With lift-off in T-minus in 9 days*, Davy Smith and Louise McCreesh are working on the finer details of their new gourmet food business, rocketvan. It’s a food van, but not as we know it and rocketvan will be launched on Saturday 16th February at SOMA in Castlewellan, a festival of folk music, family fun, local food and beers.

Inspired by the fresh and fiery rocket leaf, this young couple are passionate about food and put freshness first. Chicken breasts are marinated and cooked at their base in Banbridge, bread is collected each morning from a local bakery, and their unique “rockamole” recipe is freshly made up each morning with ripe avocados and peppery rocket leaves.

On their mouth-watering menu sit a range of tempting sandwiches and nutritious salads, with fillings and toppings ranging from satay chicken & cashew nuts, to goats’ cheese & roasted red peppers. Quality coffee features highly too, under the heading “rocketfuel” of course.

Louise and Davy, who are planning their wedding this year were determined to fit in a sampling session at Mallusk Enterprise Park, where they look forward to catering to local businesses in the area on weekdays from mid-July. On their recent visit, the peri-peri chicken sandwiches proved very popular, and the excellent feedback fuelled rocketvan with positivity.

Even in its pre-launch state, rocketvan has been booked for SOMA festival in Castlewellan and Skiffie Worlds Artisan Food Fair in Killyleagh, and will shuttle from foodie festival to entertaining event throughout this NI Year of Food and Drink.

Follow the countdown at rocketvanfood on Facebook & Twitter.

Two of Hastings Hotels’ establishments have recently been fortunate to have been chosen as the locations for two of the beautifully engraved Game of Thrones inspired doors. The doors are the central element of Tourism Northern Ireland and Tourism Ireland’s Game of Thrones campaign, each of which tells the story of a different episode of Season 6 of Game of Thrones. The doors have been unveiled in recent weeks in pubs and other venues near Game of Thrones filming locations across Northern Ireland.

These two remarkable doors can now be found in the Percy French, within the grounds of the Slieve Donard Resort and Spa and close to Tollymore Forest Park and in the Ballygally Castle on the stunning Antrim Coast, which is in close proximity to the filming locations at Cairncastle, the Cushendun Caves and the village of Glenarm.

To further celebrate the success of Game of Thrones, Hastings Hotels top chefs have put their heads together and created a dish that will have everyone in Northern Ireland salivating!

Managing Director of Hastings Hotels, Howard Hastings, commented “The Percy French and Ballygally Castle are becoming increasingly popular with fans from the series who want to see the doors and visit the film locations. The doors look

abulous and have been carved from the wood of two fallen 200 year old birches that once stood at the Dark Hedges, another famous Game of Thrones landmark that represents Kingsroad in the series.

“But we didn’t want to stop there and now our team of talented chefs have created a unique Westeros Tomahawk Steak dish which is exclusively available at the Percy French and Ballygally Castle. These 20oz salt aged steaks have been specially prepared for us by local butchers, Carnbrooke Meats from Dromore and come served on a wooden platter, complete with a ‘Valyrian steel’ inspired knife.”

Howard continued: “The incredible steak is served with our special Causeway chips, Portobello mushrooms, beef tomatoes, rocket garnish and a choice of sauce. A Tomahawk makes an ideal sharing steak for a special occasion or romantic meal, as it can easily feed two and at £60 for two people, it is a very hearty and unique dinner choice!”

For further information or reservations visit www.hastingshotels.com or call Ballygally Castle on 028 2858 1066 or the Percy French on 028 4372 3175.

This is independently operated by Ballygally Castle Hotel and the Percy French. It is not sponsored, endorsed, or affiliated with HBO or anyone else associated with Game of Thrones.

Tourism NI board member Colin Neil recently joined representatives from Life Adventure, Mourne Mountain Brewery and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council to launch a unique new tourism experience – the Mourne Trails & Ales tour. This is a fully guided cycling tour allowing participants to sample the stunning cycle routes of the Mourne Mountains alongside a batch of the region’s delicious local ales. The tour combines the very best of the Mourne trails alongside the rich heritage, myths and legends of the region which provide the inspiration behind the ales.

Commenting on the new tour Colin Neil said; “Food and drink is a vital part of the Northern Ireland tourism experience. It is extremely encouraging to see the launch of initiatives such as the Trails and Ales tour as we continue to celebrate our Year of Food and Drink. This is a really unique and innovative activity, allowing visitors to take in the stunning scenery of the Mourne Mountains and to sample some local craft beer along the way. Undoubtedly the Year of Food and Drink has captured the imaginations of tourism providers and we are now seeing a great variety of activities as a result.”

Director of Life Adventure Martin McMullan added; “In this ‘Year of Food and Drink 2016’ we’re really pleased to bring such a new and exciting tourism product to the Mournes. The Trails and Ales tour celebrates so much of what the region has to offer and meets the continuing demand for unique ‘soft’ adventure experiences combined with the wider food and drink offering. With additional options to include everything from micro tours to electric bike options, we’ve already seen a considerable growth in visitors who are looking for something a little different and appreciate a tailored experience.”

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