Article written by Sam Butler

Food NI member Ground Espresso Cafés has launched a unique Year of Food and Drink sandwich in association with Around Noon Sandwiches in Newry.

The special sandwich is already proving popular with customers at the network of Ground cafes throughout Northern Ireland.
Based in Coleraine, Ground was formed by Co. Antrim entrepreneurs Darren and Karen Gardiner, both coffee enthusiasts. It is now the fastest growing coffee shop business in Northern Ireland
Ground’s Louise Moss says: “We wanted to do something original to mark Year of Food and Drink and reckoned a unique and premium quality sandwich would work with our customers and help to highlight what is an important initiative for the local industry. It is a further example of our commitment to local suppliers.”

Around Noon, a specialist in ‘food to go’ solutions, worked with Ground on the development of the sandwich also as part of its support for the Year of Food and Drink initiative to increase awareness of Northern Ireland food and drink.

David Graham, Around Noon’s Executive Head Chef, commenting on the new sandwich, says: “We were keen to create this sandwich for Ground which would showcase the creativity of food production in Northern Ireland and could be used by us to show our support for this hugely important initiative to promote our excellent food and drink.

“What we’ve produced is a unique sandwich that demonstrates that Northern Ireland companies are creating products that blend traditional and contemporary ingredients and culinary expertise to provide outstanding taste.”

The sandwich is based on key ingredients from local suppliers. It’s a hand rolled sourdough baguette filled with sliced avocados, slow roasted tomatoes and peppery rocket from Willowbrook Foods in Killinchy, Co. Down, with a creamy sriracha dressing from another Northern Ireland company, Rich Sauces in Newtownards, Co. Down.

Ground Espresso Cafes was established in 2001 in Coleraine. It’s a family owned and operated business. The company has around 12 cafes across Northern Ireland.

Established in 1989, Around Noon is a family owned and managed business that now employs 170 people at a state-of-the-art processing plant.

Around Noon currently has a portfolio of around 600 products – gourmet sandwiches, paninis, wraps, smoothies, juices, fresh fruit and yoghurt.

July is ‘Coasts and Lakes’ month and today the 1st of July, Pier 59 are getting visitors hooked at St George’s Market in Belfast. They are there with Visit Derry today and Sunday spreading the news, and some really good seafood pate at the event! . Una Kinkaid, restaurant owner, is delighted to be showcasing at the event with Visit Derry as part of the NI Year of Food & Drink 2016 celebrations.

St George’s Market is one of Belfast’s oldest attractions. It was built between 1890 and 1896 and is one of the best markets in the UK and Ireland. It offers local produce and great atmosphere. It holds a weekly Friday Variety Market, the City Food and Craft Market on Saturdays and the Sunday Market. It also hosts a range of events throughout the year.

Pier 59 is Derry’s only Seafood Restaurant – offering the best of fresh fish and shellfish daily. They make sure that only the freshest local fish and shellfish are served, so what’s on the menu will vary according to the season. Pier to Plate is their motto. Head Chef Stephen Forbes has an amazing skill for creating new dishes and for cooking the fish to perfection. Owner Una Kinkaid is delighted to have the opportunity to introduce Pier 59 to discerning Foodies at St George’s market and to encourage them to come to Derry this Summer. Given that Pier 59 recently won Newcomer of the Year category at the Licensed and Catering Awards there is bound to be lots of interest. They will be at St George’s Market today and Sunday and are asking visitors to call by and say hello for a chance to win a weekend for 2 with dinner in Pier 59 and accommodation in the award winning Beech Hill House Hotel. #enjoyni16 #coastsandlakes #visitderry #foodietowns

– Get the inside scoop on the ‘cool’ new additions to Dale Farm this summer

Rain, hail or shine? Dale Farm ice cream is synonymous with summer in Northern Ireland- regardless of the weather.

As July marks the beginning of National Ice Cream Month, it is time to take a moment to ‘chill out on the job’ and enjoy the new line-up.

From the refreshing Helter Skelter to Sukie Cola, the latest ice lollies are on hand to quench your thirst throughout the sizzling (or somewhat soggy) summer months.

Or why not be tempted by our Rapture Vanilla and Rapture Mint? Real Dairy ice-cream coated in Belgian milk chocolate- guaranteed to spread a little happiness.

Regardless of whether temperatures rise this summer, keep it ‘cool’ with #DaleFarm

The hottest and most exciting food competition on the entire island has just been launched. The inaugural Irish Curry Awards in association with Cobra Beer and Yelp! are now open for entry.

An estimated 500 curry houses operate successfully between Ballyferriter in Kerry and Ballycastle in Antrim. Standards have risen to such heights in recent years that they are now regular features in national food and restaurant award schemes across Ireland.

The awards scheme is the brain-child of Belfast-based restaurateur Ali Askir. The owner of SAFA says the time has come to create a specialist Asian awards scheme to recognise the contribution made to Ireland’s food scene by hundreds of Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani and other Asian chefs, restaurant workers and managers.

“Asian food is now as popular and as widespread as the full Irish, the Ulster Fry and Irish stew,” says Mr Askir.
“Curry houses employ thousands of people right across Ireland and play a significant role in the local economies of communities everywhere. I believe the time has come to formally recognise this contribution and what better way to do this than through the Irish Curry Awards?”

Philip Morgan, National Account Executive for Molson Coors, distributor of Cobra in Northern Ireland says quality beer goes hand in hand with quality curry.

Cobra Beers are created using unique recipes and production processes to give them their distinctive character and smoothness. The Cobra beer range has been composed to delight smooth beer enthusiasts and is the holder of 88 Gold Medals by Monde Selection; is the most awarded beer in the World! This makes Cobra beer’s link with the Irish Curry Awards a perfect fit as we expand in the Irish markets north and south. Our focus is to showcase our great Cobra beer via the Indian restaurant sector and this is a great way to help achieve that” says Morgan.

Stevie McIntyre from Yelp! says the listings site has a strong tradition of involvement with the restaurant sector.
“We recently ran the successful Yelp! Burger Off in Belfast and to be working with the Irish Curry Awards is something very exciting for us, particularly as they are such a feature of our towns and villages right across Ireland,” says Mr McIntyre.

The Irish Curry awards will consist of six categories including Best Chef, Best Young Chef, Best Restaurant, Best Front of House, Best Takeaway and Best Newcomer.

You can nominate your favourite restaurant on the website http://www.irishcurryawards.com

A quota of votes will then be calculated at the close of entries to create a shortlist of restaurants county by county. A panel of expert judges including food writers and editors from broadcast and leading newspapers will select the winners.

An awards ceremony will be held in Belfast on October 24th.

Mr Askir, who has ruled himself out of the competition, is urging people across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland to vote as soon as possible.

All profits will go to The Children’s Heartbeat Trust.

Please enjoy Cobra responsibly. Visit drinkaware.ie or drinkware.co.uk for the facts.

THEY’RE slippery little fellas but they taste damn good which is why Northern Ireland is buzzing over our PGI protected Lough Neagh Eels this week.

This is a product which is awarded for its heritage, is superior in quality and is authentic. It’s being put back on the menu thanks to a host of chefs across the region who have the skills and creativity to showcase our eels which are the best quality eels in Europe.

This is Eel-Eat Week and we are smack, bang in the throes of eel fishing season – a perfect time to celebrate this delicacy.

It’s not a product you would normally see on the menu but things are changing, and, the River To Lough Festival, currently taking place at Antrim Castle Gardens, is certainly putting eels back on our plates.

Dean Coppard, the Executive Chef at the popular Australian neighbourhood restaurant in Armagh, Uluru Bar & Grill, is one of the region’s chefs who has been experimenting different cooking styles with eel over the past few months.
The Aussie chef stands out from the crowd, because, like all of his other dishes, his eel dish, ‘Lough and Apples’ is cooked with an authentic Australian twist.

On Saturday, Dean will be showcasing ‘Lough and Apples’ – an award winning dish jointly created with Sous Chef Adam Ogle.

This dish was used as the starter as part of Adam’s menu for IFEX 2016 Salon de Culinaire for which he received a bronze medal and placed third in Ireland for Senior Chef of the Year.

Its creation came from the desire to showcase that, at Uluru Bar & Grill, the team of chefs firmly believe that Northern Ireland’s great local producers make their jobs so much easier.

Speaking ahead of Saturday’s demonstration, Dean Coppard said: “With our recent ability to be able to source Lough Neagh Eel we have developed this dish for the use on our Spring / Summer menu.

“It is already taking pride of place on our starter menu and our front of house all love to be able to share its story.
“We have always worked with Greg McNeice from Mac Ivors Cider Co so the idea of creating a dish which married the Eel and the flavour of the PGI protected Bramley Apple was a great way of shouting about two of our favourite products.

“We showcased this dish as this year’s NI Countrysports Fair and it went down an absolute treat with the thousands of people who attended the fair during the course of the weekend. I hope it will be as equally popular at this dedicated River To Lough Festival which ends this Saturday (July 2).

“We have also included two local products from Northern Ireland. We feel this dish was created with these flavours, and, without them, the whole balance of flavour wouldn’t be correct. These ingredients are the Broighter Gold Rapeseed Oil and the Abernethy smoked butter.

“I am really looking forward to attending on Saturday and showcasing how cooking with Australian authenticity can really compliment such a delicacy as the Lough Neagh Eel. All the food I’ll be cooking on Saturday is available on our menus at Uluru Bar & Grill. If people do not get a chance to taste it, or if you want to taste some more, book a table at Uluru Bar & Grill and help us celebrate this superior product which tastes so good.”
Eel Eat Week at Uluru Bar & Grill- 25th June – 2nd July 2016

Lunch Specials
Available 12-4pm

Every day we’ll have a selection of the best dishes from our award winning chefs, we hope you’ll enjoy our amazing Lough Neagh Eel creations.

Eel Tasters
As a way of getting you to experience the Lough Neagh Eel, we’re creating an eel pate which we’re adding to our bread platters for you to try. We think you’ll love it.

Dinner Specials
Available 4pm until late

As a way of showcasing the fabulous Lough Neagh Eel product which is available on our doorstep, our chefs are going to create special dishes combining local products and Lough Neagh Eel for your delight. We’ve also got matching craft beer and cider suggestions which we think will pair beautifully with the flavour of our Eel dishes.

Participating restaurants include:
CO ANTRIM: Deanes Love Fish, Belfast; The Londonderry Arms, Carnlough; The White River House Hotel, Toomebridge; Safari Grill, Junction One, Antrim; Daniel’s at Tweedies, Antrim; La Scala at the Stormont Hotel, Belfast; The Causerie at the Europa Hotel, Belfast; The Garden Restaurant, Ballygally Castle, Larne; Truffles Restaurant, Randalstown; Slemish Market Supper Club, Glenariff; River to Lough Festival Eel Eatery, Antrim; Paula McIntyre Cookery School, Antrim
CO ARMAGH: Uluru Bar & Grill, Armagh – The Moody Boar, Armagh;
CO DOWN: The Downshire Arms Hotel, Banbridge; The Percy French at the SlieveDonard Resort, Newcastle; The Cultra Inn at the Culloden Estate and Spa, Holywood
CO LONDONDERRY: Whoosh, Coleraine; The Grill at the Everglades Hotel, Derry~Londonderry; Lime Tree Restaurant, Limavady
CO TYRONE: The Cellar Restaurant at Glenavon House Hotel, Cookstown

Comber Regeneration Community Partnership, the organisation that runs the successful artisan food and plant market in Comber, is celebrating the 2nd birthday of Comber Farmers’ Market on Thursday 7 July, St Mary’s Parish Church, the Square, Comber, from 9.00am – 1.30pm.

In addition to our regular food and plant stalls, we welcome the Hanna family who have a milking herd of Jersey cows on their farm on the Hillsborough Road outside Carryduff. They will be selling their certified and registered creamy, raw milk which is packed full of goodness and health benefits.

There will also be free activities for children, a free hamper draw, and birthday cake for some lucky customers (while stocks last). So come along and celebrate this significant milestone in the life cycle of our popular market which is helping to regenerate Comber and support our local food producers who are selling their top quality products at fair market prices.