It’s April 2020 for the Rare Breed farmers and as the Coronavirus pandemic continues, we see how our farmers are coping with all the Health and Safety and travel restrictions in place, as we meet up with them again this Tuesday for Episode Four of ‘RARE BREED – A Farming Year’ on UTV.  

We see how our farmers protect new life in the spring, be that in plant or animal form. A familiar face from series seven pops up with the Preston family, and despite Covid-19, the farming cycle continues with cows being put out to pasture after a long winter indoors.

In April, the McGowan team is busy with fieldwork at their Co.Down vegetable farm. They are doing essential work to protect baby vegetables from weeds, birds and rabbits. They have invested heavily in miles of fabric which is draped over the crops to stop critters getting in.An added bonus is that it reduces the need for harmful insecticides. It’s physical work carrying and dragging the material and when the wind gets up, it can be quite a challenge. But as Adrian says, ‘if everyone knows what they’re doing it make is so much easier.”

Adrian explains the challenges associated with vegetable farming being so labour intensive and seasonal workers not being able to fly in from Eastern Europe.  He is, however, very happy with the local labour which is ‘working well’, commenting that “youthful energy is a wonderful thing!”

Near Randalstown in Antrim, James Alexander has new helpers joining the lambing team in the form of daughters Mya and Alesha. With 750 ewes, it’s all hands on deck, and James is delighted with how they are doing.  The girls are a dab hand at delivering the lambs, and administering the iodine spray and antibiotics for the new-borns, although they think it’s a bit ‘warm and disgusting!’ With safety constantly at the front of James’s mind, he points out that the cows are too big and dangerous for the girls to be involved with yet.    

James talks about the quality of the lamb he produces compared to foreign imports on shelves and laments, “I wish our own folk would buy our own produce.”  With near perfect weather the whole family then help with bringing the lambs out to the fields with their mothers.

Northern Ireland’s marts perform a vital role in the cycle of the agricultural sector, helping bring animals to buyers, and then on into the food chain. Near Gortin, Tyrone, like all other auctioneers, Richard Beattie (who appeared in Series seven with wife Selina) was under pressure to figure out a safe way forward. He comments, “There’s an eeriness in the town.”  The marts turned to online sales and changing how they worked on the ground. Richard has invested heavily in cameras and computers to ensure it all works.  Kenny and ZaraPreston bring some stock to the Mart and talk about how the family is coping with all the rules and restrictions, especially younger daughter Leah.

Near Tempo in Fermanagh, April is one of Andrew Little’s favourite months. His dairy cows, like many other herds, spend the colder, wetter months living indoors. Traditionally, April is when the fields are dry enough for the cattle to move outside. Andrew and his family really enjoy watching the animals return to the fields to enjoy the grass and the sun on their backs.Andrew lights up when this is all happening laughing to himself, “there’s so much to learn, maybe I’m cow mad?  You’ve good company too, cows don’t talk back!”  Once they’re out, he’s hoping they’ll be fit to stay out till October.

Andrew’s wife Margaret and mother Catherine have built a new poly tunnel to grow vegetables. Margaret has never grown vegetables before, but with the new poly tunnel they’ve ‘made a proper wee go of it’.  The two families are self- isolating as a unit and shopping is done for the two households together. Farming still has to go on, despite Covid-19 and Margaret hasn’t seen her own family in weeks, not wanting to risk taking anyillness down to them, nor bring anything back. She says, “It’s just about being sensible.”  She can’t wait to try her home grown veg once it’s ready to eat. 

UTV’s Mark McFadden narrates the series. Sponsored by Moy Park, Rare Breed – A Farming Year continues on Tuesday 2^nd February at 7.30pm on UTV.

The CHEF range created by Henderson Wholesale’s Executive Chef Carl Johannesson, in collaboration with local suppliers, has added three new dishes to its Under 500 calorie range to ring in 2021.

The new meals include Mango Chicken, Rice and Spinach, Spicy Beef and Black Bean with Noodles and Spinach, and Thai Inspired Green Curry, Rice and Spinach, all coming in at under 500 calories, specially developed by Chef Carl and his team of 17, after four new roles were created to keep up with demand.

The range is now available at over 90 SPAR, EUROSPAR, ViVO and ViVOXTRA stores and supermarkets across Northern Ireland.

Neal Kelly, Fresh Foods Director at Henderson Group commented; “Our local own-brand fresh ranges are going from strength to strength. The Chef Range will be a £2m retail brand in NI during 2021 and we will continue to invest this year in both the facility and the Brand to allow our customers to enjoy more quality options for tonight’s tea.

“The Under 500 calorie range launched in June 2020, and Carl and his team of cooks in our specially built kitchen in Randalstown are continuing to create dishes which celebrate flavours from around the world, using the best meat, poultry and produce from our local suppliers. The nutritious range is portion controlled to ensure the correct amount of protein and carbohydrates to make a well-rounded meal.”

Local suppliers such as K&G McAtamney, Bradmount Foods, Daily Bake and Elmore Fish continue to work with the team to create the range, and Neal says the investments will bring even more range expansions throughout the year.

“We will continue to invest in our people and kitchen to really grow our own-brand offering for shoppers here in Northern Ireland, supporting our local farmers, growers and suppliers along the way.”

The CHEF is available in selected SPAR, EUROSPAR, ViVO and ViVOXTRA stores and supermarkets across Northern Ireland now. For more information, behind the scenes and supplier videos, visiteurosparni.co.uk/thechef.

All seven Taste of UIster members who were awarded Michelin stars or Bib Gourmands have have retained their status in the new Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland 2021.

The three One Michelin Star restaurants, all in Belfast, are Eipic (Howard Street), Ox (Oxford Street) and The Muddlers Club (Cathedral Quarter).

Four restaurants have also retained their Bib Gourmand status from last year. They are BallooHouse in Killinchy, Newtownards; Noble (Holywood); Wine & Brine (Moira) and Belfast’s Deanes at Queen’s. A Bib Gourmand is awarded for good value fine-dining. It goes to restaurants which provide a set menu for €35 (or £32) and under.

Despite most restaurants being closed, or at least heavily restricted, for the majority of the last 12 months, the Michelin Guide for Great Britain and Ireland continued with its annual awards to top restaurants and chefs in an online ceremony on Monday night, hosted by Davina McCall.

The annual event sees the best restaurants in the UK and Ireland recognised for their innovation and excellence.

It had been pushed back from its usual October date to account for the lengthy closures most businesses have faced.

Due to the ongoing pandemic and lockdown, the accolades were handed out in a live-streamed format rather than at its usual lavish event in London.

The first award of the evening was a Michelin Revelation Award for Best Service. It was given to the Holywood restaurant Noble, run by chef Pearson Morris and manager Saul McConnell who previously worked under the direction of Belfast top chef Michael Deane.

Lecale Harvest, an award-winning producer of gourmet meat and seafood products in Northern Ireland, has launched an innovative and delicious three-strong range of ready-to-eat dishes for home cooks.

Lecale’s new Kitchen range reflects the company’s roots in classic French cuisine of its founder Patrice Bonnargent, originally from Tours in 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 Kitchen range featuresestablished French style dishes: Beef Bourguignon; Confit Duck Cassoulet with pork belly and Toulouse sausage; and Confit Duck and Puy Lentils. Each pack contains two 330g servings.

The small company, which is owned by Patrice, wife Joy and daughter Perrine, has already established business in the UK including customers such as Cotswold Fayre and has won a Blas na hEireann Irish Food award.

Patrice, commenting on the new range for the growing number of home cooks due to lockdowns from the coronavirus pandemic, says: “Our new Kitchen range is based on quality ingredients which are readily available for excellent suppliers in Northern Ireland which we’ve used to create the ready-to-eat meals using classic French recipes which I’ve cooked from my upbringing in France and since coming to Northern Ireland.

“We’ve been encouraged by the success of our existing dishes such as pork belly and beef brisket as well as our range of seafood pates and also influenced by our market research which has indicated that cooking from scratch a home is now an important trend that’s set to grow especially in the short-term. 

“Each of the new gourmet products in the Kitchen range offers two servings for a complete and convenient main course experience,” he adds.

Patrice has vast experience in food production in both Northern Ireland and France.

His successful business began in growing and marketing fresh oysters, mussels and other seafood. He 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.

Tyrone distillery to host a fun night for lockdown couples

IT’S not quite the romantic occasion we all might have been planning on this year but one distillery has come up with a fabulous way to lift everyone’s spirits this Valentine’s Day.

The Woodlab Distillery, based in Moy, is inviting couples to join an online virtual ‘tour and tasting’ event to celebrate Valentine’s and to give couples something to look forward to.

Maureen Dooher, events manager with The WoodlabDistillery, home of Symphonia spirits, said the team wanted to do something unique and fun giving couples an opportunity tocelebrate Valentine’s  from their home so they have created ‘Symphonia’s Virtual Valentine’s Night’.

Speaking from the distillery at Trewmount Road in Moy, Maureen said: “Couples would normally be looking forward to a romantic meal and some drinks in a restaurant maybe but this year looks like it will be different, so, we have created a night which can bring together lots of couples, or groups of friends, for a virtual tasting and tour event to mark the occasion.

“It’s a night when couples can get dressed up if they wish to get into the spirit and have a bit of light-hearted fun sampling our gin range and paired mixers followed by an entertaining quiz to finish the evening.

“The distillery opened for tours in October, however, with ongoing restrictions, it has given us the opportunity to explorevirtual events which we have went on to organise for numerous private groups and corporate companies in the run up to Christmas. Everyone loved learning about Symphonia, tasting the gins, getting together and having the craic as well as enjoying a virtual tour hosted by our creator, Dr Ulrich Dyer.

“So, on Saturday, February 13, we’re inviting couples to join us online at 8pm and have a great experience from the comfort of their own homes. We’re asking couples to bookand pay online with us and we will send them our special tasting box which will includes 200ml bottles of SymphoniaDry Gin, Symphonia Apple Gin and our Symphonia Fruit Cup along with fresh garnishes and six Poachers Irish Mixers.’Symphonia’s Virtual Valentine’s Night’ costs £60 for a couple.We are looking forward to seeing everyone there. To book visit: https://symphoniaspirits.com/events/virtual-valentines-night/