Delicious black garlic butter from Abernethy Butter

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Food NI member Abernethy Butter is launching a delicious new taste in a unique and handcrafted black garlic butter.

The family-owned and managed business, which is based at Dromara in Co Down, has already won acclaim for the new premium butter from celebrity chefs in Britain especially Nigella Lawson.

The new black garlic butter is handmade and hand rolled by master butter maker Will Abernethy, who runs the business with wife Allison, and is a deliciously different response to requests from chefs in particular for a garlic butter in addition to the three butters already in the company’s multi-award winning portfolio.

“While chefs and other customers have been asking us about a garlic butter for some time, we wanted to produce a completely different, richer and deeper flavour. So, we took expert advice and came up with the idea of fermenting garlic for a much more original and stunning flavour.

“While there are other garlic butters, our black garlic is really quite different especially where it counts most – outstanding taste,” says Allison Abernethy.

“As a result, our black garlic butter is both highly innovative and a great tasting product for spreading or as an ingredient for a range of dishes. We’ve taste tested it among chefs and other foodies and been immensely encouraged by the universally positive feedback.

“We believe that we’ve come up with another original and winning taste,” she adds.

The new black garlic butter joins a portfolio of three products which have won widespread acclaim for their flavours especially from leading chefs in Britain and the Republic of Ireland.  It has already been shortlisted in the prestigious Delicious magazine’s annual Food Producer Awards.

As well as Nigella Lawson, other renowned chefs using Abernethy Butter products include Heston Blumenthal, Marcus Wareing and Andy McFadden.

The other butters, which have won UK Great Taste Awards, are all handmade and hand rolled and are: an original; a smoked; and a distinctively Irish seaweed and sea salt.

The company’s seaweed butter, furthermore, was recently used by top chef Clare Smyth in a dish prepared for a wedding meal for Prince Harry, Duke and the Duchess of Sussex.

Abernethy Butter sources fresh milk daily for its butter from a grass-fed herd on a dairy farm close to the creamery.  In addition, to its acclaimed butters, Abernethy produces an award winning butter fudge.

Our visit to Daisy Lodge Cancer Home for Children

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We recently visited Daisy Lodge in Newcastle, a beautiful log building which offers therapeutic breaks for families who have a family member who has cancer. The establishment is utterly stunning, offering five star accommodation and carefully prepared meals using the best locally sourced produce. Daisy Lodge believe that the food served is an important part of what they offer, giving families peace of mind that their loved ones are receiving good quality local produce. They also offer relaxing surroundings were families can enjoy the scenic aspect and children of all ages can enjoy the entertainment available in a safe secure environment.

Daisy Lodge are very grateful to all local food producers, businesses and amenities in their area who support Daisy Lodge throughout the year, these include  –

Ø  Moy Park

Ø  Finnebrogue

Ø  Carnbrooke Meats

Ø  McPolin Eggs

Ø  Cafe Maud’s

Ø  Froth Coffee shop

Ø  Hales Fruit and Veg shop

Ø  Coco’s children’s play area

Ø  Down District Council

Ø  Add A little Sparkle

Ø  Morellis

Ø  Seaforde Gardens and Butterfly House

Ø  Funky Monkeys

Ø  Burrendale Hotel

 

Joan Burden, the Hospitality Manager, said that the support from all of these businesses was invaluable, meaning more resources could be focused on all important services like counselling for the families. Joan mentioned that the ongoing support is overwhelming and it really is heart-warming that so many local businesses offer support to this worthy cause. Joan was also keen to highlight the support and time offered by all the volunteer staff at the lodge, again this saves resources which can then be put towards other services.

COME SEE WHAT DALRIADA FESTIVAL HAS TO OFFER

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With a few days until the number one family outdoor festival comes to Glenarm Castle, the event organisers at Dalriada Festival have just confirmed that kids will have the opportunity to cook with Jenny Bristow in a fun filled pizza making competition, while parents can enjoy the many artisan food products on offer throughout the festival weekend.

Adrian Morrow said: “While the Dalriada Festival has become synonymous with hosting some of the biggest and best names in entertainment, for us it’s as important for our family festival to entertain the next generation with attractions dedicated to children and a we’ve introduced a real fun opportunity for them to hone their cooking skills with the wonderful Jenny Bristow.”

As well as pizza making, Jenny will be demonstrating her expertise in creating mouthwatering dishes on a Morso Outdoor Oven and festival goers will not go hungry as they will be treated to an abundance of locally produced food and drink including Noisy Nuts, Papas Minerals ginger ale, chillies from Blackfire Fine Foods and Copeland Gin. Indie Fude will be showcasing the best of local quality produce and all tastes will be catered for in the ‘food to go’ area where visitors can enjoy delicacies from Linen Hill Street Kitchen, Hungry Dog, Chowder Up Seafood, Simply Scampi, Parkgate Farm Country Catering, Pheasants Hill Farm Kitchen, The Rollin Stonebaker, The Pasta Wagon, Sizzlers and Braemar Ice Cream. For those who want to take a wander around the Glenarm Castle gardens, they can also visit Granny Shaws Fudge Factory and relax in the Walled Garden Tearooms.

Christine Cousins, Food NI, said: “Dalriada Festival has a great foodie focus which is growing year on year. As Glenarm Castle is the home of Glenarm Shorthorn Cattle and Glenarm Salmon you would expect to see a fabulous array of locally produced food and drink offerings and you won’t be disappointed. Over 25 local food and drink producers and street food vendors are showcasing at the event this year. The quality of our local produce is being recognised worldwide and a fantastic selection of these are available to sample and buy at the event. Meet the producers, hear their stories and you will understand how passionate they are about what they do. The Smokin Yankees, who represent Northern Ireland in BBQ competitions all around the world, will be doing BBQ demos throughout Saturday and Sunday and they will be creating delicious BBQ offerings with both the local salmon and beef for all to try, plus some other exciting recipes. I would urge you to come and Taste the Greatness of what Northern Ireland has to offer.”

Producers attending the festival include Red Dog Aristan Food, Armagh Cider Company Ltd, The Irish Black Butter Company, Long Meadow Cider, Scotts Crispy Onions, SD Bells, Lacada Brewery, Dundarave Estate, Delilites / Past Tense Treats, Causeway Coast Foodie Tours and Toast the Coast.

There will be an eclectic mix of homegrown and international talent with performances by Alabama 3, Hermitage Green, Matt Cardle, General Fiasco, Gareth Dunlop, The Electric Swing Circus, Runabay, Dana Masters, Ben Glover and Ryan McMullan.

Daily, weekend and camping tickets are available to buy online at www.dalriadafestival.co.uk.

Dalriada Festival is kindly supported by: Purplebricks, Calor, Glenarm Organic Salmon, Go Outdoors, Hallidays of Bushmills, Kilwaughter, Larne Football Club, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, Pet and Country, Punjana, Tourism Northern Ireland, Tweed Fuels, Downtown Radio and Cool FM.

 

New dry cured lamb bacon from Hannan Meats

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Award winning taste specialists Hannan Meats in Northern Ireland has expanded its successful range of cured meats with the introduction of a dry cured lamb bacon.

The company, owned by Peter Hannan and based in Moira, county Armagh, is dry curing lamb striploins in its Himalayan salt chamber using a special rub developed by top chef Paul Clarke, the managing director of En Place Foods in Cookstown, county Tyrone.

En Place is another multi-award winning business part owned by Peter Hannan. The small company specialises in a portfolio of richly flavoured seasonings and other ingredients especially for chefs and has also won a host of UK Great Taste Awards.

The unique rub, developed by Mr Clarke with Hannan’s expert curing team, features rosemary, juniper and a touch of black pepper.

The new lamb bacon, now on sale to foodservice customers, is the latest in a range of cured meat products launched by Hannan Meats, now the most successful food producer in the UK and Ireland in the Great Taste Awards.

The company has twice won the supreme title in the prestigious awards and has more gold stars than any other food producer.

Mr Hannan, commenting on the new lamb bacon, says: “We’ve recently strengthened our curing team as part of our longstanding focus on expanding our existing range of cured meats.

“We’ve enjoyed great success already curing beef and pork and decided to see how lamb flavours could be enhanced using our expertise and our Himalayan salt chamber.

“We cure the lamb slowly to allow the unique rub from Paul Clarke to create fantastic flavours. Feedback from our tastings has been immensely encouraging.

“The new dry cured lamb bacon is a further example of our longstanding focus on developing uniquely tasty meats for our foodservice customers in the UK, Ireland and other parts of Europe,” he adds.

Award for Kettyle Irish Foods in World Steak Challenge

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Food NI member company Kettyle Irish Foods was recognised for the quality of its ribeye steak in the prestigious World Steak Challenge 2018.

Kettyle won a silver medal for its Aberdeen Angus grass-fed ribeye in the annual challenge.

Kettyle Irish Foods, established by Maurice Kettyle and based at Lisnaskea in county Fermanagh, is part of Linden Foods om Dungannon, county Tyrone, is a joint venture with ABP Ireland.

Kettyle specialises in gourmet meats including beef aged in salt moss. The company has won a series of awards including UK Great Taste Awards for its meat.

While the World Steak Challenge is designed to benchmark the quality of beef production against other international competitors and establish a quality mark that everyone can trust, only 10 percent of the total marks are awarded on the taste of the beef and just 40 percent in total on how it eats. Most marks go to how the meat looks.

Overall there were 45 gold, 37 silver and 54 bronze winners. Entries came from 22 countries, a record number since the competition began in 2015.

The organisers say success in the competition and the independent stamp of excellence that comes with it can be used as an integral part of a marketing campaign to build exports and drive sales in home markets.

It also provided an opportunity to engage with consumers to celebrate the joy and benefits of eating steak as part of a healthy balanced diet and highlight the quality and standards of steak production around the globe.

Bushmills Whiskey boost for charcuterie in Northern Ireland

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Bushmills Irish Whiskey is aiming to give Northern Ireland’s burgeoning charcuterie sector a helping hand to grow products and sales especially in international markets.

The distillery, based at Bushmills in county Antrim, is continuing its #BlackBushStories collaborative event series this summer, showcasing and celebrating the stories of Irish talent who have gone against the grain to follow their passion and become champions in their chosen field.

Northern Ireland has a developing sector that includes award winning craft producers such as Corndale Farm in Limavady, county Derry and Ispini in Aughnacloy, county Tyrone.

A collaboration with Cork native, Rob Krawczyk, will see the chef and charcuterie master host a meat curing masterclass at D.I.V.E Belfast on Tuesday 24th July in association with Bushmills Irish Whiskey Ambassador and acclaimed bartender, Paul Rocks.

Rob is currently one of Ireland’s top trending chefs having recently opened his very first venture, Restaurant Chestnut, in Ballydehob. The intimate, 18-seat dining destination features its own smokehouse and in-house charcuterie.

Having worked under a string of high profile chefs including Michelin star chef Richard Corrigan in London, Alice Waters of Chez Pannise in San Francisco, and Martijn Kajuiter of Michelin-starred Cliff House Hotel, the renowned chef is flying the flag for all-Irish charcuterie, backed by his father, Frank Krawczyk, who set up West Cork Salamis in the late 1990s.

The ‘Black Bush Cured’ interactive event will open with Paul delivering an educational tasting session on some of Bushmills’ best-loved whiskeys, sharing the history and heritage of the iconic Irish brand. Rob will then present a hands-on charcuterie masterclass where attendees will be taught how to cure and smoke meat. The evening will close with guests having the opportunity to sample Black Bush®, expertly paired with one of Rob’s own creations –Black Bush Spiced Beef – which brings out the rich character of the whiskey and, in turn, the whiskey enhances the subtle cure mix of spices in the beef.

Inspired by the supreme craftsmanship, passion and care that goes into the premium blend of Bushmills Black Bush, #BlackBushStories celebrates the stories and talents of independent, spirited and extraordinary Irish individuals who challenge traditional thinking in their fields and live outside the box. A series of immersive collaborator events are being held across the country’s leading venues this summer. Each event celebrates those who have pioneered their craft with phenomenal success and have had the determination to nurture their talent to be the best they can be.

To register for ‘Black Bush Cured’ and to hear more about Rob’s story, visit blackbushstories.com. To join in the conversation and keep up to date with the #BlackBushStories series, follow Bushmills Irish Whiskey on social media.