I've been meaning to write this post for a while now. With our 15th anniversary of selling Broighter Gold just behind us - we made our very first sale on 3rd June 2011 - it felt like the right moment to sit down, reflect, and share a little of the journey with you. Where we came from, where we are now, and the extraordinary people and places that have helped us get here.
So, if you'll bear with me - here's our story, in my own words.
How It All Began
Richard's family has been farming at Broglasco Farm in Myroe, Limavady, for over 126 years. He is a sixth generation farmer - the land, the seasons, the soil - it's all part of who he is. But the idea for Broighter Gold didn't come from a business plan or a market opportunity. It came from the kitchen, quite by accident, one evening in 2009.
I was making tea and had run out of olive oil. Richard brought in some of the cold pressed rapeseed oil from the farm - unfiltered, straight from the press - and I used it to cook two fillet steaks and make a dressing for the salad. I still remember the smell of it. The steaks didn't burn. The flavour was clean, buttery, with none of the bitterness you get from olive oil. We looked at each other and laughed - "that's our Broighter Gold," Richard said. And that was it. That was the spark.
We spent the next two years building the business - pressing, filtering, branding, learning everything there was to know about bringing a food product to market. It wasn't easy. There were plenty of challenges, late nights and moments of doubt. But on 3rd June 2011, we sold our first bottle. That day will always mean everything to me.
Growing the Range
We started with our plain virgin cold pressed rapeseed oil - and that remains the heart of everything we do. But over the years, we've developed a whole range of infused oils that have taken on a life of their own. Rosemary & Garlic. Lemon. Chilli. Basil. Garlic. Thai Inspired. Hickory Smoked. Truffle, and 24 carat gold leaf. Each one developed in our kitchen, tested endlessly, and only released when we were genuinely proud of it.
The Hickory Smoked oil in particular has become something of a customer favourite - and honestly, I understand why. That deep, smoky warmth is unlike anything else on the shelf. It's become the oil I reach for when I want a dish to feel a little bit special.
Alongside the oils, we've built out gift sets, accessories, and farm experiences - including our farm tours and Quilly House dining and cookery demonstrations with big intentions of creating the North Wests first cookery school in the coming year. Welcoming people onto the farm and showing them exactly how the oil is made, seed to bottle, has been one of the most rewarding things we've done.
Some Moments We'll Never Forget
When I look back over 15 years, there are moments that still make me catch my breath. Noel McMeel of the Lough Erne Resort used our oil for the G8 Summit. The Queen had it at Titanic Belfast. The Irish President and President Obama have had it on their tables. We've been to the House of Lords. We attended the Queen's Garden Party at Hillsborough. We've been featured alongside James Martin, Simon Rimmer and Rachel Allen. And more recently, we were honoured to welcome the King and Queen to our farm, and home - something that we still cant quite believe happened.
None of that was part of the plan. None of it was something we could have imagined that evening in the kitchen in 2009. But every single one of those moments happened because we believed in the quality of what we were making and never cut corners on it. That belief - in the land, in the process, in the product - is what Broighter Gold is built on.
🏆 Award Winning
Over the years, Broighter Gold has collected numerous awards and accolades from leading chefs and industry bodies across Ireland and the UK. We are incredibly proud of every single one - not because of the trophy, but because of what it represents: the hard work of two people on a farm in Co. L'Derry who just wanted to make something genuinely good.
Who We're Proud to Supply
One of the things that fills me with the most pride is the calibre of restaurants, hotels and venues that have chosen to use Broighter Gold in their kitchens. These are places that care deeply about provenance, quality and local produce — and the fact that they trust us with their cooking means the world.
Some of our long-standing restaurant and hotel partners include:
- Galgorm Manor Resort & Spa, Ballymena
- The Lough Erne Resort, Enniskillen
- Bushmills Inn Hotel, Bushmills
- Balloo House, Killinchy
- Hastings Hotels
- James Street South, Belfast
And that's just a selection — the full list of restaurants using Broighter Gold stretches right across Northern Ireland, into the Republic, and beyond. You can find the complete list on our restaurants page.
We're also stocked in shops and delis throughout Ireland and the UK. If you'd like to find your nearest stockist, you can do that here.
What the Next Chapter Looks Like
Fifteen years in, Richard and I are more passionate about this than ever. The farm is still at the heart of everything - Richard still tends the fields, still oversees the pressing, still cares about every bottle that leaves this place. And I'm still as excited about getting Broighter Gold into new kitchens, new homes and new hands as I was the day we made that first sale.
We've invested in the farm experience side of the business - if you haven't visited us yet, I'd love for you to come. You can book a farm tour or join us at Quilly House in the near future. It's a real privilege to share this place with people who love good food.
And of course - we're always working on new ideas. Watch this space. 🌿
To everyone who has bought a bottle, cooked with our oil, recommended us to a friend, visited the farm or simply followed along on social media - thank you. From the bottom of my heart. You are the reason we're still here, still growing, and still proud of every single drop.
