Northern Irish butter for Queen's birthday treat

Dromona butter from Dale Farm in Northern Ireland has been selected for use by Scotland's most awarded chocolatier, Iain Burnett the Highland Chocolatier, to create 'The Sandringham Velvet Truffle®, to mark the Queen's 90th birthday on 21st April. Burnett is blending Northern Ireland's leading butter along with other ingredients from around the UK to create the unique blackcurrant and cream truffles. Dale Farm, part of Northern Ireland's United Dairy Farmers' co-operative, is the region's biggest dairy business and a key exporter of butter, cheese and milk powders to around 50 countries. The other ingredients are Scottish cream from a single Perthshire herd and Welsh wild flower honey. They will be used to create a truly unique dark chocolate combination. Burnett says: "I'm honoured to develop these truffles from the Queen's own blackcurrants. Discussions with the Queen's chef were an inspiration and great kindness in sharing a personal store from Sandringham made this possible. "They are exceptionally full bodied and tangy enough to balance wellwith fresh cream - even the truffle itself is a vibrant Royal purple! The Queen is already a fan of our chocolate dipped cherriesand I hope these will also meet with regal approval!" Boxed as four (?9.95) or nine chocolates (?19.95), The Sandringham Velvet Truffle® is available from www.highlandchocolatier.com or in the Highland Chocolatier's St Andrews (Fife) and Grandtully (Perthshire) stores from 21 April until stocks last. Ninety boxes of the chocolates will also be sold with a specially commissioned commemorative postage stamp at Selfridges in Oxford Street, London to mark the first day of issue of the Queen's 90th birthday postage stamps on a limited edition souvenir card. An additional 90 chocolates will also be sold in New York City through Li-Lac Chocolates at the Grand Central Terminal store. Based at Grandtully in Highland Perthshire, Iain Burnett started working on the now famous Velvet Truffle over 10 years ago and is now Scotland's most awarded chocolatier. In 2015 he won worldwide acclaim at the International Chocolate Awards with his Velvet Truffle marked as the world's Best Dark Chocolate Truffle without artificial additives or flavourings. He uses chocolate from the South Atlantic island nation of S?o Tom? and Pr?ncipe with crushed fruit, fresh local cream from a particular herd of Friesian cows, and local honey.