Twenty Belfast chefs have contributed recipes to a stunning new book called “Belfast on a Plate”. It was launched last night at Belfast City Hall and hosted by Taste of Ulster/Food NI. Described as “a flavour of the city in recipes and stories, the 220-page hardback book was created by food photographer, David Pauley. It was written by Joanna Braniff.

“I had the idea of this book for some time and with 2016 being NI Year of Food, it seemed to be the perfect time to make it happen” says David Pauley

“Back in January this year, we drew up a list of 20 people we would like to feature in the book and my partner Cheryl Johnston and I went to see them all and explained our idea. We had to convince them that we were the right people to do a book that they would want to be associated with and to our delight all twenty agreed.

“We already had our little team in place. Dean Pauley, my son, is a graphic designer based in London and specialises in book design. Our friend Joanna Braniff, who is a journalist, would write the stories of the chefs and restaurant owners and Cheryl and I would do the photography”.

Each restaurant has ten pages in the book. Chefs supplied three recipes of their choice to showcase their style of cooking. The featured chefs hadn’t seen the finished book before last night’s launch.

“The editorial part of the book is really about the chefs and their culinary journeys and celebrates the talent in our kitchens. All of the photography and interviews with the chefs and restauranteurs took place in the restaurants themselves” says David Pauley.

Chefs and restauranteurs featured include Coppi, Deanes Eipic, Deanes at Queens, General Merchants, Graze, Howard Street, Home, Hadskis, James Street South , Mourne Seafood Bar, Neill’s Hill, OX , Saphyre, Shu , The Barking Dog, The Ginger Bistro, The Merchant Hotel, The Muddlers Club, Tedford’s Kitchen and Zen.

Food writer Joris Minne said “This is the book I wish I had written. I’ve eaten in each one of those mentioned in the book and every review and comment made by author Joanna Branniff is forensically clear.”

“This book is a great reflection of the talented chefs we have here in Belfast” said Sharon Machala from Food NI.
“Everyone involved had one thing in common- creative passion. It is this passion like this which has driven the Year of Food and Drink in Northern Ireland.”

Belfast on a Plate is priced at £25 and will be available to buy from all the featured restaurants, in good bookshops and on Amazon.

Winning the Great Taste Supreme Champion award for the second time is an outstanding achievement by Food NI member Hannan Meats, Food NI Chief Executive Michele Shirlow said today.

Welcoming the award for Hannan Meats, Mrs Shirlow praised the Moira meat processor’s commitment to quality, outstanding taste and innovation, and the support from Chief Executive Peter Hannan for the local food and drink industry. It was achieved against “fierce competition” from companies from across the UK, Ireland and other parts of Europe.

Mrs Shirlow said: “Hannan Meats is a remarkably successful company which has now become the first ever in the history of this prestigious and influential competition to win the Supreme Award twice. Hannan Meats is an outstanding role model for other smaller food and drink companies of just what can be achieved from a commitment to excellence across a business. In addition to two Supreme Champion awards, Hannan Meats has now won more gold stars for its products than any other company in the UK and Ireland.

“The latest achievement follows its success in 2012 and is particularly timely coming as it does during our first ever Year of Food and Drink, an initiative supported enthusiastically by Peter Hannan.

“The award will help to raise awareness of the quality of our food and drink to another level especially in Great Britain, our most important external market.

“The award to Hannan Meats capped another marvellous year of achievement for Northern Ireland companies in the Great Taste Awards.”

Article written by Sam Butler

Food NI member Hannan Meats has been named Supreme Champion 2016 in the prestigious Great Taste Awards for its Glenarm Shorthorn Four Rib Roast and also gained the Northern Ireland regional Golden Fork Award.

The Northern Ireland meat processor is the first to win the Supreme Champion Award twice.

The Supreme Champion Award, the most prestigious of its kind in the food industry, was presented to Peter Hannan, managing director of Hannan Meats, at the Great Taste finals at a gala dinner in London.

Mr Hannan said: “We are delighted to have won the Supreme Champion Award for the second time. It’s a tremendous endorsement by a panel of expert judges of the quality, outstanding taste and innovation underpinning all our products.

“It’s great to bring the award back to Northern Ireland especially during our first ever Year of Food and Drink.”

The annual event was hosted by the UK Guild of Fine Food, the organisation which runs the Great Taste Awards. Invest Northern Ireland is the sponsor of the regional Golden Fork.

Hannan Meats is one of the most successful companies in the Great Taste Awards and was previously Supreme Champion in 2012. The company, which is based in Moira, county Down, gained a record breaking 59 gold stars for 36 meat products in this year’s Great Taste Awards.

The small business, famed for its Himalayan salt chamber for ageing meat, now has more gold stars than any other company in the UK and Ireland.

Hannan Meats also had three products listed by the UK Guild of Fine Food in this year’s Top 50 Foods. It has won the Northern Ireland regional award in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

The company’s products were among 13 from eight Northern Ireland firms to win the top prize of three gold stars from the guild’s expert judges.

In total, 212 products from Northern Ireland won stars. Abernethy Butter, Thompson’s Family Teas, Kearney Blue Cheese and Dale Farm were among the others who secured the top, three-star badge of quality.

This year’s awards were chosen from 10,000 food and drink products from the British Isles and parts of Europe.

Abernethy Butter, Northern Ireland’s multi-award winning handmade butter has won business with Harrods in London.

The prestigious store in Knightsbridge is now selling two of Abernethy’s hugely successful range of butters – regular and smoked. The small company’s smoked butter was recently named in the Top 50 Foods by the influential UK Guild of Fine Food.

The listing follows the company’s success in being awarded three stars in this year’s Great Taste Awards for its unique cold-smoked butter, the annual competition to find the best food and drink that is sponsored by Harrods

Abernethy Butter is based at Dromara in county Down and is owned and run by husband and wife team Will and Allison Abernethy. They specialist in producing butter using traditional hand crafting techniques.

All the products are also hand rolled and wrapped on-site and use cream from a neighbouring farm specialising in grass-fed milk.

Will Abernethy, commenting on the new business with Harrods, says: “We were really delighted to receive the approach from Harrods following our recent and latest success in the Great Taste Awards.

“Winning business from such an iconic retailer is another very significant boost for the company and tremendous endorsement of the quality of our butters. It will be very beneficial as we continue to develop our retail and foodservice business in Great Britain, our most important market outside Northern Ireland.”

The butters, in addition to regular and smoked, include one flavoured with hand harvested Irish seaweed. They have won widespread acclaim for the small company and are now used by leading chefs such as Heston Blumenthal and Marcus Wareing. Other high profile retail clients include Fortnum and Mason.

Abernethy Butter was established in 2005 by the couple to build on the interest they had created in traditional butter making techniques at food and other events across Northern Ireland.

John McGrillen, Chief Executive Tourism NI, has congratulated Titanic Belfast on being named best attraction in Europe at the World Travel Awards held in Italy this weekend.

“My colleagues and I at Tourism NI are extremely proud of the achievements of Titanic Belfast over the past four years and of the professionalism, creativity and energy of the staff who run the attraction on a daily basis.

I congratulate Tim and his team on achieving this latest accolade and I have every confidence that Titanic Belfast will remain at the heart of our tourism industry for decades to come. Tourism NI and its forerunner, NITB, played a key role in the development of Titanic Belfast. The Titanic Belfast team has exceeded our expectations in terms of creating a step change for tourism in Northern Ireland and a catalyst for wider economic growth in Belfast and beyond”

On Saturday 26th November 2016, The Carriage Rooms at Montalto Estate will be transformed into a magical Winter Wonderland to host a black tie event to raise money for local charity, Cancer Fund for Children.

The glamorous gala ball will be held in the beautiful and ancient surroundings of Montalto Estate, Northern Ireland’s best kept secret. The event will include a champagne reception followed by a luxurious four course meal prepared by the chef and proprietor of Yellow Door Simon Dougan. Each course will be accompanied by fine wines compliments of James Nicholson Wine Merchant.

Joan Burden, Hospitality Manager at Daisy Lodge and Chair of Cancer Fund for Children’s Mourne Support Group said,

“We are looking forward to a wonderful evening at Montalto and are overjoyed at the support being offered by Nicholson Wine, Yellow Door and Montalto Estate. Their sponsorship of the Winter Wonderland Ball means all the funds raised at this event will go directly to support to families nursing a child with cancer including the provision of Therapeutic Short Breaks at Daisy Lodge in Newcastle.”

Cancer Fund for Children is Northern Ireland’s leading children’s cancer charity, helping over 350 families every year. The charity provides practical, emotional and financial support as well as free therapeutic short breaks for the whole family at Daisy Lodge.

The glamorous event, taking place on 26th November, in the lead up to the festive season, is the perfect event for corporate entertaining. The evening will include the chance to win fabulous prizes before dancing the night away to the amazing Just Adam Band and will be compered by U105’s Paul McKenna.

If would like to purchase a table for the Winter Wonderland Ball please contact Alex on 02890805599 or alternatively email alex@cancerfundforchildren.com