IRISH chocolate is set to be on the Christmas list for thousands of Mancunians after a presentation of fine food and drink from Ireland in Manchester.
Bord Bia brought more than 40 fine food companies to Manchester yesterday to present their wares.
The companies ranged from Farmhouse Cheeses and Ballymaloe to Golden Vale and West Cork Herb Farm.
The event, sponsored by AIB, attracted north western companies, including co ops CWS and CRS as well as Littlewoods and regional department store E H Botth.
Mr Aidan Cotter, European manager of Bord Bia, said Botth had been very impressed by the Skelligs Chocolate Company. "There is a possibility that Skelligs chocolates could be on the shelves by Christmas," Mr Cotter said. "That is extremely fast and is a measure of the impact we are making here. Normal lead times are up to 12 months.
"May of the other companies here are also hoping to get on the shelves by Christmas," he added.
Mr Cotter added that Britain was the largest single market for Irish food, with sales there last year of more than £1.7 billion - around 30 per cent of total Irish food exports. This gives Ireland just over 10 per cent of the British import market, making it the second largest supplier after France.
