The food of love…

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Chocolate, asparagus and oysters are all said to have aphrodisiac properties, but with chocolate being a contributing factor to obesity, asparagus out of season and oysters not to everyone’s taste, are there better alternatives for your Valentine? Vital Nutrition’s Jane McClenaghan thinks so. Here Jane gives us the low-down on how diet can help boost your sex drive and bring back that loving feeling.

First up, cut right back on sugar. A diet high in refined carbs and sugar has been shown to affect libido in both men and women. If you are taking your lover out for dinner this Valentine, opt for a starter and main course over main and dessert and make a few careful choices from the menu to maximise your sex drive.

You have booked the restaurant, bought the flowers and are dressed to impress, so what’s on the menu for your romantic meal for two. We know it’s a cliché, but oysters could be the perfect starter. They have been shown to boost sex hormone levels and are packed full of zinc, which is one of the key nutrients for libido and fertility. If you can squeeze in a bit of watermelon there too, it is said to have Viagra-like effects due to a phytonutrient called citrulline that is reported to increase nitric acid levels, helping to deliver oxygen to that all important area!

Spice things up with a main course. A main meal packed with a few carefully chosen ingredients can boost dopamine levels to get you in the mood. Protein is essential for dopamine production, so stay off the carb-heavy meals like pizza or pasta and opt for a steak, fish or chicken instead. If you want to maximise your chances, choose some omega 3 rich oily fish like salmon, mackerel or trout, to help increase blood flow to your vital organs and throw in a few spices like cayenne, chilli, ginger, garlic, rosemary and tarragon, which are thought to help balance dopamine production in the brain. Don’t forget the local, seasonal veggies too.

And for afters… I will leave that to your imagination.

Follow Vital Nutrition on facebook or twitter @vitalnutrition

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Upcoming Events: Canteen at the MAC

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Valentine’s Breakfast with Sparkle
Saturday 14 February, 10am – 12
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Why not make your Valentine’s breakfast sparkle with a glass of Prosecco available from 11am

To book email canteen@themaclive.com

 

Jazz for Valentine’s
Keith McVeigh Jazz Duo
Saturday 14 February, 9pm
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Live entertainment with a 2 course dinner – main, dessert & glass of wine from our Evening Menu, £20 served 5 – 8pm

Keith McVeigh Jazz Duo – with Keith McVeigh on Piano and Ian Leask on Drums, presenting a superb original set of swinging jazz. Combining an easy sense of melody with thoughtful structures and moods. Inspiration from Bill Evans, Eric Dolphy, Thelonious Monk, and even the likes of Soft Machine. Playful time-signatures and modal digressions abound.

Why not try our signature Valentine’s cocktail ‘Art of Love’.

To book email canteen@themaclive.com

 

Barista Masterclass for Beginners
Coffee Week 2 – 8 March, £10
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Following on the success and interest of the Canteen Coffee Week last year, we have decided to make it an annual event! First up will be our Canteen Barista Beginners class.

What can you expect?
We have been listening to you and what you would like to learn about coffee, and overwhelmingly you have told us you would like to learn how to make the perfect espresso based speciality coffee at home.

Terry our in-house coffee expert, will take you through how to make the perfect espresso and how to achieve the finest textured milk for your favourite speciality coffee, whether it be cappuccino, latte or flat white – or how about a macchiato? We will compare and contrast alternatives to cow’s milk, with soya milk, goats milk and almond milk. You will also get the chance to test your artistic flair with some latte art.

Classes will take place on the following dates and times:
Monday 2 March, 5.30pm – 7pm
Thursday 5 March, 5.30pm – 7pm
Saturday 7 March, 11am
Sunday 8 March, 11am

Places are limited to 6 people per class, so book now to guarantee you place.

To book and for further details email canteen@themaclive.com

 

Night Music – Badke Quartet
Wednesday 4 March, 9pm
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Standard ticket and 3 tapas offer, £17.50

Enjoy your Night Music evening with 3 tapas served at 8pm.

High quality chamber music presented in an informal setting – combining familiar masterpieces with new and contemporary works.

To book visit themaclive.com

 

Casa Havana Latin Trio
Saturday 14 March, 7pm
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Live entertainment, 2 course supper
main, dessert & glass of wine, £25

Casa Havana is a vibrant, exciting Latin trio featuring the sensuous vocals of Jolene O’Hara accompanied by the virtuosi Steve Barnett on keyboard/synth and Brian Rice on percussion. Playing a mixture of sultry Latin hits and cool jazz standards along with some contemporary pop classics for added spice; all guaranteed to set any event alight. It’s the perfect ambient, background music for guests to chill out or dance to and it sounds even better when it’s time to turn up the volume.

Keep an eye out for further Jazz Supper Club dates at themaclive.com

Great Bread Makes for an Award Winning Breakfast

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Donnelly’s Bakery and Coffee Shop Ballycastle have won awards for their Ulster Fry in the UK and NI in the Best Breakfast Awards for the second year in a row .

Voted for by customers , Donnellys won Runner up for Best Hot Breakfast in the “Coffee Shop , Cafe or Farm Shop” category in the UK and gained top place in voting in the same category in NI .

Eugene Donnelly , Director Donnelly’s Bakery and Coffee Shop said . ” We are delighted to have won the award for the second year as a recognition of our product quality and customer satisfaction . Our traditional soda and potato breads are vital ingredients of the perfect Ulster Fry and being baked on the premises by experienced bakers every day no doubt sets our breakfast apart from the competition. Small businesses can go that extra mile to give customers what they want . ”

Paul Cochrane , Chair of the Ballycastle Chamber of Commerce commented
” Congratulations to Eugene and his staff for the high standard of service . Awards like this highlight the quality that small businesses can provide and how they compete at a national level and spread the word about our local products in the UK . Both local customers and visiting tourists can be assured of taste and quality ”

The awards were announced in ” Breakfast Week ” , organised By HGCA , which aims to encourage people to recognise the healthy benefits of eating breakfast Aregularly .

Research shows that eating breakfast gives you more energy , helps reduce stress and improves concentration and mood . However one in ten people never eat breakfast and some 25 % skip breakfast at least once a week .

Harrods Takes Tamnagh Foods Granola

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Food NI member, Tamnagh Foods’ award-winning granola range is to be stocked in Harrods Food Hall.

The Sperrins-based company will supply the Knightsbridge retailer with its maple, nut & fruit and honey, nut & seed granolas.

All of these granolas, developed by husband and wife team Kevin and Julie Hickey, are made using jumbo oats sourced from Northern Ireland. They are handcrafted in small batches to ensure the highest quality.

They met the Harrods buyers at an event run by Invest NI in October at the Europa Hotel, Belfast.

Tamnagh Foods has also developed two varieties of cheese under the Dart Mountain Cheese brand: Sperrin Blue and the ash-coated Dart Mountain Dusk.

The Fry-Day Times – St George’s Market Bar & Grill Serves Up NI’s Best Breakfast

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The Best of The Market Breakfast at St George’s Market Bar and Grill in Belfast has been announced as the Northern Ireland winner in the Shake-Up-Your-Wake-Up Breakfast Awards and overall runner up restaurant for the whole of the UK.

The campaign is run by a division of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board and aims to showcase the most important meal of the day to raise awareness of the health and nutritional benefits of breakfast. A host of restaurants, hotels, B&Bs, coffee shops and pubs entered the UK wide awards to gain recognition of being THE BEST.

There were thousands of votes cast online by regulars and the public which placed St George’s Market Bar & Grill as THE BEST IN NORTHERN IRELAND.

The top restaurant, which is owned by The Mount Charles Group, has long been recognised for its high quality food & friendly staff, they regularly source ingredients from the market beneath it and the breakfast is no different.

Its legendary breakfast is cherry picked from the fantastic artisan producers in the market itself. The traditional dry cured bacon, sausages and eggs are from local, free-range farm and St George’s stall holder Pheasants’ Hill Farm using sustainable farming methods.

The soda and potato bread is from Chrissie, a local baker and stallholder at St George’s Market who uses her grandmother’s old-fashioned recipes using real buttermilk, all handmade on her farm in Killinchy. The black and white puddings are courtesy of Conakilty and even the butter is a Great Taste award winner, hand churned in Dromara by the wonderful Abernethy Butter Company.

Head Chef at the restaurant, James Bell said: “We are thrilled to have picked up this award – we’ve long thought our breakfast was one of the best, and now it’s official!

“We take breakfast seriously, with local heritage of the food being a top priority, our duty is to take these fantastic raw ingredients and apply our skill, attention and a little TLC. That’s the way to do justice to the quality of the produce we source.”

James added: “St George’s Market Bar and Grill has gone from strength to strength in recent years, and the market itself lends a great buzz and atmosphere. We serve well over 1000 breakfasts every weekend and have just started serving brunch all day everyday including the award winning breakfast, along with our other brunch classics like fresh waffles, eggs benedict, posh porridge, pastries, handmade scones and wheaten bread.

“I’d like to acknowledge our fantastic suppliers and also our loyal customers; we wouldn’t be celebrating this award win without you, so thank you for your support.”

To find out more about St George’s Market Bar and Grill, its opening hours and menus visit http://stgeorgesbargrill.com/