After a successful first year, Belfast Design Week is set to return to the city this year with an extended programme from Friday 5th – Friday 11th November 2016. The festival aims to highlight and celebrate Belfast’s thriving creative and innovation sectors with a week-long itinerary of independent and fringe events held in various locations through the city.

This year to support the NI Year of Food and Drink, Belfast Design Week has incorporated several food focused events to showcase local talent for culinary design and Belfast’s creative hospitality sector. Two of these core events include the festival’s opening night event Design Dinner taking place at General Merchants 361 on Saturday 5th November, and the Homegrown event running on Tuesday 8th November at Brewbot.

To kick off the festival, guests of the opening night Design Dinner will enjoy a three-course sharing supper with paired wine while mingling with other design enthusiasts and listening to the event’s keynote speaker illustrator Paul Ryding. Upon arrival at artisan restaurant General Merchants 361 in South Belfast guests will receive a signature cocktail before settling down for an evening of feasting and celebrating Belfast’ vibrant design scene.

Design Week favourite Homegrown will return to the schedule this year for an afternoon of inspirational talks from some of NI’s top emerging and established designers. Blending together design experts from a range of backgrounds, Belfast Design Week is delighted to welcome Danni Barry, Michelin Star Chef at Deanes Eipic to the bill. Discussing her culinary journey and the art of recipe and food presentation design, Danni’s talk is sure to give delegates some food for thought.

Catherine McGinnis, Belfast Design Week co-founder said: “This year we’ve curated a real feast for design enthusiasts with events covering a wide range of design disciplines. Belfast’s food and hospitality scene is booming and we wanted to celebrate this in our programme. The Design Dinner and Homegrown present another strand of idea architecture and will hopefully encourage people to re-consider how design fits into everyday life.”

In addition to these events, the Belfast Design Week programme includes a diverse series of events to cater to all tastes including graphic design, web design, craft, fashion, film and much more. For further information on the Belfast Design Week programme and to purchase tickets visit www.belfastdesignweek.com.

– Potato producers taste success with ‘Best Use of Social Media’ accolade for industry-wide campaign

In October 2015, a group of potato growers, processors and producers came together to champion a communications campaign to promote the greatness, or indeed the mighty not humble nature of the spud. One year on, The Mighty Spud campaign, picked up Gold for ‘Best Use of Social Media’ at the recent CIPR Pride Awards, considered to be the Oscars of the PR and Communications industry.

The awards gala, held in the Culloden Hotel on Friday 21st October, recognised the elite of the local PR and communications industry. And the humble spud was no more as it was crowned ‘the cream of the crop’ for its innovative social media campaign, headed by one of Northern Ireland’s leading integrated communication’s agencies, Morrow Communications.

Ivor Ferguson, Deputy President, Ulster Farmer’s Union welcomed the accolade:

“We were thrilled when we learnt of the prestigious award picked up at the recent CIPR Northern Ireland Pride Awards. The campaign was recognised as a great example of investment in innovative measures such as social media to support growth, awareness and a continued contribution to Northern Ireland’s agri-food industry. The Mighty Spud has provided a hugely engaging platform for central messaging from the group utilising Facebook and Twitter. We’ve experienced a lot of success over the past 12 months in profile building and engaging key growth areas, especially young people.”
Annette Small, Communications Manager, Morrow Communications said:

“The Mighty Spud is an integrated campaign using both traditional PR and online platforms, designed to help the industry as a whole and raise awareness of potatoes in comparison to competitors. We want to thank the Northern Ireland Stakeholder Potato Promotion Group for entrusting their brand to us and allowing us to help them share their story with the world. We are already looking forward to bringing more inventive ideas to the table in the coming year.”

The Mighty Spud also had this to say about the campaign:

“I always knew I was award worthy but it’s great to get the bling to prove it. For years I have been overlooked as a modest spud, sometimes even considered boring. It’s a huge relief to now shake off my ‘humble’ name-tag and truly come out of my skin! The spud is the king of the carbs once more!”

To learn more about the campaign please visit www.mightyspud.com or follow @MightyNotHumble on Facebook and Twitter. All hail the Mighty Spud.

Tourism Northern Ireland has awarded the Kilmorey Arms hotel a three-star rating under its accommodation grading scheme.

The recently refurbished hotel has opened under new management achieving a three-star award on its first Quality Grading Assessment, indicating the accommodation is of a ‘very good standard’.

Having first opened in the 1800’s the Kimorey Arms is a listed building steeped in history with undeniable character, offering 24 affordable and comfortable rooms.

Caroline Adams, Quality and Standards Manager Tourism NI commented “I congratulate the Kilmorey Arms’ new management for joining the scheme and helping to send a strong message to our visitors about the quality available within the Northern Ireland tourism accommodation offering.

“The extensive refurbishment of the Kilmorey Arms, coupled with the friendliness of the staff, enhances the visitor offering in Kilkeel and County Down. There is great synergy between the Northern Ireland Year of Food and Drink’s focus on local produce and the Kilmorey Arms’ revamped food menu, which now features local ingredients including Kilkeel crab, Fivemiletown Goat’s Cheese and Mourne Lamb.”

Claire McCauley, General Manager Kilmorey Arms Hotel said; “We are absolutely delighted with our rating from Tourism NI. It is great to have our hard work and dedication over the past year recognised. It is a testament to our dedicated staff who constantly deliver warm and genuine service, impeccable attention to detail which provides for an excellent guest experience. “

For more information, visit www.tourismni.com

October is the month to celebrate the harvest and there’s no better place to do it than in our orchard county.
Armagh’s famous orchards become the focus for Northern Ireland as Richhill Apple Harvest Fayre prepares to welcome thousands of people on Saturday to celebrate our world famous Bramley apple.

Richhill Apple Harvest Fayre is back on October 29 as a celebration of all the very best food and drink which the region has to offer.

Yet again this year, a host of food and drink producers will come to Richhill’s historic village square to celebrate our connection with our land in the Food Heartlands. But as well as a showcase of food and drink there will also be a whole range of activities for families to enjoy.

Speaking ahead of this year’s fayre, the Lord Mayor of Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, Garath Keating, said: “We live and work in a very special place. Our reputation as being the orchard county has certainly put our special place on the food map.

“The Richhill Apple Harvest Fayre is a fayre which is now in its third year and its success continues to build year on year. Here in Armagh we are very proud of our heritage so this is a fantastic day out in the rural Food Heartlands where we can all celebrate our world famous Bramley Apple and celebrate all of our other local producers.

“I am delighted to support the Richhill Appple Harvest Fayre.”
Joining Mayor Keating in his orchards recently and at the official launch of the fayre in Richhill’s Cafe Casa, Hamilton Loney said there has been a big crop this year.

He said: “The harvest is a very busy time for fruit growers like myself. There’s so much work to do and this year there has been a fantastic crop. The Richhill Apple Harvest Fayre celebrates the work we do. It celebrates our connection with our land. It’s an opportunity for families to come out and support the rural community’s efforts.

“We look forward to welcoming families for the third year in a row. The Richhill Apple Harvest Fayre is fast becoming a date in everyone’s diary.”

The fayre, which takes place from 9.30am to 5pm, is a chance to sample the delicious produce on sale, have
something to eat, enjoy cookery demonstrations, sample locally produced ciders and juices, listen to the live entertainment on offer all day and take part in the many children’s activities on offer.

The cookery demonstrations will run throughout the day with some of Armagh’s finest showcasing their talents and showing the amazing dishes which can be prepared using finest local ingredients especially the Armagh apples.
Live music and entertainment will be on the main stage and back by popular demand is the tug-of-war display where local people can also get involved in the challenge. There will be children’s entertainment running throughout the day in the grounds of Richhill Castle and families can also meet some special animals which star in The Game of Thrones.

This fayre has been organised by Richhill Buildings Preservation Trust by a dedicated team of volunteers. It has received financial support from Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council and local private businesses who also sponsor the event.

A replica of an old railway tram will be among the attractions at one of Northern Ireland’s oldest apple fairs taking place on Friday, October 28th, as part of Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Hallowe’en celebrations which also coincide with Harvest month during Northern Ireland Year of Food & Drink 2016.

Castlederg Apple Fair has been running on the last Friday of October for the past 100 years and the historic event is at the core of a packed programme of festivities taking place in the Co Tyrone town on Friday, October 28th and Saturday, October 29th.

Mayor of Derry and Strabane district, Alderman Hilary McClintock, said the unveiling of a replica of the original tram which was used to transport apples from Co Armagh to Castlederg in bygone days would be an added highlight during this year’s celebrations.

Mayor McClintock said: “There is great excitement about the building of a replica of one of the original trams which was part of the Great Northern Railway which ran from Victoria Bridge to Castlederg and brought produce to the town from 1883-1933.

“Castlederg Apple Fair is a long-running tradition in the town with apple sellers travelling from Co Armagh in the lead-up to Hallowe’en for the past 100 years. And, with a host of family-friendly activities programmed by the Council to mark the occasion, we are expecting a big influx of visitors to join the local community for the event.”
The replica tram measuring 13ft long by 6ft wide and painted oxide red, has been built by local craftsmen for display in the town’s Diamond area, and it will sit on 30ft of original track which was salvaged by local businesspeople last year.

Gordon Speer, manager of Border Arts in Castlederg, one of the main organisers, revealed that two lengths of track were discovered during the removal of an old mobile shop from the back of business premises in the town centre.
While the replica tram will be the main centrepiece when it is temporarily installed in John Street, all eyes will also be on the visiting apple sellers plying their trade with scrumptious varieties of the popular fruit from the ‘Orchard County’ on Friday, October 28th from 12.30pm until 5pm.

The replica tram will not be the only four-wheeled vehicle making a special appearance in Castlederg on October 28th as Roland Duke, one of the traditional apple sellers making the annual trip from Portadown, will also be bringing his prized vintage Bedford truck.

He explained: “My father, John Alexander Duke, went to Castlederg with the same type of old truck back in the 1950s. I’ll be bringing two varieties of apple, the Bramley cooking apple and Katy red dessert apple which originally came from England and was planted in Co. Armagh, and they will be displayed in original 1950s-style boxes”.

Roland Duke said that he only brings the distinctive 1948 Bedford truck out seven times a year including the Castlederg Apple Fair and both he and his nephew will be dressed for the occasion as “old time apple sellers” wearing a flat cap, brown coat and boots.

James Wright from Derrylee in Dungannon which borders Co Armagh, has been coming to the Apple Fair for more than 20 years like his father and grandfather before him and, his own son, Alan (22) has also been accompanying him since he was just four years old.

Although James has seen big changes over the years in the way people buy their apples and use them for baking, he doesn’t think the traditional street fair will ever die out completely.

“The Castlederg Apple Fair is probably the last of its kind in Ireland and although a lot of the old bakery skills are lost, it’s the people you meet who make it. I’ll be bringing the famous Armagh Bramley and a few Armagh ‘eaters’’; the Bramley is the queen!”

Castlederg resident and retired councillor Jim Emery also has fond memories of the local Apple Fair being a big attraction for locals, going right back to his school days.
“They brought the apples from Armagh by GNR train down the length of Victoria Bridge and then went on to Castlederg by tram until the railways closed in 1933. There was always a great tradition of buying a box or bag of cooking apples and eating apples as well.

“We always looked forward to going down to the Apple Fair; some of the sellers would have allowed us to sample the apples and people didn’t buy too quick as the apples usually tended to come down in price as the day went on. I’m not a cook myself but I love apple tarts going back to when my mother made them and they used to put a ring in them.”

Susan Doherty, Economic Development Manager with Derry City and Strabane District Council, said preparations were well underway for Friday’s Apple Fair with live music, walkabout street characters and cookery demonstrations in the marquee at the Diamond all adding to the festivities.

She continued: “The apple sellers will be in the town centre from early morning with their delicious varieties of popular cooking and eating apples. There will also be musical entertainment by local school children and local bands from 1pm-2pm and cookery demonstrations in the marquee from 2pm-4pm with chefs Sean Harrigan from the Sooty Olive in Derry and Colm McMenamin, from The Red Pepper in Castlederg showcasing their culinary skills in the Food NI kitchen.”

Castlederg Women’s Institute will also have a home baking display and the popular local Scarecrow Trail involving local schools will be showcased in shop windows during the celebrations.
A ‘Hoolie on the Hill’ and Fireworks Display will also take place in Castlederg on Friday evening while the festivities continue the following day when Border Arts presents ‘Castlederg Piping Hot’ featuring pipe bands and Uilleann pipers in the marquee on Saturday, October 29th from 1pm-5pm.
For full details of Derry City and Strabane District Council’s 30th anniversary ‘Out Of This World’ Hallowe’en celebrations, visit www.derrystrabane.com/halloween

Bloodied steak sandwiches, frightfully fiery soup, teeth-chattering ice-(s)cream and other ghoulishly good food will be on the menu when Derry’s Waterloo Place is transformed into Hell’s Kitchen during Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Hallowe’en celebrations from October 28th until October 31st.

Some of the North West’s most spooktacular street vendors will be cooking up terrifyingly tasty bites from Friday, October 28th until Sunday, October 30th from 12 noon until 8.30pm and on Hallowe’en night itself, Monday, October 31st, until 10pm when Hell’s Kitchen stays open that bit later to feed famished festival foodies – there might even be a full moon!

Local celebrity chef Emmett McCourt will be among traders and revellers getting into the spirit of the celebrations by donning a special costume and, his Irish Food Heritage trailer will also be getting a Hallowe’en makeover for the event coinciding with October’s Harvest theme during Northern Ireland Year of Food and Drink 2016, supported by Derry City and Strabane District Council.

Mary Blake, Council’s Tourism Development Manager, said Hell’s Kitchen will cast a culinary spell on foodies keen to get their teeth into the city’s 30th anniversary ‘Out of This World’ Hallowe’en celebrations in Guildhall Square and Waterloo Place.

She continued: “We are delighted to be incorporating our new Hell’s Kitchen together with Council’s Haunted Harvest Market showcasing food and crafts from local producers and suppliers, including the Walled City Market. As with all our festival events, Hell’s Kitchen will celebrate award-winning local food provenance and we are delighted the event is attracting street vendors from across the north west and wider region as we continue to celebrate Northern Ireland Year of Food and Drink and this month’s Harvest theme.”

Emmett McCourt, author of the Gourmand world award-winning cookery book, ‘Feast or Famine’, will be cooking three special Hallowe’en themed dishes in Hell’s Kitchen including, Bloodied Steak Sandwich using 25-day salt cured sirloin steak from Hannan Meats with Sperrin Blue cheese from Tamnagh Foods served on local sourdough bread and wild rocket.

Hungry revellers will also be saying a big ‘fang you’ when they get the chance to feast fearlessly on Jack O’Lantern Fiery Turnip and Pumpkin Soup, and Emmett’s signature Boxty – a traditional Irish potato pancake – given a special Hallowe’en twist with Armagh apple and Lumper potato.

While Hallowe’en is believed to stem from Samhain, the Pagan Feast of the Dead which marked the old Celtic New Year, it was also a celebration of everything that came to fruition during harvest time, preservation of foods for the winter and slaughter of cattle to feast on to celebrate the old and the new, the ‘Feast or Famine’ author explained.

Emmett will be following the tradition of carving turnips known as Jack O’Lanterns named after the mythical character ‘Stingy Jack’ associated with All Hallows Eve, who, according to ancient Irish folklore, tricked the devil into saving his soul by sending him off to pick apples.

He continued: “When the Irish emigrated after the Famine they took these stories to America. They started off with rutabaga, a root vegetable similar to turnip as they couldn’t find many turnips growing. The pumpkin is the modern version of the Jack O’Lantern and is easier carved to put a light in, but America has Irish folklore to thank for the tradition.”
If there’s a culinary choice to be made between the humble turnip or the plumper pumpkin, it’s no contest for the ‘Feast or Famine’ author. “It has to be the turnip, pumpkins are a bit bland”, according to Emmett who has fond memories of growing up eating turnips fried in bacon fat.

“The turnip is very underrated but it features in a lot of my signature dishes such as turnip puree and diced turnip with corned beef. In the 1880s there were thousands of turnips growing wild around the North West; they were rife and people loved their turnips.”

Emmett will be adding both turnips and pumpkins to the cauldron for his special fiery soup as Hell’s Kitchen turns up the heat in the Best Hallowe’en Destination in the World as voted by USA Today readers.

ShapeShifters! live music stage and street performances and, The Ghost of Dopey Dick interactive performances and light installation, will also add to the festive atmosphere in the Guildhall Square and Waterloo Place areas from October 28th-31st.

The full programme of the city and district’s Hallowe’en events including the Haunted Harvest Market and Hell’s Kitchen is available at www.derrystrabane.com/halloween For further information on council events celebrating Northern Ireland Year of Food and Drink 2016 visit www.derrystrabane/food