Last summer, Irish Country Living editor Amii McKeever visited the picturesque province of Ulster for our Carpool in the Country video series (you can find the complete series on the Irish Country Living Facebook page). 
While there, she spoke with local producers who supply the Dunnes Stores Simply Better collection and took in the beautiful scenery on an Ulster farm. In this special edition of
Irish Country Living, we’re taking a look at two Ulster food producers who are proud of be part of the Dunnes Stores Simply Better family.
Michael McKillop, managing director of Glens of Antrim Crisps.
“Usually, when you think about crisps, they’re considered a treat or a comfort food,” says Michael McKillop, managing director of Glens of Antrim Crisps. “Our crisps have no MSG (monosodium glutamate) or flavour enhancers; when you eat them, it’s just the natural flavours coming through.”
A third-generation potato farmer from Cushendall, Co Antrim, Michael knows a thing or two about making quality crisps. The crisps the McKillop family business supply for the Dunnes Stores Simply Better collection are fried for just the right amount of time, sliced at a precise thickness and the potato skins are left on; providing a depth of flavour you don’t find in your average packet of crisps.
“Our main business has been in fresh potatoes of all different varieties; we’ve been doing it since the 1960s,” Michael explains. “It was my father’s business and, with my brother, I’ve kind of taken over. We were always looking for something different in potatoes to add on to the business. Crisps are something I was interested in, so in 2017 we set up our own small crisp operation. We produced our own Glens of Antrim brand of crisps and happened to bump into the Dunnes Stores Simply Better team at the 2018 Balmoral Show in Belfast. The business has just blossomed from there.”
Simply Better crisps made by Glens of Antrim.
When Amii visited the Glens of Antrim team last year, they were supplying the Dunnes Stores Simply Better collection with four flavours of crisps: Clogherhead Sea Salt & White Wine Vinegar, Sriracha Chilli, Vintage Irish Cheddar Cheese & Red Onion and Clogherhead Sea Salt Sweet Potato Crisps. Since then, they’ve added two new flavours to the range: Black Truffle & Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Irish Angus Ribeye Steak & Caramelised Onion.
Michael says they are currently working on new flavours that he hopes will be in stores by Christmas, but that finding the right flavour balance takes time.
“The flavours need to be dried out and mixed in different profiles,” he says. “There’s times we would taste the same flavour six or seven times before we can all agree that it’s the perfect profile. It goes back and forward, and then it goes to the Dunnes Stores Simply Better team for tasting. You’d nearly have to work for a Christmas product about seven months ahead. To be agreed on flavours and packaging, (the process) might take six months in total.”
Having won awards, in particular, for the Clogherhead Sea Salt & White Wine Vinegar flavour (including a Blas na hÉireann gold), Michael and his team feel that they make the best salt and vinegar crisp on the island of Ireland right now. There is one other aspect to their product that makes it stand out from other crisp brands, however.
They’re one of the best supermarket teams I’ve worked with
“We use a high oleic sunflower oil to fry our crisps,” he says. “This is oil made from a type of sunflower that’s higher in oleic acid; it’s one of the healthiest oils on the market. It’s low in saturated fat and has no trans fats. It’s been shown to help lower LDL (bad cholesterol) without touching the good cholesterol. It’s more costly, but it’s giving us a healthier crisp. Since it’s a natural oil with a mild taste – it really benefits the overall flavour of the crisps.”
Using potatoes grown by surrounding farmers, from counties Meath and Louth and locally produced ingredients like sea salt and real mature cheddar, it’s easy to see how Glens of Antrim Crisps found their way into the Dunnes Stores Simply Better collection. Michael says working with the Simply Better team at Dunnes Stores have been wonderful.
“They’re one of the best supermarket teams I’ve worked with,” he says. “Their understanding of the challenges within business and if there’s an issue we all work together to solve that issue. We’ve worked well together to bring the customer the best crisp possible. I can’t say enough about them.”
Ann Rudden owns and operates Áine Handmade Chocolate in Co Cavan.
For Ann Rudden, who owns and operates Áine Handmade Chocolate in Stradone Village, Co Cavan, passion for product is the fundamental aspect for any food business, big or small. A master chocolatier, she has been in business since 1999 and has been supplying the Dunnes Stores Simply Better range since 2013.
“I would be very passionate about chocolate – it’s, really, the only thing I know,” she laughs. “We still produce our chocolates in small batches, like we did from day one, even though our business has grown year-on-year. All of our products are made using the best-quality ingredients and never any artificial colourings or preservatives. The team I have working with me are an amazing bunch of people. They are so passionate and take such great care and pride in their work.”
Ann was already in talks with Dunnes Stores when she first met the Simply Better team. From there, she sent in some products and was subsequently thrilled when she won the contract to supply their Simply Better collection.
“Supplying Dunnes Stores Simply Better has helped me to grow my business,” she explains. “We used to hand wrap all of our chocolate bars and, through our Simply Better involvement, we were able to invest in a bar wrapper, we’ve launched new products – you become more efficient and you learn a lot more because the volumes are higher. When you’re starting off, you may not have large orders on a regular basis. With Dunnes Stores Simply Better, you can plan and grow your business having those orders to fall back on.”
The Colombian single origin range of chocolate bars Ann makes for the Dunnes Stores Simply Better Collection.
Ann produces a variety of chocolate products for the Dunnes Stores Simply Better collection. Having trained in Belgium in the early 1990s, she has mastered the art of tempering to achieve the perfect, creamy consistency chocolate-lovers look for; masterfully blending flavours and textures like her Pistachio, Almond & Hazelnut Belgian Dark Bar. She recently travelled to Colombia to learn more about cocoa bean farming and single-origin chocolate.
“It takes a long time to master chocolate,” she says. “It’s a bit like coffee – there are so many different grades and beans to consider. While in Colombia, I sourced a single-origin chocolate that’s a part of the Dunnes Stores Simply Better range now. We made our Easter eggs with it and also launched a new bar in three different flavours: an 80% dark chocolate, a 38% milk chocolate and a 70% dark chocolate with raspberries. All of the flavour in the chocolate comes from the actual beans – they are so delicious.”
It’s really important that people buy Irish and know that many of the products from the Simply Better range are local and smaller food producers
Dunnes Stores Simply Better brand ambassador Neven Maguire is no stranger to Áine Handmade Chocolate – he often talks about Ann’s skills as a master chocolatier and regularly uses her chocolate in his recipes, including in his recent Instagram video series. Ann says that Neven has been unendingly supportive of not only her, but small Irish food producers throughout the country.
“Neven is so good,” she says. “He’s such a gentleman and he does such great promotion for us Irish producers. As well, Dunnes Stores have really been supportive to small businesses through the pandemic. It’s really important that people buy Irish and know that many of the products from the Simply Better range are local and smaller food producers; a lot of people might not realise.”
Last summer, Irish Country Living editor Amii McKeever visited the picturesque province of Ulster for our Carpool in the Country video series (you can find the complete series on the Irish Country Living Facebook page).
While there, she spoke with local producers who supply the Dunnes Stores Simply Better collection and took in the beautiful scenery on an Ulster farm. In this special edition of
Irish Country Living, we’re taking a look at two Ulster food producers who are proud of be part of the Dunnes Stores Simply Better family.
Michael McKillop, managing director of Glens of Antrim Crisps.
“Usually, when you think about crisps, they’re considered a treat or a comfort food,” says Michael McKillop, managing director of Glens of Antrim Crisps. “Our crisps have no MSG (monosodium glutamate) or flavour enhancers; when you eat them, it’s just the natural flavours coming through.”
A third-generation potato farmer from Cushendall, Co Antrim, Michael knows a thing or two about making quality crisps. The crisps the McKillop family business supply for the Dunnes Stores Simply Better collection are fried for just the right amount of time, sliced at a precise thickness and the potato skins are left on; providing a depth of flavour you don’t find in your average packet of crisps.
“Our main business has been in fresh potatoes of all different varieties; we’ve been doing it since the 1960s,” Michael explains. “It was my father’s business and, with my brother, I’ve kind of taken over. We were always looking for something different in potatoes to add on to the business. Crisps are something I was interested in, so in 2017 we set up our own small crisp operation. We produced our own Glens of Antrim brand of crisps and happened to bump into the Dunnes Stores Simply Better team at the 2018 Balmoral Show in Belfast. The business has just blossomed from there.”
Simply Better crisps made by Glens of Antrim.
When Amii visited the Glens of Antrim team last year, they were supplying the Dunnes Stores Simply Better collection with four flavours of crisps: Clogherhead Sea Salt & White Wine Vinegar, Sriracha Chilli, Vintage Irish Cheddar Cheese & Red Onion and Clogherhead Sea Salt Sweet Potato Crisps. Since then, they’ve added two new flavours to the range: Black Truffle & Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Irish Angus Ribeye Steak & Caramelised Onion.
Michael says they are currently working on new flavours that he hopes will be in stores by Christmas, but that finding the right flavour balance takes time.
“The flavours need to be dried out and mixed in different profiles,” he says. “There’s times we would taste the same flavour six or seven times before we can all agree that it’s the perfect profile. It goes back and forward, and then it goes to the Dunnes Stores Simply Better team for tasting. You’d nearly have to work for a Christmas product about seven months ahead. To be agreed on flavours and packaging, (the process) might take six months in total.”
Having won awards, in particular, for the Clogherhead Sea Salt & White Wine Vinegar flavour (including a Blas na hÉireann gold), Michael and his team feel that they make the best salt and vinegar crisp on the island of Ireland right now. There is one other aspect to their product that makes it stand out from other crisp brands, however.
They’re one of the best supermarket teams I’ve worked with
“We use a high oleic sunflower oil to fry our crisps,” he says. “This is oil made from a type of sunflower that’s higher in oleic acid; it’s one of the healthiest oils on the market. It’s low in saturated fat and has no trans fats. It’s been shown to help lower LDL (bad cholesterol) without touching the good cholesterol. It’s more costly, but it’s giving us a healthier crisp. Since it’s a natural oil with a mild taste – it really benefits the overall flavour of the crisps.”
Using potatoes grown by surrounding farmers, from counties Meath and Louth and locally produced ingredients like sea salt and real mature cheddar, it’s easy to see how Glens of Antrim Crisps found their way into the Dunnes Stores Simply Better collection. Michael says working with the Simply Better team at Dunnes Stores have been wonderful.
“They’re one of the best supermarket teams I’ve worked with,” he says. “Their understanding of the challenges within business and if there’s an issue we all work together to solve that issue. We’ve worked well together to bring the customer the best crisp possible. I can’t say enough about them.”
Ann Rudden owns and operates Áine Handmade Chocolate in Co Cavan.
For Ann Rudden, who owns and operates Áine Handmade Chocolate in Stradone Village, Co Cavan, passion for product is the fundamental aspect for any food business, big or small. A master chocolatier, she has been in business since 1999 and has been supplying the Dunnes Stores Simply Better range since 2013.
“I would be very passionate about chocolate – it’s, really, the only thing I know,” she laughs. “We still produce our chocolates in small batches, like we did from day one, even though our business has grown year-on-year. All of our products are made using the best-quality ingredients and never any artificial colourings or preservatives. The team I have working with me are an amazing bunch of people. They are so passionate and take such great care and pride in their work.”
Ann was already in talks with Dunnes Stores when she first met the Simply Better team. From there, she sent in some products and was subsequently thrilled when she won the contract to supply their Simply Better collection.
“Supplying Dunnes Stores Simply Better has helped me to grow my business,” she explains. “We used to hand wrap all of our chocolate bars and, through our Simply Better involvement, we were able to invest in a bar wrapper, we’ve launched new products – you become more efficient and you learn a lot more because the volumes are higher. When you’re starting off, you may not have large orders on a regular basis. With Dunnes Stores Simply Better, you can plan and grow your business having those orders to fall back on.”
The Colombian single origin range of chocolate bars Ann makes for the Dunnes Stores Simply Better Collection.
Ann produces a variety of chocolate products for the Dunnes Stores Simply Better collection. Having trained in Belgium in the early 1990s, she has mastered the art of tempering to achieve the perfect, creamy consistency chocolate-lovers look for; masterfully blending flavours and textures like her Pistachio, Almond & Hazelnut Belgian Dark Bar. She recently travelled to Colombia to learn more about cocoa bean farming and single-origin chocolate.
“It takes a long time to master chocolate,” she says. “It’s a bit like coffee – there are so many different grades and beans to consider. While in Colombia, I sourced a single-origin chocolate that’s a part of the Dunnes Stores Simply Better range now. We made our Easter eggs with it and also launched a new bar in three different flavours: an 80% dark chocolate, a 38% milk chocolate and a 70% dark chocolate with raspberries. All of the flavour in the chocolate comes from the actual beans – they are so delicious.”
It’s really important that people buy Irish and know that many of the products from the Simply Better range are local and smaller food producers
Dunnes Stores Simply Better brand ambassador Neven Maguire is no stranger to Áine Handmade Chocolate – he often talks about Ann’s skills as a master chocolatier and regularly uses her chocolate in his recipes, including in his recent Instagram video series. Ann says that Neven has been unendingly supportive of not only her, but small Irish food producers throughout the country.
“Neven is so good,” she says. “He’s such a gentleman and he does such great promotion for us Irish producers. As well, Dunnes Stores have really been supportive to small businesses through the pandemic. It’s really important that people buy Irish and know that many of the products from the Simply Better range are local and smaller food producers; a lot of people might not realise.”
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