REVIEW No.1 Brand for Curries & Gravies - National Federation of ...

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THE fish friers REVIEWA Northern IrelandExclusiveAt approximately 5,500 square miles in area and with a population just shading the 2 millionmark, Northern Ireland is the UK’s smallest country. But what it lacks in size it makes up forin stature. Though famous for its soda bread and Ulster Fry, it comes as no surprise thatNorthern Ireland is home to an abundance of wonderful fish and chip shops. In this issue ofThe Review, some of our Northern Irish members share their opinions on the frying industryin their homeland – from the National Fish & Chip Awards to the future of fish and chips.The Chippy, AntrimThe Chippy in Antrim has been at the top of their game for years. A holder of theNFFF Fish and Chip Quality Award they achieved more industry recognition bygaining the NFFF Quality Award “Champion” accolade at last year’s National Fish &Chip Awards. The Review catches up with the manager, Joanne Graham, whocontacted the NFFF to raise the profile of fish and chip shops in Northern Ireland.“We feel that fish and chip shops in Northern Ireland don’t get enough recognition.We seem to be forgotten about when it comes to promotions run through differentorganisations. We read through the articles and then at the end we see the frustratingphrase “excludes Northern Ireland”. There are lots of genuine fish and chip shops inNorthern Ireland that want tosucceed and wish to gain therecognition they deserve. We forone are certainly always eager totry something new and want toparticipate in the same activitiesthat the shops in the rest of theUK participate in.”Pit-Stop in Kilkeel won theNorthern Ireland regional titlethree years consecutively but inthose three years they did notonce come in the top threeoverall in the whole of the UK. Why is that? What would it take for a Northern Irelandto win it or even finish in the top three?“I don’t want to be misunderstood, however. Winning the regional title is a fantasticachievement and good for business but how does a Northern Ireland shop competewith the rest of the UK?“At last year’s finals we became the first ever NFFF Quality Award Champion and weare still extremely proud of this as it promoted Northern Ireland at a national level. Thisyear we are currently a finalist in the Marketing and Innovation category – againsomething we are really proud of. We want to compete against the best and to berecognised is a major achievement. I would encourage all fish and chip shops inNorthern Ireland to enter the awards and compete against everyone in the UK. If youthink you are good enough then go for it!“Northern Ireland has always been portrayed in the news for political reasons whichhave generated some negative press for the country but that shouldn’t hinder the factthat there is a lot of good stuff over here too. We just don’t seem to get people torecognise that. We, for one, have created more jobs in our local community becauseour marketing has created more jobs. We just want to share with Review readers thatwe are willing to work with anyone that is willing to work with us and help us in raisingour profile throughout the UK. We take an interest in all industry issues and want to bemore involved in all the activities the rest of the UK shops are involved in. Sadly, wefeel we are sometimes left out. We have several marketing activities in our shop andwe always try our best to helppromote the NFFF, the new app andthe Quality Award.“We are not complaining; we justwant to do really well and berecognised and we genuinely wantto know how fish and chip shops inNorthern Ireland can improve sothat maybe this year or next year wecan have an overall winner or evena top three placing in the whole of the UK.“Finally, we want to wish all the finalists at this year’s awards all the very best!”www.thechippyantrim.co.ukFlash in the PanFlash in the Pan have been there, done that, and bought theT-shirt. From day one, they've been committed to deliveringonly the best for their customers, which has led to multipleawards for the quality of their food and business. NFFFmember Ernest Bustard puts pen to paper and gives us histhoughts on the frying industry in Northern Ireland.“Having served as an Executive Councillor of the NFFF representing Northern Irelandfor many years and as proprietor of Flash in the Pan, Ballymoney, I am pleased to beasked to contribute an article for The Fish Friers Review.“As a long-standing member of the Federation I sometimes feel we are not classed asfully integrated members of the NFFF. I believe our membership in Northern Irelandlimits our involvement with the NFFF and Review magazine as it predominatelypromotes fish and chips and rarely makes provision for the wider range of productsthat Northern Ireland shops have to offer from its mainland counterparts.“As Northern Ireland have smaller communities than mainland Britain, fish and chipshops have to open for longer hours than their counterparts across the water, and wehave to compete with other fast food outlets at other times of the day. Frequently wefeel in Northern Ireland thenature of our business ismisunderstood by the industryin England even though thestandard of fish and chips is ofan equal standing.“Northern Ireland businesseshave had trading difficulties dueto the present economicclimate: the 20% increase ofVAT; the recent hike in potato10
Issue 7 November 2013prices; increased competition and astronomical energy prices. There has been lessdisposable income in Northern Ireland due to the recession and consequently profitmargins have been following a downward trend. However, regardless of the recentincrease in the price of raw materials (especially potatoes) fish and chips is still a verynutritious, value-for-money meal.“I believe there will always be a place on the high streets for the independent fish andchip shop. In an ever-changing world the future lies with the younger generation whomust be prepared to adapt to changes. We must reinvest in our businesses, makinguse of the latest technology and media, to ensure that we provide the highest qualityproducts at an affordable price.“We must be prepared to increase marketing budgets to inform our customers furtheron the nutritional value and sustainability of our products. In Northern Ireland we arecompeting with the larger fast food chains but the secret of our success in our industryis the fact that our quality products, traditional friendly service and our ability to adaptto new ideas will sustain our industry for years to come.”John Dory’sEmploying 100 staff over six locations in Northern Ireland, a key component of JohnDory’s’ success is a dedicated staff training programme. Mark Polley talks to TheReview about Northern Ireland’s individuality and how they integrate in the muchlovedindustry.“As a nation with a long tradition of seafaring, Northern Ireland has its own uniquehistory. Most of us only have to go back one or two generations to find a family memberwho made a living from the sea. Both my grandparents certainly did – one inshipbuilding in Belfast and the other in the fishing port of Portavogie.“Our uniqueness means that we fall into one of two traditions: British or Irish. I fall intothe first category and very much consider myself a British citizen. My father, a wartimeSpitfire pilot serving with the RAF, was a volunteer during the war years as conscriptiondid not apply to Northern Ireland.“In the context of how we see ourselves within the broader industry I think it issignificant that no business from Northern Ireland (to the best of my knowledge) hasbeen placed in the top three in the UK in the Independent Shop category.“I believe that to date wejust haven’t been goodenough. The standard isincredibly high and agreat deal of work goesinto competing andwinning competitions.That said, Scotland hasalways performedextremely well and only16 miles of waterseparates us. We don’t like to be beaten by our Celtic cousins and I’m surprised we (asa region) haven’t performed better. This stretch of water will always disadvantage us interms of being represented at events, including hospitality events and trade shows.Cost of travel is undoubtedly a factor. However, better advance planning of eventswould definitely help.“Kat, our young fish frier, recently took part in various training days organised throughthe NFFF. I believe she has benefited greatly from this experience and the networkingopportunities that came with it.“With 30 years in the industry, I feel I have much to contribute and would be keen toestablish regular links within the industry, in particular with other shop owners.I certainly feel that I need to be more proactive in developing those links.”www.johndorys.co.ukWe’d like to thank our members in Northern Ireland for their frank and open views andcomments. For many years the NFFF did not have a representative for the fish fryingcommunity in Northern Ireland, but that changed in 2011 when Alan Hanna of Pit-StopFast Food, Kilkeel, was elected to the Board. Alan works hard to support NFFF membersin Northern Ireland and never misses a meeting or an opportunity to air issues andraise his point of view.Alan can be contacted on 07711 216416 or by email to alan@pitstopfastfood.com.The more members we have in Northern Ireland the more support we can offer as anorganisation.MasseyCatering wouldlike to congratulateJohn Dory’s on theirtop 10 placing in theFish and ChipAwardsNEW AND RECONDITIONED FISH FRYING RANGES NOW AVAILABLE.17B Maghaberry Rd, Moira, BT67 0JE Tel: 0044 (0) 2892 619 009Email: info@masseycatering.co.uk Web: www.masseycatering.com11
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