For Irish households up and down the country at Christmas who wish to celebrate the season in a different way, Simply Better producers have stepped in to fill the gap.
Skeaghanore West Cork Farm and Noone Poultry are keeping traditions alive and trialling new ideas with Simply Better.
Eugene and Helena Hickey, decided to start their Skeaghanore duck business in 1994. They couldn’t ignore the fact that their small dairy farm had been struggling to remain profitable. “We had about 50 cows on it, but you needed a second income to be able to live on it,” explains Helena.
With some help from Teagasc and the Department of Agriculture, the Hickeys set up a small abattoir on the dairy farm and converted and built sheds in the farmyard to rear and process ducks.
“We started supplying duck to restaurants and the local shops, and they gave us great encouragement and support to keep going. We named our brand after Skeaghanore, the townland around us.
“Around that time, I had a couple of kids and I went in to restaurants with my duck in one arm and my kids in the other, and I said: would you like it?” Helena jokes. “It went from there. You have a bit of fun when you’re doing these things,” she says, with a laugh. “When you’re starting off, you do things that you might never expect to do.”
Food awards
Over 20 years on, the business operation is much larger from where the Hickeys first started. The second-generation of the Hickey family (sons Daniel and Joseph) are now involved.
They moved into a 5,000 sq ft modern factory in 2014 to further expand the
operation, and another six staff members have been employed.
The state-of-the-art facilities also meant that Skeaghanore West Cork Farm had the capacity to take on and trade with retailers like Simply Better, who approached the Hickeys after they swept the board at Blas na hÉireann food awards in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Gerard Noone and his sons, Michael and Kevin, produce chickens for Simply Better. \ Clive Wasson
“Simply Better have been very good to us,” Helena says. “They’re so approachable and if there’s any correction to be made, it’s dealt with.”
Together, Skeaghanore and Simply Better have developed the range to include: Simply Better Confit Duck Legs, Simply Better Irish Smoked Breast of Duck and Simply Better Duck Fat. Last year, they added Simply Better Fresh Whole Duck to the range.
“We thank Simply Better for taking us on and keeping us on for so long. During COVID, it was great because we weren’t trading as much with restaurants.”
The fact that families are now much smaller means that duck has become a more popular option over Christmas, explains Helena.
“There’s a lot of couples or families with two or three people, and duck is ideal for the small family,” she says.
“Although turkey is lovely, there can be a lot left over. When there’s only one or two people, a duck is great because you can eat all of it for Christmas. Even for four people, you could get two ducks and cut the two of them in half, and you have half a duck each.
“People say duck is fatty but it isn’t. It’s a lovely, soft meat, and the fat is only there if you eat it. Otherwise, you can cook it off and then do your roast potatoes in it.
“There’s also a lot of people that are eating duck for Christmas because they’re tired of the turkey,” she adds. “You can still do a duck with your ham to have something different.”
When it comes to serving, Helena’s advice is simple. “If you don’t like it, why do you do it?” It’s something for all of us to remember as we fill our plates at Christmas.
“Do something you like,” she emphasises. “I roast the whole duck, and I stuff it a little bit with bread stuffing.
“A lot of people put in orange and lemon or apple into the cavity, and just let that seep into the meat as it cooks. It’s infusing all these tastes or flavours into it.”
Noone Poultry produce chickens for Simply Better. \ Clive Wasson
Noone Poultry
At the other end of the country, Noone Poultry is a third-generation poultry business farming 120ac in the northern part of Co Donegal. Originally farming sheep and cattle, the Clonmany farm decided to try something different and expand their business to include poultry.
Owner Gerard Noone and his sons, Michael and Kevin, produce chickens for Simply Better, and the journey of the family business is one which many farmers may relate to, one of innovation and diversification.
About 13 years ago, when Michael returned home after college, he had a serious think about the future of the farm.
“I decided that we needed to do something different and I looked at the poultry side of it,” he explains.
The family decided to take a leap and start to scale the production of chicken. Michael is now leading the chicken business, and he says that diversifying away from cattle and sheep retained and created jobs on the farm for his father, Gerard, who owns the business; Josephine, his mother, who manages the finances; as well as his younger brother, Kevin, who looks after livestock.
“We’re all involved one way or another, and diversifying has been good for us and gave us more opportunities,” Michael says. “It allowed me to come back to the farm full time and employ
six other people in a rural part of Donegal.”
Noone Poultry was initially trading locally with independent butchers and local retailers, and they began working with Simply Better about three years ago. It’s been “going from strength to strength”, Michael remarks. “We got Bord Bia approval on our farm, and that led us into supplying. That was a big step.
“Simply Better have been very helpful and patient with us. They have held our hand through the process, and have helped us to learn exactly what happens to get up to specification for retail.”
This will be Noone’s second year of producing chickens for Christmas with Simply Better. They have a Simply Better Slow Reared Whole Chicken and a Large Roasting Chicken on the shelves for Christmas week. Herein lies the secret behind a festive Christmas table, Michael reveals: the element of choice.
“Turkey doesn’t suit everybody’s taste,” Michael says, “and the chicken is definitely a good, viable, reasonably priced option. It will serve a household of six or seven no problem. It is a quality product and good value for money compared to a turkey.”
Moist and full of flavour, choosing chicken over turkey does not mean compromising on quality either, he insists. Chicken should be served just like a turkey on Christmas Day.
Skeaghanore West Cork Farm have an expansive duck range with
Simply Better. \ Donal O’ Leary
“A good tip is for the chicken to be cooked upside down, which lets the fat deposits on the back of the chicken drip down through the breast of the bird.
“It should be served as a roast
dinner and carved the same way as a turkey,” concludes Michael.
Neven’s delicious festive duck recipe.
Scan the QR code to make Neven’s delicious festive duck recipe
For Irish households up and down the country at Christmas who wish to celebrate the season in a different way, Simply Better producers have stepped in to fill the gap.
Skeaghanore West Cork Farm and Noone Poultry are keeping traditions alive and trialling new ideas with Simply Better.
Eugene and Helena Hickey, decided to start their Skeaghanore duck business in 1994. They couldn’t ignore the fact that their small dairy farm had been struggling to remain profitable. “We had about 50 cows on it, but you needed a second income to be able to live on it,” explains Helena.
With some help from Teagasc and the Department of Agriculture, the Hickeys set up a small abattoir on the dairy farm and converted and built sheds in the farmyard to rear and process ducks.
“We started supplying duck to restaurants and the local shops, and they gave us great encouragement and support to keep going. We named our brand after Skeaghanore, the townland around us.
“Around that time, I had a couple of kids and I went in to restaurants with my duck in one arm and my kids in the other, and I said: would you like it?” Helena jokes. “It went from there. You have a bit of fun when you’re doing these things,” she says, with a laugh. “When you’re starting off, you do things that you might never expect to do.”
Food awards
Over 20 years on, the business operation is much larger from where the Hickeys first started. The second-generation of the Hickey family (sons Daniel and Joseph) are now involved.
They moved into a 5,000 sq ft modern factory in 2014 to further expand the
operation, and another six staff members have been employed.
The state-of-the-art facilities also meant that Skeaghanore West Cork Farm had the capacity to take on and trade with retailers like Simply Better, who approached the Hickeys after they swept the board at Blas na hÉireann food awards in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Gerard Noone and his sons, Michael and Kevin, produce chickens for Simply Better. \ Clive Wasson
“Simply Better have been very good to us,” Helena says. “They’re so approachable and if there’s any correction to be made, it’s dealt with.”
Together, Skeaghanore and Simply Better have developed the range to include: Simply Better Confit Duck Legs, Simply Better Irish Smoked Breast of Duck and Simply Better Duck Fat. Last year, they added Simply Better Fresh Whole Duck to the range.
“We thank Simply Better for taking us on and keeping us on for so long. During COVID, it was great because we weren’t trading as much with restaurants.”
The fact that families are now much smaller means that duck has become a more popular option over Christmas, explains Helena.
“There’s a lot of couples or families with two or three people, and duck is ideal for the small family,” she says.
“Although turkey is lovely, there can be a lot left over. When there’s only one or two people, a duck is great because you can eat all of it for Christmas. Even for four people, you could get two ducks and cut the two of them in half, and you have half a duck each.
“People say duck is fatty but it isn’t. It’s a lovely, soft meat, and the fat is only there if you eat it. Otherwise, you can cook it off and then do your roast potatoes in it.
“There’s also a lot of people that are eating duck for Christmas because they’re tired of the turkey,” she adds. “You can still do a duck with your ham to have something different.”
When it comes to serving, Helena’s advice is simple. “If you don’t like it, why do you do it?” It’s something for all of us to remember as we fill our plates at Christmas.
“Do something you like,” she emphasises. “I roast the whole duck, and I stuff it a little bit with bread stuffing.
“A lot of people put in orange and lemon or apple into the cavity, and just let that seep into the meat as it cooks. It’s infusing all these tastes or flavours into it.”
Noone Poultry produce chickens for Simply Better. \ Clive Wasson
Noone Poultry
At the other end of the country, Noone Poultry is a third-generation poultry business farming 120ac in the northern part of Co Donegal. Originally farming sheep and cattle, the Clonmany farm decided to try something different and expand their business to include poultry.
Owner Gerard Noone and his sons, Michael and Kevin, produce chickens for Simply Better, and the journey of the family business is one which many farmers may relate to, one of innovation and diversification.
About 13 years ago, when Michael returned home after college, he had a serious think about the future of the farm.
“I decided that we needed to do something different and I looked at the poultry side of it,” he explains.
The family decided to take a leap and start to scale the production of chicken. Michael is now leading the chicken business, and he says that diversifying away from cattle and sheep retained and created jobs on the farm for his father, Gerard, who owns the business; Josephine, his mother, who manages the finances; as well as his younger brother, Kevin, who looks after livestock.
“We’re all involved one way or another, and diversifying has been good for us and gave us more opportunities,” Michael says. “It allowed me to come back to the farm full time and employ
six other people in a rural part of Donegal.”
Noone Poultry was initially trading locally with independent butchers and local retailers, and they began working with Simply Better about three years ago. It’s been “going from strength to strength”, Michael remarks. “We got Bord Bia approval on our farm, and that led us into supplying. That was a big step.
“Simply Better have been very helpful and patient with us. They have held our hand through the process, and have helped us to learn exactly what happens to get up to specification for retail.”
This will be Noone’s second year of producing chickens for Christmas with Simply Better. They have a Simply Better Slow Reared Whole Chicken and a Large Roasting Chicken on the shelves for Christmas week. Herein lies the secret behind a festive Christmas table, Michael reveals: the element of choice.
“Turkey doesn’t suit everybody’s taste,” Michael says, “and the chicken is definitely a good, viable, reasonably priced option. It will serve a household of six or seven no problem. It is a quality product and good value for money compared to a turkey.”
Moist and full of flavour, choosing chicken over turkey does not mean compromising on quality either, he insists. Chicken should be served just like a turkey on Christmas Day.
Skeaghanore West Cork Farm have an expansive duck range with
Simply Better. \ Donal O’ Leary
“A good tip is for the chicken to be cooked upside down, which lets the fat deposits on the back of the chicken drip down through the breast of the bird.
“It should be served as a roast
dinner and carved the same way as a turkey,” concludes Michael.
Neven’s delicious festive duck recipe.
Scan the QR code to make Neven’s delicious festive duck recipe
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