Jane Devonshire helps Dale Farm celebrate the re-launch of the Co. Tyrone handmade cheese at a unique cheese tasting event in The Merchant Hotel

To mark the re-launch of Fivemiletown speciality cheese, Dale Farm invited MasterChef 2016 champion Jane Devonshire, to a special celebration at The Merchant Hotel. In June 2014, Fivemiletown was rescued from financial difficulty by Dale Farm, the UK’s largest dairy cooperative owned by 1,300 local farmers.

At the event, Dale Farm unveiled Fivemiletown’s modern new look for its award-winning handmade cheeses – Ballybrie, Ballyblue, Ballyoak and the smoked Oakwood cheddar. The refreshed packaging of this much-loved range of artisan products gives the cheese an outstanding on-shelf presence.

Jane was joined by Simon Dougan, owner and head chef of Yellow Door, who treated guests to a unique interactive tasting session, introducing fresh flavour combinations to pair with the Co. Tyrone craft cheeses.
Dale Farm is firmly focused on continually building its brands and ultimately sales for its dairy farmers. Speaking at the event Group CEO, David Dobbin told guests, “Dale Farm’s purchase of the Fivemiletown Creamery demonstrates the company’s strategy to support the local dairy industry and to grow its branded portfolio of quality consumer products.”

David continued, “Our new packaging makeover reflects Fivemiletown’s reputation as Northern Ireland’s top speciality cheese brand, whilst paying homage to its 100 years of expertise, heritage and tradition. We’re delighted to say that since the acquisition the creamery has boasted improved sales and growth, and this event really is a celebration of the skill involved in making the cheese, and its award-winning quality.”

“To have Jane, the current MasterChef champion advocate for our brand is very special. Also Michelle McIlveen joining us as the newly appointed Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, demonstrates the importance of quality local produce for Northern Ireland and beyond.”

Speaking at the event, Jane Devonshire said:

“I think my time on MasterChef showed my passion and commitment to local produce and how I try to incorporate them into my cooking. To be invited by Dale Farm to talk about Fivemiletown cheese – an amazing Northern Ireland product with real history – and celebrate something I absolutely love is an honour and a joy. The heritage, care and attention spent making these cheeses is so apparent when you eat them. I can honestly say they are utterly delicious. Someone asked me recently what my desert island food would be and I said cheese, of course. So to Dale Farm for ‘pairing me’ with Fivemiletown cheese – thank you – I am a huge fan.”

Finally, DAERA Minister Michelle McIlveen said: “I am delighted to have had the opportunity to attend a celebration of our locally produced Fivemiletown Cheeses. In Northern Ireland we have a wealth of high quality, safe and wholesome foods, produced with world leading traceability and safety controls, in addition to farms with a strong track record in quality assurance systems and high animal health and welfare standards.

“As we progress through our Year of Food and Drink it is important that we harness the benefits of our successes and continue to drive quality, innovation and creativity to explore new market opportunities for future sustainable production within our food and drink sector.”

The Comber Earlies Food Festival is taking place on Saturday June 25 and promises to be a great day out for food lovers and the whole family.

The one -day festival organised by Ards and North Down Borough Council in partnership with Food NI, Comber Earlies Growers, DAERA, Tourism NI and the Ulster Scots Agency, takes place in the town’s centre and will showcase the world famous Comber potato which achieved EU Protected Geographical Indication status in 2012.

The event which is part of The Council’s NI Year of Food and Drink programme will have lots of delicious food on offer. Come along and sample the world famous Comber Earlies or some delicious locally produced food from the artisan Food Fair. Celebrity chef Tom Hunt who worked with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall on the River Cottage TV series will be making a special appearance at the event. Presenter and author of The Natural Cook: Eating the Seasons from Root to Fruit and co-owner of the acclaimed Bristol based tapas restaurant Poco, Tom is known for creating simple, vibrant dishes made from ingredients chosen for their quality and ethics and will be demonstrating some delicious potato dishes at the festival including Homity Pie and Roast new potatoes and mackerel stuffed with chermoula.

Alongside Tom, local chefs Paula McIntyre, Kyle Greer and Carla Schofield will also be doing live cookery demonstrations at the festival kitchen throughout the day. For more information on a series of Year of Food and Drink events in Ards and North Down see www.visitardsandnorthdown.com/food.

This year’s programme is packed full of activities for all ages. Relax at the hay bale picnic, take part in some Ulster Scots Highland Games or enjoy the live music on offer. Kids can enjoy lots of country-inspired crafts in the Craft Big Top; make a flower, a colourful head-dress or your own scarecrow! In the food activity tent, festival-goers can take part in fun food activities; interactive potato sampling, a potato salad competition and a Man V Food competition. And look out for the tractor display and the street theatre programme which features some roller skating tomatoes!

The festival runs from 10am to 4pm and is a free event.

The Comber Earlies Fringe Festival will be running from 17 to 26 June. Delivered by Comber Regeneration Community Partnership, the Fringe Festival programme includes lots of activities like a supper dance, live music, a Spub Quiz, car boot sale and lots more.

This year’s festival is kindly being sponsored by the Department of Agriculture Environment & Rural Affairs, Tourism NI and The Ulster Scots Agency.

For further information check www.visitardsandnorthdown.com

The first ever Slow Food event for Slow Food NI took place on Tuesday evening in Lost & Found, Coleraine. The ‘Skip’ event, organised by Director of Slow Food NI, Paula McIntyre was the first of many Slow Food events this year.

Members of Slow Food NI were treated to a mouth watering menu, using wonky vegetables, ferments and homemade wines by Rector’s Husband paired with great local ingredients! The aim of the evening was to highlight waste awareness and to raise funds for the 10,000 gardens in Africa charity addressing food poverty.

Slow Food NI work closely with farming and community groups to raise awareness of the global movement and increase membership. Membership starts at £11 per year for concession e.g students. To get involved, visit: https://www.slowfood.org.uk/about/join-us/

View images from last night’s event here: https://www.nigoodfood.com/gallery/

It will be foodie heaven at The Irish Game Fair & Fine Food Festival at Shanes Castle next month as Ireland’s premier celebration of all things country raises a glass – and a plate! – in a toast to NI Year of Food and Drink 2016.

Food will be very much to the fore, with live cookery demonstrations from celebrity chef Emmett McCourt from Derry and speciality foodstuffs showcased in a bustling marquee mall featuring a mouth-watering range of produce to taste, enjoy and buy to take home.

Looking forward to the culinary celebration Emmett McCourt says, “If you are into huntin’ shootin’ and fishin’ you’ll certainly be interested in how best to cook your catch, but the Fine Food Festival at Shanes has plenty to appeal to even the most confirmed ‘townie’. Our passion for provenance is undimmed, and we will be celebrating the wonderful natural ingredients from field, stream and sea right across this region and encouraging show-goers to try new ways of cooking and presenting nature’s bounty.

“We’ll also be giving them the opportunity to taste some local foods which may be unfamiliar to them. Our amazing Lough Neagh eels for example are, to my mind, sadly neglected at home even though they are sought after as high end delicacies in many leading European restaurants. I’ll be showing visitors how to prepare and cook eels and will be inviting visitors to the show to enjoy what may well be their first taste of this superb local product.

“We’ll also be presenting some fantastic foodstuffs from local companies who have taken great natural ingredients and combined them with our rich culinary traditions to create fabulous ready-to-eat products. From cheeses, oil, jams and chutneys to craft beers and ciders, breads and baked goods, our marquees will be packed with goodies. Take them home to enjoy or have an instant picnic in the gorgeous grounds of Shanes Castle: just savour them to the full!”

The Irish Game Fair & Fine Food Festival, incorporating the Northern Ireland Angling Show, is set to attract tens of thousands of visitors to the stunning loughshore setting of Shanes Castle in Antrim over the weekend of Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 June.

The family-friendly event, sponsored this year by Betterhomes Group, and organised By Great Game Fairs of Ireland, is packed with entertainment for everyone who lives, works or plays in the Irish countryside. Central features will be three main display arenas showcasing day-long spectacle and competition and surrounded by marquees and stands featuring country catering plus browse-and-buy rural retailing featuring a massive range of country wares. The Fair will be crammed with attractions, from battle re-enactments, angling competitions, air rifle shooting, clay pigeons, falconry, archery, horses and hounds and medieval jousting, to the chance to step back in time with a wander through a real living history village.

Irish Game fair Director Albert Titterington says, “For two days in June, we’ll be encouraging locals and visitors alike to come along and enjoy our Great Outdoors in all its aspects. Country sports, pursuits, past-times and produce will be taking centre stage at Shanes Castle in a unique and fun-filled celebration that will be enjoyed by all the family.

”We are thrilled that, this year, the Fine Food Festival which is an integral and hugely popular part of our annual Shanes celebrations will be bigger and better than ever before, marking the NI Year of Food and Drink 2016 initiative and honouring all those who bring such wonderful food to our tables.”
The Irish Game Fair, incorporating the NI Angling Show & Fine Food Festival, will take place from 10am – 6pm on Saturday 25 & Sunday 26 June at Shanes Castle Estate, Antrim. Admission, which includes on-site parking and free event programme, is £25 for a Family ticket, Adult £10, Child (over 5) £5.

There’s special value for canny anglers: DCAL angling permit holders or licence holders can claim a £5 voucher off admission; available at angling shops or by emailing irishgamefair@btinternet.com or calling 028 4483 9167. For more information visit www.irishgamefair.com.

Title sponsor is Betterhomes Group (www.betterhomesgroup.com) and The Irish Game Fair and Fine Food Festival is supported by Tourism NI and Antrim & Newtownabbey Council. It is part of the NI Year of Food and Drink 2016 and the NI Angling Show enjoys the support of the Department for Culture Arts and Leisure and Inland Fisheries Ireland.

2016 NI Open Ulster Bank Food Festival launched

Early stage businesses given the opportunity to showcase their wares with Ulster Bank as official partner of the NI Open

Local food and drink start-ups will have the chance to showcase their talents to an international audience at the Northern Ireland Open.

The Ulster Bank Food Festival, hosted at Galgorm Castle during the NI Open from 27th – 31st July will provide businesses such as those from the Entrepreneurial Spark Hatchery in Belfast and Artisan NI the chance to set-up shop for samples and sales at the purpose-built marquee. The NI Open is Northern Ireland’s annual professional golf tournament, which continues to grow every year and is truly a golf tournament for all the family.
Building on the success of last year’s initial launch and the bank’s presence at the Balmoral Show, one of the UK’s largest agricultural and food shows, it marks renewed commitment by Ulster Bank to the sector to help businesses maximise opportunities for export.

The event also highlights the work that is being done to support Northern Ireland’s important food & drink industry, with 2016 designated as Northern Ireland’s Year of Food & Drink. According to the most recent estimates, the turnover of the Northern Ireland food and drinks processing sector is around £4.7bn.

Joining Ulster Bank’s Terry Robb (Regional Manager Private Banking) and Galgorm Castle’s Christopher Brooke at the launch of the Ulster Bank Food Festival were local producers Paula Heaney, who owns Belfast based healthy juices outlet Skinny Malinky’s, Whitehead handcrafted confectionery producer Linda McGibbon, founder of Sea Sugar and Alice McIlhagger who runs Brambleberry Jams based at her home in Ballinderry Lower.

Terry Robb, said: “Not only does the NI Open provide a platform for top international talent, it also offers local food & drink businesses a chance to show what they’re made of and reach new markets at a time when the spotlight is firmly on outstanding local quality produce. We’re proud to provide help for what matters to their businesses.”
Gary Henry, Northern Ireland Open Event Director, commented: “We are delighted to once again be working with our long-term partner Ulster Bank on this year’s NI Open and Food Festival. We look forward to welcoming upwards of 40,000 visitors to Galgorm Castle over event week and hope they enjoy the world class local produce on offer.”

The Northern Ireland Open in partnership with Ulster Bank begins with Pro Am Day on Wednesday 27th July with the tournament running from Thursday 28 to Sunday 31st July at Galgorm Castle. Tickets for the NI Open are free and can be secured by registering online at www.niopen.golf.

Roast Northern Irish beef featured in a Best of British sandwich selection in the special hamper produced by Marks and Spencer for the historic Patron’s Lunch held in The Mall in London’s St James’s Park to mark the Queen’s 90th birthday.

The roast beef was included with with horseradish mayonnaise and baby watercress on soft white bread in the unique hamper.

The hampers were provided for the UK’s largest ever street party to celebrate the Queen’s patronage of over 600 charities and organisations on the occasion of her 90th birthday, an event attended by over 10,000 guests.
The invited guests enjoyed a hamper-style lunch at tables positioned along the full length of The Mall. The Queen was joined by the Duke of Edinburgh and other members of the Royal Family to celebrate the historic occasion.
The hamper contained food and drink representing all parts of the United Kingdom.

Sandra Ziles, head of M&S product development, said: “The Patron’s Lunch Hamper was created by our food experts who put all their passion and creative know-how into devising a very special menu for the celebration.
“We’ve worked closely with our farmers and producers to ensure we showcase the very best of British produce at The Patron’s Lunch.”

Beef production is Northern Ireland’s biggest agri-food sector and includes many of the region’s biggest and most successful companies including Linden Foods in Dungannon, county Fermanagh and Kettyle Foods in Lisnaskea, county Fermanagh, a specialist in dry-aged beef, part of Fane Valley Co-operative and a leading supplier to Marks and Spencer, as well as Dunbia, the region’s biggest beef, lamb and pork processor, and Foyle Food Group. Linden and Kettyle are both suppliers to M&S.

Another Northern Ireland company, Dale Farm, was also chosen by The Highland Chocolatier to supply unsalted butter for a bespoke selection of truffles for the Queen’s birthday celebrations.