The self-inflicted wound of Brexit may continue to be the political dividing line between the UK and Ireland, but as such close neighbours, trade continues to flow from both sides of the border and the Irish Sea. In 2021, the UK proved to be the third-largest market for Irish exports while being the largest source of imports for the Emerald Isle.
This translated to Irish exports into the UK being worth $21.5 billion that year, but in 2022, those figures increased yet again. In the latest factsheet from the UK government on Irish trade and investment, it was found that the UK imported some £28.4 billion to mark over a 21 per cent increase on the year prior.
There’s a tremendous amount of Irish produce and goods coming to the UK for businesses and consumers, but here, we’ll look at some of the best of Ireland that you may need to go to or order from the nation to enjoy.
Great Irish foods and brands
Source: Unsplash
The best place to start looking for the finest foods that Ireland has to offer is the award winners. For cheese lovers, the Irish Food Writers’ Guild Food Awards heaped praise onto one in particular: Coolfin cheese from the Kylemore Farmhouse in Galway. The semi-hard cheese is handmade on the farm in the foothills of Sliabh Aughty, giving it a distinct flavour and smooth texture, with a whole wheel of the good stuff costing €120 at 5kg.
If it’s more of a proven brand that you’d like to get stocked away in your cupboard, you can’t go wrong with Ireland’s favourite: Ballymaloe. They make a huge range of relishes, dressings, pasta sauces, glazes, and Irish beetroot jars. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to find the brand in Sainsbury’s stores with an Irish section, be near one of the 526 Tesco stores that stock it, or you could just see if Ocado has any in stock.
Lucky Irish entertainment
Source: Pixabay
The Irish are a notoriously, even stereotypically, superstitious bunch – or so the prevailing superstitions would have you believe. Common ideas of single magpies bringing sorrow, half-pennies giving good luck, an itchy nose being a sign of a fight to come, and getting hit by bird droppings being good luck. Then, there’s the symbology of the horseshoe and four-leafed clover that also hail good luck.
So, it won’t come as a surprise that the Irish have created a particularly strong online casino offering. Despite featuring the top slots and live tables, and live game shows from a whole host of the most popular providers, it’s actually the welcome bonus that first catches the eye. Book of Dead is, by far, the most popular high-volatility slot in the world, and at The Clubhouse Casino, you get 100 free spins on it as soon as you deposit any sum.
Crafty Irish homeware
Source: Pexels
Ceramics is an ancient art that the Irish have revelled in for centuries. The oldest found pottery artefacts date back 6000 years, and today, Ireland produces some of the finest pottery in Europe. The rich tradition continues to be upheld by the Irish Design Shop, where you can get the ever-popular Terracotta Teapot, artistic Abstract Porcelain Bowls, and the novel Spouted Bowl.
If you want to capitalise on the UK’s close trading relations with the Irish, be sure to check out the very best of what the Emerald Isle has to offer.
