Ten-year oyster eating champion, Colin Shirlow from Dromore, Northern Ireland finally faced defeat at this year’s Turkish Airlines World Oyster Eating Championship which took place on Saturday 3rd September 2016. Out-eaten by US Contender Michelle Lesco at the Hillsborough International Oyster Festival, Michelle managed to knock Colin off his throne by eating 227 oysters in three minutes and defeated fellow American Adrian ‘The Rabbit’ Morgan.

Although Colin remained top of the leader-board for so long, it’s hardly surprising that Michelle managed to overtake him. A regular at professional eating competitions in the States, Michelle managed to put away 385 oysters in 8 minutes at the Acme Oyster Eating Competition in New Orleans earlier this year.

Former oyster eating champion Colin Shirlow said: “I’ve won so many times now I really don’t mind that someone else takes it for a change. I still in enjoy the challenge. It all started when I walked into a pub years ago. They made me eat 60 oysters and all of a sudden I was in the final of the world championship. A Norwegian beat me this time around but you never know what will happen next year!””

Winner Michelle has taken part in countless eating competitions including ribs, hotdogs and hamburgers.

New world oyster eating champion, Michelle Lesco said: “Colin is like a machine and until now no-one has been able to touch him. I train before every competition and really studied how Colin has been doing it. I just managed to beat him and I’m delighted to have won.”

The Turkish Airlines World Oyster Eating Championship was attended by thousands of people as part of the Hillsborough International Oyster Festival. Other events included the Phoenix Natural Gas Soapbox Derby which featured a superb range of soapboxes and entertained the crowds and the first Northern Irish heat of the British Street Food Awards. This was another close contest which saw the public vote going to Pheasant Hill and judges Richard Johnson and Paula McIntyre’s votes going to Broughgammon Farm. These two street food retailers will now go on to represent Northern Ireland in the final of the British Street Food Awards in Birmingham.

The Hillsborough International Oyster Festival also kindly acknowledges the support of Tourism Northern Ireland and Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council in the staging of this year’s event. The event welcomed guests from the Hillsborough area and further afield, as well principal Festival sponsors Turkish Airlines, Phoenix Natural Gas, Quilter Cheviot and Charles Hurst.

For further information on the Hillsborough International Oyster Festival visit www.hillsboroughoysterfestival.com

World Oyster Eating Champion, Colin Shirlow returns to the stage tomorrow to defend his title in the Turkish Airlines World Oyster Eating Championship at the Hillsborough International Oyster Festival against two professional eaters Michelle Lesco and Adrian ‘The Rabbit’ Morgan who have flown in from the USA to try and take the title from this local Dromore man. Last year Colin beat his own world record by eating 235 oysters in three minutes; two more than his previous record. Many have tried to follow where Colin lead. His eating prowess is now legendary and professional eaters from across the globe have studied his technique on YouTube. Last year, Michelle Lesco, 31 travelled from Arizona in the USA and ate 214 oysters but could not best the man from Dromore and this year Colin faces double trouble against Michelle and her fellow countryman Adrian Morgan, 33 who is now ranked number eight in the world of professional eaters. Having put away 492 raw oysters in just eight minutes at a competition in the States last year, he could be a real contender to finally wrest the crown from Colin Shirlow’s grasp. For further information on the Hillsborough International Oyster Festival’s full programme, which runs tomorrow and to purchase tickets, visit www.hillsboroughoysterfestival.com.

The 2016 Festival Lough Erne will take place in the grounds of the newly-refurbished Enniskillen Castle over the weekend of Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th September.

Festival Lough Erne, which was held for the first time last year, is organised by Fermanagh and Omagh District Council with the assistance of Food NI. It is part funded by the Council, as well as Tourism NI and Waterways Ireland.

The Festival, which comes at the end of Restaurant Week, features a Food Hall which will showcase the best of local artisan produce to be sampled and purchased, a Food Court with local pop-up restaurants creating signature dishes using local produce, as well as a busy programme of water-based activities such as canoeing and rowing, and music and street entertainment for the whole family.

Launching Festival Lough Erne, the Chairperson of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor Mary Garrity, said: “County Fermanagh is renowned for its lakelands and has a growing reputation for top-class restaurants for producing a wide range of high quality foods. Fermanagh and Omagh District Council is delighted to bring these elements together in a festival atmosphere to showcase the hospitality and activity sectors which are so important to the local economy. Festival Lough Erne is the highlight of the 2016 Year of Food and Drink for us here in Fermanagh, and I hope it will become firmly established in our calendar of events attracting visitors to Enniskillen and the wider region in the years to come”.

Councillor Garrity went on to add that Festival Lough Erne comes at the end of Fermanagh Restaurant Week, another event which showcases all that is best about local produce and celebrates local culinary talent. “Agrifood businesses are very important to our economy, and the chefs who use local produce, and the producers who supply the freshest of meats, vegetables and dairy produce are mutually supportive, helping to create and sustain the local economy,” she added.

Festival Lough Erne will be based in the grounds of Enniskillen Castle. The castle re-opened on 25 August, following a major £3.2 million refurbishment which includes the development of new galleries and ‘behind the scenes’ rooms, as well as improved information and education facilities. The Visitor Information Centre has relocated to a stunning new purpose built centre where a genealogy service is also available, making the complex the heritage gateway for the area.

For further information on Festival Lough Erne and to book tickets please visit www.FestivalLoughErne.com or telephone Fermanagh Visitor Information Centre, based at Enniskillen Castle, on 028 6632 5000

Ireland’s number one poultry brand, Moy Park, has relaunched its branded breaded product range.

With the chilled, breaded poultry category in decline* the new-look Moy Park breaded product range, which includes its signature Chicken Kievs, Goujons and Nuggets, seeks to reinvigorate the category with a new recipe and packaging.

Briege Finnegan, Brand Marketing Manager for Moy Park explains: “We pride ourselves as being market leaders in innovation and staying ahead of consumer trends. Through the relaunch of our breaded range we want to encourage purchase from existing shoppers, whilst attracting a new generation of consumers.

“Product attributes of convenience and value remain but we’ve developed a new recipe. The range uses 100% breast meat – which means consumers can be assured the products are of the highest quality. The development team has also created a tastier, crunchier crumb – and sweet and savoury batter – and our packaging has received a ‘make-over’ with new black trays giving the product a high-end feel and finish.

Briege continues: “The relaunch will be supported by a fully integrated marketing campaign, including instore POS, retailer activity, outdoor and trade press advertising as well as social media. Consumers will also have the chance to sample the new products themselves at the various trade and consumer shows that we participate in throughout the year. We are delighted to relaunch the range and look forward to the on-going development of the products. We are already considering how we can grow and expand the range through new flavours and textures in 2017.”

For more information on products and distribution please contact Moy Park on 028 38 352 233

BBC Good Food Show, set to one be of the highlights of October in Year of Food and Drink, is aiming to celebrate Northern Ireland’s tremendous heritage in bread and baking by holding a competition for the region’s best bakery.
BBC Good Food is probably the biggest and most successful series of consumer food and drink shows in the United Kingdom and Ireland. And bringing such an important show to the Waterfront Hall in Belfast was quite a coup for TourismNI and Invest Northern Ireland; because it’s proved to be an event in Britain at which companies generally do good business.

We’ve been delighted to have the opportunity to help ensure the success of the overall event. We’ll have a Food Village featuring dozens of local food and drink producers. Our focus will be on supporting the companies as they seek to achieve significant sales.

I am sure there won’t be any shortage of entries from the many bakeries across Northern Ireland especially the smaller business which make such a tremendous contribution and great service to communities here.
Home bakeries in particular remain an integral part of the local food industry. In many parts of England they have virtually disappeared. Local favourites such as soda farls, potato cakes, treacle bread and wheaten loaves are enjoyed by visitors to these shores and have been essential part of our culinary identity for generations.
It’s immensely encouraging that the focus by some of our bakeries on sales outside Northern Ireland has meant that many of our traditional breads are now available in parts of Great Britain. An Ulster Fry, for instance, just wouldn’t be the same without soda bread and potato farls. Some include pancakes, another local favourite that’s perhaps a bit controversial with traditionalists!

Several local companies, including smaller enterprises, have reached out successfully to quality bread lovers in Britain, the Republic of Ireland and further afield including the US and the United Arab Emirates. Our wide range of soda breads has also won acclaim from discerning judges in the UK Great Taste Awards such as Charles Campion, the doyen of food writers and a tremendous friend of the Northern Ireland food industry. He has written enthusiastically about the quality, taste and variety of our bread in food magazines.
In addition to the traditional Northern Irish breads, several bakers here are now mastering sourdough and popular Italian ciabatta and focaccia products.

The winning bakery in the competition will receive a free stand at the BBC Good Food Show at Belfast Waterfront, which runs from 14–16 October, to showcase their products and they will also have the opportunity to meet local celebrity chef Paul Rankin. Paul, as many Farm Week readers will be well aware, works closely with Irwin’s in Portadown, Northern Ireland’s best known and most successful independent bakery…..and a longstanding Food NI member…on product development.

Paul, a valued supporter of Food NI culinary initiatives, has assisted the bakery in creating a wide range of products including traditional breads such wheaten and the Belfast Barmbrack.
What bakeries have to do to be considered is to record a short video, maximum two minutes long, capturing “a day in the life of the bakery” and highlighting the stages of a typical baking day. It should then be uploaded to social media, using @BBCGoodFoodShow, @NITouristBoard and the hashtag #GFSNIBakery.
It’s a great idea. Over to our ambitious bakeries. Let’s make it a success.

The cream of Derry’s culinary talent was on show this week as the city’s restaurants, chefs and artisan food producers cooked up a storm for the judges searching for Ireland’s top Foodie Destination for 2016.
Aoife Carrigy and Dee Laffan from the Irish Food Writers’ Guild, travelled to the city to sample some of the best local food produce on offer after Derry was shortlisted by the Restaurants Association of Ireland as one of the top ten finalists in the prestigious competition.

Derry achieved runner-up position in last year’s competition – formerly known as Foodie Towns – narrowly missing out to The Burren in Co. Clare. The city recorded the highest number of public votes which counts towards 50% of the marks with the judges scoring the other 50%.

Mayor of Derry and Strabane Alderman Hilary McClintock, who officially welcomed the independent assessors to the Guildhall on Tuesday prior to the judging process, said she was delighted that the city was one of the ten finalists during Northern Ireland Year of Food and Drink 2016.

Urging the public to get behind Derry City and Strabane District Council’s bid to win the culinary crown, Mayor McClintock said: “In a superb show of support for our participation in last year’s competition, the city achieved the highest number of public votes and was just pipped at the post by The Burren for the overall title.

“With online voting accounting for half of the scoring and the other 50% decided by the judges’ visit, we firmly believe we have the edge this year given the exceptional calibre of our ‘LegenDerry and Local’ food provenance.”
Mary Blake, Council’s Tourism Development Officer and lead organiser for the Derry entry, said she was confident that the city – which is also the only NI finalist – had all the ingredients for a winning bite at the national culinary crown this year: “Our driving mission is that we are a truly LegenDerry food destination and winning Ireland’s Foodie Destination 2016 would be the cherry on the cake! We just need to ensure that everyone gets online and votes for Derry at www.foodiedestinations.ie/city/derry/ before voting closes on September 9th.”

Commenting prior to commencing their judging, Aoife Carrigy, Chair of the Irish Food Writers’ Guild and Dee Laffan, editor of YesChef magazine, said: “We are both delighted to be back judging again this year and that Derry has made it into the top 10 finalists after coming runner-up last year. We are looking forward to seeing how things have developed in the last year.”

During their visit, the judges met with a range of local restaurateurs, hoteliers and food producers whose products ranged from handcrafted patisserie to award-winning dairy produce, smoked salmon, rapeseed oil and craft beers.

As well as enjoying the sights of the city, the judges sampled a range of culinary delights, with a scheduled tour of some of the newest local restaurants including Warehouse No1 Bistro and Café; Blackbird, now serving award-winning street food from Pyke N Pommes; Ollie’s and the Walled City Brewery both located in Ebrington Square.

The judges’ final stop-off was at Brown’s, winner of the Best Restaurant in Ulster at the Irish Restaurant Awards earlier this year. They sampled delicious dishes including Roasted Tian of Crab with Apple created by Head Chef, Phelim O’Hagan and Ian Orr, Chef Patron & Co-Owner of Browns Restaurant Group who was named Irish Chef of the Year at the 2013 Georgina Campbell Awards.

Formerly known as Foodie Towns, the initiative was formed as part of the Irish Restaurant Awards 2014 but proved to be so popular it became its own entity in 2015. The other nine finalists include The Burren, Boyne Valley, Kilkenny, Cong, Loop Head, Sligo, Leitrim, Monaghan and Dublin Coastal Village.
Vote Derry to win at www.foodiedestinations.ie/city/derry/. Voting will close at 12pm on Friday, September 9th. The winner of Ireland’s Foodie Destination 2016 will be announced later in the month.