GLENISK PARTNERS WITH LEADING COOKERY SCHOOL, COOKS ACADEMY - COOKERY COURSES & RECIPE BOOKS TO BE WON

Calling all foodies and aspiring chefs: Glenisk, the award-winning, family owned organic dairy, has teamed up with one of Ireland’s leading cookery schools, Cooks Academy to help Irish people to rediscover their love of cooking. 

Glenisk Organic Crème Fraîche features an exciting new on-pack offer, with the chance to win one of several week-long cookery courses from Cooks Academy and recipe books. The courses, suitable for beginners, provide a wonderful introduction to cooking, helping to inspire a love of food. Home cooking is growing in popularity; recent research from Bord Bia shows that 63% of us now cook from scratch several times a week, and that 9% of us have booked a cookery course in the past year.*

Recipe Demonstrations

The partnership has also seen Cooks Academy create a series of mouth-watering recipes for Glenisk, complete with step-by-step video demonstrations, from the top tutors at the Academy. The recipes and videos are available to view at http://www.glenisk.com/recipes/cooks-academy-recipes. 

For further information, see promotional packs of Glenisk’s Organic Crème Fraîche, 250g (€1.59, available nationwide) or visit www.glenisk.com.

Pollys Love Of Irish Food...

Although this post is definitely food related I decided to place it here on this blog to highlight the successes of local businesses and also to draw your attention to National Organic Week 2009. Just this morning as I wrote my posts for Vinca's-In-Tha-Kitchen I heard the tell-tale ping'ing noise which alerts me that something new has dropped into my in-box.

Surprisingly enough it was my copy of this months Glenisk Moosletter. Really this couldn't be more appropriate if it tried. The Cleary's of Newtown, Killeigh have been dedicated to things organic and green for a long time now! They have recently joined the Love Irish Food Campaign which is encouraging consumers to add just one more Irish brand to their shopping each week to help stimulate growth in the Irish economy and safeguard jobs.

What makes its arrival even better is the fact that once again these local people have won another prestigious award for one of their products

"Awards for Glenisk in 2009"
Glenisk Greek Style Yogurt takes Gold at the National Organic Awards

2009 National Organic Awards PresentationGlenisk has won
Best Retail Product at the 2009 National Organic Awards. The awards were presented at an event in Bord Bia, Dublin on 14 September, to mark the beginning of Ireland's National Organic Week.

The winning product was our Greek Style Natural Yogurt, launched at the end of 2008 - this product, which is also available in blueberry flavour, is Glenisk's creamiest most indulgent yogurt yet.

MD Vincent Cleary accepted the award from Trevor Sargent, T.D., Minister for Food & Horticulture at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food.

I'm pretty sure we will all agree that this is a great achievement for anybody's business, but what makes it extra special for me is the fact that these guys are locals.

In addition to this Glenisk is also celebrating the fact that it now available in Northern Ireland.

"Bringing organic dairy foods to Northern Ireland is an important step in our mission to create an Organic Ireland."

All that remains for me to say is congratulations and keep up the good work...

Is organic worth it asks Polly?

In recognition of National Organic Week 2009 yesterday's Irish Times published this article which makes interesting reading:

Is organic worth it?

Despite the recession and a belief that they’re more expensive, sales of organic food are up 16 per cent on last year – and that’s on top of price-cutting and increased competition, writes CONOR POPE

IT’S BEEN a tough year for organic food producers. As if convincing people to spend a little more on food in the middle of a full-blown depression wasn’t hard enough, they’ve also had to combat a headline-generating scientific report which was published this summer casting doubt on the nutritional benefits of their produce[...]

Polly Pierce Welcomes National Organic Week 2009

Welcome to National Organic Week! A little bit late perhaps, but as that famous saying goes: "It's better late than never!" Okay, I know it should have been said yesterday, but hey this is Polly we're talking about...

National Organic Week: September 14th – 20th 2009

National Organic Week has been held annually since 2005. Funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and co-ordinated by Bord Bia, the week aims to raise consumer awareness of organic food, how to recognise it when shopping and where to buy it. Cooking a tasty meal for friends and family with in-season organic ingredients is an ideal way to treat your loved ones and enjoy the freshest produce sourced in your local region.

National Organic Week provides an ideal opportunity for organic producers and processors to organise events at a national and local level to increase consumer awareness of locally produced organic food. This year there are almost 60 events taking place throughout the country to celebrate National Organic week including, organic farm walks, cookery demonatrations, barbeques, educational events, in-store tastings and much more. It promises to be a great week.

Click here to see the full list of National Organic Week events by county.