Irish Black Butter lands at International Airport

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Travellers at Belfast International Airport, Northern Ireland’s main global transport hub, are now able to experience a ‘New Taste of Ireland’.

The airport, used by upwards of six million international passengers annually, has just listed the unique Irish Black Butter conserve developed local entrepreneur Alastair Bell and first launched last November. Irish Black Butter is a Food NI member.

Irish Black Butter is a distinctively rich blend of Armagh Bramley apples, one of four Northern Ireland products to have EU protected status, along with Armagh cider, treacle, a touch of brandy and spices.

The sweet/savoury conserve has been listed by Aelia, the international retailer, which operates the Duty Free Shop in the Departures Zone at the airport.

The conserve, marketed as ‘a new taste of Ireland’ by Mr Bell, is now on sale in the special Taste of Ulster shop at the airport.

Mr Bell, who developed the original Irish Black Butter recipe with the help of award-winning chef Paul Clarke, says: “Being listed in Departures at such a busy international airport is a tremendous boost for my business and so soon after launching it.

“Reaching out to tourists and other visitors to Northern Ireland is a key element in my business strategy.”

“Available in a 225g jar, Irish Black Butter makes a perfect take home treat for travellers or a gift for family and friends from Northern Ireland. I’ve also developed a leaflet with suggested recipes illustrating how best to use the spread. It’s great with cheese, for glazing meats especially pork, as a topping for ice cream and with porridge and toast at breakfast,” adds Mr Bell.

The conserve is now on sale in delis and farm shops in Northern Ireland, Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland, where cheese specialist Sheridan’s is distributing the product. It has also attracted the interest of a major retailer in Great Britain.

Picture Alastair Bell launching his Irish Black Butter at Belfast International Airport

‘Flavours of the World’ at Comber Farmers’ Market

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Comber Farmers’ Market will showcase international flavours from around the world created by local producers on Thursday 3 May, St Mary’s Parish Church, Comber, 9.00am – 1.00pm.

 Joining the market this month will be Chef Jasper Castell on the Big Green Eggs to demonstrate just how to cook add an international twist to the ingredients available at the market, and he will be joined by students from SERC, also demonstrating how to use local produce to create global culinary masterpieces.

 At the award winning market you will find all these tasty global treats locally made.  Hills Mixtape Ice Coffee is made with Irish milk and ethically sourced Indonesian coffee beans, La Dolce Via fresh pasta and sauces are cooked by an Italian who has made his home on the North Coast, Amberline Preserves will have Polish sauerkraut and Korean Kimchi produced with fruit and veg from local fields.  Mange Tout will sell their  delectable French patisserie made from local ingredients, Indie Fude have a variety of Irish cheeses that are internationally influenced, Tom and Ollie bring a mix of Mediterranean tapas and Greek olives  and Doh Naughty has savoury donuts influenced by flavours of the world.

 Traders at the market will have the very finest array of meats, fruit and vegetables, jams and chutneys, home baked goods and breads, cheeses, speciality teas, sauces and syrups, seasonal plants, chocolate, free range eggs, granola, raw Jersey milk and more – all produced in Northern Ireland.

 Alderman Deborah Girvan who helps to run the market on behalf of Comber Regeneration Community Partnership is thrilled that the market continues to grow in popularity with more and more visitors attending every month.

“Comber is indeed the ‘Home of Great Taste’ and is establishing a reputation for being a top foodie destination.  The market provides a platform for local producers to showcase the very best local produce, some of which includes flavours from around the world.  We want to show visitors to Comber Farmers’ Market on Thursday 3 May that a fusion of local and global can create dishes that will tantalise the taste buds.”

 Comber Farmers’ Market is held on the first Thursday of every month in the car park at St Marys Church in Comber Square from 9am to 1.00pm.  Car parking can be found at Parkway on Killinchy Street or in 1st Comber Presbyterian car park on High Street.

Tempted Elderflower Wins Gold at CiderWorld 2018

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Craft cider brand Tempted Cider has won a Gold Medal at the world-renowned CiderWorld Fair held in Frankfurt, Germany, last week.  Tempted Elderflower won Gold in the Flavoured Cider category and was praised highly by category judge and Ciderexplorer blogger, Natalia, who said: “Its beautiful aroma literally pours out of a glass.”

With 95 exhibitors from 16 countries, the international fair is a key event for the industry as well as consumers and the awards are one of the most respected in the cider industry.

Commenting on the win, founder of Tempted Cider, Davy Uprichard said: “Craft cider-making is a promising, passionate industry. To have our Elderflower cider recognised by international experts is a huge accolade and helps with our expansion into international markets with our flavoured ciders, which is looking very promising indeed.”

“Each Tempted Cider style has its own distinct blend and flavour, but each begins with provenance. In Tempted’s case, the beginning of our cider is the Orchard County of Armagh, in Northern Ireland. It’s vital that we continue to deliver the quality and taste that Tempted Cider drinkers now know and love so every care is taken to select only the finest hand-picked apples – only the best apples get to be in a bottle of Tempted. Our medium sweet Elderflower cider is very light and fruity with distinctive tones of elderflower. Not overpowering, the elderflower matches beautifully with a light blend of apple juice to create this justifiably award-winning cider.”

Inspired by founder Davy Uprichard’s childhood memories making wine as a hobby with his father, Tempted Cider was established in 2009. Davy, a horticulturist by trade, set up a small cidery at the family home and began pressing apples. This humble hobby kick-started a mission to make the world’s most-loved and enjoyed craft cider and now, Tempted Cider is the most-awarded cider in Ireland with five styles in its full range and Davy’s passion for celebrating and sharing local apples poured into every, single drop.

Tempted Cider’s award-winning range is available in all good licensed retailers and select licensed venues across Northern Ireland and is expanding into the UK and internationally.

For more information visit temptedcider.com. To share in the conversation, visit @TemptedCider on social media

Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend announce farms for summer opening

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Seventeen farms have signed up to participate in Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend 2018 and have undergone training to help them be prepared to welcome the public this summer. Running on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th June, the popular initiative gives consumers and their families the opportunity to visit farms across Northern Ireland, for free.

Three new farms will open their doors to the public including the star of UTV’s recent Rare Breed series, Geoffrey Ringland of Churchview Farm in Co Down. Mossbrook Farm in Carryduff, home of the Farm House Treats bakery, is also participating for the first time along with Gareth Murray’s poultry farm in Co Armagh.

Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend Chairman and UFU President Barclay Bell said, “Now more than ever farmers need to be telling their story and this initiative is a great way for us to engage with the public and show them the industry up-close. Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend is a fairly new initiative with the UFU’s 100 year history but it has become an important part of our work for the past seven years, allowing us to reach out to the non-farming community to promote the vital work of farmers across Northern Ireland. Many farms have been handed down through the generations, passing on skills and looking after livestock and the land, and so the event this summer allows us to celebrate the individual farm’s story both in the present and in the past.”

Bank of Ireland Agriculture Manager NI Richard Primrose added, “We are delighted that 17 farms have volunteered to participate this summer, particularly given the difficulties the winter weather has brought. We are pleased to support the farmers in this important initiative that gives the general public an insight into the industry. These dedicated farmers are to be commended for taking the lead in communicating their story to a wider audience and we are grateful for all the effort and commitment they put into hosting our visitors. We look forward to welcoming our local communities to Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend in June – it is a great day out for all the family.”

At the training day held at CAFRE Greenmount, visiting speakers from NFU Mutual, HSENI and Mash Direct helped farmers to plan ahead and think of interesting, informative and safe ways to engage with the public on their farms and via social media.

Visitors can plan journeys to the participating farms on the website which lists the various opening times and activities which are unique to each farm. In the UFU’s special Centenary year, farms will also be raising money for the nominated charity, Air Ambulance NI.

The Ulster Farmers’ Union led initiative, principally supported by the Bank of Ireland UK, has been running since 2012 and has attracted almost 90,000 people throughout that time. The event is also sponsored by Asda, Cranswick and NFU Mutual and supported by Food NI, CAFRE, DAERA and the YFCU.

For more information, visit the new website www.openfarmweekend.com, follow on Twitter @BOIopenfarm and like Open Farm Weekend on Facebook.

LOUGH NEAGH POLLAN, FIRST PROTECTED DESIGNATION OF ORIGIN (PDO) FOR NORTHERN IRELAND

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Northern Ireland is world renowned for the variety and quality of its locally grown and produced foods, from its superlative seafood to its extraordinary beef.  However, it has been the region’s freshwater fish that has yet again brought a first to the table; with Lough Neagh Pollan scooping the first Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) for Northern Ireland.  In 2011, Lough Neagh Eel became the first Northern Irish product to be recognised for its quality and authenticity through the European Union’s Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) Scheme.

 

Pat Close, Chairman of the Lough Neagh Fishermen’s Co-operative Society (LNFCS), the company which holds the fishing rights to Lough Neagh and who are responsible for registering both Lough Neagh Eel and Lough Neagh Pollan with the EU schemes said;

“The PDO accreditation is just reward for the fishermen of Lough Neagh who work diligently using sustainable, traditional fishing methods to maintain a viable future for the species and the industry.  Pollan are the only European vertebrate found uniquely in Ireland, with Lough Neagh the only lake currently capable of sustaining a viable commercial stock of pollan.  This accolade celebrates the authenticity and heritage of fishing for pollan on Lough Neagh as well as the unique characteristics of the species. We would like to thank both AFBI & DAERA for their help and assistance in this great achievement”

Dr Derek Evans Project Leader within Freshwater Fisheries section of Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), said;

 

“The listing of Lough Neagh Pollan as a unique food item, from one single source is wholly befitting for this very distinctive fish species.

 

Lough Neagh Pollan (a member of the Salmon family) are one of only a handful of fish species native to Ireland that have remained with us following the extinction impacts of Ice Ages. In science terms we call them a glacial relict, left over from the Saalian Ice Age (200’000 years ago), having lost their previous migratory behaviour as a consequence of sea temperature and salinity rises. Instead, the Pollan became restricted to the temperate freshwaters of Lough Neagh, leaving behind its closest relatives like the Arctic Omul and other members of the Cisco whitefish family to the cold waters of the Arctic.

 

Following the great success of the Lough Neagh Eel PGI listing in 2011, it made perfect sense to use the suite of biological expertise that exists within our Fisheries and Aquatic Ecosystems Branch (FAEB) to support the LNFCS’ PDO application for Lough Neagh Pollan. Key to this has been the range of projects hosted by FAEB which have studied the ecology and biology of the Pollan over many years. Combined with our state of the art DNA analysis which indicates that Pollan colonised Lough Neagh after the Saalian ice age, whilst the other Irish populations became resident during the Devensian ice age (~ 40 000 years ago), made for a very robust application and defence of the unique value that L. Neagh Pollan holds.

 

Essentially, if you are eating a commercially sourced pollan product, it can only have come from Lough Neagh, it doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world. It is findings and projects like this that make it cool to be a fish nerd!”

 

Michele Shirlow, CEO of Food NI, the promotional voice for Northern Ireland’s Food & Drink said;

 

“The award of Product of Designated Origin for Lough Neagh Pollan is another significant milestone in Northern Ireland’s taste journey. EU recognition of Lough Neagh Pollan, the first fin fish in UK & Ireland to receive the accolade of PDO, signifies how LNFCS have been leading the way within our region. It also is an acknowledgement of this unique species, it sets the region apart as one with a great food heritage and tradition, which benefits our food and drink reputation and food tourism.”

 

www.loughneagheels.com; www.twitter.com/loughneagheels

Chef Brian McDermott is Ulster’s Local Food Hero 2018

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Donegal chef Brian McDermott has been named Ulster’s Local Food Hero at the prestigious Irish Restaurant Awards.

Brian – who is fast becoming known all over Ireland as the voice of regional food – is famous in his home county as a tireless supporter of local food producers and the food and hospitality industry.

The top award of the night and the only one to be awarded on a province-wide basis, the Local Food Hero recognises an individual who promotes food culture in their locality and inspires people to get involved with food.

“They may be actively encouraging the restaurants in their area to use local produce, or perhaps they are working to attract food tourists by creating food trails and markets,” the organisers said.

Brian said he was “overwhelmed” to be named Ulster’s Local Food Hero.

“This is the culmination of the most incredible three weeks in my career,” he said.

“As a chef my ethos has always been to promote local food producers, local growers and local restaurants.

“We’re lucky in Ulster, because we’ve always had incredible food right on our doorstep, and that’s a message I’ve spent my career trying to get out to a wider audience.

“I’m genuinely overwhelmed that I’ve been recognised in this way,” he said.

Brian’s second cookery book, Brian McDermott’s Donegal Table – which celebrates traditional recipes, local produce and the county’s people and places – was launched in March to popular and critical acclaim.

“I have to give all credit to a lot ofpeople ,” said Brian.

“This isn’t just my award, it’s their award, and it shows that the things we value here in Ulster – hard work, integrity, commitment to quality – really do pay off.

“I’ve had a great reaction to the book from all over Ireland and further afield, so I think the secret of Donegal cooking really is well and truly out!”

It’s the culmination of the busiest month in Brian’s professional life, as he

Brian – who was nominated by  members of the public – received his award at an events ceremony in the La Mon Hotel and Country Club in Belfast on Wednesday night last week.

135 awards were presented in categories which included Best Casual Dining, Best Emerging Irish Cuisine, and Pub of the Year in each county.

Adrian Cummins, Chief Executive of the Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) said the Irish Restaurant Awards continue to showcase the exquisite and admirable calibre of food available in restaurants and pubs nationwide.

“Online nominations have increased from 9,000 in 2013 to over 80,000 this year and with the increase in interest comes an increase in standards, making the judging process more difficult than ever,” he said.

“Our small island boasts everything from fine dining to high quality gastropubs, from the exotic taste explosions of world cuisine to the comfort of traditional dishes.

“We have an appreciation for what we eat, for the journey of our food from farm to fork, and for the dedication of those working in the food industry to serve up Ireland’s finest food.”

Brian now qualifies for the all-Ireland award in May.