M&S go crackers for Sheridans

Sheridans Cheesemongers Brown Bread Crackers are flying the flag for Ireland in a new range of branded artisan products being sold by Marks & Spencer in over 400 M&S stores in Ireland and the UK.

The crackers are part of a selection of fine food from some 20 small producers from Ireland and Britain. Sheridans are the only Irish producers selected.

“It’s a great achievement for an outfit that began trading in Galway Market in 1995,” says Seamus Sheridan, who with his brother Kevin started selling farmhouse cheese at a stall at the city’s Market in that year.

The Sheridans soon developed a strong relationship with Ireland’s growing cheese-making sector, promoting and selling cheeses at home and abroad to become Ireland’s leading farmhouse cheese specialists.

But they weren’t satisfied with the crackers available to accompany the quality cheeses they were selling, so in 2012 they teamed up with Artisan baker Richard Graham Leigh to create their own unique range of handmade crackers.

These Irish brown bread crackers now form part of the M&S range of branded artisan foods, following an initiative by Marks and Spencer to stock quality artisan produce from across the British Isles. The high-end store began their quest in in early 2014 and included Sheridan’s Cheesmongers Brown Bread Crackers in the mix.

M&S Product development manager Melissa Webb said: “We’re really proud of the latest collection of artisan, branded foods . . . there will be over 20 new foods and ingredients from great suppliers across the British Isles.”

Sheridans Cheesemongers have played a key role in the development of the thriving Irish food scene since the mid 1990s and now have shops in Dublin, Galway, Waterford and Meath, where their HQ is located. They supply numerous specialist restaurants and shops with great cheeses and selected accompaniments, including their own range of products.

For over Sheridans have worked in partnership with their suppliers, protecting and encouraging not only Irish food heritage and sustainability –  but also new innovation and creativity in artisan production. Sheridans Cheesemongers now export their produce around the world ,including to the USA, Australia and Europe.