Tourism NI has unveiled the shortlist of nominations for the 2017 Northern Ireland Tourism Awards, in association with Diageo Northern Ireland.

The sought-after awards, which recognise outstanding performers in the tourism industry, will this year be presented over twelve categories including Best Event or Festival experience which is open for public vote.

The shortlist has been drawn up by a panel of judges from entries that came in from all over Northern Ireland, and includes nominations that are contesting in more than one category.

The winners will be announced at a gala ceremony to be held on Thursday 18th May at Enniskillen Castle, the highlight of the annual tourism calendar.

Commenting on the shortlist, Tourism NI Chairman Terence Brannigan said; “This year marks the 39th year of the Northern Ireland Tourism Awards and on the night the event will recognise the hard work and achievements of the people in an industry that continued to transform and to deliver excellent experiences for our visitors in 2016.

“Last year Northern Ireland welcomed record visitor numbers and we also stand proudly on the shoulders of the successful NI Year of Food and Drink, an initiative created and successfully delivered by cross industry partnership. The theme of partnership and collaboration will remain a key focus for the industry moving forward because no matter how small or large the operation, all local businesses and organisations have a lead part to play in growing tourism in 2017 and beyond.”

Paddy McKenna, Commercial Manager Diageo Northern Ireland, commented; “It’s great to see such a diverse mix of tourism and hospitality businesses, organisations and initiatives from right across Northern Ireland shortlisted for these awards. Such variety serves to highlight both the breadth and depth of our tourism offering here and reinforces the continued importance of this industry to our local economy and the community of Northern Ireland as a whole.”

To view the shortlist, purchase tickets and to vote for this year’s Best Event or Festival visit www.nitourismawards.com

Fresh fish will be the order of the day when the Ulster Chowder Cook Off competition comes to Ballycastle again this year!

The search to find the best seafood dish takes place on Monday 29th May during the Rathlin Sound Maritime Festival.

With 10 places up for grabs, there’s still time to enter before the deadline on the 15th May. To find out more and to sign up, go to the Ulster Chowder Cook Off Competition Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ulsterchowdercookoff) or www.rathlinsoundmaritimefestival.com.

The event is a chance to celebrate fabulous local fish produce, cooked to perfection by chefs from all over Ulster who think they have the recipe for success.

Adding her support, the Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Alderman Maura Hickey, said: “The Rathlin Sound Maritime Festival is a fantastic celebration of our nautical heritage so where better to host this seafood themed competition? The Causeway Coast and Glens continues to lead the way as a ‘foodie’ destination, thanks to our local producers, high quality eateries and our growing food tourism industries. The Cook-Off brings together all of these elements and provides a great opportunity for chefs to showcase their talents.”
All the action takes place in front of an audience in the seafront cookery theatre, and will be compered by Wendy Gallagher from Causeway Coast Foodie Tours.

Entries will be judged by Eimear Mullan, from Thyme &Co in Ballycastle, Sharon Machala from Food NI and Karen Marran from North West Regional College.

For the participants it’s all to cook for, as the winner will be sponsored to attend the All-Ireland Cook Off in Kinsale, County Cork next year.

The Ulster heat was held during the Festival for the first time last year, with Pol Shields, from Upstairs at Joes in Cushendall emerging victorious and attending the All Ireland Chowder Cook off in Kinsale!

Following on from four very successful Rathlin Sound Maritime Festivals in Ballycastle the steering committee are currently in the process of developing the itinerary for this year’s festival.

One section which we are very keen to develop further is the potential to showcase our locally caught seafood, our local artisan produce and promote the many fantastic businesses within the area that carefully source, prepare, cook and present maritime themed dishes.

We want to establish a partnership to assist in the promotion of your business through our Cookery Theatre, during the festival on Sat 27th May and Sun 28th May, lasting roughly 30 minutes, we believe that this is the perfect opportunity for you to actively market your business, products, staff and menus to a captive audience.

The committee are passionate about promoting the area’s great food, fantastic businesses in one of the most scenic parts of Ireland.

Compere for the cookery theatre will be the fabulous Caroline Redmond of ‘North Coast Walking Tours’

Visitors to the festival will be able to delve into the wealth of fantastic food knowledge that our demonstrators have to offer at the theatre.

Sponsored by Causeway Coast and Glens Food Network, supporting local producers and showcasing local produce.

The Festival is a great opportunity to bring people together to celebrate our unique culture, heritage and local produce in the most positive of ways, a celebration of everything that is wonderful about this magical part of the world in the heart of the Causeway Coast and Glens, the music, the people, the scenery, the craftsmanship, the culture and unrivalled locally sourced produce.

We can accommodate approximately 8 demonstrations, of which should be approx 30 mins plus 15 mins prep time and 15 mins clean up time.

Saturday 27th May Demo Slots between 12noon and 3pm

Sunday 28th May Demo Slots between 12noon and 3pm

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to get in touch.
If you are interested in getting involved and supporting something special which promotes the Causeway Coast and Glens and everything it has to offer to a wider audience please send an expression of interest to, info@naturallynorthcoastandglens.co.uk

International gold medal award winner Mac Ivors Cider Co is announcing that its three ciders are now being stocked in 17 Marks & Spencer stores across Northern Ireland.

Mac Ivor Cider Co’s Traditional Dry Cider, Medium Cider and Plum & Ginger are now listed so cider drinkers can enjoy a great tasting craft experience from their local M&S store.

M&S consumers can now take their food and drink adventure one step further as they will be able to buy ciders made with fruit nurtured in the heart of County Armagh – Ireland’s apple capital.

Making the announcement, Greg MacNeice, a fifth generation apple grower, said: “We work very hard to produce great tasting ciders which capture the flavour and aroma of the juicy apples we grow. It’s an honour for our range of ciders to be chosen by M&S and we are delighted to be part of their food and drink story.

“Our Traditional Dry Cider is an elegant blend of over 10 different apple varieties inspired by the aromatic ciders of Northern France. Our crisp Armagh Bramley apples balance the fragrant flavours of traditional dessert apples and bittersweet cider apples for a deep, dry cider taste.
“Our light, fresh and fruity Medium Cider is a lively blend. With the focus on the modern dessert apple varieties this cider delivers a mouth watering and easy drinking refreshment while staying true to our belief that cider should taste of real apples.

“Our luscious Plum and Ginger is a subtle blend of our Medium Cider with plum and ginger juice. The plum provides a rounded, fruity flavour while the ginger adds a subtle amount of heat to the finish. The cider is rosé in colour with delicate bubbles which make it a perfect spring-summer tipple.”
Greg added: “Chefs up and down the country enjoy cooking with our cider, consumers love the taste of the orchards and no matter what time of the year, our ciders pair very well with the delicious range of food in M&S.
“Food and Drink in Northern Ireland is booming and everyone is embarking on food and drink adventures be that on food and drink trails and tours or cooking in our own kitchens. The story of our orchards is one which consumers want to hear all of the time so people feel part of the harvest. We are delighted M&S customers can enjoy this harvest adventure at their convenience.

Michael Wallis, beer buyer for M&S, said: “Our mission is to become not only the best craft beer retailer on the high street but to also offer more innovative local beers from smaller breweries with the convenience of buying them from your local M&S store.”

Mac Ivors Cider Co has recently been awarded three gold medals in the International Brewing and Cider Awards 2017 and will find out on April 26 at London’s Guildhall if it will be the overall Cider Champion.
Last year, the cider producers picked up a silver in Blas na hÉireann for Traditional Dry and Plum and Ginger. They were voted best Artisan producer in Armagh, joint best in Ulster and joint best in Ireland. They also picked up a Great Taste Awards for Traditional Dry and Medium ciders and got a silver medal at the Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards.

Mac Ivors Cider Co’s ciders will be available in the following M&S stores in Northern Ireland. RRP is £2.50 for Traditional Dry Cider, Medium Cider and Plum and Ginger Cider and on special offer at M&S of four for the price of three.
• Abbey Centre, Belfast
• Armagh
• Ballymena
• Bangor
• Belfast City Centre
• Boucher Road, Belfast
• Bow St Mall, Lisburn
• Cookstown
• Enniskillen
• Cresent Link Derry-Londonderry
• Foyleside Shopping Centre, Derry-Londonderry
• Lisburn Road, Belfast
• Sprucefield
• Newry
• Newtownbreda
• Omagh
• Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast

Craft beer brewer Mourne Mountains Brewery has secured a deal to supply 18 Marks and Spencer (M&S) stores across Northern Ireland.

From 20th April M&S will stock the Warrenpoint-based brewery’s Great Taste award winning beer Red Trail, a red IPA.

Commenting on the deal, brewery founder Connaire McGreevy said: “We are thrilled to see Mourne Mountains Brewery on the shelves in M&S, a premium supermarket known for its high standards.

“It’s a milestone moment for us and just great recognition of the quality of the beer we’re producing. We’re so proud to be a local company, using local labour and local water from Spelga Dam. Just fresh, good quality beer that’s made by hand in small batches.

“We’re currently producing the equivalent of 250,000 bottles of beer per year to meet the demand for our core range which are sold in bars, restaurants and off licences across the country.

“We’re quietly confident that sales at M&S will go well and we’ll be able to leverage that profile to bring the brand to more outlets across NI and beyond,” he said.

Mourne Mountains Brewery was launched in 2015, producing a core range that includes Mourne Gold, a pale ale, Mourne Mist, a Pilsner, Red Trail, the red IPA, East Coast, an IPA and Big Rock, a German style wheat beer.

Red Trail red IPA won two stars at the Great Taste Awards 2016, the only beer from Northern Ireland to achieve that accolade in 2016. East Coast IPA won a silver medal at the 2016 Alltech Dublin Craft Beer Cup, the only NI beer to be recognised with an award that year.

Connaire added: “We have exciting plans to launch several more seasonal specials this year that we think will go down a treat. The beauty of being a craft brewer is that you can be creative and agile, making a little of what you fancy each time and keeping things really fresh for the consumer. That’s what I love most about what we do, craft beer, quite literally, never gets stale!”

The Ulster Farmers Union, in partnership with Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend and ASDA, has launched its 2017 schools competition.

The competition is open to all nursery, primary and special schools across Northern Ireland. This year pupils have been asked to put their creative skills to the test around the theme, ‘Eating Healthy Local Food’. ASDA have kindly agreed to sponsor the competition with a range of prizes up for grabs for the lucky winners. Joe McDonald, Asda NI Senior Manager, Corporate Affairs said: “This is a great initiative which Asda NI is proud to support. Our team of Community Champions spend a lot of time working with schools to raise awareness of the important links between farming, local produce and the food we sell in our stores. Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend offers a fantastic opportunity to bring these messages to life and we hope more schools than ever get involved.”

UFU president, Barclay Bell said: “This is an exciting opportunity for schools across Northern Ireland to further focus on not only healthy food but the seasonality of local produce. The competition is about engaging with school children – to get them thinking about farming and the hard work that goes into producing our first class food.”

Now in its sixth year Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend has gone from strength to strength. The free event provides schools with the opportunity to educate children about the ‘Farm to Fork’ journey. “This competition will give pupils a greater knowledge of the seasonality of our produce and how it is produced. It will also underline the importance of supporting local producers to benefit the rural community and wider economy in Northern Ireland. I would certainly encourage schools to consider a trip to a farm,” said Mr Bell.

He said that each year the UFU has been impressed with the number and quality of entries for the Schools Competition. “We would again encourage schools and teachers to participate, in what is a very worthwhile competition,” said Mr Bell. Entry forms have been sent to all nursery, primary and special schools. The closing date for entries is Friday 12 May 2017.

For further information visit www.ufuni.org or contact Heather Stewart at UFU HQ on 028 9037 0222 or heather@ufuhq.com.

The competition is split into four sections:

Foundation level (Nursery, P1 & P2): Decorate a healthy eating plate for a farmer using local food.
Key Stage 1 (P3 & P4): Pupils should create and design a one-course healthy menu using local food.
Key Stage 2 (P5-P7): Pupils should create and design a three-course healthy menu using local food.
Special Schools: Pupils may enter any section of the competition.
Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend will take place on Friday 16th June, Saturday 17th June and Sunday 18th June 2016. A full list of participating farms will be available from April onwards on at: www.openfarmweekend.com