Mixing the warming flavours of winter, the Foods of Athenry have created two new granolas for the Simply Better range.
Siobhan Lawless closes her kitchen door, dons her beloved apron and silences her phone. Although she is just a few minutes’ walk from the Foods of Athenry production facility, in her head, she is miles away. This kitchen is her happy place, her creative space where she mixes and tastes, combining ingredients both in her head and in her hands to develop that signature Foods of Athenry taste that is used in the Simply Better range. This is where the magic happens.
Creative freedom
Siobhan says the partnership with the Dunnes Stores Simply Better range works because they allow her creativity to shine.
Siobhan Lawless from Foods of Athenry.
“If we were working with a partner that said, ‘We’re looking for a granola with 25% of this and 30% of that’, it’s much harder for me to be creative. But when you get a brief that says, ‘We want something seasonal, something new and great’ (It always has to be great, she laughs), well that’s when really great products start to emerge.”
Run by Siobhan and her husband Paul, the Foods of Athenry has been working with the Dunnes Stores Simply Better team for eight years. Their range includes two muesli varieties and two granolas with two new granolas being added to the range this season – Cinnamon, Berry and Nut; and Honey, Almond and Apricot. They also produce the award-winning Simply Better mince pies.
Satisfying the brief
Siobhan says the brief for the two new granola products was “winter warming and soothing”.
“Immediately, I started thinking about Christmas, and Arabian Nights,” she explains. “What would they look and taste like? So I based the first concept around the jewel colours of Christmas – greens, reds, glittery gold – combining golden Irish oats, vibrant red dried cranberries, green pumpkin seeds and nuts, baked with a carefully curated mix of brown sugar, treacle and honey for that bronzed shine I was after.
“I wanted the taste to evoke memories of gingerbread men, so I added ginger and cinnamon which resulted in something really special. When I spilled the final product into a bowl, I thought it was one of the most beautiful granolas I had ever seen, with a flavour to match.
“For the second granola, inspiration from baklava resulted in a soothing honey infused Irish oat blend, combined with the eastern feel of dates, apricots and almonds for a delicately comforting breakfast. And we are so excited for consumers to try them.”
While Christmas food can often be indulgent, the beauty of Siobhan’s work is that good food and health go hand-in-hand at the Foods of Athenry.
“Muesli is our healthiest product in the Simply Better range as it is a mix of raw wholegrain oats/barley and malted wheat, nuts, fruits and seeds. To make a granola – which is essentially a baked muesli – you need a little fat to coat the whole grain oats as they cook, combined with some sweetener of choice. But because you bake it, you can infuse with wonderful aromatic flavours, achieve a glorious crunch; that blend so well with all the added seeds, nuts and fruits.
“And while there is sugar/honey present; they are lower in sugar than many other breakfast cereals. So it’s healthy in moderation. Granola also adds an indulgent crunch as a topping for porridge or yoghurt; combined in a recipe for crumbles, breads and muffins.”
Added stability
The Dunnes Stores Simply Better relationship is very important to Siobhan and her family. “When the Foods of Athenry business started, we had a dairy farm and my baking was an extra bit of income for our young family. We were selling to a few local shops and our brand grew and grew.
“Now with the Simply Better partnership, our product is on supermarket shelves all over the country and we’re part of a premium, high-end product range that always consistently delivers on what they are promising. We have those same values and it’s great to be a part of that.
“The partnership has also given us an added degree of stability, allowing us to develop our own brand, expand our resources and flex our creativity muscles. But most importantly, I love that it has given us the opportunity to put more of our products on people’s tables. I enjoy the idea that I live vicariously through our products on your kitchen table,” Siobhan says.
The new granolas will be in
store from 1 December 2021.
Louise Sweetnam from Glenilen Farm developed the Dunnes Stores Simply Better range. \ Donal O’Leary
Using the milk from its own and neighbouring farms, Glenilen Farm has always made delicious yoghurts and they are the newest producer to become part of the Simply Better family.
In another farmhouse kitchen, ingredients are mixed and recipes are created, this time by Valerie Kingston.
As if their lives work in parallel, Alan and Valerie Kingston also started married life on a dairy farm, this time in the south of the country, near Drimoleague in Co Cork.
Through the combination of simple, natural and wholesome ingredients – many of which are sourced locally – Valerie’s delicious recipes led to the creation of Glenilen Farm. Their yoghurts, butter and cheesecakes are now available in supermarket shelves across the country but it is only now, after 20 years in business that they have decided to diversify their offering and create products for the Dunnes Stores Simply Better range.
“It’s been a big step for us,” explains Alan. “For many years, we have been focused on building our own brand and telling our story of provenance, people and sustainability. Now that our Glenilen Farm brand is well established, we feel we are ready to branch out into different projects that compliment it. It helps our production and efficiency of course and in business, you have to keep moving and be ready for change. This is an exciting move for us.”
Two new lines and six new flavours
The new range of Dunnes Stores Simply Better yoghurts is all about embracing health.
Simply Better range of yoghurts from Glenilen Farm. \ Donal O'Leary
There are six new yoghurts being introduced in the fridges of Dunnes Stores this weekend. Alan explains: “We have three ‘thick and creamy’ lines and three ‘0% fat’ lines.”
Thick and creamy flavours include Irish Raspberry; Irish Strawberry and Blackberry; and Irish Rhubarb while the 0% fat includes Natural; Irish Strawberry and the more exotic Alphonso Mango and Passion Fruit.
Live cultures
These yoghurts are healthier than many other yoghurts that you’ll find on shelf. Not only are they using locally sourced Irish milk and fruit (where possible), this new range contains 14 live kefir cultures.
Explaining the benefits of kefir, Louise Sweetnam from Glenilen Farm who has developed the Dunnes Stores Simply Better range explains: “We eat to fuel our bodies, but we should also eat food as medicine. This is not in the traditional ‘take medicine when you find a problem’ but eating your food as a positive proactive means of staving off ill effects over time and providing your body and gut with ongoing healthy benefits.
“The connection between our gut and brain – the vagus nerve – is central to our gut-brain connection. There has been plenty of research conducted linking gut health with live cultures. And these friendly bacteria are alive during the entire life cycle of our yoghurt packs.”
Tastes good too
While some people enjoy kefir, others can find the fermented milk quite acidic and astringent which is another benefit of the yoghurts: you’re getting all that good bacteria in a delicious creamy yoghurt.
Whether it’s the tarty flavours of the rhubarb or the sweetness of Irish strawberries, the tasting experience is all about indulgence with the benefits of healthy bacteria.
Alan says it’s great that brands like Dunnes Stores Simply Better are supporting family farm businesses such as themselves, although he does admit the process takes a bit longer.
“When you’re working off someone else’s spec and decisions, it can take more time but it’s been a fun and exciting project. It’s a bit of a change from walking into the room and getting sign off from Valerie, the real boss,” he laughs.
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Mixing the warming flavours of winter, the Foods of Athenry have created two new granolas for the Simply Better range.
Siobhan Lawless closes her kitchen door, dons her beloved apron and silences her phone. Although she is just a few minutes’ walk from the Foods of Athenry production facility, in her head, she is miles away. This kitchen is her happy place, her creative space where she mixes and tastes, combining ingredients both in her head and in her hands to develop that signature Foods of Athenry taste that is used in the Simply Better range. This is where the magic happens.
Creative freedom
Siobhan says the partnership with the Dunnes Stores Simply Better range works because they allow her creativity to shine.
Siobhan Lawless from Foods of Athenry.
“If we were working with a partner that said, ‘We’re looking for a granola with 25% of this and 30% of that’, it’s much harder for me to be creative. But when you get a brief that says, ‘We want something seasonal, something new and great’ (It always has to be great, she laughs), well that’s when really great products start to emerge.”
Run by Siobhan and her husband Paul, the Foods of Athenry has been working with the Dunnes Stores Simply Better team for eight years. Their range includes two muesli varieties and two granolas with two new granolas being added to the range this season – Cinnamon, Berry and Nut; and Honey, Almond and Apricot. They also produce the award-winning Simply Better mince pies.
Satisfying the brief
Siobhan says the brief for the two new granola products was “winter warming and soothing”.
“Immediately, I started thinking about Christmas, and Arabian Nights,” she explains. “What would they look and taste like? So I based the first concept around the jewel colours of Christmas – greens, reds, glittery gold – combining golden Irish oats, vibrant red dried cranberries, green pumpkin seeds and nuts, baked with a carefully curated mix of brown sugar, treacle and honey for that bronzed shine I was after.
“I wanted the taste to evoke memories of gingerbread men, so I added ginger and cinnamon which resulted in something really special. When I spilled the final product into a bowl, I thought it was one of the most beautiful granolas I had ever seen, with a flavour to match.
“For the second granola, inspiration from baklava resulted in a soothing honey infused Irish oat blend, combined with the eastern feel of dates, apricots and almonds for a delicately comforting breakfast. And we are so excited for consumers to try them.”
While Christmas food can often be indulgent, the beauty of Siobhan’s work is that good food and health go hand-in-hand at the Foods of Athenry.
“Muesli is our healthiest product in the Simply Better range as it is a mix of raw wholegrain oats/barley and malted wheat, nuts, fruits and seeds. To make a granola – which is essentially a baked muesli – you need a little fat to coat the whole grain oats as they cook, combined with some sweetener of choice. But because you bake it, you can infuse with wonderful aromatic flavours, achieve a glorious crunch; that blend so well with all the added seeds, nuts and fruits.
“And while there is sugar/honey present; they are lower in sugar than many other breakfast cereals. So it’s healthy in moderation. Granola also adds an indulgent crunch as a topping for porridge or yoghurt; combined in a recipe for crumbles, breads and muffins.”
Added stability
The Dunnes Stores Simply Better relationship is very important to Siobhan and her family. “When the Foods of Athenry business started, we had a dairy farm and my baking was an extra bit of income for our young family. We were selling to a few local shops and our brand grew and grew.
“Now with the Simply Better partnership, our product is on supermarket shelves all over the country and we’re part of a premium, high-end product range that always consistently delivers on what they are promising. We have those same values and it’s great to be a part of that.
“The partnership has also given us an added degree of stability, allowing us to develop our own brand, expand our resources and flex our creativity muscles. But most importantly, I love that it has given us the opportunity to put more of our products on people’s tables. I enjoy the idea that I live vicariously through our products on your kitchen table,” Siobhan says.
The new granolas will be in
store from 1 December 2021.
Louise Sweetnam from Glenilen Farm developed the Dunnes Stores Simply Better range. \ Donal O’Leary
Using the milk from its own and neighbouring farms, Glenilen Farm has always made delicious yoghurts and they are the newest producer to become part of the Simply Better family.
In another farmhouse kitchen, ingredients are mixed and recipes are created, this time by Valerie Kingston.
As if their lives work in parallel, Alan and Valerie Kingston also started married life on a dairy farm, this time in the south of the country, near Drimoleague in Co Cork.
Through the combination of simple, natural and wholesome ingredients – many of which are sourced locally – Valerie’s delicious recipes led to the creation of Glenilen Farm. Their yoghurts, butter and cheesecakes are now available in supermarket shelves across the country but it is only now, after 20 years in business that they have decided to diversify their offering and create products for the Dunnes Stores Simply Better range.
“It’s been a big step for us,” explains Alan. “For many years, we have been focused on building our own brand and telling our story of provenance, people and sustainability. Now that our Glenilen Farm brand is well established, we feel we are ready to branch out into different projects that compliment it. It helps our production and efficiency of course and in business, you have to keep moving and be ready for change. This is an exciting move for us.”
Two new lines and six new flavours
The new range of Dunnes Stores Simply Better yoghurts is all about embracing health.
Simply Better range of yoghurts from Glenilen Farm. \ Donal O'Leary
There are six new yoghurts being introduced in the fridges of Dunnes Stores this weekend. Alan explains: “We have three ‘thick and creamy’ lines and three ‘0% fat’ lines.”
Thick and creamy flavours include Irish Raspberry; Irish Strawberry and Blackberry; and Irish Rhubarb while the 0% fat includes Natural; Irish Strawberry and the more exotic Alphonso Mango and Passion Fruit.
Live cultures
These yoghurts are healthier than many other yoghurts that you’ll find on shelf. Not only are they using locally sourced Irish milk and fruit (where possible), this new range contains 14 live kefir cultures.
Explaining the benefits of kefir, Louise Sweetnam from Glenilen Farm who has developed the Dunnes Stores Simply Better range explains: “We eat to fuel our bodies, but we should also eat food as medicine. This is not in the traditional ‘take medicine when you find a problem’ but eating your food as a positive proactive means of staving off ill effects over time and providing your body and gut with ongoing healthy benefits.
“The connection between our gut and brain – the vagus nerve – is central to our gut-brain connection. There has been plenty of research conducted linking gut health with live cultures. And these friendly bacteria are alive during the entire life cycle of our yoghurt packs.”
Tastes good too
While some people enjoy kefir, others can find the fermented milk quite acidic and astringent which is another benefit of the yoghurts: you’re getting all that good bacteria in a delicious creamy yoghurt.
Whether it’s the tarty flavours of the rhubarb or the sweetness of Irish strawberries, the tasting experience is all about indulgence with the benefits of healthy bacteria.
Alan says it’s great that brands like Dunnes Stores Simply Better are supporting family farm businesses such as themselves, although he does admit the process takes a bit longer.
“When you’re working off someone else’s spec and decisions, it can take more time but it’s been a fun and exciting project. It’s a bit of a change from walking into the room and getting sign off from Valerie, the real boss,” he laughs.
Read more
Simply Better advertorial: organic packs a punch of flavour
Advertorial: a Simply Better taste of Leinster
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