, says Clarke, while business tourism is a vital, lucrative part of the mix.

NITB stands to lose one of its funding streams from the EU for marketing at the end of March 2015 which, coupled with the Republic of Ireland’s new tourism push, further highlights that “unless Northern Ireland continues to invest in tourism the gap, which has been narrowing, will widen again,” says Clarke.

While pleased with NITB’s contribution to generating tourism income 13% ahead of target in 2013, at £723m, he says “we’re going into a situation where budgets are going to be very tight, every pound spent will have to have a good return,” and “developing new markets will be crucially important” if the 2020 targets to turn tourism into a £1bn industry attracting 4.5 million visitors and creating an additional 10,000 jobs, are to be met.

PERSONAL PLANS As for retirement plans, Clarke hopes to spend more time with his family and enjoying outdoor activities.

“Health and wellbeing becomes more important and it’s a privilege to have that,” he says.

Having won Irish League and the Irish Senior Cup medals with Waringstown Cricket Club back in the 1970s, Clarke has retained his interest in the sport and is keen to see matches at Arundel, Worcester and the Oval.

While not in the market for consultancy work, he may be interested in working with young people in the future should the right opportunity arise; his interest whetted by the buzz around Belfast Metropolitan College when he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship there.

HR • 33

golf tourism

Essential links to harness golf tourism potential for economic success

By Dr Peter Bolan and Tom Cotter

Dr Peter Bolan

O

ur tourism industry and potential in Northern Ireland is currently surging forward to great success. Indeed, ever since 2012, we have expanded and diversified what we have on offer and showcased this to the world through many of the great events that we have hosted. One of the major areas that can reap huge dividends for our economy and that must be further developed is golf tourism. In that arena too, we have been no stranger to great success. Rory McIlroy’s recent wins at the The Open and the US PGA have shone a light on Northern Ireland in a very positive way.

Add to that, the fact that Royal Portrush will again host The Open Championship as early as 2019, the Irish Open Golf Championship returning north in 2015 to Royal County Down, and then again in 2017 to the Lough Erne Resort – and the growing success of the Northern Ireland Open (again being hosted at Galgorm Castle in late August) – there is no question that huge momentum is with us for developing golf tourism in Northern Ireland.

Our courses can rank alongside the

34 •

HR

best in the world and our top golfers have raised the country’s profile in a very positive light. Rory’s recent success is leading the way, but Major winners Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke have very much played their part too.

Golf tourism itself is an incredibly lucrative form of tourism and can make a significant contribution to our economy if harnessed effectively. It has been valued at some $20bn with over 50 million golf tourists travelling the world to play on some of the estimated 32,000 courses. We are in a prime position to gain a larger slice of such an important market for Northern Ireland and indeed Ireland in general.

On the island of Ireland overall, there are currently 430 golf clubs affiliated to the GUI (Golfing Union of Ireland), 98 of which are located in Northern Ireland. Ireland also has 58 of the world’s 246 links golf courses, a little over a quarter of the entire global total, placing it in a unique position in the golfing world. Whilst this provides a hugely important element to our

tourism product, its true potential is yet to be fully realised. With this in mind, major research was recently conducted by Tom Cotter (The Cotter Collection) and overseen by myself at the University of Ulster. The study was the first significant examination of the golf tour operating sector in relation to the links golf courses of Ireland.

It is widely held that golf tour operators provide both a significant number of golf tourists to Ireland annually, and that their activities therefore create significant economic benefits. Additionally, the majority of golf tourists prefer to play links courses but previous research studies conducted have not separated links courses from parkland courses in economic terms. This research for the first time addressed these crucially related aspects and most importantly, puts a value on such a contribution.

Survey work was conducted with 76 golf tour operators located in 19 different countries around the world, followed up by 22 in-depth interviews to delve even more deeply on core issues pertinent to the research. Survey work was also conducted with the links clubs around Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Findings from the research reveal that golf tour operators generate 66.26% of the business for links courses in Ireland (north and south).

Also, a small percentage of golf clubs are generating the vast majority of golf visitor spend here. Based on Fáilte Ireland figures that in the Irish Republic, in 2012, there were 163,000 overseas golfers generating €202m for the economy, the research can confidently attribute at least 37.62% of that figure directly to “links golf”. In other words, 12.6% of the golf clubs in the Republic of Ireland (42 out of 332) produce 50% of the total international golf visitor income. However more stark, is that five out of the 98 GUI registered clubs in Northern Ireland (5% of golf Northern Ireland golf clubs) produce 64.23% of estimated total revenue

(£8,993,171.44) based on the suppositions by Minister Arlene Foster (NITB, 2013) that golf is worth £1012m per annum.

The research study recently conducted has identified a number of aspects and issues that warrant attention going forward and very much need to form a core part of any new golf tourism strategy for Northern Ireland (something that is urgently required). Further key findings and recommendations from the study include: • Tourist bodies need to look closely at developing ‘new’ golf markets to allay the significant over reliance on the North American market with which there will inevitably be sporadic demand issues subject to global economic conditions. The Asian market is huge and still largely untapped here in golfing terms. Having said that, evidence from the International Golf Tour Operators Association (IGTOA) suggests such a market will only travel to play on courses they have seen on television hosting major competitions.

Important then that the most is made of The Open when it returns, the Irish Open and other European Tour events (including the new Northern Ireland Open).

• Government bodies in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland would also appear to have significantly under-valued the economic impact of golf tour operator business to the island of Ireland’s links golf courses and also, to the wider game. A complete review of the economic impact of golf tourism needs to be undertaken as a matter of priority to establish whether, pro rata, the marketing and promotion of golf tourism here is under-funded.

• Developing air access routes from certain markets would have a significant impact on visitor numbers in the shoulder seasons and thereby extend the season for many businesses.

“A complete review of the economic impact of golf tourism needs to be undertaken as a matter of priority to establish whether, pro rata, the marketing and promotion of golf tourism here is under-funded.”

golf tourism Tom Cotter

Foster heralds NI as home of Major champions

T

rade Minister Arlene Foster has said Rory McIlroy’s US PGA victory in August will further boost tourism in Northern Ireland.

“By winning the US PGA, his second Major in just three weeks, Rory has taken another step towards greatness and has once again shown the world what is great about Northern Ireland golf,” said Foster. “I’m sure everyone who stayed up into the wee small hours to watch the final stages of the championship was on the edge of their seat as Rory battled back from a three-shot deficit to win the fourth Major of his career.

“Not only does this victory cement Rory’s position as world number one, it also underlines Northern Ireland’s status as the home of Major champions.

“It should make us very proud that six of the last 19 Major championships have been won by golfers from Northern Ireland.

“This will give golfers of all abilities even more reason to travel to Northern Ireland to find out for themselves what makes our golf courses the home of Major champions.”

“Golf tourism itself is an incredibly lucrative form of tourism and can make a significant contribution to our economy if harnessed effectively. It has been valued at some $20bn with over 50 million golf tourists travelling the world to play on some of the estimated 32,000 courses.”

New air route development can play a vital role in this way.

• Golf courses and operators in conjunction with the tourism bodies need to urgently examine how to dissipate business across the whole of the season to reduce the pressure on the demand for the month of September in particular.

• Clustering of quality courses can have an extremely positive effect on a region where golf tourism is concerned.

The north coast region of Northern Ireland needs to look closely at the benefits that the new Bushmills Dunes golf resort project will inevitably bring to the region and strategically plan for the time when the facility is fully operational.

• Utilising our top golfers more effectively and pro-actively to provide greater ‘celebrity endorsement’ of tourism here can reap dividends in boosting golf tourism visitation. If the banks and financial organisations can use them in major television adverts and campaigns, why aren’t we doing it more for tourism?

These are just some selected findings and recommendations from the recent research study. There is no doubt the future for golf tourism here is looking very strong, especially if the aspects mentioned are addressed effectively. However, time is of the essence. Momentum is with us and now is the time to seize on the opportunities that are available for the taking. We need a detailed, indepth and fully comprehensive golf tourism strategy that can really make a difference and leverage maximum potential.

Dr Peter Bolan is director for International Travel and Tourism Management in the Ulster Business School of the University of Ulster. His research interests and specialisms include golf tourism, film tourism and digital tourism.

Tom Cotter is the owner/manager of ‘The Cotter Collection’, a bespoke representation, consultancy and sales generation business that focuses on creating introductions between clients and the international golf tour operator and DMC markets.

HR • 35

business news

James Martin and John Torode headlining Food and Drink Show NI

S

aturday Kitchen’s James Martin and Master Chef’s John Torode are to top the bill at this year’s Food and Drink Show NI. The Show, which is the biggest indoor consumer food and drink event held locally, will take place over the weekend of October 24–26 in the King’s Hall Pavilion, Balmoral. Last year’s inaugural event attracted just-under 10,000 visitors and, this year, the organisers are aiming for 12,000 food and drink lovers over the three days.

Martin and Torode will be heading the line-up of TV chefs who will be appearing in The Moy Park Celebrity Chef Theatre. Also taking part are Simon Rimmer of Channel 4 Sunday Brunch fame and Rachael Allen of the famous Ballymaloe Cookery School.

“What sets the Food & Drink Show NI apart is our dedication to providing a truly world class event

that consumers want to visit, with big name chefs providing a draw that our foodie public simply can’t resist,” said Judith Brannigan, director of the show. “Last year’s event proved that we can draw the crowds, entertain them and deliver enthusiastic customers to our exhibitors and sponsors.

“The Show is the biggest local event for businesses that produce or supply quality food and drink-related products whether it’s through retail, directly or on-line, to engage, inspire and sell to the end customer.

“The feedback from our trade exhibitors and sponsors tells us that it’s all about the quality of the visitors that the Show attracts. They’re people who are really interested in food and drink, who care about the provenance of what they buy and who enjoy meeting producers and traders face to face and discovering new products and the story behind them.” The Food and Drink Show NI will take place

at the King’s Hall Pavilion, Belfast. For information about exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities visit www.foodanddrinkshowni.com.

TV chef James Martin on stage in the Moy Park Celebrity Chef Theatre at last year’s Food and Drink Show NI.

IoD seeks leading directors within hospitality sector

T

Paul Terrington and Des Moore, of First Trust.

he Institute of Directors has launched its annual search for the most successful Northern Ireland business leaders, with the 2014 IoD First Trust Bank Director of the Year Awards set to recognise those leading their field across all sectors of the local economy.

Among last year’s winners were Michelle Hatfield from George Best Belfast City Airport (Leader of the Year in Corporate Responsibility) and Gordon Milligan of Translink (Public Sector Director of the Year).

“The IoD First Trust Bank Director of the Year Awards is an opportunity for directors to receive the recognition they truly deserve for their continued determination, good corporate

governance and exceptional standards in leadership within their organisations,” said Paul Terrington, chairman of the IoD NI. “Northern Ireland is awash with business leaders who excel within their respective sectors. Testament to this is that all eight of our winners from last year’s awards have now been shortlisted for the UK Finals, which just goes to show how rich the pool of business talent is here in Northern Ireland.”

The awards are open to all business leaders in Northern Ireland, including non-IoD members. Directors are invited to enter across nine categories: Director of the Year for a Large Company (over 250 employees); Young Director of the Year; Director of the Year for a Small and Medium Company (250 or fewer

employees); Public Sector Director of the Year; Director of the Year for Leadership in Corporate Responsibility; Family Business Director of the Year; International Director of the Year; NonExecutive Director of the Year; Third Sector Director of the Year; and Young Enterprise Director of the Year.

The IoD First Trust Bank Director of the Year Awards, will be presented at a lunch on December 5 at The Merchant Hotel in Belfast, and are now open to all business leaders across the province. The closing date for applications is September 30.

Criteria for all the awards can be viewed and application forms downloaded at www.iodni.com or contact Linda Brown on 028 9068 3224.

New round of Belfast Bursary Fund opens to tourism and hospitality students

A

pplications will open to students in September for the next round of the Belfast Bursary Fund, with Belfast City Council having invested £300,000 in Achieve through its Investment Programme to support hundreds of young people involved in further education and training opportunities.

The Achieve Award of up to £500 is targeted at students who live in the council area, have an annual household income of £25,000 or less and are in their first year of full-time study at Belfast Met. They must also be on a course linked to key growth areas such as computing, multimedia, science, renewable energy, tourism or hospitality – 33 courses of which are applicable to the scheme.

Administered for the council by Belfast Met, applications will open

36 •

HR

from September 1, with completed applications submitted to the Belfast Met Finance team by November 14.

Funding decisions will be made in December with first payments made in January 2015.

Another Belfast bursary, the Prince’s Trust Development Award, is open to young people aged 16-25 years living in the city but not in education, training or employment.

Previous bursary recipients include Jamie Hamilton Ferris from Highfield, a first-year student on the Edexcel BTEC Diploma in Travel and Tourism (Level 2) at Belfast Met. “I wanted to study travel and tourism because I want to work in the cabin crew industry,” she said. “The barriers I faced as a student were not having the right equipment for my course such as a computer and software. I used the Achieve Bursary Fund to buy a laptop for my studies and the Microsoft software. I can be

more flexible with my time in doing the course now - when to go in and when not to go in. I’m continuing my studies next year doing an Aviation Level 3 course.”

Another recipient, Hannah Barnes from Upper Springfield in Belfast, is a first-year student on the Foundation Science Degree in Event Management for the Tourism Industry (Level 5).

“I decided to do this course as the tourism and events industry is expanding rapidly in Northern Ireland as shown through large events like the G8 summit and the MTV European Music Awards coming here,” she said.

“I have to volunteer at events just to gain more experience and skills for my course. Trying to get to the events became difficult in financial ways like entry fees and travel to the events.

The Belfast Bursary Fund helped me to attend events and gain experience in working in the events industry. I feel

that Achieve has given me a head start and I am a step ahead of others who want to be in the industry.”

For more information on the Achieve Belfast Bursary Fund, visit www. belfastcity.gov.uk/achieve.

Jamie Hamilton Ferris and Hannah Barnes, students at Belfast Met, were previous recipients of the Achieve Belfast Bursary Fund.

Classifieds An e a s y r e f e r e n ce t o t h e B E S T f o r y o u r b u s i n e s s

N. Ireland Contacts Richard McCluskey - Customer Development Manager 07971508682

DRINKS DISTRIBUTORS & WHOLESALERS

58 BOUCHER ROAD BELFAST BT12 6HR Country Director : Diageo Northern Ireland: Jorge Lopes TYPE OF BUSINESS: Drinks manufacturer and distributor

CUSTOMER SERVICES: 08456014649

Customer Development Executives Aaron Skinner Tel: 07971508732 Ryan Brown Tel: 07971508739 RUM BACARDI Superior Rum • BACARDI Gold Rum BACARDI 8 Year Old Rum • Bacardi Razz • Bacardi Oakheart

DRAUGHT BEER AND CIDER: Guinness, Harp, Harp Ice Cold, Carlsberg, Budweiser, Smithwick’s, Warsteiner, Strongbow, Magners, Smithwicks Pale Ale, Guinness mid-strength

VODKA Grey Goose Original • Grey Goose La Poire Grey Goose L’Orange • Grey Goose Le Citron Finlandia Classic • Finlandia Lime Finlandia Cranberry • Finlandia Grapefruit Finlandia Mango Eristoff • Eristoff Black Vodka • Eristoff Gold GIN Bombay Sapphire Gin

PACKED BEERS AND CIDER: Carlsberg, Guinness, Guinness Extra Stout, Harp, Satzenbrau, Smithwick’s Pale Ale, Jeremiah Weed

WHISKEY Jack Daniel’s • Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Gentleman Jack • Tennessee Honey VERMOUTH Martini Extra Dry • Martini Rosso • Martini Bianco • Martini Rosato Noilly Prat Dry BOURBON Woodford Reserve Bourbon SPECIALITY • Southern Comfort • Southern Comfort Lime • Tuaca • Chambord • Southern Comfort Black Cherry • St Germain Elderflower SPARKLING Martini Asti • Martini Prosecco • Martini Rose RTD BACARDI Breezer Orange, Watermelon, Spritzer Mixed Berry AVAILABLE FROM ALL GOOD WHOLESALERS

www.bacardi-martini.co.uk www.bacardi.com 01962 762100

AUDIO VISUAL

e in t l x ad Ne Deor e: f su Is

OCTOBER 2014

Editorial: 19th SEPTEMBER Advertising: 19TH SEPTEMBER

VODKA: Smirnoff Red, Smirnoff Blue, Smirnoff Black, Green Apple Smirnoff, Lime Smirnoff, Ketel One, Ketel One Citroen, Ciroc WHISKIES: Bushmills, Black Bush, Bushmills Single Malt, Bell’s, Johnnie Walker, Classic Malts, Haig GIN: Gordon’s, Tanqueray CREAM LIQUER: Baileys Baileys Chocolate Luxe RUM: Captain Morgan, McKibbins OTHER SPIRITS: Sambuca Romana, Archers Peach Schnapps, Goldschlager, Pimm’s, Bushmills Honey Ready To Serve: Smirnoff Ice, Pre-mix cans, Captain Morgan Long Island Iced Tea, Smirnoff Mojito, Parrot Bay WINES: Blossom Hill

AMUSEMENT & LEISURE

COFFEE SUPPLIERS CATERING EQUIPMENT

CATERING EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS

Wine And So Much More

e in t l x ad Ne e D or e: f su Is

OCTOBER 2014

INDUSTRY ORGANISATIONS

Northern Ireland Hotels Federation The McCune Building, 1 Shore Road, Belfast BT15 3PG. Tel: 028 9077 6635 • Fax: 028 9077 1899 email: office@nihf.co.uk web: www.nihf.co.uk Chief Executive: Janice Gault President: Mandy Patrick

Editorial: 19TH SEPTEMBER Advertising: 19TH SEPTEMBER

ENERGY SUPPLIERS

IT SOLUTIONS

INTERIOR DESIGN & ARCHITECTURAL CONSULTANTS

Michael Cafolla 07801 476 200

Northern Ireland Tourist Board St Anne’s Court, 59 North Street, Belfast BT1 1NB Tel: +44 (0)28 9023 1221 Fax: +44 (0)28 9024 0960 Textphone: +44 (0)28 9044 1522 web: www.nitb.com web: www.discovernorthernireland.com

MARKETING

net i dl ex a N Deor e: f su Is

SEAFOOD

Marketing Consultant with unrivalled Food & Drink Industry experience

Need help with your marketing, but can’t afford a full time marketing team? I provide a Full Marketing Service, and specialise in the following areas: • Building Brands • Marketing Support for Launching new Businesses or Brands • Developing Marketing Strategies - ‘Your Long Term Plan’ • Commercial and Promotional Strategies • Digital Marketing inc Social Media Contact me for an initial chat, and see what I can do for your business W: www.aislingbremner.com E: aisling@aislingbremner.com M: 07825 740042 Strategic Marketing Works. That’s the Bottom Line.

e in t l ad Nex e D r e: fo su Is

Blackstaff Road, Kennedy Way, Belfast. BT11 9DT. E: info@keenanseafood.com

Tel: 028 9061 8088

W: www.keenanseafood.com

OCTOBER 2014 Editorial: 19TH SEPTEMBER Advertising: 19TH SEPTEMBER

LOCAL PRODUCE SUPPLIERS

e in t l x ad Ne Deor e: f su Is

OCTOBER 2014 OCTOBER 2014 Editorial: 19th SEPTEMBER Advertising: 19TH SEPTEMBER

Always working with local producers Down Business Park, Downpatrick, BT30 9UP Tel: NI 028 4481 1500 ROI 01 80 30 555 Email: sales@crossgar.ie Web: www.crossgar.ie/www.pallasfoods.eu Twitter: @johncrossgar

Supplier of seafood to Ulster’s Leading Restaurants

Famous for Smoked Salmon ‘Market Kitchen’s Northern Ireland Local Food Hero’

6 Kendal Street, Belfast, BT13 2JR Tel: 028 9032 5534 Fax: 028 9024 1707

Editorial: 19th SEPTEMBER Advertising: 19TH SEPTEMBER

DON’T MISS OUT!

the last word

The Last Word by… Heather Allen

JOB TITLE: Sales Representative, Belfast City Centre & South Down Drinks Inc

ENTERTAINMENT:

Favourite quote:

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift, that’s why it’s called the present.”

FAVOURITE TV SHOW: Celebrity Juice FAVOURITE FILM: Dirty Dancing ALBUM CURRENTLY LISTENING TO: Adele 21 FAVOURITE BAND: The Killers LAST BOOK READ: The Road Less Travelled, M. Scott Peck FAVOURITE CELEBRITY: Leigh Francis SOCIAL:

DRINKS: FAVOURITE HOT DRINK: Hot chocolate FAVOURITE SOFT DRINK: Fizzy apple juice BEER OR CIDER: Beer WHITE OR RED WINE: Red WHISKEY OR BRANDY: Whiskey GIN OR VODKA: Vodka COCKTAILS OR BUBBLY: Bubbly

HOW LONG Have you been in this position?

Five months.

WHAT’S IN A DAY? My day usually starts the evening before when I check my diary for the following day’s appointments and plan accordingly. My main focus is raising awareness of our brand portfolio and working to place the right brands in each outlet. I’m always on the lookout for new business and strive to maintain great customer service. After 13 years in the drinks industry I still get that buzz from a sale!

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB? An usherette in the local cinema in the evening after school.

42 •

HR

Q&A

FAVOURITE FOOD: Tapas FAVOURITE RESTAURANT: Sa Capella, Ibiza LAST HOTEL YOU STAYED AT: The Marker, Dublin LAST BAR/NIGHTCLUB YOU VISITED: Shiro FAVOURITE PLACE IN WORLD: Australia INDOOR CONCERT OR FESTIVAL: Festival LAST HOLIDAY: Marbella

WHAT FOUR PEOPLE WOULD YOU INVITE TO A DINNER PARTY (DEAD OR ALIVE)?

Stephen Fry, Keith Lemon, Sharon Osbourne and Peter Kay. ONE ITEM YOU COULDN’T LIVE WITHOUT? My hair dryer.

WHO WOULD PLAY YOU IN A MOVIE OF YOUR LIFE? Drew Barrymore.

IDEAL JOB? My current role in a hot country!

INSPIRATION IN YOUR LIFE? My Dad. THE MOST IMPORTANT LIFE LESSON YOU’VE LEARNT? Never say never.

FAVOURITE QUOTE: Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery, Today is a gift, That’s why it’s called the present.

. . . s e k a m e c i t c a Pr

For generations our master brewers have been perfecting the balance of full avoured taste and exceptional refreshment.

Find more refreshing perfection at facebook.com/CarlingIreland

Carling is a registered trade mark of Molson Coors Brewing Company (UK) Limited.

7371.001 HR Trade Press Cover ART.indd 2

29/08/2014 12:26