Local Markets.ie

RECENT PRESS:

Green Parent magazine published in UK March 2012

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/travel/2011/1203/1224308501355.html

http://www.ethicaltraveller.co.uk/2011/12/food-heroes-in-irish-tourism/

Food is what brings most of us together at Christmas. You can have the decorated tree and loads of presents under it, but it is the smell of a baked ham, the sharing of some of granny’s Christmas cake, or just the first bite of warm brown bread and smoked salmon which creates a true season of goodwill. Similarly, food is at the core of tourism and a linchpin of making our holidays truly sustainable. And this is why some food producers have realised that the product is a fundamental part of the fáilte and are offering services which enable you to put their fine fare on any self-catering cottage, castle or camping table in the country.

These are my food heroes, and the guys who are going to play a big role in keeping this part of our culture thriving.Localmarkets.ie is a website where you can buy all the produce you drool over at farmers’ markets or simply on their site and have it delivered to any place in Ireland. So, if you or your loved ones are renting a place for a Christmas get-together – whether it is in Fermanagh or Fermoy, Donegal or Down – you can get a great stock of fine Irish goodies in without any of the arguments about who is doing the shopping. And if you own self-catering accommodation, it would be great to let your guests know about this new service too.

The Queen's Hamper at the English Market, Cork. Photo: www.localmarkets.ie

Superb artisan breads from Arbutus Breads, organic chickens from Dan Ahern, vegetarian burgers from Dee’s Eat Well, Be Happy burgers, organic salmon from Old Millbank Smokehouse, fruit and vegetables from Organic Republic, chorizo and cheese from the famous Gubbeen Farmhouse, are just a few things you can pop in your cyber shopping basket, for true farm to front door service.

This is a food delivery scheme for life, not just for Christmas, and will be held up as a sustainable tourism case study by many countries when they hear of it. You just need to order three days in advance for your produce to arrive packed in an expanded polystyrene (EPS) box, fully recyclable and environmentally friendly. You can either time it with your arrival, or ask your accommodation provider to store it for you until you get there as the box temperature is kept at below four degrees until opened. Orders must be a minimum of €30, plus €5 delivery charge. You can even shop a month in advance, and so avoid making it part of your last minute to-do list before you head for the hills.

Another switched on food producer is James Whelan Butchers in Clonmel who also has an online delivery service. With an array of fine meat, this prolific butcher (and concessionary at the new Avoca market in Monkstown, avoca.ie) will have your pans doing plenty of seasonal sizzling. After being custom cut and weighed, the meat is packed into a temperature controlled box in a dedicated packing room and delivered the next day to your holiday hideaway. For orders of more than €100 delivery is free to anywhere in the 32 counties, otherwise delivery is €10. Both sites are worth bookmarking and ‘liking’ on Facebook, and get your orders in, for a delicious start to your holiday.

An edited version of this article was published in The Irish Times, 3 December 2011

Food Fit For A Queen

by Rachel Gaffney

Ireland waited with baited breath for an historic visit from HRH Queen Elizabeth. It began with her arrival in Dublin, taking in the National stud in Kildare, making her way down to Co. Tipperary and spending her last day in Cork City.

The English Market was her first stop.

This famous landmark is well known to us Corkonians. In fact, I remember taking a shortcut through the market to get to the bus stop on Patrick Street. Fishmongers, butchers, bakers and cheese makers have been there for generations. It first opened its doors in 1788.

A traditional favorite in Cork City every Christmas is ‘Spiced Beef.’ I remember my father bringing home the fresh supply, newly sliced, eager to have a spiced beef sandwich. If you have never had spiced beef then you are simply missing out on one of life’s pleasures! This famous beef was one of the many items that appeared in the basket presented to the Queen. Tom Durcan, a well know Cork butcher explained to her majesty how this Cork spiced beef was made. This particular method was used years ago on the ships and boats as a method of preserving. During the 1990’s, whilst living and working in London, I decided to make this spiced beef. I purchased my beef and the spice mixture calls for one very important ingredient, Salt Petre. I went from store to store looking and asking for this but to no avail. Finally, upon chatting to a manager in my local Sainsbury’s he told me it was an ingredient in gun powder. No wonder I was getting funny looks!

The Queen and Prince Phillip meandered their way through the stalls, stopping to chat to various vendors, asking many questions and laughing with the people of Cork. I can only imagine what a feast for the senses it must have been. Before leaving, she was presented with a basket that embodied all that was and is the ‘English Market.’ The kitchens in Buckingham Palace were in for a treat. Meat from Bresnan’s Butchers and Tom Durcan’s Butchers, Irish Porter Cake from ‘The Farmgate Cafe,” Wexford Irish Honey, Smoked Salmon from Ballycotton Seafood and Earl Grey Irish Tea Breac (cake) from ABC Bakery.

In 2010 www.localmarkets.ie was founded. Rory McCann launched this website with twenty two producers and as of today, less than a year later, they have forty one producers. Rory saw a need for this. I asked him why, and he explained that these artisan producers were unable to reach a larger audience outside of their shops and market stalls. “What we do is reconnect the customer and the local producer.”

Rory explains that they now distribute nationally and as of May they began to ship to the UK.

Now if only we could get some of these foods here… ”The only reason for time, is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.” —Albert Einstein

http://ianohio.com/irish-america/real-ireland/797-food-fit-for-a-queen.html

http://www.bizstartup.ie/news/item/17804-food-movement-launches-nati

http://www.corkbilly.com/2011/04/localmarketsie-celebrates-national.html

http://irishfoodguide.blogspot.com/2011/04/localmarketsie-celebrates-national.html

http://winemiles.com/2011/04/07/localmarkets-ie-celebrates-national-launch/

http://fwix.com/dublin/article/f83826a972/localmarketsie_celebrates_national_launch

Press Release

LocalMarkets.ie Celebrates National Launch:

Online Food Producer Marketplace Goes National!

Date: 05.04.2011

For Immediate Release

An innovative online retail business, that offers customers the convenience of having premium quality food delivered to their own home, is celebrating the launch of its new nationwide service.

LocalMarkets.ie, a Cork-based business that was established last year, aims to help consumers throughout Ireland connect with the thriving local producer food scene – even if the pressure of their daily lives means they don’t have time to regularly visit their much-loved local farmers’ market or favourite local producer!

The company’s delivery service, which initially extended across Cork city and county, has now been expanded to include the entire 32 counties. Founder of LocalMarkets.ie, Rory McCann, says it’s a decision that’s been driven by repeat requests from prospective customers:

“The decision to go national had always been part of our long-term business plan, but with the number of queries coming in we decided that we couldn’t delay the launch of our nationwide service any longer. Commuters, rural-dwellers, busy parents and those following gluten-free or other special diets, have been especially keen to see the website go national. There’s certainly a substantial number of people out there who are eager to shop for authentic local Irish food, but because of their location or hectic lifestyles, some food enthusiasts just don’t get an opportunity to visit their local market, producer or specialty delicatessen. For these people, a site like LocalMarkets.ie is the ideal way to support Irish producers and the most convenient way to enjoy superior quality food”.

Much of the food available on LocalMarkets.ie is offered by producers who operate stalls and retail outlets in Cork’s renowned English Market as well as from Mahon Point Farmers’ Market (voted Best Farmers’ Market in Ireland 2010 by Good Food Ireland and The Bridgestone Guide). As the website grows in popularity, it’s expected that more producers from all parts of Ireland will begin to utilise the website in order to sell their fresh fish, smoked fish, premium meat cuts, charcuterie, cheese, condiments, baked goods and much more, to a wider, national customer base.

According to McCann, LocalMarkets.ie is not a traditional retail website, but is styled along the lines of a food ‘movement’.

“Before a new product becomes available on LocalMarkets.ie, we like to know that its producers share our philosophy – that truly great food is only created by taking the time to use the very best ingredients and the very highest standard of food production techniques. We’re passionate about local food and we believe that sustainable food production and offering producers sustainable profit margins are important aspects of encouraging growth in Ireland’s valuable food sector. It’s also why we represent producers at outdoor events and food markets, particularly when the logistics of reaching a faraway venue or staffing an additional food stall pose difficulty for a small food business that may have limited resources. It’s a broad and novel approach to business, but so far we’ve been bowled over by the positive response – from both producers and consumers”, he explains.

“We’re not just a retail website. We have an ethos that’s not too far from a traditional co-op approach. We’re passionate about local food and we believe that sustainable food production and offering producers sustainable profit margins are important aspects of encouraging growth in Ireland’s valuable food sector. It’s also why we represent producers at outdoor events and food markets, particularly when the logistics of reaching a far away venue or staffing an additional food stall pose difficulty for a small food business that may have limited resources. It’s a broad and novel approach to business, but so far we’ve been bowled over by the positive response – from both producers and consumers”, he explains.

Irish foodies who are interested in finding out more about the food movement, or availing of the new nationwide delivery service, can log on to www.LocalMarkets.ie, where they can create a user account. 

Once registered with the website, customers can browse product sections by category (e.g. by food product, by producer/food label etc.), collect reward points and use the website’s convenient re-ordering service for their favourite products.

Producers who would like to sell their produce via the LocalMarkets.ie website, are invited to register their interest by emailing info@localmarkets.ie

ENDS

Website aims to promote local food movement

By Eoin English

Thursday, October 21, 2010

A NEW food movement has launched a website to help connect consumers with local food producers.

Over 25 award-winning artisan food producers from the Cork area have united to take part in the new venture, localmarkets.ie, which is designed to support local produce and local companies

The service sources the finest products, from bakery to cheese to fish, meats, speciality foods and gourmet meals from producers in your local area, and arranges to have the goods delivered to your door within 48 hours.

It also provides information about the producers so consumers can learn where they come from and what they stand for.

Localmarkets.ie innovator Rory McCann said he hopes the initiative will encourage people in Ireland not only to reconnect with their local producers, but also to get cooking in their own homes.

"We’re not a supermarket. We’re a movement and we want people to join the movement and celebrate and enjoy locally produced food," he said.

"There has been a lot of talk recently about reducing food miles and this is an easy way for consumers to incorporate that practice into their lives without having to give up their favourite fresh, seasonal and tasty food and drink."

The website has also been shortlisted by the Irish Web Awards as one of Ireland’s most innovative websites.

Some 200 guests joined Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr Michael O’Connell, Fine Gael’s Simon Coveney and author of the history of the English Market, Donal O Drisceoil, for the launch of localmarkets.ie in the historic city centre market.

They were all treated to gourmet dishes, produce and wines from producers involved in the venture.

This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Thursday, October 21, 2010

Read more: http://www.examiner.ie/ireland/website-aims-to-promote-local-food-movement-134063.html#ixzz1305hS7tI

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LOCALMARKETS.ie LAUNCH
 

http://blogs.ireland.com/thecorkfoodblog/2010/10/19/localmarkets-ie/

The English Market was buzzing last evening as Rory McCann’s new firm LocalMarkets.ie launched. The new firm, where the other principals are Peter Dowdall and Niamh Dixon, offers a collection and delivery service, collecting from local markets and artisan producers and delivering to customers from Crosshaven to Rathcormac (and maybe beyond that in the future).
Rory and Peter spoke at the opening as did the Lord Mayor Michael O’Connell and local politicians Billy Kelleher and Simon Coveney. But before that, some serious sampling had been done.
The two wines stands (Bubble Brothers and The Wine Buff) provided the lubrication as we made a start with Kate O’Connell’s Fish where sushi and oysters were available. Then on to some smoked salmon from the Old Millbank in Buttevant and spiced beef courtesy of Durcan’s.
There were other little nibbles available on trays before we made the big move upstairs where we started with a gorgeous paté  from Barrie Tyner, all served on the famous Arbutus Bread who were represented by founder Declan Ryan.
Great to meet tweet pal Dee’s Wholefoods and after a bite or two there sampled the BadBoy Sauces of Jennylynd James who offered various degrees of Caribbean heat. This was all taking place in the upstairs premises of the Farmgate Cafée and the “home team” served a generous portion of a lovely chicken curry.
A portion of top notch fish pie from Cronin’s Pub/Mad Fish Restaurant of Crosshaven followed before sampling the scrumptious organic fruits of Macroom’s Organic Republic – just loved the fig and date. Then some relish from Breheny’s Bellish for the Wicklow Brie on the next stand.

Also a  visit to Taste a Memory before ending the upstairs feeding with some terrine and paté from On the Pig’s Back where Isobel Sheridan was in smiling attendance.

Time now for something sweet and, downstairs, there was no shortage. Midleton’s Bitesize had some beautiful mouthfuls in mini-glasses and the macaroons from Christine Girault of the Sugar Café were irresistible. And another star here was the cheesecake by Glenilen Farms – must admit I didn’t stop at one piece here!.

Something to take home? Why, of course.  Clonakilty’s Mella McAuley was on hand at this point, handing out little bags of her gorgeous butter fudge.

A feast on the move. A terrific display from LoclaMarkets.ie and the local producers. What a night.Now, it is another day and Managing Director Rory and his partners are getting down to work. Hope it goes well folks, not just today, not just for this week, but for many years to come.

LocalMarkets.ie, The Rubicon Centre, CIT Campus, Bishopstown www.localmarkets.ie 087 9151767

* I know I’ve missed on some stands in this post – hard to get to see everyone. Feel free to get in touch at cork.billy@gmail.com

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LocalMarkets.ie kicks off in style - Bibliocook: All About Food

http://www.bibliocook.com/2010/10/localmarketsie.html

Old Millbank Smokehouse smoked salmon, O'Flynn's sausages with Bad Boy banana ketchup, seafood pie from Taste a Memory, pâté from Flynn's Kitchen on Arbutus Bread: just a few of the savoury offerings at tonight's LocalMarkets.ie launch in - where else? - the English Market. There were also teensy pots of strawberry mousse from Bitesize, the Sugar Café's macaroons, cheesecake from Glenillen Farm and neat little bags of Mella's fudge, all to be washed down with vinous offerings from Bubble Brothers and The Wine Buff.

Sound like your ideal shopping basket? Well, it could be. Rory McCann, the managing director and IT expert behind LocalMarkets.ie, got the idea when he kept missing out on the good things at his local farmers' market in Crosshaven. Now he wants to make the best of Cork artisan food products accessible online to people who aren't able to get to a market. This is local food, sold online and delivered locally. A new kind of food co-op, as it were. So, even though you might find it difficult to make it to Mahon Point Farmers' Market or into the city, you can get your hands on a Farmgate Ham, Mature Cheddar & Onion Tart, pick up some cheese from The Crafty Little Food Shop, put yourself on the list for one of Organic Republic's fruit and veg boxes and make sure you're stocked up with Dee's Veggie Burgers (a great favourite with the Little Brother).

At the moment they only deliver as far north as Rathcormac so I'll just have to wait until they extend the that area further. Until then, best of luck to LocalMarkets.ie and to all the great producers that they have online.

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The following appears in The Carrigdhoun Newspaper. The Carrigdhoun is a newspaper covering Carrigaline, Crosshaven, Douglas, Ringaskiddy, Shanbally Ballygarvan, Ballinhassig, Tracton and Belgooly, Riverstick, Kinsale, Monkstown, Passage West and Rochestown and has a circulation of over 25,000 copies a week.

Classical Taste - Delivered To Your Door!

Thanks to a new website, localmarkets.ie, you can now have the culinary delights of Carrigaline's own Clasical Taste delivered straight to your door, anywhere in the greater Cork area, within 48 hours of ordering online.

Local Markets is a website where you will find great food made or sourced by local producers in your local area. You can read about producers' stories, where they came from and most importantly you can have their products delivered right to your door. Local Markets work very closely with the producers to ensure what they can get the best product to the customer in the most convenient way.

Buying locally produced food hewlps the local economy, sustains jobs and will hopefully create jobs in the immediate local area. A growing number of local food producers, aloing with Classical Taste, have been added to the website in recent months and more are been added on a weekly basis. Produce from the following can now be ordered online: Ardsallagh Goat Farm, Famrmgate Restaurant and Country Store, Farmgate English Market, Tome Durcan Meats, Flynn's Kitchen, Gan Gluten, Mella's Fudge, O'Flynn's Gourmet Sausages, Old Millbank Smokehouse and Taste of Memory Foods.

Dolores Makin and Liz O'Flynn founded Classical Taste in 1998. From their experience elsewhere in catering, they realised that more and more people people want to enjoy good food, but did not have the time to cook every evening or for special events. It is nice to enjoy good quality home cooked food, but even nicer not to have to cook it yourself!!! When Classical Taste opened in Carrigaline 11 years ago their aim was to provide good quality food that was ready for their customers to eat at home. This continues to be their mission.

They are proud of our products and insist they are of the same high standard as they were when they first opened their doors.

If you are interested in sampling some of the ready meals, salads, desserts or cold meat platters available at Classical Taste, or indeed any of the companies prevfiouslt mentioned, why not log on to www.localmarkets.ie. Ordering is simple and deliveries are made within 48 hours.