On Friday 7th October, Belfast Met launched its Linen Lounge, Scullery and Yard restaurants to the public at its flagship Titanic Quarter Campus.

Guests of the event included top local chefs who helped put together the college cookbook which was also launched at the event – Danny Millar, Niall McKenna, Simon McCance and Andy Rea who were joined by hospitality industry professionals, college staff, journalists and bloggers.

The names Linen Lounge and The Yard hark back to old Belfast’s booming linen and ship building industry and the stunning design concepts inside are also stepped in our capital city’s history.

Diners can immerse themselves in the nostalgia of industrial Belfast in The Scullery and The Yard as they enjoy the flavours of our traditional fare. Enjoy memories of home grown, locally sourced produce served in relaxed surroundings in an atmosphere that evokes the craic, memories and experiences of Belfast in years gone by.

The Linen Lounge is the place to be for Fine Dining Thursdays from 6pm -7.15pm. Food exactly as you imagine from a culinary training ground and service that ensures our customers will have a fantastic experience while enjoying flavours from award winning local producers. On Twilight Fridays enjoy a bottle of wine, charcuterie and cheese platter with homemade breads and chutneys £20 for 2.

The fully-licenced restaurants which are fully staffed by students offer the public a range of food and drink options to suit every palate. While the Yard and Scullery are casual eateries, the Linen Lounge offers a fine dining experience. Belfast Met has worked closely with employers to ensure each restaurant provides students with the necessary “real life” industry experience to make them as work-ready as possible and able to take up posts in any kitchen upon leaving the college.

Speaking at the launch, head of Belfast Met’s Business School, Christine Brown, said: “The subject of food has always been an important one for us here at the college, just as education and training has – it is part of our heritage.
“When the college was officially opened 110 years ago, cookery was one of the courses on offer at the Women’s Work Department, along with dressmaking, blouse making, millinery, laundry work and lacemaking. Cookery students were prepared for City and Guild examinations, as they still are today.
“Here lay the genesis of Belfast Met’s hospitality offering, cookery and baking classes that would eventually be developed into the courses that have trained most of Northern Ireland’s finest chefs and bakers – many of whom are in our company tonight. Now as we move into a new era, and particularly now… in the NI Year of Food and Drink… we look back on the distance travelled, the effort, hard work and achievements over the years that has led to the establishment of our hospitality centre of excellence. The Yard, Scullery and Linen Lounge are a physical embodiment of how far we have come. Thank you to everyone involved in getting this project off the ground.”

For more information on the Linen Lounge or to book email SScott@belfastmet.ac.uk.

Award-winning jams and chutneys made by hand the traditional way in Co Fermanagh will be showcased at Northern Ireland’s first Slow Food Festival in Derry this weekend.

Erin Grove Preserves are among a number of leading artisan food producers taking part in the two-day event hosted by Derry City and Strabane District Council in Guildhall Square on Saturday, October 8th and Sunday, October 9th, from 12 noon until 6pm daily.

The Festival featuring a Harvest Market, Street Food Zone, Family Fun Zone, free demos, tours and tastings, is being supported by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) NI Regional Food Programme, with assistance from Slow Food NI.

Thousands of visitors are expected to flock to the family-friendly event at which butchers, bakers and artisan makers will showcase good, clean, fair food as part of the October themed ‘Harvest’ celebrations during Northern Ireland Year of Food and Drink 2016.

Erin Grove, which have an impressive ten Great Taste awards under their belt, embody the guiding principles of Slow Food, making jam using time-honoured methods just like it used to be, succulent and bursting with flavour.
Enniskillen native Jayne Paget, who founded the family-run business in 2001 having previously trained as a Home Economics teacher, explained: “Erin Grove’s preserves, chutneys and marmalades are inspired by a desire to recreate the traditional homemade flavours which have been lost in so many of today’s over-processed foods. Using only traditional methods, our products are made in small batches to retain flavour and colour. We use only the finest quality ingredients, sourced mainly from local producers, with no artificial colours, preservatives or setting agents.

“Many of our recipes have been handed down through the generations, others we have created ourselves to produce a range where the favourites of yesterday blend with exciting and innovative flavours for today.”
Jayne revealed that she acquired her passion for making jam from her granny who always grew her own fruit. “As children we had to pick the fruit and help her to make jam. When I was a teenager I made jam for my auntie’s bakery and it all stemmed from that. I went on to train as a Home Economics teacher but always wanted to set up a small jam making business and so Erin Grove was created.”

Based on the family farm at Derryhillagh Road, Erin Grove is run by Jayne and her husband, Mark, with employee Mark Kearney also working in the business. Visitors to the Slow Food Festival will be able to sample some of Erin Grove’s most popular jams which include Strawberry, Lemon Curd, Apple Jelly with Cloves and, Rhubarb and Ginger.
For foodies who love chutneys, Erin Grove’s best sellers are Sweet Chilli Jam and Red Onion with Redcurrant. Their newest products are Fruits for Cheese which they launched in 2015 and are a sweet accompaniment for cheese, with flavours such as Redcurrant, Rosemary and Juniper Berry and Sour Cherry with Black Pepper.
Jayne added: “We have been getting a lot of positive feedback about our jams and chutneys. The customers love the amazing fruity taste of our products and the fact that we do everything by hand.”

Erin Grove have previously taken part in the Legenderry Food Festival and Clipper Race Kitchens as part of the Foyle Maritime Festival and Jayne added: “We enjoy them because the set-up is well organised and the people are friendly and very supportive.”

Mary Blake, Head of Tourism with Derry City and Strabane District Council and a native of Enniskillen, said they were delighted to be welcoming Erin Grove back to the banks of the Foyle for the exciting new Slow Food Festival, celebrating some of the finest local produce in the north west and across Northern Ireland as well as Co Donegal.
She added: “Our family-friendly Slow Food Festival will be centred in the main marquee in Guildhall Square featuring a Harvest-style market showcasing award-winning cheese and charcuterie specialists, freshly caught fish, handmade sauces, seasonal pantry foods and much more.

“Festival-goers will be spoiled for choice with an additional Street Food Zone and Family Fun Zone as well as free walking and cycling food tours, plus an exciting event exploring some of our wild foods at St Columba’s Heritage Centre and, specially themed food and drink menus at the Guildhall Taphouse and Warehouse No 1 Bistro and Cafe.”
Popular local celebrity chefs Paula McIntyre, Director of Slow Food NI who recently returned from an international Slow Food event in Italy, and Brian McDermott, who is also a Slow Food ambassador, will also be hosting cookery demos during the Festival.

A number of well-known food and drink producers will also be offering a selection of mouth-watering Slow Food cuisine in the Street Food Zone including, Emmett McCourt’s Irish Food Heritage, Scarpello & Co Craft Bakery, Amara Dexter Beef, Hog Roast Company, South African Kitchn and Morelli’s Ice Cream.
For further information visit www.derrystrabane.com/food

Great Irish Beverages now in its 3rd year of the Cocktail Fest, a Nationwide celebration of cocktails made with Irish Spirits. For 2016 they are taking the festival around the entire island of Ireland to all 32 counties! Irish Cocktail Fest is taking place from October 10th – 15th and RubyBlue are delighted to be involved!

RubyBlue Potato Vodka is the premium Irish spirit that all 4 Northern Irish venues have chosen to use in their cocktail entry this year, as the festival opens to every province in Ireland for the first time

ULSTER
RubyBlue Potato Vodka

RubyBlue have signed up to the Irish Cocktail Festival 10th-15th October and are proud to have 4 venues and 4 delicious cocktails on board;
The Wolfe Shack – Cocktail; ‘ The Wolf’s Tooth’
Stokers Halt – Cocktail ‘Ruby Blue Surprise’.
George’s at the Market – Cocktail ‘George’s Ruby Julep’
Made in Belfast (Cathedral qtr.) – Cocktail ‘Ruby Cooler’.

As soon as the festival begins, the public may vote for their favourite cocktail by using the #BestIrishCocktail hashtag on twitter. The winning venue will receive a host of brilliant prizes and most importantly can lay claim that they have the finest Irish Cocktail in all of Ireland!

Call in to our 4 venues and try the delicious cocktails for yourself – and most importantly Don’t Forget To Vote For Your Favourite!

James Devine, Sous Chef at Deanes EIPIC in Belfast, has scooped the title of National Chef of the Year 2017 at The Restaurant Show in London last night.

In the tense final heat the Deanes chef beat off stiff competition from ten finalists representing restaurants including Restaurant Gordon Ramsey and Petrus to win the UK’s most prestigious culinary competition. The brief focused on core culinary skills which were judged by a forty strong panel, chaired by renowned London Chef Clare Smyth. His winning menu featured Tees Valley Rib of Beef and a soft centred chocolate and coffee tart.

As the winner, James Devine is now part of the National Chef of the Year ‘Hall of Fame’, which represents culinary excellence and offers the chance to meet and work with some of the most exciting industry names.

Speaking after the announcement James Devine said “I’m honoured, I never expected to win or to come this far. Each dish was something I’d happily eat or serve up. Right now I feel humbled and very excited at the same time.”

Vice President of the Craft Guild of Chefs, who organised the competition, commented “Congratulations to James, he thoroughly deserved to take this title and this will be a career defining and life changing moment for him.”
Clare Smyth added “Although it was a tough decision we had a clear winner in the end and some really stand out dishes that could be served up in any restaurant.”

James works in the Michelin Starred Deanes EIPIC restaurant in Belfast in Deanes flagship premises in Howard Street in the city centre.

An initiative aimed at encouraging school children to grow, cook and eat local produce was launched this week at Parliament Buildings by a leading producer and food campaigner.

The Sow, Grow, Munch schools’ initiative, which has been created by Jilly Dougan, was officially launched on Monday at a Stormont event hosted by Jo-Anne Dobson MLA. Supported by the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) and Tourism NI, the guide will form part of the legacy of 2016’s Year of Food and Drink and will give young people the opportunity to learn about growing whilst developing learning embedded in the Northern Ireland curriculum.

The launch was attended by a plethora of food lovers, industry professionals, MLAs from across the political spectrum and deputy First Minister Mr Martin McGuinness.

Jilly, who is also known for creating productive herb gardens for hotels and restaurants, said her ‘how to’ guide to vegetable and fruit gardening came about as a response to a disparity between schools in gardening capabilities.
“I have been in and out of lots of schools and some have really fantastic food growing initiatives. However, some have nothing in place or they have a garden which is overgrown and unloved with really keen teachers who don’t know where to start. I saw a need for a simple guide, which was specific to our climate and the school year. The guide isn’t just about growing though, it’s about localJo-Anne Dobson MLA, who hosted the event said, “Sow, Grow, Munch is inspiring a generation of young people to think smarter when it comes to what they eat. This is a fantastic initiative, both online and offline, to engage our young people, increasing their knowledge and leading to healthier and happier lives. It gives me the greatest of pleasure to host Jilly and Sow, Grow, Munch at Stormont and to support her in seeking the continued backing of Government to promote a new, fresh and locally grown concept.”
food and how to cook simple food from scratch.”

Growing food in schools has many benefits; children learn where their food comes from, and how it is produced. It encourages healthy and seasonal eating, is great exercise, encourages team work and can double up as an outdoor classroom.

These benefits have led to the guide being incorporated into a much larger project in collaboration with Tourism NI and CCEA as a legacy of Year of Food and Drink 2016.

Director of Education at CCEA, Mr Richard Hanna said, “CCEA is pleased to support this legacy piece of the Year of Food and Drink 2016 and to partner with Tourism NI on this project which will see us develop an online education resource to promote healthy eating and growing.
“It will give young people the opportunity to not only learn how to grow produce but to support and further develop important learning areas already embedded in the Northern Ireland curriculum such as literacy, numeracy, science, entrepreneurship, employability, cooking, hygiene and the environment”.
Carolyn Boyd of Tourism NI said, “Tourism Northern Ireland are proud to partner with both Jilly and CCEA to ensure that The Year of Food and Drink 2016 has a legacy beyond the year and far into the future.”

Sow, Grow, Munch is free to download on both the Eco-Schools NI and Education for Sustainable Development websites.
Jilly added, “It was important to me that the book was free to schools and educators as I know resources are always limited. I am completely indebted to my sponsors who believed in the project enough to pay for the design and print of Sow, Grow, Munch. It shows great collaboration within our local food supply chain that the sponsors were Irwin’s Bakery, Forest Feast, Food NI, NI Stakeholder Potato Promotion Group, Yellow Door Deli, Ulster Farmers Union and Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Council’s Food Heartland – a combination of private companies and public sector bodies and organisations.
“I am so pleased that CCEA and Tourism NI have taken up the reins and have such exciting plans for the concept, and how it will be used to augment and enhance the curriculum.”

It has been an unstoppable year so far for Comber’s family-run farm, Mash Direct, but can they keep up their success when faced up against global giant, Cadburys on Friday?

Mash Direct’s Carrot and Parsnip Fries are nominated for The Grocer’s New Product Award this week, which could mean a record-breaking third consecutive win for the company. The only thing that stands in their way is chocolate conglomerate Cadburys who have won the award for the last two years. If this wasn’t enough for the Co. Down farm, they also have the household favourite, Heinz to contend with.

So far, Mash Direct have over 120 accolades to their name and are hoping that their chips won’t be down this Friday at the prestigious awards ceremony in Mayfair, London. Jack Hamilton, Marketing Director said, “This has been a great week for Northern Irish food, what with the two Michelin stars awarded in Belfast. We are honoured to have won the Grocer Award three times in a row, now we are hoping that the judges prefer chips to chocolate to complete the wins this week.”

This award celebrates and rewards outstanding innovation in the food industry and if Mash Direct win this Friday they will not only be the only Northern Irish company to do so, but will be the only British company to gain such an accreditation. Let’s just hope that there will be at least one person left at the farm in Co. Down to bring in the harvest!

Grocer New Product Awards:
— 2016: To be decided on Friday…
— 2015: Mash Direct Vegetable Burgers with Cabbage
— 2014: Mash Direct Potato, Cheese & Onion Croquettes