Business partners Valerie O’Hanlon from Co Carlow and Galwegian Susan Rouine have a long history together. They met while studying at the Dublin College of Catering. They married army officers stationed at the Curragh and they went into business together after their children started school
   The women run the Harvest Kitchen, a food and wine shop in Naas, Co Kildare.
“ It’s great working together,” said O’Hanlon. “Quality of service is the most important thing for us, and I know when on of us can’t be at the shop, there’s always someone who thinks the same way who is.”
   Rouine added: “When we started out, we both had small children, so we relied on each other for help and support. We’re both trained in catering and being self-employed was important.”
   After their studies, Rouine worked as assistant catering manager in Trinity College for six years and spent three years with Campbells Catering. O’Hanlon worked as a management consultant and market researcher for Grogan Associates and Eukon Consulting in Dublin.
“ Even in those days, commuting to Dublin was a nightmare, so starting up together in Naas seemed right,” said O’Hanlon.
   In 1991, they opened the Chapel Gallery restaurant and coffee shop employing 20 staff. Seven years later, they decided on a change of emphasis and moved to smaller premises where they opened the Cuisine de Vendange gourmet food shop.
  “ There was nothing like it in Naas at the time. Only a few years ago, Irish supermarkets weren’t really selling specialist foods, so we saw a niche in the market,” said O’Hanlon.
  “ People today are more interested in their food – just look at all the cookbooks out there – and people are more travelled these days too. “They come and ask us for things they ate and enjoyed on their holidays.”
   While refurbishing the shop after a spate of burglaries in 2001, they decided to add a deli-style eat in facility and changed the name to Harvest Kitchen.
   Harvest Kitchen sells a range of locally-sourced meats and cheeses, homemade preserves, chutneys, marinades, mustards, oils and imported wines. It produces its own homemade pesto and offers freshly-made gourmet deli lunches.
   Rouine and O’Hanlon have always supplied Christmas and corporate gift hampers, and the business is setting up a website to offer online ordering for national and international distribution.
“ Naas has grown a lot since the early days and we do have competition from some newly-established chains here,” said O’Hanlon.
“ We differentiate with well-sourced ingredients in our products and a personal level of service that our customers enjoy returning to.”

  At Harvest Kitchen in Naas, Valerie O’Hanlon is selling loads of Roasted Red Pepper Sesame Sauce, at €5.25, from Stonewall Kitchens. “A delicate yet vibrant sauce, which is excellent served with grilled seafood, chicken, pork or tossed in warm/chilled pasta.
  “The sauce is delicious served on the side as a dipping sauce.” The perfect standby for all those unplanned meals.
  Lemon Pear Marmalade, at €5.99, by the same company was a recent award winner and while it is perfect in toast it can, apparently, also be served as a sauce for chicken or ham by de-glazing the pan with white wine and then adding the marmalade. Or try drizzled over vanilla ice-cream.
  Castle Leslie Spiced Pear Chutney, €15, comes in a 425g Kilner jar (perfect packaging) and is “amazing with Arabic dishes like cous-cous, roast pork or mature chedder cheese”.

Harvest Kitchen Luxury Gift Basket
€100

Highs: This has all manner of lush goodies crammed into a comparatively small wicker basket. The presentation is excellent and even the packaging used to bulk it up for display is considered: its shredded newspaper is a lot more environmentally sound than the polystyrene balls used in some of the other hampers. The two bottles of Argentinean wine and the gingerbread man aside, everything has been sourced from small Irish producers.
The West Cork Herb Farm pepper relish is a highlight and the jams, marmalades and gourmet chocolates are pretty good too. It's also the only hamper with (divine-smelling) mulled wine spices.

Lows: Hard to fault the contents, but come New Year the basket will end up as an incredibly twee shopping basket or as clutter under your stairs.

Verdict: A great present.

The Harvest Kitchen.
  With over 15 years experience, the Harvest Kitchen in Naas, Co. Kildare, offers delicacies sourced worldwide, ideal for easing the entertaining worries of colleagues and friends this Christmas. The Harvest Kitchen Café and shop carries a wide range of foods and wines to suit any occasion, enabling each hamper to be tailored to match your requirements.
  Dips, marinades and marmalades both native and global; tasty mustards; and a selection of additive free chutneys, jellies, preserves and oils from west Cork, home-made, and flavoured with herbs from the garden are also available. A wide selection of gourmet chocolates, homemade desserts and fine wines from which to choose too. Your own problem will be making the selection. Hampers range from €35 upward in price and can be delivered nationwide (local delivery is free.)

  Well known Naas eatery The Harvest Kitchen has launched their new hamper range just in time for the Christmas market.
  With over 15 years experience in the industry the locally based team behind the Harvest Kitchen are renowned for offering customers delicacies sourced from Ireland, Canada and the US among others.
  Their latest venture in the form of customised Christmas Hampers has already proved to be a big hit among their loyal customers.
  “This Christmas why not ease the entertaining worries of a colleague, friend or loved one with a gourmet food hamper locally from The Harvest Kitchen, Naas. The Harvest Kitchen cafe and shop on the Sallins Road, carries a wide range of foods and wines to suit any occasion,” said a Harvest Kitchen spokesperson.
  Staff at the Naas cafe can customise each hamper to match any taste, occasion or budget. Hampers range from €35 upward in price.
  “Customers can choose from the wide selection of treats, sure to please any lucky recipient this Christmas,” she added.
The Harvest Kitchen offers a wide variety of dips, marinades and marmalades from Ireland and around the world. A selection of additive free chutneys, jellies, preserves and oils from west Cork, homemade, and flavoured with herbs from the garden are also available.
  “Hampers can also include tasty mustards and sauces sure to add the finishing touch to the perfect meal. Finally, a wide selection of gourmet chocolates, homemade desserts and fine wines are available to tempt and satisfy,” she said.
  Hampers can be delivered nationwide and local delivery is free.