National judges name Kilkeel food hub the ‘Best in Northern Ireland’ & More News Here

The retailer, which additionally has a store in Newry, was profitable in the competitors which featured entries from specialist food shops throughout 12 classes in 9 UK areas. Coleman’s Nursery, Farm Shop and Café at Templepatrick, Co Antrim and Millar Meats in Irvinestown in Co Fermanagh have been additionally recommended by the judges.

For 2022, the awards recognised specialist retailers which have been taking part in their half to create a greater world by sustainable initiatives, while supporting their prospects, communities and suppliers.

James Cunningham Jnr, who now runs the household enterprise with brother Christopher, says: “We are thrilled to receive this recognition in such an important national competition. It is a tremendous recognition of the dedicated work by our talented team and of the extensive support of the family in developing the business and its focus on customer services.”

The judges, he continues, have been “looking for retailers which have shown innovation to adapt their business during the unprecedented past 12-18 months. This included steps that had been implemented to become a more sustainable business”.

The knowledgeable judging panel praised the Co Down firm for “great cutting down on packaging and looking for local suppliers which will undoubtedly all help the local economy.”

Cunningham’s, a fourth-generation butchers in Kilkeel, has been in enterprise for over 100 years, rising from a household butchers to a food corridor with native artisan meals to turn into a contemporary bistro and, most not too long ago, premium steak home.

The household run food hub in Co Down has expanded its enterprise with the creation of a store at The Quays purchasing centre, Newry, and the addition of a totally licensed cocktail bar at its restaurant inside the Kilkeel hub.

Over the previous 5 years, the enterprise has elevated its workforce to over 50 workers, contributing considerably to employment in what’s Northern Ireland’s most vital fishing and seafood hub.

The award-winning enterprise, which has additionally held the title of ‘Best Butcher Shop’ in each the UK and Ireland 2018/2019, has picked up a variety of different prestigious accolades together with ‘Northern Ireland Deli of the Year’ at the Neighbourhood Retailer awards.

Cunningham’s provides over 1,000 completely different product strains together with gluten-free gadgets and is one in every of the solely Northern Irish butchers to have a Himalayan Salt Chamber for dry-ageing beef from native farms. The dynamic and bold enterprise has diversified into a powerful vary of its own-label meals in addition to recent meats and merchandise from different artisans. The addition of a preferred bistro/café is reworking it right into a profitable food vacation spot for consumers from throughout the Mournes and additional afield.

The secret of its firm’s success, James says, is predicated on constructing shut relationships with prospects and native suppliers.

“Family butchers and delis really are the gateway for consumers to the local farming community in particular. But we’ve always got to be looking too at ways to offer shoppers a great deal more than just meats. This is what we are doing successfully,” he provides.

“Butchers, for instance, offer value to shoppers in different cuts of meat and, I believe, can be more competitive in price per kilo than many of premium ranges of supermarkets. Family butchers, furthermore, source from local farms for freshness, quality and provenance. This means they also contribute substantially to the wellbeing of the wider agri-food economy and especially in terms of a much lower carbon footprint on our precious local environment.

“We’ve been lucky enough to win ‘UK Butcher Shop of the Year’ twice in recent years, demonstrating that the butchery landscape in Northern Ireland is as good as, if not better, than elsewhere in the UK.

“Family butchers are now creating bespoke products that benefit shoppers and also helping to support artisan food enterprises. And it’s up to shoppers to support this landscape, and not let it die out as it has done in so many towns across Britain and Ireland. It’s a way to preserve specialist shops which bring so much variety and character to our towns.”

James and his group, in addition, present one other customer-focused service by offering recommendation to consumers, as an example, on the best way to cook dinner numerous meats and the sauces to boost their flavour. The group at Cunningham’s, he says, has specific experience in curing Mourne ham