Creating a legacy for the local area and to mark the outstanding success of Northern Ireland’s Year of Food and Drink in 2016, Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council has announced plans to collate and publish a book of locally inspired recipes. With the help of residents, the council is asking them to submit recipes, whether passed down from generation to generation or inspired by new culinary discoveries. All recipes must be submitted before Tuesday 31st January 2017.
The recipe book will also feature handy tips by true local home cooks and Michelin-star trained chef Chris McGowan – joint owner of the award-winning Wine and Brine in Moira – will be lending his expert eye and taste buds to the process.

“What we’ll be looking for are recipes that have been passed down through local families over the years – the bread and butter, per se – that has fuelled Lisburn & Castlereagh and captures the essence of the council area’s favourite regional tastes,” commented Chris McGowan.

Cllr. Uel Mackin, Chair of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council’s Development Committee, commented on the level of excitement around the creation of a locally inspired recipe book.

“The idea of a book containing recipes which have been passed down through families to feed Lisburn and Castlereagh residents for generations is an appetising prospect! Throughout 2016 we recognised the best in local producers and manufacturers, and in November specifically celebrated our food legacy and opportunities for learning. It’s important to us that we instil a love of the culinary arts for generations to come by taking pride in our past and present culinary accomplishments and using these to further progress interest in the food and drinks industry.”

Residents are now being called upon to submit their cherished recipes for consideration in the soon to be published Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council recipe book. To be considered, submitted recipes should be those which have been passed down through families over the years. All submissions must also include a short historical background to the recipe.

To put forward a recipe for consideration, simply submit your entry by Tuesday 31st January 2017 to LCCC Recipe Book, C/O Rumour Mill PR, First Floor Cranmore House, 611A Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7GT or visit www.visitlisburncastlereagh.com/legacy-recipe-book. All winning submissions will be notified after this date and will need to be available for publicity shots. Terms & Conditions apply.

An Urban Street Food Fest linked to an international music festival, ‘Best of the Northwest Showcase’ and the launch of a new craft beer based on a 300-year-old Siege recipe are among a feast of upcoming events announced by Derry City and Strabane District Council.

Council is funding the events as part of its Year of Food Industry Support Programme which encourages the private sector to develop events which support the Year of Food and Drink objectives aimed at building the region’s reputation as an international food tourism destination.

The Programme has previously supported Sippy Fest, a two-day celebration of local beers, spirits and food which took place in the Guildhall in November 2016 and, a Gourmet Slow Food evening hosted by Wild Strands in December celebrating the Native Foyle Oyster.

Sippy will be back in February with weekend tours of the city’s craft breweries – Northbound, Dopey Dick at Taphouse and Walled City Brewery – which will also feature locally sourced food produce.

Welcoming Council’s support for the foodie events on the menu leading up to its award-winning LegenDerry Food Festival in March which attracted 36,000 visitors last year, Mayor of Derry and Strabane, Alderman Hilary McClintock, encouraged locals and visitors alike to continue supporting local produce and suppliers as part of the legacy of Year of Food and Drink, following on from the city’s success as runner-up Ireland Foodie Destination 2015 and 2016.

“Northern Ireland Year of Food and Drink has provided a tremendous opportunity to showcase our ‘LegenDerry and Local’ food offer across the city and district and, I am delighted that Council is continuing to support local businesses going forward through its Year of Food Industry Support Programme.”

Mary Blake, Council’s Tourism Development Manager, added: “The Industry Support Programme is designed to encourage the private sector to take the lead on developing foodie events and experiences that are immersive and focus on local food provenance. They link to key themes set out in the Year of Food calendar and show the creativity of the sector in developing a programme that offers a full menu from seaweed bread to street food.”

A packed programme of events planned for February’s ‘Love Local’ month includes an Urban Street Food Fest organised by Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin on Saturday, February 4th, as part of its IMBOLC International Music Festival which will take place in the Glassworks.

February will also see celebrations at the award-winning Walled City Brewery to launch its new ‘1689’ craft beer based on a 300-year-old ale dating back to the Siege of Derry, developed as part of Northern Ireland Year of Food and Drink 2016 in partnership with Chef Brian McDermott, manager of the Foodovation Centre at North West Regional College.

Master Brewer James Huey said: “This is the first beer produced by the Walled City Brewery that has the potential for export to UK and Europe. It will also be a huge tourist attraction as visitors will be able to taste a beer that was last drunk by Governor Walker in July 1689!”

A ‘Best of the Northwest Showcase’ will take place at Browns Restaurant and Champagne Lounge which was named Best Restaurant in Ulster by the Irish Restaurants Association in 2016.

Bradkeel Social Farm near Plumbridge in the rural Strabane district will host workshops highlighting local food heritage with an opportunity to learn how to bake scones and sample locally grown and organic produce.

Derry City and Strabane District Council was funded during Northern Ireland Year of Food and Drink 2016 by Tourism NI, DAERA NI Regional Development Fund and the Loughs Agency through the Sustainable Development Programme, assisted by Food NI.

For further information on Council’s food tourism events, visit www.derrystrabane.com/food

Airport partners with Food NI and local councils for competition to celebrate legacy of NI Year of Food and Drink
George Best Belfast City Airport has partnered with Food NI and all local councils to launch the search for Northern Ireland’s Best local food and drink product – offering a staggering prize of £30,000 free marketing support and brand visibility at the airport for the winner.

The competition is open to food and drink producers based across Northern Ireland, with the £30,000 prize including £20,000 of branding on site at Belfast City Airport and £10,000 of online support through the airport’s digital channels.

To take part in the competition, producers should submit their entries via email to cortney@lighthouseni.com by 3rd March, 2017, with each of the 11 local councils then selecting three products from each area to progress through to the next stage of the competition.

The chosen products will then feature on the airport’s Facebook page, with the most popular from each council progressing to the final. This will take the form of a tasting session judged by a panel of food and drink experts.
Katy Best, Commercial and Marketing Director at Belfast City Airport, commented:

“The continued growth of our local food and drink trade is hugely important to the Northern Irish tourism industry and the airport is a committed champion of our local producers. We are very pleased to partner with Food NI on this exciting initiative to continue the success of the NI Year of Food and Drink.

“With 2.67 million passengers from all over the world travelling through the airport each year, the winning producer will have full exposure to a fantastic level of footfall and visibility. We would urge all companies, no matter how big or established they are, to enter.

“The competition will help to significantly raise the profile of all the shortlisted products, not just the winner, and we are working closely with all local councils to ensure the geographical reach of the competition extends right across Northern Ireland.”

The £20,000 of free advertising on offer at the airport will be on a number of formats within the terminal, while the £10,000 of digital support will include activities such as email solus campaigns and social media take overs.
Michele Shirlow, CEO of Food NI, said:

“This competition is a fantastic opportunity to shine a spotlight on some of our most talented and exciting food and drink producers, who are vital to Northern Ireland’s hospitality sector. Our local products are world class and last year they really began to receive the recognition they deserve, both nationally and internationally, through the NI Year of Food and Drink.

“In 2017, we are reflecting on the tremendous impact the NI Year of Food and Drink has made, with the initiative expected to have generated around £40 million of advertising globally – around four times what we set out to achieve.

“This competition is a way of building on the legacy of 2016 as we aim to make Northern Ireland a ‘go to’ food destination over the next three to four years.

“The prize of £30,000 in marketing offered by Belfast City Airport is huge and will make a real impact on the business of the winning company. We are extremely grateful to the airport for its support and would encourage all producers to apply – and help secure high levels of visibility for their products.”

For more information on how to enter and to download an entry form, please visit www.belfastcityairport.com/foodni

George Best Belfast City Airport can also be found on Facebook and Twitter

Article written by Food NI CEO Michele Shirlow for Farm Week 12/01/2017

I’ve decided to use this week’s column to the forthcoming UK Great Taste Awards. I know you’ve read a great deal about this competition over the past year or so. We’ve certainly done very well in the prestigious awards over the past few years.

What I want to focus on in this column is the need for companies here to start planning their entries for the 2017 awards, which will be open for member companies of the UK Guild of Fine Food next week.
Entry for companies which aren’t guild members opens on 1st February. So, companies hoping to achieve recognition need to be start working on their entries as soon as practicable. And remember there is a 10,000 cap on entries which means the competition will close when this number is reached. The growing popularity of the Great Taste Awards means that the 10,000 entry cap could be reached fairly quickly.

Why bother to enter? The Great Taste Awards has been described as the ‘Oscars’ of the food world and the ‘epicurean equivalent of the Booker prize’. Quite simply the Great Taste logo is the sign that shoppers can trust when buying food and drink in a local, quality retailer. It can also help companies win business with retailers including major supermarkets that now watch the awards for innovative products.

We had a great year last year, the highlight of which was Hannan Meats of Moira winning the Supreme Champion title for the second time, the first time the top award has been won twice by a company from the UK and Ireland. Dozens of other local companies also gained gold stars in the event for hundreds of products combining quality and outstanding taste.

Companies achieving three stars can win a listing in the Top 50 Foods, the most prestigious listing of the best of food and drink in the UK and Ireland.

The awards were good for the participating companies and also supported the drive here to showcase Northern Ireland as a global food and drink centre of excellence. Winning an award is important to producers, especially for micro and smaller businesses because it helps to set their products apart from the rest. It’s a real seal of approval. They allocate the gold stars – three for an exquisite product, two for outstanding and one simply delicious
Approval follows rigorous sampling by many of over 400 judges, including specially trained food writers, chefs and restaurateurs giving their verdict at upwards of judging days from March through to early July. Week-long judging sessions will once again be held in Belfast. We took the opportunity to showcase the culinary excellence here. Feedback from the participating judges was wholly positive about the skills and expertise of our cadre of superb chefs.

The judges, in addition, provide expert feedback which has helped companies in past competition to improve a product and strengthen its commercial appeal.

Entering the UK Great Taste Awards, therefore, can be good for a business in so many ways. This is why Food NI is keen to encourage and assist as many local companies as practicable to get involved in this most important competition. So, get cracking with the entry form.

The Northern Ireland Year of Food and Drink Awards in association with the Belfast Telegraph take place on Thursday 2nd February at the Culloden Estate & Spa.

Guests will enjoy a bespoke 5 course banquet curated by the chefs of Hastings Hotels.

Make sure you don’t miss your opportunity to attend. Tickets are £75+vat or book a table of 10. Contact Jackie O’Neill on 028 9026 4127 or j.o’neill@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

BBC Food & Farming Awards 2017 are open for nominations from 15th-29th January 2017.

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