To celebrate the November Year of Food & Drink theme of “Legacy & Learning to…” the multi-award winning Walled City Brewery are very proud to announce the launch of the first ever Homebrew Academy in Ireland!

In the past 5 years there has been an unprecedented shift in the national beer market away from large, multinational, macro beers to a vast array of locally crafted beers, offering the consumer better flavour, greater quality and provenance.

With that, the ancient craft of home-brewing is fizzing with popularity. Kitchens and garages all over the country have bubbling fermentations, with even President Obama brewing his very own White House Honey Ale!

Owner James Huey stated, “We’re incredibly excited about the launch of the Homebrew Academy at the Walled City Brewery and we’re amazed at the phenomenal rise in interest from people eager to brew their own beer! On graduating from the Homebrew Academy, each student will have the knowledge to brew amazing craft beers in their own homes and share it with friends and family. Or just keep it to themselves!”

Opening in January 2017, the Homebrew Academy will be an intensive one day boot-camp run by Masterbrewer James Huey at Ebrington Square, with each participant receiving a Graduation Certificate and a gallon of their very own brew!

Tickets and gift vouchers are available online now at www.walledcitybrewery.com/homebrew or in the Walled City Brewery during normal opening hours

Four of the country’s top chefs get creative to find our new dish

Tourism NI has tasked four of Northern Ireland’s top chefs to create three brand new locally-inspired dishes, one of which will be named as Northern Ireland’s New Signature Dish.

Northern Ireland’s New Signature Dish search is part of the Northern Ireland Year of Food and Drink 2016 celebrations and the four creative minds taking part, referred to as the ‘cooking collective’, are Niall McKenna from James Street South in Belfast; Ian Orr from Browns Restaurant and Ardtara House in Derry~Londonderry; Kelan McMichael from Bull and Ram in Ballynahinch and Chris McGowan from Wine and Brine in Armagh.

They have the incredibly difficult task of coming up with three delicious finalist dishes, using only produce from Northern Ireland, explained Susie Brown, Director of Corporate Development at Tourism NI.

“We are very excited about the prospect of a new signature dish for Northern Ireland. Our firm favourites like stew and champ are so familiar to us all but we want to create a lasting food legacy as part of the Northern Ireland Year of Food and Drink 2016 to live on long after the year-long celebration is over and that is what the Signature Dish is all about.

“Once we have our three finalist dishes, we will ask the public to vote online for which dish they think should be named Northern Ireland’s New Signature Dish,” commented Susie.

Very soon, everyone will be able to see a picture of the final three dishes, details of all the ingredients and information on how to vote for their favourite dish. Everyone who votes will automatically be entered into a prize draw to win some great prizes.

Susie continued: “We all have an opinion on food and have strong feelings when it comes to what we like and what we don’t like so our chefs are really brave in taking on this tasty challenge. Finding one dish that really shines above the other two may prove difficult but our ‘cooking collective’ are leaving the final decision to the public.”

The chefs are only allowed to use Northern Ireland produce and the dishes must all be new but other than that there are no rules.

The ‘cooking collective’ chefs, Niall, Chris, Ian and Kelan, said: “Our produce is the envy of the world with numerous awards and international recognition for hundreds of our food and drink producers. So choosing what ingredients to include is not an easy task for us but we’re up for the challenge.”

The Northern Ireland Year of Food and Drink 2016 has been a resounding success, bringing together many key industry partners working in collaboration to maximize the opportunity of showcasing key producers, chefs and restaurateurs. The process of finding Northern Ireland’s New Signature Dish is another chance to celebrate our food and drink and the people who make it, grow it and cook it.

Susie said: “At this point we have no idea what the three finalist dishes will be but we’d love to know what people across Northern Ireland think. I encourage everyone to get their creative juices flowing and send us in some suggestions via www.facebook.com/discovernorthernireland and www.twitter.com/DiscoverNI.

“The winning dish, as voted for by the public, will be announced at a special unveiling event in December – further details to come later this month. All of the ‘cooking collective’ chefs will be at the event and there will even be a cookery demo before the grand unveiling”, concluded Susie.

What will be Northern Ireland’s New Signature Dish? Let Tourism Northern Ireland know what you think by uploading your dish ideas online using #SignatureDishNI and #EnjoyNI16.

Naturally North Coast and Glens artisan markets will provide the perfect opportunity for Santa to finish off his Christmas shopping this year.

Three seasonal markets in Ballycastle, Ballymoney and Limavady will have a wide range of hand-crafted goods from local artists and designers, and the finest foodstuff from talented growers and food producers.

Market organiser Shauna McFall is thrilled to be touring the popular artisan event over the festive period. “Naturally North Coast and Glens is a fantastic food and craft event which provides the perfect platform for local producers to showcase their talents and products. The markets will be filled with festive cheer – with seasonal gifts, food and music. Coming along is a great opportunity to support local industry and get the very best gifts and food for Christmas. We look forward to welcoming visitors to the events.”

The Christmas tour of Naturally North Coast and Glens begins in the Marine Hotel, Ballycastle, on Sunday 27 November from 11am – 5pm. The next market takes place in Castlecroft Square, Ballymoney, on Friday 2 December from 11am – 3pm. The tour then concludes in Drumceatt Square, Limavady, on Friday 16 December from 11am – 4pm.

For more information you can find Naturally North Coast and Glens on Facebook or Twitter, or check out the website www.naturallynorthcoastandglens.co.uk.

Leading UK food company Moy Park has been recognised for outstanding product quality and an innovative approach to marketing at the UK Quality Food and Drink Awards and the CIM Ireland Marketing Awards.

Moy Park’s branded ‘Roast in the Bag Pork, Sage and Onion Stuffed’ whole bird was named overall winner in the ‘Ready to cook’ category, at the prestigious UK Quality Food and Drink Awards, which celebrate the finest food and drink products from across the UK.

 

Moy Park’s Brand Marketing team was also awarded ‘Best Marketing in FMCG’ for the launch of Moy Park’s ‘Share the Goodness’ advertising campaign and ‘Best Marketing Team (in company)’ at the CIM Ireland Marketing Awards.

Commenting on the recent awards success for the Moy Park Brand, Briege Finnegan, Moy Park Brand Marketing Manager said:

“Winning these awards is testament to the ongoing hard work and dedication of the new product development and brand marketing teams, who work to ensure the Moy Park brand not only delivers high quality, tasty products but also communicates effectively with consumers.

“It’s fantastic to receive these prestigious awards and we are delighted to be endorsed for our work by respected industry bodies.”

Nine venues and four individuals crowned at top hospitality awards

The search to find Northern Ireland’s top hospitality hot spots came to a dramatic conclusion last night, as the cream of the local hospitality industry gathered at the Plaza Hotel, Belfast for Hospitality Ulster’s Pub of the Year Awards 2016.

Following a record number of entries from pubs, hotels and restaurants, a total of 46 shortlisted premises and individuals from right across Northern Ireland went head to head to be named the toast of the trade.

A total of 13 awards were presented at the glamourous ceremony, which was hosted by U105 presenter Frank Mitchell and attended by VIP guests.

New for 2016, Hospitality Ulster introduced a Food & Beverage Manager of the Year Award, which was open to entrants from pubs, restaurants and hotels and the prestigious title was picked up by Morgan Watson from Horatio Todd’s in Belfast.

In recognition of the great diversity of pubs in Northern Ireland, there were three separate Pub of the Year Awards, recognising the best City, Urban and Rural pubs.

After a hotly contested competition the three Pub of the Year winners were:
• Pub of the Year City – The National & Sixty6, Belfast
• Pub of the Year Urban – Kiwi’s Brew Bar, Portrush
• Pub of the Year Rural – Matties Meeting House, Cairncastle

The Awards once again recognised the growing importance of locally sourced food, through three Commitment to Local Food Awards for pubs, restaurants and hotels (in partnership with Food NI/Taste of Ulster). With fierce competition in this category, the eventual winners were:
• Commitment to Local Food (Pub) – The Taphouse, Enniskillen
• Commitment to Local Food (Restaurant)- NATIVE by Yellow Door, MAC, Belfast
• Commitment to Local (Food Hotel) – Bushmills Inn Hotel, Bushmills

The Barperson of the Year Award (in association with Sunday Life) recognised truly exceptional individuals and was entered via nominations through the Sunday Life. Pub-goers across Northern Ireland embraced the opportunity to share their appreciation of their favourite barperson and Paul Rocks from Aether & Echo in Belfast clinched the winning title, with Feargal Shannon from Crowes Nest in Enniskillen being highly commended.

Meanwhile, Hotel Bar of the Year 1, 2 and 3 Star was awarded to the Ivanhoe Inn & Hotel in Carryduff whilst the Galgorm Resort & Spa in Ballymena scooped the Hotel Bar of the Year 4 and 5 Star title.

The Hospitality Ulster Rising Star award (in partnership with Ulster University) went to Hollie Ford – an exceptional young student, who graduated in July with a first-class honours degree in Culinary Arts Management from Ulster University and is currently working as a pastry chef in Deanes EIPIC.

A Commitment to the Community award was presented to the Front Page Bar in Ballymena for the second year running, recognising its outstanding contribution to local charities, good causes, cross community initiatives and efforts to increase industry standards.

The final award of the night was the Industry Legend award (in partnership with Hospitality Review NI). The award was presented to Mid Ulster hospitality entrepreneur, Henry McGlone, owner of Dorman’s, Mary’s Bar and Secrets Nightclub in Magherafelt for his outstanding contribution to the local hospitality industry.

Commenting on the awards, Olga Walls, chairman of Hospitality of Ulster, said: “Our Awards recognise and reward excellence and the important contribution local venues make, not only within their own communities, but to the hospitality industry as a whole.

“This year we further developed our award categories to ensure we recognise all the people and businesses, from the rising stars to seasoned pros that make Northern Ireland’s hospitality industry world-famous. Standards were higher than ever this year, which is a real indication of the high quality and diversity of the sector.

“I would like to congratulate all of this year’s winners and commend all of our shortlisted venues and finalists; to reach the final of a competition of this calibre is no mean feat; each and every one should be proud to be counted amongst the best in Northern Ireland.”

Hospitality Ulster’s Pub of the Year Awards are the only industry recognised awards. After rigorous judging by the panel, the shortlisted premises from across Northern Ireland were put through their paces with mystery shoppers visiting their premises, ensuring they adhere to best industry standards before the winners were decided.

This year’s Awards are supported by Britvic, Coca-Cola, Diageo, Dillon Bass, Drinks Inc., Henderson Foods, Molson Coors, Richmond Marketing, Tennent’s NI, United Wine Merchants, and media partners, Sunday Life, Hospitality Review NI and U105.

For further information about the Pub of the Year Awards 2016 and for the full list of winners, shortlisted venues and finalists, visit www.nipuboftheyear.org

Stephen Jeffers is the latest Northern Ireland chef stage to make an impact on the international stage. Stephen, who runs the Forestside Cookery School in Belfast, was named International Chef of the Year at the recent Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto.

Many other local chefs including Michael Deane and Danni Barry, Niall McKenna, Noel McMeel, Steven Toman, Emmet McCourt and Sean Owens have been involved in initiatives, many led by Tourism Ireland, to boost tourism here by showcasing the outstanding quality of our exceptional food and drink.

Stephen was in Toronto with Tourism Ireland, one of the sponsors of the popular agricultural show in Toronto – an annual event celebrating agriculture and local food. With about 320,000 visitors each year, it proved to be ideal platform to highlight our superb food to a wide audience of Canadian residents, many, of course, had strong Ulster connections.

Stephen’s culinary demonstrations were part of a busy schedule that also included a breakfast for a top Canadian food and lifestyle journalists and a high profile slot on a major breakfast television show. The objective was to promote tourism and business relationships between Northern Ireland and Canada, a nation with which we have historic links stretching back many generations. In fact, some 48,000 Canadian visitors came here last year, up five per cent on 2014, according to Tourism Ireland, which has organised an impressive and very successful programme of such events to support our successful Year of Food and Drink initiative.

A key aim for us will be to build on this programme and the good contacts made during 2017. It’s essential that all the progress made during Year of Food and Drink is built on next year and beyond to ensure the growth of food and tourism, two strategically and largely locally controlled industries with immense potential to create additional employment opportunities and enhance prosperity particularly in rural communities.

Food and drink and tourism are probably the only two industries that reach virtually every part of Northern Ireland. And both are proving to be highly innovative and increasingly customer-focused. Belfast ‘Twilight Market’, for instance, is a great example of innovation and customer focus aimed at promoting food and drink to local people and as another attraction for visitors to the city.

The City Council is now running the market twice a year – early summer and late autumn. The event, held over two days last week, was another outstanding success, a marvellous opportunity for smaller producers and street vendors to reach a wider audience. Both nights were successful and contributed substantially to one of the key objectives of Year of Food and Drink and Food NI – reconnecting producers and local people for the long-term benefit of our most important manufacturing industry, one which is continuing to show good growth particularly in terms of business in key markets such as Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

The outstanding success of the recent BBC Good Show in Belfast also enhanced our reputation as a region producing excellent food and drink and also demonstrated the appetite here for such events.

Other markets beyond these shores, I am delighted to say, are developing and opportunities harnessed by our friends in Invest NI. It was great to see two Food NI member companies, Irwin’s Bakery of Portadown and Tandragee’s Tayto Crips, securing new business at the recent Hotel Asia event in Shanghai.

As our first Year of Food and Drink draws to a close, it’s clear that this important initiative has achieved all its objectives and has helped to position the food and drink and culinary industries here for further initiatives to accelerate growth at home and abroad. We now have to continue to build our reputation to become habitually recognised as a great food producing region.