Early Christmas magic for local food trio from top UK grocer Marks and Spencer

Marks and Spencer (M&S) food halls last week began selling original products from:

Richhill, Co Armagh-based Burren Balsamics; Irish Black Butter sweet/savoury spread from Portrush, Co Antrim; and Natural Umber apple cider vinegar of Dungannon, Co Tyrone on the strategically important run-down to the traditional festive magic.

They are the most recent products from local suppliers, artisans and smaller companies to be listed by the prestigious UK retailer over the past few months.

The foods, furthermore, are featuring on M&S shelves in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, especially around the hugely significant Greater Dublin area.

The local food and drink products are featuring in many of the retailer’s 22 stores in Northern Ireland and 16 in the Republic.

Other major retailers have also recently announced significant listings for local food and drink, including ASDA for Karri Kitchen, the Portadown-based producer of authentic South East Asian flavoured ready meals and Tesco NI for Moocha Kombucha tea-based health drinks from Moy, Co Tyrone, McCracken’s Real Ales of Portadown, Co Armagh; and Jawbox Gin from Belfast.

Irish Black Butter was formed by businessman Alastair Bell at Portrush in 2017 as ‘a great new taste of Ireland’ from Armagh Bramley apples, cider, a touch of brandy, treacle, sugar and spices for spreading, cooking, baking or mixing.

The company, the smallest to be listed by M&S in Northern Ireland to date, has already won a host of major awards including Great Taste, Irish Quality Food and an Irish National Food Award.

“I am absolutely thrilled to have been chosen by such a prestigious food hall, my first multiple supermarket business,” says Alastair. “It’s a tremendous bonus, a real boost for us as we gear up for the Christmas period.

"Irish Black Butter is perfect as a glaze for meats especially ham and also as an accompaniment with cheese and crackers.”

Another multi-award-winner producer, Burren Balsamics, a specialist in fruit-infused balsamic vinegars and flavour infusions, is also counting M&S stores in Ireland and Northern Ireland as a first supermarket breakthrough.

The listing by M&S for Burren is for its widely acclaimed Bushmills Cask Aged Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, as well as Citrus Pearl Bursts, Blackberry and Thyme Pearl Bursts and Luxury White Condiment Collection.

Susie Hamilton Stubber, the managing director and founder of the business in 2017, says: “This is our first launch into the multiple retail space and we’re so proud to reach this milestone, especially as we are gearing up for the busy Christmas season.

M&S customers can enjoy extra flavours for their festive meals from our products this year.

“We are so pleased that our passion for quality, artisan craftsmanship, and our commitment to using the finest Irish ingredients is now being recognised across M&S stores on the island of Ireland. We hope this new partnership with M&S helps even more people discover the unique flavours of our range of balsamic vinegars,” adds Susie, who runs the business with Bob McDonald, an experienced and successful chef responsible for new product development.

The balsamic vinegar and citrus bursts can be found in six M&S stores here and four in the Republic around the Greater Dublin region, including the flagship outlet in Grafton Street.

A deal with M&S is another significant break for Natural Umber’s Umber Plus, an unique apple vinegar cider fortified with vitamin D for added health benefits.

Based in Dungannon near the Mackle family apple orchards, Natural Umber says the important listing “is part of our ongoing efforts to introduce our high-quality, innovative product to a broader audience, offering M&S customers the chance to

experience the unique benefits of Umber Plus”.

The company continues: “Umber Plus stands alone as the only apple cider vinegar enriched with Vitamin D, making it truly one-of-a-kind on the market. No other brand offers this unique combination.

“We are delighted to partner with M&S for this exciting trial run. Umber Plus is the perfect fit for M&S’s commitment to quality and innovation, and we are confident that their customers will love our apple cider vinegar,” a company spokesman said.

The product is available in nine M&S food halls here and five in the Republic including Dublin’s Blackrock and Cork.

“We are overjoyed about this opportunity,” adds the company.

The three new listings are the latest successes for smaller local producers with M&S on the island of Ireland.

"Other important local listings by the top grocer this year included: Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt from Bangor; Corndale Farm Charcuterie of Limavady; and Belfast’s Melting Pot fudge.