Gerard McAdorey, managing director of Favourit, Northern Ireland’s oldest herbs and spices company, celebrates a 110-years of tradition while inspiring the next generation of home cooks and young chefs
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00:00Hi, my name is Gerard McAdory. I'm the owner of Favourite Foods,
00:04which is Ireland's oldest herbs and spice business based here in Belfast.
00:08The business itself was actually incorporated in 1914 by a brother and sister called Moss.
00:15We got involved in the business about two and a half years ago.
00:17We've been through a process of trying to understand the whole herbs and spices industry
00:21and then to take the products to market.
00:23We currently have probably in excess of 70 herbs and spices,
00:27which we sell through the food service, direct to restaurants, coffee shops,
00:32and we're about to relaunch into retail.
00:34And we also have some food manufacturers who are looking to buy quality ingredients
00:38that are produced here in Belfast.
00:40So today's about giving you some information around herbs and spices
00:43and the history and where they come from.
00:45And then we're going to take you through the production facility
00:47and allow you to see how they're actually packed.
00:50Enjoy the day, enjoy the show, and we'll take you through everything shortly.
00:53So here we are guys, we're in Favourites Ambient Warehouse.
00:56This is where you'll find products that we import from all over the world.
01:00We have dill, we have black onion seeds, we've got a whole range of products here.
01:04The products get tested at the source from the country they come from.
01:08We only use BRC accredited suppliers, which means the best ingredients arrive here.
01:13Our quality team then do the same checks and processes
01:16before it goes through into the production facility, which is just here.
01:20So guys, here we are into Favourites Production Facility.
01:23You're very welcome.
01:24I'm going to explain some of the processes that we go through
01:27to pack off the herbs and spices.
01:34I just want to explain to you a couple of the pieces of equipment
01:36that we have and we use in the facility.
01:39This is our hoppers.
01:40This is what we use for producing our spices.
01:42Any powders, any spices, any spices that we want to use.
01:45This is our hoppers.
01:46This is what we use for producing our spices.
01:48Any powders come through here, up through the main dispenser
01:52and go along the glass filling line.
01:56This machine that we're working on here today is for herbs and spices.
02:00Predominantly herbs because they're lighter.
02:05So what we do is we fill the hopper.
02:06We have the bulk bags that go into the hopper
02:08and this goes up through the buckets
02:11and into the dispensing heads at the far side.
02:14As they dispense, then the glass is drawn across into the second line
02:18and they go up onto the labelling machine.
02:25This machine, as I say, we're actually putting through mixed herbs today.
02:30I'm getting a fantastic aroma.
02:31We use these in most Italian dishes or any cooking dishes actually
02:35which brings great flavour and that fantastic scent.
02:40So what we have here is mixed herb.
02:42It's a blend of oregano, marjoram, basil and thyme
02:46and what we're trying to do here in Favourite
02:47is bring herbs and spices from all over the world
02:50and bring those to consumers in the island of Ireland.
02:53I'm just going to go over and show you the main line after we pack
02:56what happens then down the rest of the facility.
02:58Follow me.
03:04So the machine runs, goes through our metal detector,
03:08goes through the capping facility
03:11then we go through into the tightening of the caps
03:14and then it goes right through into the labeller.
03:16Back out the other end where we go and put it into trays.
03:40So
03:48guys, now that you've actually seen the process of production
04:10I'd like to talk to you a little bit about the packaging formats
04:13and the branding that we have here at Favourite.
04:16Favourite historically has been a product in this kind of packaging
04:19historic with chefs for over 100 years.
04:22The branding is called the chef's choice
04:25and we know that chefs and restaurants up and down the country
04:28have been using the fantastic range of Favourite products.
04:31We then decided to do a retail pack.
04:34We wanted the quality of Favourite that's in chefs and restaurants
04:37to now be able to be enjoyed and used at home.
04:40This is our rebrand which is just about to go live
04:43and it's the same quality that we have in the restaurant side
04:45that goes right through to the retail side as you'll find in your supermarkets.
04:58Hi folks, now that you've seen the facility downstairs
05:01we'd just like to take you through some of the products.
05:04I've chosen some thyme, turmeric, coarse black pepper and Cajun seasoning.
05:10The first thing you'll notice is the colour coding on the label
05:13both on the front of the jar and on the lid
05:16and this is to differentiate between the three main categories.
05:18So green is for herbs, red is for spice and orange is for seasoning.
05:25So the first one we've chosen is coarse black pepper.
05:29Black pepper as you probably know is the most common used spice in the world today
05:35and immediately you'll get the aroma.
05:37You'll get the woody, the piney, the earthy
05:41that real strong scent that you get that enhances most dishes.
05:45Black pepper comes from the piper negrum ale plant.
05:48This perennial vine produces small berries or peppercorns which are harvested and dried.
05:52While you may see peppercorns in different colours
05:55they may come from the dried fruit of the same vine.
05:57Their final colour depends on when they're harvested and how they're processed.
06:02Originating in India, historically this famed spice was used as a status symbol
06:07a natural medicine, a wealth builder across continents
06:10and a viable currency which some used to pay their taxes.
06:14So when it comes to the use of black pepper the only limit is your imagination.
06:18It can be used on stir fries, pastas, meats, salads and even desserts.
06:25Next up we're going to have a look at thyme.
06:27Thyme is a herb very popular in many spice blends and savoury recipes.
06:31You'll see the thyme, it actually comes from a plant which has hundreds of varieties
06:35which offer different flavours and fragrances depending on what you're cooking.
06:39So thyme is native to several countries including Spain, Egypt and Morocco
06:44and it grows wild in sunny locations with a mild climate on the hillsides of southern Europe
06:48and a number of other locations around the world.
06:50Thyme plant has hundreds of varieties and each one has a slightly different flavour,
06:54fragrance and ideal use.
06:55You'll often find that they're earthy, minty and a little bit citrusy.
06:59Its flavour is mild and balanced and even a bit floral like lavender or rosemary.
07:04So thyme is a very versatile herb.
07:06You'll find it in stuffings, salads and it's also very complementary to other herbs
07:14and they work really, really well in conjunction with each other.
07:18So next up, a really interesting one, this is turmeric.
07:22Turmeric has been around for centuries.
07:24It's been used for its spice, its colour and its health benefit.
07:27The general historic consensus is that the first crops were grown in western and southern India.
07:32Historians can take it back to 2500 BC.
07:35Turmeric contains a compound called curcumin and that's what gives it its bright yellow colour.
07:40It might surprise you to learn that turmeric is primarily used as a natural colouring agent
07:44in the textile, food and pharmaceutical industries.
07:47Turmeric is believed to contain potent antioxidant properties that protect the cells,
07:52reduce inflammation, prevent infection and promote full body wellness.
07:57So last but by no means least, my personal favourite is Cajun seasoning.
08:02This is a blend of lots of spices, very versatile.
08:06Can be used in rubs.
08:08I personally use it on fish, on meat, when barbecuing.
08:11Can be an ingredient to most core dishes.
08:14Something that every cupboard, every staple should have.
08:17So hopefully you learned a little bit today.
08:19That gives you an idea of some of the ranges that we have.
08:22We've focused on three or four but clearly there's an awful lot more.
08:25For full information you can go to www.favouritefoods.com
08:28but for now I'm going to pass you on to James who's going to show you
08:31a pulled pork recipe where we've used some of our herbs and spices.
08:33Thank you very much.
08:48Hi everybody, my name is James Woods and I'm the Finance Director here at Favourite Foods Limited
08:52and when I'm not cooking up the books I like to cook up some food in the kitchen.
08:56So today I'm going to cook for you our favourite pulled pork baps.
09:00Dead easy and really simple and using our amazing favourite ingredients.
09:04So we've got our favourite paprika, our favourite ground cumin
09:09and our favourite onion salt all going into this rub.
09:14Two teaspoons of the paprika, two teaspoons of our ground cumin
09:19and one teaspoon of our onion salt and then we're adding to that some white pepper
09:26and some brown sugar and that's it.
09:30Dead simple rub so get that mixed together and then we're just simply going to pour that over
09:36and start rubbing that into our pork.
09:39We've scored the pork just to get a bit more flavour in there.
09:42So putting this dry rub on is going to enhance the natural juices in the pork
09:47and add that amazing flavour.
09:50As you can see this is dead simple and then we're going to take that pork
09:54and we're going to place it into our slow cooker, skin side up
10:00and then before we start cooking that the last thing to do is just pour in our apple juice.
10:06So we're going to pour in roughly two mugs of apple juice into the slow cooker.
10:11That's about us.
10:15And then just pop the lid on and that's eight hours in the slow cooker
10:19and then after that's finished all we need to do is take our lid off,
10:22take away our fatty bits, tear up the pork, add in a mug of barbecue sauce,
10:26mix it all back in with our sauce in the slow cooker and we're ready to go.
10:30Just to put it in our babs with some coleslaw or cheese to taste.
10:41So after you've patiently waited your eight hours for your slow cooker to do its bit,
10:58added your barbecue sauce then it's time for the messy bit which is making up
11:02the bab as you wish. So for me that's plenty of our favourite barbecue pork.
11:11Straight onto the bab, essential adding some cheese, some coleslaw on top.
11:22There you have it folks, a favourite in our office and at home.
11:26Favourites barbecue sticky pork bab.
11:36So guys if you enjoyed that give us a like.
11:39Any questions or comments leave them in the comment section.
11:42For more information around Favourite, Favouritefoods.com.
11:45If you want to see any other videos, food videos, amazing food and drink,
11:48go onto the platform, follow them on YouTube.
11:51You'll find lots of fantastic videos and interesting companies to follow.
11:55For now, thank you very much.
11:57Happy cooking.