The gardens of Hillsborough Castle will come alive during this bank holiday weekend, the final one of the summer, with the smells, sounds and sights of the Summer Fair. Around 30 food producers, invited in collaboration with Food NI, will conjure the taste of Northern Ireland for visitors this Saturday, Sunday and Monday 24^th – 26^th August.

Here are 30 products born, grown, created, poured and made in Northern Ireland that you have to taste if you’re headed to the Hillsborough Castle Summer Fair this weekend.

1. Pineapple and Chilli Jam by Shorthorn Kitchen. This is an uber-cool brand from local stalwarts of the restaurant industry, who have created a range of artisan sauces and condiments, all of which are influenced by the seasons and the delicious produce that can be sourced throughout the year to make them. We love the pineapple and chilli jam as it’s sweet, has a kick, and goes with absolutely everything.

• Long Meadow Cider’s Medium Cider. Unsurprisingly based in the orchard county, Co. Armagh, Long Meadow has just added two more Guild of Fine Food Great Taste Awards to their roster, one for their Medium Cider. Produced from their homegrown, hand-picked apples, the family behind the products produce a range of craft ciders, apple juice and apple cider vinegar. Their motto is “From Plant to Pour” and we couldn’t agree with them more!

• Omi Seasoning from Partie de Moi. This joyous company adds a pinch of excitement to everything they create, including their Omi seasoning, which is named after Stephanie’s German Grandmother, and it is a unique savoury hand blended seasoning of herbs, Mussenden Sea Salt, onion and garlic flakes which “adds a fresh, verdant flavour to countless savoury dishes” according to Stephanie herself, who makes all of her seasonings on the North Coast.

• Rosie’s Garden Gin by Shortcross. It is Ireland’s most awarded gin and is made by Shortcross Distillery, part of the Rademon Estate Distillery in Co. Down, Northern Ireland’s first award-winning craft distillery. The Summer Fair will be held in the beautiful gardens of Hillsborough Castle, so we suggest choosing Shortcross’s Rosie’s Garden Gin which is described by the team as “summer in a glass”.

• Confit Duck from Lecale Harvest. Yet another Great Taste Award winner, and with good reason. This clever product from Lecale Harvest, which is a family-run business based in Co. Down, does all the hard work for you – the vacuum packed ready to eat products are hugely delicious and satisfying with very little effort required. We cannot recommend sampling them at the Summer Fair more!

• Ginger & Elderberry Shot by Jackson Roze Ginger Wine. A fantastic little immunity boosting drink that is excellent for our gut and tastes delicious! Jackson Roze is a family-run, artisanal drinks producer of non-alcoholic ginger wine that has been passed down through family generations for 100 years. They’re a really unique and interesting company who are innovatively bringing their techniques to the health food sphere with these little shots and we are sold!

• Burren Balsamics Strawberry and Mint. Yes, it could absolutely be drizzled over a zesty summery salad, but we also love adding a dash to our summer prosecco! Burren Balsamics was founded with a passion for innovation using local ingredients and traditional methods. The company proudly champion Ireland’s exceptional produce by carefully infusing small-batch balsamic vinegar with locally sourced ingredients.

• Salted Caramel Meringues from The Fluffy Meringue. Could there be a more delicious summery treat? These are exactly what you would expect – a large, blooming meringue infused with salted caramel, and topped with chocolate. You can also try the chocolate orange, lemon, honeycomb and raspberry & chocolate flavours, but choosing a favourite will be hard!

• Armagh Bramley Apple Gin by Symphonia Spirits. We are nearing the end of the summer, which means we’re looking to all things apple from pies to pours, so we will definitely be tasting some apple gins from Symphonia Spirits. They’re a multi-award winning distillery in Moy, Co. Tyrone and create products that showcase the local countryside. So refreshing!

1. Honey Caramel Sauce from Marshall Beekeeping. We love bees! They’re the life force of our eco system and they also make incredible honey, which has been beautifully produced and jarred by Christine Marshall for her Marshall Beekeeping range of products. This is a recent Great Taste Award winner and is as deliciously sweet as you’d expect. You can drizzle it over anything you desire but could we suggest some vanilla ice cream?

1. Erin Grove Classic Lemon Curd. Where to even begin with this fresh and zingy delight? It is the taste of summer and comes from experts in preserves and chutneys, Erin Grove based in the heart of the Fermanagh Lakelands. Their small batch production means those simple, traditional yet important flavours do not get lost and are true to the way founder Jayne Paget’s grandmother taught her how to make jam when she was a little girl.

1. Shut Yer Gob toffees from Granny Shaw’s. Granny Shaw’s is a very appropriate stall to visit at the Summer Fair as they’ll be offering up a range of confectionary made with old Victorian recipes, many of which we’re sure were enjoyed within Hillsborough Castle by its residents over the years. Expect fudge, tablet, macaroon and coconut ices alongside their famous incredibly sticky yet completely irresistible Shut Yer Gob toffees, which will indeed, shut your gob for a good while.

1. Irish Black Butter. We guarantee you’ll have heard of Irish Black Butter but never actually tasted it, enjoyed it on top of a slab of cheddar, mixed in with ice cream… yes, it is that versatile. Created by Alistair Bell it is a non-dairy, rich, spicy apple conserve (made with Armagh Bramley Apples) which can be used as an ingredient when making bread, or just spread on top of a slice. Trust us, try it.

1. Ballylisk Triple Rose Cheese. Co. Armagh’s Ballylisk Dairies have upped their game with the Triple Rose – it’s like their signature brie, but creamier (hence the triple!), balanced by salty, lemony tones. The Wright’s produce their range of award-winning semi-soft cow’s milk cheese utilising milk from their family farm, just outside Portadown. Go the full hog and peruse their range of chutneys, preserves, oatcakes and local honey at the Summer Fair to create the ultimate cheeseboard.

1. Seafood Sauce from Pure Thai Sauces. This artisanal sweet and spicy sauce made from a family recipe is sweet and punchy, and doesn’t just go with seafood – dip everything in there, smother it over chicken, it works with everything. Pure Thai Sauces is a family run business in Bangor, and they come from a rich gastronomic and hospitality background, priding themselves in supporting local growers and working closely with suppliers and local food purveyors to produce quality sauces that give that authentic Thai taste.

1. Elderflower Cordial from Papas Mineral Company. It’s light, sweet and can be enjoyed with soda water or splashed into many summer cocktails to see out the bank holiday weekend. Papas produce award winning artisan drinks and speciality cordials, made in small batches with each flavour blended by hand and each bottle filled and finished by hand, too.

1. Chilli Bolognese Sauce from Peppup Sauces. Why just have normal Bolognese when you can have it with a kick? Exactly. Peppup Sauces also have the added advantage of being ‘clean’, meaning no added sugar, no added fat, no allergens, they’re IBS friendly, and have no thickeners or preservatives.

1. Beer Mustard by Indie Fude. Indie Fude pride themselves in their selection of carefully curated local artisan foods from local suppliers across NI, and this is a product of a collaboration with aforementioned Burren Balsamics. It’s tangy and sweet with a kick from the Irish stout infused throughout. The team recommend it with mature cheddar or “any pork dish” – imagine it on your barbecued hot dogs!

1. Loaded fries from Glaze and Roll. Is there anything better than chips topped with your favourite additions, that you can actually taste the quality of? And Glaze and Roll’s are iconic. Of course, chef and owner Wayne’s company ethos is to support local producers by using their products where they can, and showcase as much local produce throughout their dishes as possible. Make sure to stop by this weekend!

• Portavogie Scampi from Linen Hill Street Kitchen. You know when you see Portavogie prawns on a menu you have to order them, and Linen Hill’s scampi is absolutely on the money. Hot, fresh and salty, get them with a side of chips and really do it properly! The Banbridge-based caterers is run by John and Fiona Robinson who pride themselves on delivering an extensive range using the finest produce sourced from local suppliers.

• Sorbet from Lick Gelato. It’s obviously not just any sorbet when it comes from Lick Gelato, the handcrafted, artisan Italian style ice cream. You can choose from lemon & blood orange, orange & pineapple or orange & raspberry. Or all three, who are we to judge?

• Pork is the choice for Blaeberry Farm. Straight from their own Farm, Mary-Leigh and her team will kick off your morning with just what’s needed – a filled soda, breakfast bap… you name it! Mary-Leigh and her family at Blaeberry Farm rear rare breed pigs and produce an incredible range of pork products to try or bring home to cook yourselves.

• The Classic Burger from The Chef’s Mill. Jamie has been an award-winning professional chef for 18 years, so you can expect this classic to be the ultimate taste sensation. It’s made up of a 6 oz Lisdergan beef patty, Emmental cheese, topped with Kennedy’s ‘baconnaise’, and all within a lovely soft, brioche bun. The Chef’s Mill was born from pure passion and Jamie’s cooking reflects just that!

• A Chai Latte from Crumb and Beyond. Usually based on the North Coast, Crumb and Beyond will be driving their coffee box down to Hillsborough Castle and Gardens for the Summer Fair and we implore you to try their chai lattes. However Debbie never fails, whatever the order.

• A warming cuppa from The Fancy Fox coffee van…but no matter your choice The Fancy Fox will always deliver! Owned by Lorna O’Boyle from Castlewellan, they specialise in barista style Bro Coffee, Suki Tea, hot chocolate and serve up some great local bakes as well.

• A scoop from Ben’s Ice Cream Studio. They call themselves scoop engineers over at Ben’s, and we’re not surprised as they take their ice cream making very seriously, meaning it tastes extra delicious. Pick any flavour and all the toppings and you’re sorted. Everything is locally sourced and just the ticket to cool you down after a day of meandering around Hillsborough Castle and Gardens.

• Loaded Fries Seasoning by Crawford Rocks. The Crawford family has ben harvesting seaweed to create their award-winning seasoning products for decades, and we love this loaded fries seasoning. Obviously, it’s delicious topped on hot, crispy French fries with your additional toppings of choice, thanks to this sea salt with sea truffle, dehydrated olives and spices flavours.

• A Wagyu Sausage from Kingsbury Wagyu. Wagyu beef is a flavour and taste sensation in itself, but made into a sausage is just next level. The Kingsbury team have crafted these sausages from the finest Wagyu beef, blending a rich, succulent taste with a perfectly tender texture. Enjoy some samples at Hillsborough Castle’s Summer Fair, and take some products home for the final Summer BBQ.

• Cake Pops from Little Cake Works. It’s hard to choose just one thing from Little Cake Works as we could easily include one of their traybakes, too, but cake pops are just that little bit more exciting and fun, especially for the Summer Fair! Little Cake Works motto is ‘every cake deserves to be special’ and these yummy cake pops are testament to that!

• Ninth Wave Gin from Hinch Distillery. This is an award-winning gin and is as refreshing as it is tasty. Hinch is based in, you guessed it, Ballynahinch and is best known for producing whiskey and gin, while also hosting tours and events at their fantastic distillery venue. They’ve also just opened a new restaurant, Era, led by Head Chef Gemma Austin.

It’s not just locally produced foodie finds that can be enjoyed at Hillsborough Castle’s Summer Fair; browse art from Deborah Campbell, natural bathing products from Bathe Botanicals, lampshades with stories from around the world from The Lampshade Jungle, fabulous faux florals from Blossom Meadow and vibrant and bold accessories and jewellery from Fiddle Fig. There will also be a set list of live music throughout the weekend, while Hillsborough Castle’s award-winning gardening team will be on hand to share secret tips and tricks during their Gardeners’ Clinic. Book tickets now at hrp.org.uk/Hillsborough-castle.

Ireland’s oldest ice-cream producer, Morelli’s Ice Cream, has shipped a selection of ice cream to Casalattico in Italy as part of an annual festival celebrating Irish culture. 

Irish Fest, which takes place annually in August, is a festival that gives locals and visitors to Casalattico a taste of Ireland, while celebrating Italians who have relocated to the Emerald Isle.

Casalattico is a hilltop village in the province of Frosinone in the Lazio region of Italy. Many people who left Casalattico to work in Ireland founded fish and chip shops – including Morelli’s founder, Peter Morelli.

Morelli’s Ice Cream was started on Stone Row in Coleraine after Peter moved from Casalattico to Coleraine. The first shop sold fish and chips and sweets and even ran a taxi service, with ice cream only sold during the summer months.

For the first time in the company’s 113-year history, an array of flavours including Double Cream Vanilla and Honeycomb were sent to the town for Irish Fest. During the event, Casalattico locals and visitors could enjoy a range of Irish cuisine including a full and authentic Irish breakfast traditional fish and chips, Morelli’s ice cream and Guinness on draught. Guests were also treated to a performance from an Irish band along with some Irish whiskey tasting.

Daniella Morelli, Sales and Marketing Director at Morelli’s Ice Cream, said: “We’re so excited to have been a part of our home village’s Irish Fest. We are proud to support the event in this way and hope our award-winning flavours went down a treat with locals and visitors alike. The whole team wishes we could be there to enjoy the fun!”

Morelli’s Ice Cream, Ireland’s oldest ice cream producer, was established in 1911 by Peter Morelli. Since then, the brand has flourished and expanded. The company currently has five family-run outlets and eleven branded stores in Northern Ireland as well as supplying Tesco, Dunnes Stores, Sainsbury’s and various independent retailers all across Ireland.

For more information about Morelli’s Ice Cream visit www.morellisices.com or on the brand’s social media – Facebook, Instagram and X.

Three Food NI members have achieved outstanding success in the prestigious Irish Whiskey Masters. The successful members were: Hinch Distillery in Ballynahinch; Copeland Distillery in Donaghadee; and Rademon Estate Distillery in Crossgar.

The companies were among whiskeys from distilleries from across the island blind tasted by panel of expert judges.

Copeland in Donaghadee won silver for its Merchant’s Quay blend.

Hinch Distillery, Ballynahinch won two masters in the New Make category, Double Distilled and Triple Distilled and golds for its Small Batch Bourbon Cask; 5-Year-old Double Wood; 5-Year-Old Madeira Cask Finish; 15-Year-Old Sherry Cask Finish Craft and Casks Imperial Stout Finish; and Peated Small Batch.

Rademon in Crossgar won golds for its Irish Whiskey Bonding Company Grafter and Chancer and Distiller’s Duo.

 The Irish whiskey category, which has been a tremendous success story, continues to develop strongly especially in international markets. It’s an industry which has seen remarkable growth in a relatively short period of time. In 2013, for instance, there were only four distilleries in the country, including one in Northern Ireland, Old Bushmills in Co Antrim, but 10 years later this has expanded to 45 in operation and more planned. There are now around 12 in the North and many are exporting worldwide, especially Europe and other areas.

Emerging markets, furthermore, reported double-digit growth for Irish whiskey, including Nigeria (up by 59%), Poland (up by 21%), Singapore (up by 55%) and South Korea (up by 11%).

Old Bushmills in Co. Antrim, now widely acclaimed as the world’s oldest licensed distillery, emerged as the overall ‘Master’ for its unique 30-year-old single malt.

The innovation-led distillery also collected major awards for other products including the Black Bush premium blend, the 21-year-old single malt, 25-year-old single malt and the 16-year-old single malt.

Irish whiskey category, which has been a tremendous success story, continues to develop strongly especially in international markets. It’s an industry which has seen remarkable growth in a relatively short period of time.

In 2013, for instance, there were only four distilleries in the country, including one in Northern Ireland, Old Bushmills in Co Antrim, but 10 years later this has expanded to 45 in operation and more planned. There are now around 12 in the North and many are exporting worldwide, especially Europe and other areas.

Emerging markets, furthermore, reported double-digit growth for Irish whiskey, including Nigeria (up by 59%), Poland (up by 21%), Singapore (up by 55%) and South Korea (up by 11%).

Moira’s multi-award-winning food innovator Peter Hannan, managing director of Hannan Meats, is in the running for the UK’s top award for his re-working of a classic Italian pork dish that food experts in Britain loved.

FoodNI director Peter, already winner of two Supreme Champion awards in the influential UK Great Taste Awards, now one of the world’s biggest food challenges, could collect a third with his version of porchetta, a boneless stuffed pork cut from a whole roast pig that’s most closely association with Rome and is considered a dish for celebrations.

Peter’s porchetta is one of three local foods listed by Great Taste judges for the Supreme Champion Award and a Northern Ireland Regional Fork 2024 as the best local products. Interestingly, his first Supreme Champion award in 2012 was for guanchiale, another Italian dish that’s salt-cured pork cheek especially popular in Umbria region.

Awarding the porchetta the coveted three stars for being “totally exquisite”, Great Taste judges described it as “gorgeous – from the crunchy, deep satisfying crackling to the succulent sweet meat”. “It is exceptionally moist and easy to carve.

“The presentation is impressive, from the well-crackled exterior to the beautifully rolled interior, full of herbs. This is a stunning looking dish. The crackling looks good and crisp. The seasoning is strong, yet perfectly chosen. There are chilli, pepper, citrus and aniseed flavours in good balance…. and we love this.”

The UK and Ireland’s most decorated meat producer, especially in terms of Great Taste Awards, Blas na hEireann and World Steak Challenge, Peter has a passion for quality and dedication to innovation in tastes for public and his network of customers in high-end hotels and five-star restaurants in the UK, Ireland and other parts of Europe. His products are readily available to shoppers through the Meat Merchant, the deli he owns in Moira.

Dedicated to premium quality beef, pork and lamb with outstanding taste, Peter runs one of Europe’s most decorated and successful meat processing businesses.

Two Food Northern Ireland companies are shortlisted for the finals of the prestigious Meat Manufacturing Industry Awards 2024 in Birmingham.

The member companies are: ABP Linden, Dungannon and Finnebrogue, Downpatrick.

ABP Linden is listed in two categories – Best Beefburger for M&S Fully Loaded Steakburger and the Meat Manufacturer of the Year. Finnebrogue is in the running for the award for Best Bacon Product with a Naked Sausage with Sugar Pit Steak.

Each year the Meat Management Industry Awards recognise the best manufacturers and producers, suppliers, retailers, individuals and organisations in the UK meat sector, and are voted for by the readers of Meat Management magazine and meatmanagement.com, plus various product categories judged by experts.

The 2024 Awards Dinner and Ceremony takes place on Thursday 19th September 2024 at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel.

Publisher of Meat Management magazine, which organises the awards, Graham Yandell says: “It is always fantastic to bring the industry together for these prestigious awards, and this year is no exception. We are looking forward to welcoming both familiar and new faces to the ceremony this year, which promises to be a sell-out event.

“Our finalists are, as ever, well deserved, and it will be a pleasure to announce who has won at the ceremony next month. Of course, the winners are not pre-informed and will only find out if they have won on the night.

“The worthy winner of the prestigious Meat Management Excellence Award will once again be announced outright on the night, and we eagerly await the big reveal!”

Tim McCarthy describes himself as “Chief Alchemist’, the culinary wizard behind some of Europe’s spiciest sauces and ketchup. The Belfast-based sauce creator certainly fits the definition as an expert in “the process of taking something ordinary and turning it into something extraordinary, sometimes in a way that cannot be explained”.

Founder of Blackfire Foods in 2014, Tim, a graphic artist by profession, successfully turned a passion for hot and spicy sauces into a thriving small business that’s now in line for the coveted Supreme Champion in the annual Great Taste Awards organised annually by the influential UK Guild of Fine Foods in London. He’s also heard last week about a shortlisting in Blas na hEireann, the Irish National Food Awards, the finals of which are held in Dingle, Co Kerry in October. The company is a Food NI member.

Tim’s unique Ghost Chilli and Black Lime Ketchup gained three gold stars in the now global UK Great Taste Awards which positions Blackfire to win the overall Supreme Champion or a Northern Ireland Golden Fork as the best regional food.

If Tim’s successful, Blackfire will join a select group of three local companies to win the overall award following Moira enterprises Hannan Meats, which has won the top award twice with pork and beef, and McCartney’s Butchers and Deli, a winner with roast beef. He’s up against Peter Hannan’s delicious new take on porchetta; and Applejames in Armagh, a newcomer to the awards with a unique iced cider for the final stages in the awards.

“It’s tremendously exciting to have reached the final stages of a competition that respected throughout the world of food and drink,” says Tim. “It’s a marvellous boost for my small enterprise in its first decade of business. I’ve experienced highs and lows over the years as we worked to establish the company and grow sales,” he adds.

“The Great Taste Awards are recognised globally as a mark of excellence and Blas na hEireann as the best on the island of Ireland,” he continues.

“I am looking forward to the final judging session next month in London at which the Supreme Champion and Northern Ireland Regional Fork will both be presented. The exposure associated with reaching the final stage will be immensely beneficial as we push to accelerate the growth in sales,” he adds. “There are certain delis which will only stock produce from producers with Great Taste Awards, it’s the gold standard of food production here, in Britain and further afield,” he says

Blackfire secured the three stars in the awards which attracted almost 14,000 food and drink from 3,500 companies from 115 countries from across the globe. Northern Ireland entrants collected a total of 164 awards. Blackfire and six others achieved the highest three-stars.

Tim has created a range of spicy sauces, several of which have gained national recognition before the Great Taste success in July. As a result, Blackfire has a reputation for quality and outstanding flavours, which have led to orders from hot sauce lovers in France, Germany and Poland.

Blackfire’s fiery sauces and ketchup are infused with chilli oils and dry spice mixes. They are also proving popular in his native Belfast. They are gluten-free and suitable for vegans.

Each product is crafted by Tim to his own recipes that he’s developed over the past two decades and especially in the years following the establishment of the business. They reflect his love of hot and spicy foods.

“Northern Ireland would have been seen as a culinary conservative country up until recently. The advent of the internet, cheaper global travel and the influx of other cultures into Northern Ireland have all helped us to expand our taste buds and have higher expectations when it comes to food on our plates.

“Fantastic chefs, creative restaurants, delis and International awards for our food sectors have also been the catalyst for rapid change in areas such as the consumption of peppers.

“People across the world have been eating chilli peppers for at least 6,000 years…and for very good reason. Not only do they make bland food more interesting but they are packed with vitamin C and antioxidants and also help to de-toxify and burn body fat,” adds Tim.

The company is keen to build on the growing interest in the spicy sauces and to expand business already established in key nations such as France, Germany and Poland.

To help realise this ambition and accelerate growth in Europe, Blackfire has recently signed up to several online retail portals which are providing a global shop window for the products.

The products are the outcome of his original search for hot sauces here. “I could never really get a hot sauce here that I liked,” he explains. “I thought to myself that I could start making it myself,” he explains.