Armoy farm house’s tasty puddings now on wider sale

Farmer’s wife Amanda Hanna, who runs Ballykenver Farm Shop in Co Antrim, is launching her award-winning puddings, including a popular Christmas pud, at delis and other farm shops.

The first to hit the shelves is the sticky toffee pudding which is hugely popular with shoppers at her shop, an integral part of the family dairy farm on the edge of Armoy village. She’s created the distinctive branding and packaging for the puddings.

A mother of four young children, Amanda says she’s keen to wholesale her handcrafted puddings to shops across Northern Ireland.

“This is something I’ve been considering for some time,” she continues.

“I’ve been encouraged to develop the business by the success of the puddings, especially the Christmas and sticky toffee puds, in the UK Great Taste Awards over a number of years. I’ve had people travelling from all over the island to buy the puddings,” she adds.

Amanda, who also helps out with milking the farm’s dairy herd, plans to develop other Ballykenver puddings in the months ahead. In addition to her baking, Amanda runs a popular Causeway Coast afternoon tea for locals and especially visitors to the Dark Hedges.

“Work has already started on a gluten-free sticky toffee,” continues Amanda, “I plan a gluten-free Christmas pudding made using Belfast tea. There will be a new range of hand-made traditional puddings such a lemon from my own curd and a jam pudding using my jam,” she adds.

Further investment is planned in equipment that will enable her to increase production in line with her moves to wholesale the puddings to other food stores across Northern Ireland. As well as puddings and jams, Amanda crafts chutneys, curds, caramel sauce from her farmhouse kitchen. These are sold in the farm shop with other local produce from artisans.