Get set for a scrumptious summer as a transformed Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, County Down, invites visitors to its first ever food festival, hosted in partnership with BBC Good Food and supported by Tourism Northern Ireland.

 

Set in 100 acres of stunning Castle grounds from Friday 5 to Sunday 7 July, visitors can enjoy a majestic day out at the Hillsborough Castle and Gardens Food Festival. Grab a bite to eat from our amazing selection of street food, savour a drink from one of the pop-up bars or choose tasty treats to take home.

 

Visit the Discover Northern Ireland Tasting Theatre hosted by leading Northern Ireland chef Paula McIntyre and explore the array of artisan produce, street food and pop-up bars with the stunning Castle as a backdrop.

 

Enjoy live cookery demonstrations, with top culinary tips from local chefs, including Danni Barry of Balloo House, James Devine from Yellow Door and Paul Cunningham from Brunel’s. International chefs will also be attending, including Nadiya Hussain, Dr Rupy Aujla and Chris Bavin. There’ll also be music, face painting and kids’ entertainment on the bandstand, adding to the family festival atmosphere.

 

Laura McCorry, Head of Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, said, “We are delighted to be hosting these predominantly local food and drink producers at the Hillsborough Castle and Gardens Food Festival for the first time this year. The newly transformed Castle and gardens provide the perfect weekend setting for a foodie extravaganza for all the family to enjoy.

 

“Along with street food and artisan producers to whet the appetite, visitors will also be able to sample the fresh local produce of the Castle gardens in the newly opened café. Visitors can also make a day of it by exploring the Castle’s history, brought to life on guided tours led by the Castle’s team of expert explainers. With so much on offer throughout the weekend there is truly something for everyone.”

 

Adult festival tickets including access to the gardens and a 45-minute guided tour of the Hillsborough Castle state rooms start at £17.50, while adult festival tickets with gardens only access start at £13.90. Free for Historic Royal Palaces members. Family ticket options are also available. People are advised to book early as tickets are selling fast.

 

To book tickets and for more information on Hillsborough Castle and Gardens,visit:  http://hrp.org.uk/hillsborough-castle

 

Hillsborough Castle and Gardens has been completely transformed by independent charity Historic Royal Palaces after five years and a £24 million investment – supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and other generous donors. Greeting visitors upon arrival is a new visitor centre complete with café and shop. Meanwhile new access and learning facilities will host schools and community programmes reaching out to the widest possible audience.

Food NI member company Castlescreen Farm has opened a new farm shop which will feature a wide range of local products as well as its own successful Dexter beef and other meats.

The farm business is run by Damian Tumelty and partner Jackie Gibson and has successful track record in supplying Dexter beef through farmers’ markets, high-end restaurants and also retailers such as Avoca in Belfast. It also has developed ham products from its own pigs. Mr Tumelty, in addition, has his own butchery operation on the family farm.

“We set up the farm shop to enable more people to purchase our meats especially Dexter beef such as sirloins, fillets, burgers and sausages from our own grass-fed herd. Shoppers will now be able to call at the farm to buy our meats.

“In addition to our own meats, we’ll have chicken, lamb, free-range eggs and a range of other products from other local artisan producers. I am keen to offer these smaller businesses opportunities to access shoppers and grow sales in this part of Co Down,” he adds.

The company has just launched a unique Dexter beef salami developed in collaboration with successful cured meats specialist Corndale Farm in Limavady. There’s also heather honey from the farm’s own hives.

Damian and Jackie are now well-known at markets across Northern Ireland especially the immensely popular Inns at Saintfield Road and events in Downpatrick, Portaferry and Newcastle.

“The markets,” continues Damian, “are a great way to talk to shoppers about the distinctive characteristics and delicious taste of Dexter beef,” he adds.

Damian is among a small group of Dexter breeders in Northern Ireland and has won a cluster of prestigious awards for the cattle especially “Charlie’ a breed champion at Balmoral.

He opted to rear Dexter cattle because they are much smaller than traditional beef cows. “They may be small cows but the meat they produce is naturally marbled with fat, giving it a distinct succulence and a much fuller flavour,” he explains.

“We took the decision to change our farming approach and to get away from big animals,” he says. “Research shows that Dexter meat is one the best you can eat as it is naturally marbled which comes from grass feeding.” This is why he describes the business as specialising in “wee cows, big beef’.

Dexters are apparently gaining in popularity due to their size and quality of meat. The animals are small and very robust, able to survive outdoors in conditions in winter that would be impossible for bigger breeds of cows, he adds.

The flavour is strongly influenced by the diet the cattle enjoy. “It’s a very healthy diet of exclusively grass or silage. Our beef is then dry-aged for up to 35 days for an intense, real beefy flavour,” Damian says. “The beef is then prepared on-site by us.”

He currently rears a herd of around 100 beef and breeding cattle on the sprawling farm which has been in the Tumelty family for over 40 years.

“We can sell everything we currently produce and people can now call at our farm shop to buy our range of meat,” he adds.

Northern Ireland’s Mash Direct, a UK leader in convenient potato and vegetable products, has launched an innovative house-style salad range with a selection of crunchy and deliciously fresh salads.

After 15 years of pioneering healthy and convenientvegetable side dishes such as mashed potato, champ and potato croquettes, the family owned farm business in Comber has been carefully crafting the perfect summer time salads which have exclusively launched in Northern Ireland.

Mash Direct sales director Lance Hamilton say:“Creating this new range has been a very exciting journey for everyone at the farm. We wanted to explore a gap in the market and create a premium salad range with a fresh and bold mix of vegetables with extra crunch.

“Our salad range offers consumers a perfect accompaniment for the BBQ season. We are very excited about this launch and can’t wait for customers to try them.

“Now that the summer season is upon us, customers are looking for more freshly prepared salads to complement summer time meals,” he adds.

The Home Style Salad range consists of three new products including Home Style Potato Salad, Crispy Apple and Kohlrabi Salad and Home Style Coleslaw.  

Mr Hamilton continues: “With a desirable mix of minimal preparation and maximum flavours they are the perfect complementary accompaniment for the summer BBQ platter.”

The Hamilton family have farming expertise stretching over six generations and is passionate about growing the highest quality heritage varieties of vegetables for their gluten free product portfolio.

The drive throughout the company has led to exceptional service levels and innovation which sets it apart in the marketplace. The company now has 21 Great Taste Awards and is the UK Brand leader of the vegetable accompaniments sector within the food manufacturing industry.

Mash Direct’s salad range are retailed at £1.50 and are stocked in Sainsbury’s, Spar, Eurospar, Vivo, Supervalu, Centra, Mace, Nisa and Independents throughout Northern Ireland.  

 

Hillsborough’s The Parson’s Nose, a Food NI member, is extending its award-winning menu with the addition of afternoon tea just in time for summer.

 The decision by the gastro-pub, owned by award-winning Balloo Inns Group, to introduce an afternoon tea follows the recent re-opening of Hillsborough Castle and Gardens after a five-year-long and £24 millionrefurbishment.

 Ronan Sweeney, managing director of Balloo Inns, says: “We are already seeing more visitors to Hillsborough since the re-opening of the castle in April and what could be more fitting after a tour around Northern Ireland’s official royal residence than an afternoon spent enjoying an elegant tea in historic, romantic Hillsborough. Indeed, rumour has it that King Edward and Mrs Simpson would row across the private lake from the castle to our pub for secret afternoon trysts!”

 Available from Thursday through to Saturday from 12-4pm, The Parson’s Nose Afternoon Tea menu includes a selection of gastro-pub sandwiches, freshly baked scones and exquisite pastries.

 Mr Sweeney adds; “As a team, we are really looking forward to sharing the Afternoon Tea experience with customers. Our incredible chefs have been working hard on the menu, as we wanted to offer something elegant but with a gastro-pub twist. With everything served on vintage china and the beautiful view overlooking our beer garden and Hillsborough Castle and Gardens lake, I think we have created a very unique setting for a special afternoon.”

 There will be a superb savoury selection for diners to enjoy, including the Parson’s Chicken & Bacon Club with Parmesan Crust, Hot Smoked Salmon Crumpet with Horseradish Crème Fraiche, and a Goats Cheese & Peperonata Open Sandwich.

 As well as a selection of freshly baked buttermilk scones, guests will also be treated to an assortment of delicate pastries including Chocolate and Passionfruit Delice, Pâte a Choux with Orange Chocolate Cream, mini Lemon Meringue Tarts and a Pistachio & Chocolate or Raspberry & Coconut macaroon selection.

 The Parson’s Nose is part of the Balloo Inns Group, which also comprises Balloo House in Killinchy and Poacher’s Pocket, Lisbane.