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A passion for quality food, a career in finance and studying nutrition all led Carol Banahan to set up her business, Carol’s Stock Market, in 2018. After leaving her career in finance and moving back to Ireland from Canada, Carol wanted to reinvent her career to focus on things she was passionate about.
“I have always been a very keen home cook,” she says. “Food and nutrition play a big role in my life and I have always made my own stock.”
After doing some research, Carol found there was a gap in the market for traditional Irish stocks and bone broths. She then began production from her kitchen; at first selling her products in farmers markets.
Now living in Donegal and manufacturing her own brand (Carol’s Stock Market) in Derry, Carol has recently expanded production to begin supplying the Dunnes Stores Simply Better range. Her products include free-range chicken stock, Irish Angus beef stock and her signature slow cooked bone both.
Broth
“Humans have been making bone broths for generations. Boiling bones for nutrition is actually one of the earliest examples of human cuisine. As our lives are now busier, people have moved away from making traditional broth – however, bone broth has become popular in recent years.
“It offers a product with a high collagen content,” Carol continues. “We need that for our bones, hair joints and skin and, if it is made properly, it is a highly digestible form of collagen.”
When it comes to production, Carol keeps very strict standards to ensure ingredients are never compromised. “Everything that goes into our broth is Irish and from reputable sources,” she says. “We make our broths from free range turkeys and free range chickens and we try to source as many local vegetables as possible.”
The process of making her slow cooked stocks and broth involves roasting bones in the oven before simmering with fresh herbs, vegetables and seasoning.
“We cook ours [slowly] for 24 hours, so all the minerals from the bones are extracted,” Carol says.
She also explains how bone broth can be very soothing for your gut as it helps support your immune system. “The healing properties of bone broth is something that goes back generations. For example, it is known that having chicken soup when you have cold helps clear your airways and sinuses.”
Magical process
It is obvious that Carol is extremely passionate about every batch she makes. “I go in first thing in the morning, open the lid and I never get tired of what’s in the pot. Something which may be a waste product for some [like bones] can yield something truly useful for the human body and it is a very magical process.”
The conversations between Carol and the Simply Better team began a few years ago and, in November 2022, her products reached the shelves of Dunnes Stores.
Carol says the support from the Simply Better team at Dunnes Stores comes on many levels. “They gave us realistic expectations from the word go and they have been excellent in communicating what they want whilst also keeping us in the loop of everything.
“Any producers who work with the Simply Better brand say their support is a game changer because they are a great team to work with,” she adds. “They really care and always help to straighten out any issues.”
Carol says one of the most helpful things they have done is tell her story as a small producer. “They give us a platform, they give us credit and they are proud to work with us.”
After winning the chef’s larder award at Blás na hÉireann in 2023 for the Simply Better slow cooked bone broth, Carol is excited about the opportunities 2024 will bring.
Neven Maguire’s Braised Asian Beef Hot Pot
Ingredients (Serves 4)
1 Simply Better Irish Angus Eye
of the Round Beef
2 tbsp Simply Better Cold Pressed
Irish Rapeseed Oil
4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 red chilli, cut into thin rings
20g packet fresh coriander, finely chopped (including stalks)
250ml Simply Better Slow Cooked Bone Broth
3 tbsp Simply Better Irish Made Soy
& Ginger Sauce
3 tbsp Simply Better Irish Made Hoisin Sauce
300g Simply Better Organic Jasmine Rice
1 pack Simply Better Asian Style Greens
2 tbsp Simply Better Handmade
Peanut & Chilli Rayu
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 Remove the eye of the round beef joint from the packaging, cut off the string and dry with kitchen paper. Leave on a plate for one hour to come to room temperature.
2 Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F/ Gas Mark 7). Heat a 2 litre casserole pot over a high heat. Season the beef lightly with salt and plenty of black pepper. Add half the oil and sear the beef all over until well browned and the fat has gone golden brown, this will take 3-4 minutes, then put on a plate.
3 Tip the garlic and chilli into the casserole pot and stir-fry for a minute with a wooden spatula until sizzling. Pour in the bone broth and allow to bubble down a little, then stir in the soy & ginger and hoisin sauce with most of the coriander, reserving a handful of the leaves to garnish.
4 Put the beef back into the casserole pot, fat side up and roast for 90 minutes at 180°C (350F/Gas Mark 4).
5 Remove the braised beef from the oven and cover the joint loosely with tin foil, then leave to rest for 20 minutes.
6 Meanwhile, rinse the rice in a sieve under cold running water. Tip into a saucepan and add a pinch of salt and cover with enough water to come 2cm above the rice (the first joint on your little finger is a good guide). Bring to a simmer, then stir well to separate the grains. Cover and cook over a low heat for 8 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave to steam undisturbed for another 10 minutes for perfectly fluffy rice.
7 Heat a wok over a high heat and add the rest of the oil. Tip in the Asian green vegetables and stir-fry according to packet instructions. Drizzle over the dressing. Transfer the beef to a carving board and carve into slices, then arrange on plates with the Jasmine rice and Asian green vegetables. Drizzle the peanut & chilli rayu over the rice and scatter the reserved coriander on the beef to serve.
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