December 20 In the Press Year of Food & Drink 2016

Emerson's Supermarket in Armagh has been serving the district for over 125 years. Now it's the UK's Most Sustainable Independent Retailer of the year

UK’s Most Sustainable Independent Retailer is right here in Armagh

Emerson’s Supermarket in Armagh’s historic city centre is the UK’s Most Sustainable Independent Retailer of the Year for the second year running.

Staff retention, using renewable sources for energy, reducing food waste, food provenance, supporting local producers, supporting local families and creating new jobs are the things which makes this supermarket tick. Owner Gavin Emerson is delighted to be the recipient of this accolade again this year. Here’s the story:

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December 6 In the Press Year of Food & Drink 2016

Mac Ivors Cider Co is an Irish craft cider producer based in Co Armagh.

Cider maker invests £250,000 in new press as Irish craft cider market booms

Mac Ivors Cider Co has just invested £250,000 in a new state of the art German cider press and a new 10 acre orchard.

This year Mac Ivors got silver in Blas na hÉireann for its Traditional Dry and Plum and Ginger ciders, was voted best Artisan producer in Armagh, joint best in Ulster and joint best in Ireland. The producer also picked up a Great Taste Award for Traditional Dry and Medium ciders and a silver medal at the Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards.

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October 25 In the Press Year of Food & Drink 2016

Ann Henderson is the owner of Back of Beyond - a casual dining restaurant in Caledon, Co Tyrone.

A crafty cook turns old potato shed into the Back of Beyond in Caledon

A crafty cook has turned an old potato shed into a casual dining restaurant in the Georgian village of Caledon in Co Tyrone.

Ann Henderson saw an opportunity to make an impact on the rural community by turning something very old into something really new. Ann decided to get creative and turn the potato shed into a 24-seater casual dining restaurant which serves food which is produced locally, has created a few new jobs and is a place where local people can congregate.

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October 4 In the Press Year of Food & Drink 2016

Caledon Village Georgian Festival welcomed the Side Saddle Association of Ireland to the festival.

Thousands of pounds raised as Caledon village steps back to celebrate Georgian era

The Caledon Village Georgian Festival which took place on October 1 was a fantastic display of all things Georgian and raised thousands of pounds for the local community.

The event was officially opened by the Earl of Caledon KCVO and was attended by Terence Brannigan, chairman of Tourism NI, members of the community and visitors. This event was a massive community effort which shows how small communities can make a big impact by working together.

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September 7 In the Press Year of Food & Drink 2016

The Caledon Village Georgian Festival

Caledon steps back in time as community organises village Georgian festival

Caledon is a beautiful village on the borders of Tyrone, Armagh and Monaghan. The community are taking a step back in time to host the Caledon Village Georgian Festival.

The festival, which will take place on October 1 from 10am-4pm, will include Georgian themed children’s activities, a food and drink courtyard, side saddle demonstrations, historical walking tours of the village and much more. Traders and members of the public can dress in the Georgian theme for the festival.

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August 19 In the Press Year of Food & Drink 2016

The fire is sparked as The Food Heartlands celebrate Meat Month with Uluru Bar & Grill

It’s Meat Month as part of the NI Food and Drink initiative and the chefs at Uluru Bar & Grill are firing up the Josper Grill to cook you a steak like you’ve never tasted before.

Head Chef Mark McGonigle and the of team chefs are cooking a Cote De Boeuf which will make your mouth water. Situated in The Food Heartlands, this Michelin Recommended restaurant offers customers the perfect dining experience. With only one week to go the Cote De Boeuf is available to order until August 31.

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June 28 Brand Journalism In the Press Year of Food & Drink 2016

They may be slippery but sprinkle some Aussie authenticity and you’ve got a mighty fine catch

On Saturday, Dean Coppard, the Executive Chef at Uluru Bar & Grill in Armagh, will be cooking eel at the ‘River To Lough Festival’ in Antrim.

‘Lough and Apples’ is an award winning dish jointly created with Sous Chef Adam Ogle. This dish was used as the ‘starter’ as part of Adam’s menu for IFEX 2016 Salon de Culinaire for which he received a bronze medal and placed third in Ireland for Senior Chef of the Year. Here’s the full story:

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June 27 Brand Journalism In the Press Year of Food & Drink 2016

Fifth generation apple grower takes the taste of Armagh’s orchards to Europe

Greg MacNeice is a fifth generation apple grower who has a vision to expand the Mac Ivors Cider Co brand across Europe and America.

Mac Ivors Cider Co, in the last four years, has bottled just short of one million bottles of its Mac Ivors Traditional Dry and Medium Ciders. Now introducing its new Plum and Ginger flavour, the cider-maker has announced a new distributor deal in Rome and will target the American market later this year. Here’s the full story:

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June 2 Newsfeed The Richhill Apple Fayre Year of Food & Drink 2016

Promising season for apple growers as our famous orchards are in full bloom

The Richhill Apple Harvest Fayre will take place again this year on October 29 after two successful fayres which have attracted thousands of people.

We interview Hamilton Loney, chairman of the NI Fruit Growers Association and chairman of the UFU Fruit Committee, during a tour of his orchards. which are alive again with their stunning pink blossoms. Mr Loney says the bloom shows promising signs for this year’s crop for cider producers, apple processers and for fresh market traders.

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May 20 In the Press Year of Food & Drink 2016

Did you hear the one about the Lough Neagh Eel which married the Bramley Apple?

Australian Chef Dean Coppard, from Uluru Bar and Grill, will be leading the cookery demonstrations at this year’s NI CountrySports Fair.

Dean will showcase his authentic cuisine by combining two of Northern Ireland’s finest PGI products at next week’s Fair – the Lough Neagh Eel and the famous Orchard County Bramley Apple. Dean said: “From sourcing new products from the field, sea or loughs this year’s CountrySports Fair will be served up something completely unique.”

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February 8 PR Northern Ireland The MGMPR Blogger Year of Food & Drink 2016

Combining ancient traditions with our love for our food – Pancake Tuesday #EnjoyNI16

Tomorrow is Pancake Tuesday so we thought we would look at how celebrating an ancient tradition can direct our focus to the wonderful food and drink producers in Northern Ireland.

This is the Year of Food and Drink Tourism so let’s look at how we embrace this tradition by celebrating Pancake Tuesday using locally milled flour, free range organic eggs from local farms using local dairy products and just how the actions of a housewife in 1445 is helping us celebrate our producers.

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