Gracehill company impresses UK food experts

GRACEHILL Fine Foods, based in Galgorm, recently attended a special reception for a delegation to Northern Ireland from the UK Guild of Food Writers, organised by Invest Northern Ireland.
By The Newsroom
Published 18th May 2013, 12:00 BST
Ian Murphy, Invest NI Director of Growth and Scalability, Hugh Anderson, Managing Director of Gracehill Fine Foods, and Howard Hastings, Chairman, Northern Ireland Tourist Board and Managing Director of Hastings Hotels. Invest NI hosted the four-day visit by 10 leading food writers from the UK Guild to meet artisan producers.Ian Murphy, Invest NI Director of Growth and Scalability, Hugh Anderson, Managing Director of Gracehill Fine Foods, and Howard Hastings, Chairman, Northern Ireland Tourist Board and Managing Director of Hastings Hotels. Invest NI hosted the four-day visit by 10 leading food writers from the UK Guild to meet artisan producers.
Ian Murphy, Invest NI Director of Growth and Scalability, Hugh Anderson, Managing Director of Gracehill Fine Foods, and Howard Hastings, Chairman, Northern Ireland Tourist Board and Managing Director of Hastings Hotels. Invest NI hosted the four-day visit by 10 leading food writers from the UK Guild to meet artisan producers.

The four day visit gave around 30 artisan food and drink companies the opportunity to show their products to a group of leading UK food writers, stylists and industry consultants.

In addition to meeting artisan producers at events in Belfast, Castledawson and Moira, the 10-strong group, which included several authors of top selling cookery books, food and lifestyle magazine journalists and consultants to leading retailers in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland, met leading local chefs Niall McKenna of James Street South, Shu’s Brian McCann and Gerry Rosato, Executive Head Chef of Hastings Hotels in Belfast.

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The members also met Howard Hastings in his role as Chairman of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board at a special breakfast in the Europa Hotel for the hotel group’s suppliers.

Ian Murphy, Invest NI’s Director of Growth and Scaling, commenting on the visit, said: “We were delighted to host the writers as part of our drive to increase awareness of the outstanding food and drink now being produced by artisan businesses across Northern Ireland.

“Artisan producers find it difficult to raise their profile outside Northern Ireland. This is where we can help through our export support and in-market services.

“This visit gave us the opportunity to bring influential food writers and menu development experts to meet a group of local artisans here in Northern Ireland.”

Related topics:Northern IrelandBelfast