We are delighted that our sausage rolls won Food/Drink Product of the Year at the Social Enterprise NI Awards on Friday!
Patrick Slanee, a Kitchen Assistant at Loaf Cafe Bakery collected the award at the Stormont Hotel on Friday for the sausage rolls he produces at the cafe.
Patrick, aged 24 from West Belfast, began working in the cafe on the Grosvenor Road as a kitchen porter in 2015 as part of the West Belfast Works programme after previously being unemployed. With the support of NOW Group he is working towards an NVQ with support from NOW’s Workable NI officer and is now the main baker of Loaf’s award winning sausage rolls.
Loaf Catering and Cafes is a social enterprise business run by NOW Group that provides outside catering across Greater Belfast and operates two City Centre cafes, The Bobbin in Belfast City Hall and Loaf Cafe Bakery opposite the entrance to the Royal Hospital on the Grosvenor Road. Loaf’s famous sausage rolls have become the hero product of the business, referred to as ‘Rolls with soul’ in recognition of the social enterprise nature of the product.
They were created by Loaf’s chefs who tested many recipes before settling on one which became the winner and have gone on to put Loaf in the spotlight. Available in several varieties including traditional pork, vegetarian and the seasonal turkey, sage and orange all of Loaf’s sausage rolls include a very hearty portion of mouth watering filling covered in melt in the mouth pastry.
Collecting the award on Friday on behalf of the team at Loaf, Patrick commented,
“My job at Loaf Cafe Bakery was my first real job, before that I was just sitting around the house playing the computer with no confidence to look for work. The team here gave me an opportunity and have supported me to progress in my job.
“I am delighted that our sausage rolls have been given this award. Our team all work really hard to make sure that our products are of a high quality, so it is brilliant that work has been recognised.”
Maeve Monaghan – CEO of NOW Group and Loaf Catering said:
“What a night and what a fantastic recognition for a fantastic team! Loaf provides training and employment opportunities for a local people with a range of learning difficulties and autism. Patrick works at Loaf’s Café on the Grosvenor Road that we have converted from a burned out bar into a vibrant business serving great food with a social return. Loaf also delivers high quality catering to businesses and special events across the Greater Belfast area – details of their menu can be found at www.loafcatering.com. We were lucky to have a staff member like Patrick who was willing to come on board, get struck in and carve out a career. NOW Group are always recruiting for participants so if you have or know of someone with a learning difficulty or autism who could benefit from NOW’s services contact – www.nowgroup.org.”