Lecale Kitchen launches original range of single serve meals

By SAM BUTLER

Lecale Kitchen in Ballynahinch has launched a new range of ready to cook dishes that offer gourmet meals on a single-serve basis.

The new range features meal for one dishes such as chilli con carne with boiled rice and paella in 400gm packs that can be ready in 10 minutes. They are the latest convenient dishes from the small company that’s owned by husband and wife team Patrice and Joy Bonnargent with daughter Perrine.

Joy explains: “We saw an opportunity in the marketplace to create a delicious selection of convenient meals on a single serve.

“They’ve been prepared by us with the best ingredients to provide a quick and delicious meal for one.”

The company has won acclaim for an original range of French influenced meals inspired by Patrice’s background in Tours.

He is an experienced chef who has developed a successful seafood business that includes exporting oysters and other seafood to France.

The latest L’s Kitchen branded just heat and eat tasty dishes have a two-month shelf-life and are produced without preservatives.

Lecale’s latest Kitchen range reflects the company’s roots in classic French cuisine of its founder Patrice Bonnargent, originally from the Loire and based in Northern Ireland for almost 30 years.

Produced at Harvest’s state-of-the-art processing operation at Ballynahinch in County Down, the company enjoys strong business for established French-style dishes: Beef Bourguignon; Confit Duck Cassoulet with pork belly and Toulouse sausage; and Confit Duck and Puy Lentils.

The small company has already established business in the UK, including customers such as Cotswold Fayre, and has won a Blas na hEireann Irish Food award.

The successful business began growing and marketing fresh oysters, mussels and other seafood.

Patrice developed his own sustainable oyster and mussel beds at Killough on the Down coastline.

In addition to selling these locally, especially to high-end restaurants, he exports the fresh products to France.

He launched Lecale Harvest to develop the Killough oyster business around 20 years ago and subsequently decided to diversify into the creation of other dishes due to the seasonal nature of seafood in Northern Ireland.

The first step was the creation of an extensive range of pates in jars three years ago and subsequently moved into other food products.