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ALICIA BRESLAN
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Alicia and her family produce a range of award-winning sugar-free specialty preserves and fermented, probiotic foods and drinks. Combining wild foraged herbs, blossoms, and berries with farmed fruits and vegetables, all ingredients are seasonal, freshly picked, and hand- processed.
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Based just outside Benburb in County Armagh, we make our award-winning original Amberline Preserves using fresh ingredients foraged from our bio/eco-farm near Peatland’s Park. Together with my husband, Seamus, we work the land and sell our fresh and ambient produce at farmers' markets throughout Ireland.​
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Running a farm, there can be a surplus of production and I hate waste so I began to make preserves and fermented foods. The origins of my products come from an age-old tradition that is enjoying a renaissance with both gourmet and health-conscious consumers. In my native Poland, fermenting foods is a time-honoured way to not only extend the use of food, but to aid digestive and overall health.
I wanted to make colourful products, full of goodness, that deliver intense and unusual flavour pairings. Too many preserves and pickles are packed with sugars - on average up to 60% content - and it's not necessary. Nor is the addition of artificial sweeteners.
All of our produce is eco/bio-farmed. No chemicals have been used on our farm for over 30 years. Combining wild foraged herbs, blossoms, and berries with our farmed fruits and vegetables, all ingredients in our products are seasonal, freshly picked, and hand-processed, and contain at least 70% fresh produce.
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Our full range of products includes preserves, confitures, syrups, cordials, pestos, savoury preserves and sauces, and prebiotic foods and drinks in a variety of innovative flavour combinations. All of our products are FREE FROM gluten, dairy, egg, soy. GMO, palm oil, preservatives and colourings.
Our preserve and cordial range is created with only naturally occurring sugars, and is particularly popular with parents of young children, those on a sugar-controlled diet, and the health-conscious seeking a satisfying alternative to traditionally sugar-laden products, without compromising on taste. Some of my favourites include Pineapple & Mango and Strawberry & Rose Petal preserves, and Spiced Elderberry cordial. From our vast range of naturally preserved raw sauerkrauts and kimchis, customer favourites are spicy Muhammara and my original Capsi d'Or dips, and a range of sauerkrauts flavoured with turmeric, black pepper, beets, and my homage to Ireland, Celtic Kraut, full of kale, savoy cabbage and turnips.
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We're proud that our products have received the good food seal of approval by chefs throughout greater Belfast, recognised and recommended as local, honest, traceable and, most importantly, delicious.
We invite you to try our range of natural products and hope that you enjoy them nearly as much as we enjoy making them for you.
LEANNE DE CERBO
URBAN KITCHEN FOODS
A former journalist and editor, during a transition into digital media Leanne began questioning the perception of 'health' foods and researching alternative ingredients for traditional foods. Focusing on the functional, she develops recipes to create treats that look good, taste good, and do good
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Born in Sydney, Australia, I began my career in PR and media. Moving to London and on to Dublin, I worked as a columnist, reporter, and editor for the Irish Independent, the Hollywood Reporter, Irish Tatler, The Mail on Sunday, and Social & Personal.
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I was fortunate to visit some of the world's best restaurants, hotels, and spas, writing food and lifestyle features, reviews, interviews, and directing photoshoots. One of the greatest highlights was my stay at the legendary Villa d'Este, Lake Como, where I visited the kitchens and vegetable garden, interviewed the chefs, and tasted some of the best food of my life.
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During a transition into digital media, my focus began to wander and I started experimenting with making chocolate. This diversion developed into COCOLAT Wellness Chocolate and the founding of a functional foods range, URBAN KITCHEN Foods.
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COCOLAT garnered attention and I began working with The Westin Hotel to create custom-made chocolates for in-room amenities, in conjunction with Starwood Hotels health and wellness programme. The patisserie range followed and led to custom orders and vegan afternoon teas, catering, events, and weddings.
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A growing interest in plant-based foods - and how it truly is possible to have your cake and eat it whilst enhancing your well-being - led to tastings and demonstrations with customers, and Irish and visiting food technology students from colleges, such as L'Université Régionale des Métiers de l'Artisanat, Pays de la Loire.
We live in an automatic age where everything is on tap and readily available to us, from the constant stream of world news to the activities of friends and family, fast food and fashion. In this instant world, is it really surprising that the careful craft of the handmade is often ignored and forgotten?
It takes time to learn and utilise skills that create quality products but, outside of our kitchens and workshops, real-time is fast and fleeting and we are at the mercy of changing tastes and fads.
Real, natural, and sustainable have long been neglected in favour of the faux and the fast. We wanted to find meaning in things and how they are made, so we did it ourselves. We created GREEN to revive what has become niche instead of the everyday.
Green living is about keeping yourself healthy and happy. Our bodies put up with a lot every day, from fast food to air pollution to a poor night’s sleep, so being aware of toxins and preventing them from entering into your environment is the first step to living clean.
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Whether you think about it or not, you have an impact on your environment every day with every choice that you make. You can make a difference, very simply, by choosing clothing, homeware, food, and packaging that is as natural, sustainable, reusable, and recyclable as possible.
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Read labels, check the ingredients in your food and the fabric in your linens, soft furnishings and accessories. Do something as simple as switching to eco-friendly materials that are natural and sustainable.
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We don't want chemicals and preservatives or plastic and synthetics. The products we make and our packaging choices are created from renewable and natural resources that enable more use, less waste, and are easily recycled.
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If you appreciate what GREEN is all about and want to be part of it, browse around and CONTACT US to find out more. We look forward to hearing from you.