LET’S face it, when it comes to eating out, we’re all experts these days – and arguably we’re all food critics too. We eat out much more than we once did, and we like to share our experiences, not just by word of mouth, but usually via social media (who hasn’t taken a picture in the last week of a dish set in front of them?). And we all like to think we know the difference between good food and great food – whether we’re out for a humble pizza, stopping off for an old fashioned fish ’n’ chips, or out with a corporate guest or loved-one at a high-end restaurant. So you’ve been there, right? Now it’s time to tell a wider audience just how good those last eating experiences were. The eating-out industry in Northern Ireland sustains 60,000 jobs and also helps support the region’s agriculture industry by sourcing as many of their ingredients as possible from the farming sector. And to celebrate this, the Irish News today launches its Great Places to Eat Awards in association with Food NI and Henderson Foodservice. It’s a very simple premise, because YOU decide what your favourite eatery is. Between now and the closing date of noon on Monday, October 28, we’re inviting readers to vote for their favourite places in these categories: 

• Casual dining restaurant 
• Fine dining restaurant 
• ‘Free from’ restaurant 
• Café/coffee shop 
• Pub/gastro pub 
• Hotel restaurant 
• Sunday lunch restaurant
• Brunch restaurant 
• Family friendly restaurant 
• World cuisine restaurant 
• Social enterprise café 
• Visitor attraction café 
• Best place to eat local produce 

Michel Shirlow of FoodNI/ Taste of Ulster said: “Food in Northern Ireland has evolved dramatically over the past decade, and we have earned the enviable award of World’s Best Food Destination for 2018/19. “We have always had world-class ingredients, and now these have been brought to the fore by talented chefs.

“We’re excited about this opportunity for people to vote in these inaugural Irish News Great Places to Eat Awards, and I hope people get out dining – and then get nominating for their favourites across any of the categories.” 

Cathal Geoghegan, managing director of Henderson Foodservice, said: “The hospitality sector in Northern Ireland is booming. With so many great flavours, cuisines, cooking techniques and innovation coming into play in the eating out market, it’s an exciting time for the public to highlight the best we’ve got. 

“It’s a competitive market with so many places to choose from to eat out; the true value has to come from delivering the overall experience through ambience, friendly service as well as great, tasty food. Irish News marketing manager John Brolly added: “We’re urging the public to show their passion for food and vote for their favourite places to eat. Everyone has an extensive food knowledge, so here is a fantastic opportunity to show your support for the places you love.

“Places to eat are always a key topic of conservation. We love to tell others when we discover somewhere which combines great food, service and atmosphere. “So now it’s time to celebrate and recognise the great range of outlets that we have across the country, from Belfast pubs to coffee shops in Enniskillen, to the eateries on the North Coast and everything in between.” 

From today readers have the chance to tell us where is GREAT to eat. Simply VOTE on irishnews.com/restaurant. 

You can now vote up to noon on Monday October 28, and the winners will be revealed exclusively revealed in the Irish News on Tuesday, October 29.

Food NI member company Noisy Nuts, an innovator in snacks, has won the Belfast final of the Great Britain and Northern Irish Entrepreneur Awards (GBNIEA) in the food and drink category. The final was hosted by Ulster Bank.

And another Food NI member, Food Stories, a manufacturer of popcorn and fruit crisps, from Belfast was runner-up.

Based in Ballygowan, Noisy Nuts, founded by experienced marketer Noel Allen, produces peanut snacks in original flavours to accompany craft beers. He now goes through to the UK final of the awards.

Noel Allen, commenting on the company’s success, says: “I was thrilled to win in Belfast. It’s a superb boost for my small business and will help to raise our profile further in Britain, our most important target market and one in which we’ve been investing significant time and funds to grow the business.”

Mr Allen has created a range of self-seasoning peanut snacks and backed this up with an impressive marketing campaign

He has developed a six-strong range of 85g snack pots of peanuts which are available with different seasoning sachets.

Consumers can pour the whole seasoning sachet in and shake the pot giving a strong flavour or season as they wish to fit with their beer drinking taste.

His decision to set up Noisy Nuts in 2017 was influenced by his love of craft beers, now a thriving category in Northern Ireland. “I enjoy peanuts with my beer and had noticed that the they often impacted the flavour. This led me to see if I could come up with a way to flavour the nuts to compliment the beers.

“With hundreds of different craft beer breweries in the UK, including upwards of 40 in Northern Ireland and more than 3,500 different craft beers on sale I reckoned there was an opportunity to produce a complimentary and interesting snack for this buoyant and growing market.

“Craft beer drinkers are all about taste and we’re giving them an original snack that will enhance their drinking experience,” Mr Allen adds.

The Great British & Northern Irish Entrepreneur Awards, held for the first time in Belfast, showcase and celebrate “the incredible stories that have taken entrepreneurs to where they are today, regardless of size or turnover”. 

There were 47 finalists in Northern Ireland across 10 categories, including Creatives Industries, Food and Drink, Disruptor, Start-Up and Young. 

One of Northern Ireland’s newest distilleries – Íon – based in the Tyrone countryside has won a highly impressive double honour at one of the world’s premier spirits competitions.

Winning Gold in the “Super Premium” category for two products; the company’s Curious Citrus Gin and Whiskey Cask Spiced Rum, at the first time of trying is a fantastic achievement for the distillery, which has been trading for little over 9 months.

The Spirits Business – Global Masters – is one of the world’s premier blind tasting competitions aimed at finding and rewarding the finest spirits from across the world.

Judged in London and assessed by a panel of leading industry figures each product was evaluated on nose, palate, appearance and overall balance. Only spirits receiving over 80 points from a possible 100 from each judge was awarded a coveted Gold medal.

Commenting on the awards head distiller Darren Nugent said: “This is a marvellous endorsement of the quality and outstanding flavours of our unique Whiskey Cask Spiced rum and Curiously Citrus gin.

“It’s also a tremendous boost for a distillery which has been in business for such a short time and will be of enormous benefit as we expand our marketing activities in export markets,” he adds.

His interest in rum is based on his passion for Cuba, especially Havana, the Caribbean island’s historic and quirky capital. 

“All our spirits are distilled on-site in Carrickmore. They are all made entirely from scratch using completely traceable ingredients,” he continues.

He has three stainless steel and copper stills and associated condensing columns in the distillery. “I opted to invest in three separate stills for the rum, gin and vodka because I wanted to focus on the purity of each spirit and not try to produce all of them on one. This is also why we’ve chosen the ‘Purity of Spirit’ strapline for the range of spirits and have a dedicated still for each separate product.”

Each spirit is handcrafted in small batches using fresh water from the distillery’s own artesian well and are then filtered over volcanic rocks found in the depths around the distillery.

“Using volcanic rocks reflects our commitment to the locality. Carrickmore – An Charraig Mhór  – is the Irish for big rock and is partly built on ancient rock formations dating back millions of years,” Darren adds.

“The rum is distilled in a purpose built Carribean-style ‘doubler’ still which distils the spirit twice in one run. Our focus on authenticity is carried forward in our use of rum yeasts. Our first rum is a spirit aged in bourbon barrels and Scotch Casks and feature a range of spices from across the world to produce a spiced rum that’s whiskey casked and has a range of rich and deeply distinctive flavours and taste.

“The gin is made from a wheat base spirit for smoothness with the infusion of the finest botanicals sourced from around the world,” he adds.

The Luxury Masters aims to reward those brands in the super-premium and ultra-premium sectors.