Breakfast Week boost for Northern Irish artisans

Smaller artisan food firms in Northern Ireland are being given business and promotional support by a top Northern Irish hotel chain to grow sales in the region and further afield.

Hastings Group, which has seven hotels throughout Northern Ireland including the five-star Europa in Belfast, one of the world's best known hotels, is introducing food from local craft producers to clients particularly at breakfast. The group also marked the initiative by producing a booklet " Who made my breakfast?'

The group chose the start of the annual Farmhouse Breakfast Week to launch the support for smaller producers. Among the newcomers to breakfast tables throughout the chain were Carnbrooke Meats, based at Dromara in County Down, a supplier of 'Honeybee' sausages, a unique blend of pork, spice and Mourne Heather Honey.

Clements Eggs, also from County Down, a family business specialising in free range eggs, has also been listed by Hastings for the first time along with Malachy McKenna Mushrooms from Tyrone; Get Fresh Tomatoes, which are grown in Drumbeg, near Belfast; and Country Preserves, Jams and Marmalade, another family business that's based in County Armagh.

The new suppliers join other local businesses which have been longstanding suppliers to the family-owned and managed Hastings Group including Hannan Meats of Moira, County Down, winner of the Supreme Champion in the Great Taste Awards 2012/13, a supplier of dry cure bacon and guanciale, the Italian style pork jowl which gained the top award from the UK Guild of Fine Food.

Other award winning suppliers of products also available over breakfast include Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt, from Bangor, County Down; milk and cream supplier Farmview Dairies, based at Castlereagh, near Belfast, which also diversified into cheese processing with its acquisition of Kearney Blue Cheese; Crawford's Food granola and muesli, produced at Portaferry in County Down; White's Porridge Oats, based at Tandragee, County Armagh and Northern Ireland's only oat miller; and Thompson's family Teas of Belfast.

Howard Hastings, chief executive of Hastings Group and also chairman of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, commenting on the focus on local sourcing, says: "We are finding that customers are keen to know where we source ingredients for our meals. Farmhouse Breakfast Week gave us an opportunity to showcase our local suppliers and to highlight the quality and provenance underpinning all our meals.

"Breakfast is commonly regarded to be the most important meal of the day. Our traditional breakfast menu showcases the very best of Northern Ireland's seasonal larder and heritage from a carefully selected group of local and artisanal suppliers. This produce stands out in terms of its quality and flavour and enables our chefs to prepare the most delicious start to the day."

Pic Caption:Howard Hastings pictured with Bob Colhoun, Colhoun Tomatoes, Jilly Dougan, Hannan Meats & Stephen McKenna, McKenna Mushrooms.