Guests of Lough Erne Resort are to be given the chance to reminisce on personal memories of Autumns past thanks to the launch of the 5-star resort’s newly launched food, beverage, and spa offerings that all tap into familiar autumnal elements.

Also known as the Proustian Experience, the phenomenon describes the evoking of a sudden and involuntary memory from a specific smell, taste, or texture. Interestingly, smell operates differently to the other senses, working directly on the part of the brain than deals with long-term memories, behaviour, and emotions.

Recognising Autumn as a season abundant with recognisable scents and aromas, Lough Erne Resort has introduced several stimulating seasonal elements to its food, beverage, and spa offerings in a bid to encourage guests to experience their own Proustian moment.

Guests will now be able to indulge their senses, especially their sense of smell, at the 5-star resort through a new Autumn Equinox Wellness Escape package, a new Autumn Afternoon Tea Menu and the new Autumn Menu at The Catalina Restaurant. 

Autumn Afternoon Tea 

Lough Erne Resort’s new seasonal Afternoon Tea is aimed at awakening its guest’s senses through emotion-stimulating flavours, aromas, and arrangements. Served on charming Belleek Pottery China, the Afternoon Tea presentation will see autumnal shades of orange, yellow and brown visible across a variety of the treats, including the red velvet chocolate cake, maple orange bonbon, apple and raisin scones, and rum and banoffee mousse.

The delights also feature traditional seasonal flavours and aromas, in items such as the carrot and vanilla cake which features a warming sensation through the cinnamon and ginger spice infusion.

From 21^st September 2020, both residents and non-residents can enjoy this autumn indulgence daily from 1pm to 3.30pm for £25pp. For bookings and enquiries phone +44(0)28 6632 3230 or email info@lougherneresort.com.

 Autumn Equinox Wellness Escape

The Autumn equinox, which this year will occur on 22^nd September, is one of the two days a year when the sun shines directly on the Equator, presenting an almost equal balance between light and darkness. Many have recognised the equinox as an important period for personal wellness and mindfulness, as well as a perfect opportunity to rebalance, restore, and refocus your inner self.

Lough Erne Resort is inviting guests to experience an Autumn Equinox Wellness Escape with a series of stimulating sensory experiences. From £205pps, guests can discover their own personal balance with an overnight stay in a stunning lakeview room, a rejuvenating yoga class and a seasonal dining experience in The Catalina Restaurant.

The Equinox package will also include a seasonally curated spa experience, aimed at reawakening and rebalancing the body and mind. The treatment will begin with a welcome foot ritual, followed by a Hot ESPA Positivity Oil experience that focuses on spiritual positivity and muscle rejuvenation. To help guests fully savour the Autumnal atmosphere, the experience will conclude with an invigorating Pumpkin Enzyme Facial, perfect for removing dead skin cells and revealing a healthy glow.

Visitors availing of the package can also experience the great outdoors around the resort via the Collop Walk and swim in the infinity pool to complete their wellness journey.

For more information and to book visit: www.lougherneresort.com/autumn-offers.html

 Autumn menu at The Catalina Restaurant 

Executive Head Chef, Noel McMeel and his culinary team are proud to introduce Lough Erne Resort’s new autumn menus in The 3 AA Rosette Catalina Restaurant which is one of only five restaurants in Ireland that hold its acclaim.

Integrated into the resort’s aspiration to invigorate guest’s senses this autumn, the menu sees the introduction of seasonally famous tastes and aromas that are designed to evoke memories of Autumns past. The Catalina menu items include a Warm Whiskey-Infused and Cured Salmon accompanied by a Dill Emulsion & Toonsbridge Trout Roe, as well as a charmingly Autumnal Comber Potato Soup with Ballylisk Cheese and Pomme Soufflé. The menu promotes the inclusion of notably autumnal produce, within the likes of the Seasonal Butternut Squash and Pickled Turnip that complement the Roast Pork Fillet with Confit Pork Belly, Ham Hock, Sweet Date Puree, Mustard Seeds, and Pepper Jus dish. Amongst the choice of Autumn-inspired desserts is the Blackberry Soufflé, which is presented with a perfectly seasonal blackcurrant sorbet and vanilla anglaise.

For bookings and enquiries phone +44(0)28 6632 3230 or email info@lougherneresort.com.

Joanne Walsh, General Manager at Lough Erne Resort says:

“Autumn is a beautifully colourful and aromatic season in Fermanagh, with many local and seasonal products at the resort’s disposal. With our new food and wellness offerings, we would like guests to experience this wonderful season with us, excite their senses and have a wholesome visit to Lough Erne Resort.”

The committed team at Lough Erne Resort has created a detailed Guest Care and Wellbeing Promise to ensure guest comfort and safety throughout their visit, whilst still providing the warm Fermanagh welcome and attention to detail Lough Erne Resort is renowned for.

For more information on Lough Erne Resort visit: https://www.lougherneresort.com/

-Alongside Leading UK Charity FareShare, Musgrave introduces new food donation technology to Northern Ireland –

 Musgrave in Northern Ireland, the retail group behind brands SuperValu, Centra and MACE, today announced a new trial process for the donation of surplus food to local charities.

Partnering with FareShare, the UK’s largest charity fighting hunger and food waste, and powered by FoodCloud technology, Musgrave is trialling a new digital platform linking stores with their local charities and community groups.

Commenting on the new initiative, Desi Derby Marketing Director for Musgrave in Northern Ireland said –

“Through our retail brands SuperValu, Centra and MACE, Musgrave is committed to making changes which will make a real difference, before it’s too late.  By partnering with FareShare and FoodCloud, we are reinforcing our commitment to ensure that no food is wasted when it is fit for human consumption but is used to alleviate food poverty through our support for food re-distribution charities.”  

This new technology will initially be trialled in SuperValu Limavady, SuperValu Cookstown and Centra Banbridge. More than 10 local charities will be able to avail of the service.

FareShare is directly tackling food poverty in Northern Ireland by collecting surplus food from industry and supermarkets and redistributing it to frontline charities and community groups that support vulnerable people.

Helen Davies, Retail Partners Senior Manager at FareShare, welcomed the news –

 “We are delighted to be working with Musgrave on this trial in Northern Ireland, alongside our partners at FoodCloud, which will help provide more charities and community groups with vital supplies to support those who need it most.”

 As well as offering food producers a safe, environmentally friendly and ethical solution to the disposal of waste, FareShare Northern Ireland has provided valuable work experience and training to its many volunteers in areas such as food hygiene and health and safety.

There’s not much in food that Maeve Monaghan enjoys more than a freshly made pizza from the small café in Crawfordsburn, near Bangor, that she runs as part of her role with NOW Group in training people with learning difficulties and autism to develop skills for worthwhile careers in catering and food preparation.

A pizza oven is located within the coffee shop and small pottery in the quaint village that’s staffed by the group, a hugely successful social enterprise which also runs the Loaf Catering and Bakery restaurant and catering operation at its headquarters on Belfast’s Grosvenor Road and another, smaller Loaf Café at The Ulster American Folk Park, Omagh, a major tourism venue that’s busy recovering its business postlockdown. Loaf Catering and Bakery in a Food NI member company.

Maeve continues: “We’ve opened Loaf Pottery in Crawfordsburn and it’s going really well.  It’s a novel venture, a tiny building in the picturesque village with a pottery, coffee shop and pizza oven in the back garden.  We’re keen to promote the venue as a great day out – pizza, pottery and BYO. Local volunteers tend our vegetable garden and the produce is used in the coffee shop. We are keen to encourage more people to think about buying local and social.

“Customers can enjoy a pizza in the shop or take one away to enjoy at home.

“I love to call in at the café for a tasty pizza that’s made on the spot and to chat to staff there and in the pottery. I find it a great way to relax and recharge my batteries after a busy day at the office in Belfast.

“In addition to the catering and baking skills in the café and pizza area, the pottery enables people with learning difficulties and autism to gain different expertise in crafting pots. We are also keen to promote entrepreneurship among those with learning difficulties,” she says.

Loaf Cafe in the Folk Park at Omagh opened last week after the lockdown with a small team of people learning skills that could also lead to long-term employment. “It’s early days there but we are keen to let people know that it’s a good day out too for those going to the popular museum,” she adds.

Loaf Café in Belfast is also benefiting from the Government’sEat Out to Help Out initiative for the crucially important hospitality sector. “Business doubled each day last week in the café in Belfast, our flagship and oldest catering centre. The Eat Out scheme has been phenomenal for us,” says Maeve, a winner of the Women in Business NI Award for Outstanding Management and Leadership.

The innovative and inspirational Now Group is currently helping around 100 people with disabilities and autism with opportunities to develop worthwhile training and long-term employment in food preparation, production and catering services at its base on the Grosvenor Road in Belfast – opposite the gates of the Royal Victoria Hospital – as well as at the Crawfordsburn and Omagh locations.

The Loaf Café and Bakery was opened in June 2015 after the NOW Group transformed the derelict buildingwhich was previously known as the Oak Bar. It’s since become a local landmark for families and individuals seeking a broad range of quality and delicious food.Some 700 people have gained key skills since then.

​“Our most famous product is the handmade, award-winning sausage roll,” Maeve continues. “We call them ‘Rolls with Soul’ because the profits go back to supportour participants with disabilities who work in our cafésand other parts of the catering business. I am a bit biased but it’s a really delicious product, just as tasty as the pizzas baked freshly in Crawfordsburn.

“We introduced this special one-foot long sausage roll to launch our online business and we are already getting great feedback from customers about its quality and outstanding taste.

“We are passionate about supporting people with learning difficulties and autism into jobs with a future,” she adds.

The group, she continues, is steadily rebuilding its catering business since the lockdown was lifted. It had launched takeaway and home delivery services during the lockdown for regular customers and to keep the cash flowing.

“And to ensure we kept our kitchen operational and staff fully employed, we launched a family menu that was available for collection and delivery and could be ordered over the phone or on line,” adds Maeve.

NOW Group is widely respected for its community support work and won the title of Social Enterprise of the Year 2017 at the Belfast Business Awards hosted by Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce. Some 700 people have already benefited from its dedicated work in skills and career development. It does this by offering a range of services to clients including a dedicated employment team, training, a transition services for young people moving from school or college into work and a volunteering programme.

Carol’s Stock Market, a leading producer of natural bone broths, stocks and gravies is creating two new jobs in Derry as part of a significant expansion in response to a rapid growth in sales outside Northern Ireland.

The expansion of the business, founded and run by Carol Banahan, will see employment grow to five to enable the artisan enterprise to meet the growth in demand for its existing natural products and two new ones developed in association with celebrity chef Paula McIntyre. The two new products will be unveiled shortly.

Mrs Banahan, who established the company in 2016 on the back of a passion for cooking, explains: “Demand for the natural products is greater now than ever especially from customers online.

“We’ve seen online sales growing to 45 percent growth from 20 percent in the past year particularly from digital customers in key growth markets for us such as Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland. The coronavirus pandemic has meant more people are cooking at home and searching for natural and healthy ingredients to enhance and add flavour and wholesomeness to their meals,” adds Mrs Banahan. “There is a strong and growing trend for products that help to keep your immune system healthy and natural broths fit very well into this growing trend.”

The switch to a state-of-the-art manufacturing unit, developed to Mrs Banahan’s specifications, gives the business the scope required to grow sales and exports even faster.

“Our website has become an immensely important element in our business and it’s one we will continue to invest in over both long and short terms,” she continues.

The company has won a series of UK Great Taste and Blas na hEireann Irish Food Awards for her innovative and healthy products which were initially developed with advice and practical support from the Foodovation Centre at the North West Regional College in Derry.

Originally from Dublin, Mrs Banahan subsequently moved to Canada where I spent 25 years working in the financial sector as a stock trader on the Canadian stock market.

She developed s love of natural bone stock, gravies and broth during her time in Canada  “When I returned home to Ireland with my husband, I couldn’t believe that nobody was selling natural stock the way they did in Canada,” she adds. This encouraged to set up her small business to manufacture the products by hand. Ingredients are all sourced from other Irish producers.

Ireland’s Orchard County’s award-winning food and drink event confirmed for a September return

Northern Ireland’s best-loved celebration of local food and drink is officially back on the menu this autumn as Armagh’s Food & Cider weekend safely returns next month with an exciting new line-up of events including cider tastings, orchard tours and grand farm-to-fork treats.

Famed the world over for its Armagh Bramley apples, top class cider and its local quality cuisine, the region’s award-winning food and drink experience will share its proud heritage with locals and visitors alike from Thursday 24^th until Sunday 27^th September.

Food and drink lovers this year are invited to enjoy more than 20 pre-bookable events to celebrate Armagh’s unrivalled Food Heartland status and the warmth of its welcome in the ultimate weekend of culinary indulgence.

Already six years old, this annual weekend in one of this Island’s top foodie destinations and provides a perfect pairing of gastronomic delights and cidery experiences that will have you coming back for more.

This special gourmet weekend is led from the front by some of the area’s best local chefs, including Ireland’s Hotel Head Chef of the Year, John Whyte, from Armagh City Hotel, and Gareth Reid from 4 Vicars Catering, Simon Dougan, Yellow Door Deli, Joyce Brownless, Blackwell House and Fiona and Rory Chapman from On the Hoof as well as a legion of local food producers who have worked creatively together to produce a unique menu of food events that combine tradition and contemporary taste.

Weekend highlights include tours of Armagh’s famed apple orchards accompanied by exclusive tastings and talks with global cider expert and author Gabe Cook and a scrumptious five-course feast curated by Gareth Reid from 4 Vicars’ Catering at the stunning Crannagael House.

Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, Kevin Savage, said:

“Enriched by a beautiful landscape and a welcome that will warm your heart, Armagh is the perfect location to celebrate this year’s harvest and the quality, heritage and experience we have producing the best food and drink available anywhere in the world. 

Developed with everyone’s safety in mind, this year’s special series of events rightly commends our proud past and our present culinary successes and I’m delighted that this award-winning event is back on the menu this year so that more people can enjoy our local provenance, meet the people behind it and share many memorable stories for years to come.”

Supported by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, this year’s weekend includes many of the area’s leading visitor venues including Blackwell House, Long Meadow Cider Company, Armagh Cider Company, FE McWilliam Gallery & Studio, Elmfield Estate, Crannagael House, Armagh City Hotel, Navan Centre & Fort, The Vault and Groucho’s on the Square.

There is also plenty to entertain younger family members too, including a lunch inspired by the Celts at Navan Centre & Fort and a foraging event at Oxford Island to seek out wild and tasty ingredients. From Armagh City to Banbridge, Scarva and Portadown to Markethill and Richhill, there are plenty of tasty events to get your teeth into.

Armagh Food & Cider Weekend carries the accredited ‘We’re Good To Go’ industry standard developed by VisitEngland in partnership with Tourism Northern Ireland, which means all events fully adhere to government and public health guidance.

To see the full programme of events and to book your place at these unmissable events, visitwww.visitarmagh.com/foodandcider.