There was plenty to celebrate for Tesco’s Irish suppliers at this year’s Blas na hÉireann Irish Food Awards, with 33 winners collecting 86 awards between them. Among those recognised were Ballymaguire Foods, Irish Country Meats and Bandon Vale, three producers whose winning products range from creamy soups and traditional roasting joints to vintage cheddar and lamb dishes with more adventurous flavours.
For Ed Spelman, managing director of Ballymaguire Foods in north Co Dublin, the relationship with Tesco goes back approximately 16 years, during which time the two businesses have worked closely on developing soups, prepared meals and accompaniments for the retailer. A trained chef, Spelman established Ballymaguire in 2008 alongside brothers Michael and Gabriel Hoey, whose family farming business, Country Crest, provided the foundations for the venture.
Describing Ballymaguire as “the supermarket’s kitchen”, Spelman draws on his professional cooking background when developing recipes, with the company preparing its food from scratch and sourcing ingredients locally where possible.
“What we want to do is try and create what you’d do at home, with all cupboard store ingredients, and sourced locally where possible,” he explains. “When you go into cooking, the key thing is that you have good ingredients, you cook them correctly, and you serve them up.”
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Ballymaguire collected seven awards at Blas, including four gold medals for Tesco Finest Cream of Irish Chicken Soup, Tesco Finest Vine Ripened Tomato with Mascarpone & Fresh Basil Soup, Tesco Finest Mac and Triple Cheese and Tesco Finest Irish Potato Gratin. A further three awards went to Tesco Finest Cream of Vegetable and Irish Chicken Soup, Tesco Finest Creamy Root Vegetable and Butternut Squash Soup and Tesco Finest Chicken Korma and Pilau Rice.
The success of dishes such as macaroni cheese and potato gratin reflects something Spelman has observed about customers’ tastes, with familiar foods continuing to appeal alongside newer recipes.
“Comfort is something that people want, and there’s a bit of nostalgia thrown in there as well. People are going back to the nostalgia of food,” he says.
Ballymaguire produces food across Tesco’s Finest, Classics and Meals Made Easy ranges, with Spelman emphasising the importance of collaboration between the two businesses. Developing products that customers want is central to that relationship, although sourcing fresh ingredients can present difficulties, particularly when it comes to the current challenges of sourcing potatoes and vegetables. “We’re only as good as our last meal,” he says of the company’s work with Tesco.
For Spelman, the awards are also a welcome acknowledgement of Ballymaguire’s employees, whose efforts he credits with helping the business maintain its standards. “We’ve a great team of people that work hard every day,” he says. “It’s a credit to the team. It’s something we’re very proud of here, and it’s something that means an awful lot to the business.”
Irish Country Meats also enjoyed considerable success, winning two gold medals, a silver and a bronze for lamb products that demonstrate the variety of dishes being developed for Tesco customers. Tesco’s Irish Country Irish Half Lamb Leg and Tesco Finest Boneless Irish Lamb Leg with Atlantic Sea Salt and Garlic both took gold, while Tesco Finest Northern Irish Lamb Rump Steaks with Hot Honey Glaze received silver and Tesco Irish Lamb Grill Steaks with Harissa Style Coating won bronze.
Emma Harney, head of Innovation for ABP Ireland Beef and Irish Country Meats, the group’s specialist lamb division, leads a team involved in researching food trends and developing new products with culinary specialists and retail partners.
ABP was founded in Ireland in 1954 and has grown into an international food group, with its relationship with Tesco extending back more than five decades across the markets in which the two businesses operate, according to Harney.
Product development involves close collaboration with Tesco, from identifying emerging food trends to testing and refining recipes. While traditional roasting joints remain an important part of Irish food culture, Harney says customers are increasingly interested in flavours encountered beyond Ireland. “Today’s shoppers are often seeking greater convenience. They are also increasingly well-travelled, so they are looking for products inspired by the flavours and dining experiences they may have enjoyed around the world,” she explains.
The hot honey glaze and harissa-style coating featured among this year’s winners are examples of that approach, combining Irish lamb with flavours influenced by international cuisines. Harney says the company draws on consumer research and culinary expertise when developing products, while maintaining its focus on the quality of the meat itself.
She believes Ireland’s grass-based farming systems and longstanding agricultural traditions are among the strengths of its beef and lamb industry, and she is particularly pleased that the awards recognise the contribution of the farmers supplying Irish Country Meats.
“The awards are particularly meaningful for our farmer suppliers, whose commitment to producing high-quality livestock is the foundation of everything we do,” she says.
In west Cork, Bandon Vale collected silver for their Tesco Finest Vintage Irish White Cheddar. Established in 1994 by Andy and Margaret Mahon, Bandon Vale began as a traditional cheese business before expanding into processing and packaging. It became part of Bandon Co-operative in 2008, joining an organisation whose connections with west Cork dairy farming date back to 1903.
The award-winning cheddar is produced by Carbery in Ballineen, approximately eight miles from Bandon Vale, using milk from grass-fed cows. Matured for more than 12 months, it is then carefully selected and packed by Bandon Vale, with commercial manager Phil Healy explaining that consistency is particularly important.
“What consumers are looking for is consistency in flavour,” he says. “Our grading team in both Carbery and Bandon Vale would source that cheese specifically and would only use it when that product is at its optimum flavour and texture to bring that consistency through across all packs.”
Healy describes Tesco as a hugely important partner in Bandon Vale’s growth over many years, with the relationship providing the scale and stability to invest in its employees, operations and production capabilities. The company opened a new plant in April this year, an expansion to which he says Tesco’s continued support and confidence contributed. The silver medal is particularly satisfying given how recently the cheddar was introduced, and Healy credits the dairy farmers, Carbery and Bandon Vale’s production, quality, technical, commercial and supply chain teams for their work in bringing the product to market.
The recognition means a great deal to all three producers, although Spelman says that winning four gold medals was particularly exciting for Ballymaguire, not least because of the standard of competition at Blas.
“It’s a stamp of the quality that we do here because they’re very difficult awards to win, and it just tells us we’re on the right road and to keep going.”
