This morning 20 billboards and a number of Adshels in and around Belfast featured this year’s Sloane 350 Chocolate and Fine Food Festival which takes place under marquee on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 September at Killyleagh Castle. This is the third biennial chocolate and fine food festival and it gets bigger and better every time and as a result Sir Hans Sloane aka local historian Clive Scoular decided to visit Belfast’s iconic tourist sites to spread the word. He visited Belfast City Hall which is also a European Heritage Open Day venue, Belfast Visitor’s Centre, the wonderful Linen Hall Library, Titanic Centre, Ulster Museum etc and QUB where he was greeted by Killyleagh Festival Chairman Prof Bob Elwood.

Why host a Chocolate and Fine Food Festival and why in Killyleagh? Sir Hans Sloane is the reason he was born in Killyleagh in 1660 and educated here until 1679 when he left to go to London to train as a physician. He travelled extensively in France and graduated at L’Orange before returning to London to begin his career. He became physician to the Duke of Albemarle and travelled with him to Jamaica where he discovered the medicinal benefits of drinking chocolate.  He returned to England in 1689 and later improved the taste of the drinking chocolate by adding milk and sugar. It was this recipe that was later purchased and developed by Cadbury. Just for good measure his wonderful collections of curiosities and antiquities formed the nucleus of the British Museum, the British Library and the Natural History Museum. He was simultaneously President of  the Royal Society and President of the Royal College of Physicians. Throughout his long and illustrious life he benevolently practiced medicine. Although he was physician to Queen Anne, George I and George II he still found time to administer medicine free of charge to the poor and worked tirelessly and without a salary at the newly established Foundling Hospital in London.

The Sloane 350 Group was established in 2010 to ‘Enlighten the populace of Northern Ireland of this great Northern Irishman’s Life and Legacy’ and we are delighted to be supported annually by The Earl Cadogan a direct descendent of Sir Hans Sloane in this endeavour.

Our main sponsor since 2010 has been Finnebrogue Venison the Lynn family’s support has enabled us to promote our heritage and our excellent local produce via our Chocolate and Fine Food Festival. Our location is second to none Killyleagh Castle is the jewel in the Crown of Strangford Lough an AONB and the Rowan-Hamilton family  have been unfailing generous in their support of our festival.  NITB, Down District Council, The Good Little Food Company, Mash Direct,  S D Bells, Callow Events, 3fivetwo Healthcare, Rickety Bridge Wines, Killyleagh Development Association, Simplicity Group, EE, Taste of Ulster and Good Food NI have all rallied to support us and without them our event would not be possible.

This year our charity is The Cancer Fund for Children and all proceeds from our festival will be donated to them.

Adult admission is £5 with accompanied children under 16 years free Come and join us for some some serious fun.

Further info @  www.hanssloane.com FB and Twitter.

Come and transcend the barriers of time and prepare for some serious fun in the Bawn of the oldest inhabited castle in Ireland.

For further information please contact:-

Prof Bob Elwood, QUB Chairman Sloane 350

e-mail:- R.Elwood@Queens-Belfast.AC.UK  tel. 028 90272283

Meave Davison,  Sloane 350 Festival Organiser

e-mail:- meave62@hotmail.co.uk tel. 07873901613

Ann Fee, Sloane 350 Press Officer

e-mail:- ann_fee@hotmail.com  tel. Mob  07835891245

Cancer Fund for Children is celebrating that its brand new short break facility Daisy Lodge has become a member of Taste of Ulster.

The facility in Newcastle, Co. Down, which provides free short breaks to up to 500 local families a year affected by cancer, has also just launched its brand new menu with the help of top chef Joery Castel , and Taste of Ulster and Vital Nutrition’s Jane McClenaghan.

Taste of Ulster places an emphasis on fresh, healthy, nutritious food which is locally-sourced.   To become a Taste of Ulster member, Daisy Lodge had to meet certain requirements relating to excellence in customer service and overall dining experience. Staff had to also prove their knowledge of local seasonal food and suppliers and ensure local food is on all menus. They also had to display nutritional knowledge about the food being served and explain how Daisy Lodge is a sustainable organisation focussed on reducing its carbon footprint.

Daisy Lodge Hospitality Manager Joan Burden met with Joery and Jane to develop the menu. The combination of Jane’s expert nutritional advice and Joery’s practical knowledge has resulted in a delicious and nutritious selection of meals.

The meals all use fresh locally-sourced ingredients from Northern Ireland producers such as Jilly Dougan who planted an herb garden at Daisy Lodge.

Joan explained why healthy meals are so important for families dealing with the effects of cancer.

“Many of the families have spent months in isolation or on the ward and have been living on hospital food. When they are at home they probably don’t have the time or energy to prepare cooked meals. When families arrive at Daisy Lodge all they have to do is relax and enjoy these delicious and nutritious meals…restoring them for whatever lies ahead.”

Belfast mother, Emma McCrea whose little son Charlie has battled cancer, praised the food at Daisy Lodge: “The food was amazing. It will be especially appreciated by families who have been living on tea and toast or hospital food. It was great not having to clean and cook. ”

The menu boasts such delights as steamed Glenarm organic salmon and homemade meatballs from Slaney Valley Lamb. Other mouth-watering highlights include spicy Thai curry and potato and herb gnocchi bake. The menu will be refreshed every six to eight weeks and Joery will visit Daisy Lodge regularly to provide training for staff.

Sharon Machala, Taste of Ulster Coordinator added,

“We are delighted to have been able to help Joan and the team, in achieving their goal of providing nutritious locally sourced food to the families staying at Daisy Lodge.”

Joan concluded: “We have already received amazing feedback from families about the quality of the meals here at Daisy Lodge. I am so glad Taste of Ulster, Joery and Jane are on-board, they have enthused and energised the team.”

Food NI is delighted to be involved in The Fest at Raceview on the 15^th and 16^th August. We’re on a mission to showcase Northern Ireland’s best food and drink. This time of year is always really busy for us with events. Summertime is the best time for festivals and it always helps if they’re in a beautiful setting like this exciting new venue in the Garden Village of Broughshane.

Our producer members are a merry band of foodies who bring their delicious offerings to the masses at the Legenderry Festival, Balmoral Show, Comber Potato Festival and many more. They’re very experienced in serving delicious street food, often cooked from scratch in front of your eyes.

We have the guys from Jolly Pies whose steak and Cashel Blue and chicken and chorizo pies sell like the proverbial hot pies. The Coles from Broughgammon Farm in Ballycastle rear goat kid and veal and their wraps, burritos and burgers are always chockful of zingy flavours to complement that meltingly tender meat.

The Krazi Baker brings his mobile griddles to whip up perfect potato and apple bread and we always make sure Will Taylor is there with his award-winning Glastry Farm ice-cream.

Our cider and craft beer brewers will also be there to quench your thirst. We’re looking forward to seeing you.

They’re the most trusted food and drink awards in the world, and a host of Food NI members have done us proud again this year at the Great Taste Awards.

According to the judging criteria, three stars mean “sensational food and drink that has to be tasted. Two stars go to “faultless food and drink and one star is “close to perfect.

Hannan Meats in Moira, winner of the Supreme Champion Award in 2012, gained an unprecedented seven three-star gold’s- the highest ranking in the awards, for their beef and bacon that’s dry-aged in the world’s biggest Himalayan Salt Chamber.

Five other members all won 3 stars. They are Quails Fine Foods for their 28-Day Salt Aged Sirloin Steak; Suki Tea for their Whole Peppermint Tea and Apple Loves Mint, Thompson’s won with their Organic Green Tea with Pineapple. Flossie’s Fudge triumphed with Lightly Malted Fudge and Baronscourt Estate with their Venison Loin.

Two star awards went to Abernethy Butter for their Smoked Butter, Bailie’s Coffee’s Silvio Estate Coffee, Baronscourt’s French Rack of Venison and Broighter Gold’s Rapeseed Oil infused with Basil.

En Place wowed judged with their Fig and Armagnac Jam. They also loved Eva Paris’s Pistachio Macaron. Hannan Meats picked up five 2 stars and Hilden’s Barney’s Brew Ale went down a treat.

Kettyle Irish Foods did the business with 28-Day Dry-Aged Tomahawk Steak, Lamb aged for 28 days in a Salt Moss Chamber and their Guinness Burger.

La Coquine won two 2 stars for Tipsy Elephant Chocolate and Macerated Cherry Chocolate. Linden Foods won with Irish Hereford Beef and Linen Hill’s Paradise Slice was considered heavenly as was their Wheaten Bread with Irish Stout.

Other two star winners are McKee’s Farmshop – Crispy Roast Potatoes with Rosemary and Thyme. Morelli’s Ice Cream, Frozen Natural Yoghurt Rippled with a Tangy Cherry Fruit Compote, Passion Preserve’s Kasundi Preserve, Quail’s Fine Food’s Dry-Cure Hand Sliced Bacon and 28 Day Salt-Aged Steak, Tamnagh Foods’ Beetroot Pickle with spices, Thompson’s Punjana High grown Kenyan Tea blended with Assam solely from Behora Estate, White’s Irish Oatmeal Steel Cut Oats and Toat’ly Oaty Multi Seeds and Yellow Door’s Farmhouse Handmade Rustic Brown Loaf.

One star winners include Abernethy Butter for their Handmade Salted Butter, Armagh Cider Madden’s Mellow and Carson’s Premium, Avondale Foods Sweet Chilli Coleslaw, Dunnes Stores Simply Better Coleslaw and Cabbage, Carrot, Apple & Cranberries in Mayonnaise Dressing, Bailie’s Coffee Fairtrade Espresso, Fairtrade 100% and Sweet Wonders Espresso.

There were also stars for Broighter Gold’s Rapeseed Oil infused with Rosemary and Garlic and regular Rapeseed Oil, Bruce’s Hill’s Beef Sausage with Rosemary and Thyme, Cavanagh’s Free-Range Eggs, Clandeboye Estate’s Blueberry Yoghurt, Greek Style Yoghurt, Mango Yoghurt Smoothie and Blueberry Yoghurt Smoothie.

Clogher Valley Meats won a star for their Shortbread Stars, while Cloughbane Foods took a clutch of 1 star awards for Homemade Stuffing, Steak, Onion and Mushroom Pie, Chicken, Ham and Leek Pie, Turkey and Stuffing Pie and Chicken and Broccoli bake.

Dale Farm did the business with Loseley Summer Meadow Butter, Dromona Pure Churned Butter, Dromona Extra Mature Cheddar Cheese and Loseley 19 Extra Mature Cheddar. En Place really know their preserves, so they got stars for Apricot and Amaretto Extra Fruit Jam, Cherry-Berry Jam, Plum and Elderberry Jam, BLT Relish and Mandarin, Pomegranate and Lime Jelly Marmalade.

Erin Grove took a star for their Rhubarb and Ginger Preserve and judges gave one to Eva Paris for their Raspberry Macaron. Will Taylor always gets plaudits. This year it was for Glastry Farm Dairy Ice Cream with Pure Bourbon Vanilla Bean, Ice Cream with Pure Coconut and Yellowman Honeycomb Ice Cream.

Hannan Meats continued to rack up stars for Moyallon Traditionally Dry Cured Bacon, Moyallon Sweet Cured Ham Hock, Himalayan Salt Aged Sirloin Dry-Aged on the Bone for 28 days and Himalayan Salt-Aged Chateaubriand.

Harnett’s Oils won a star for their Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil, the Heatherlea impressed with Grandma Getty’s Caramel Sauce. Heavenly Tasty Organics won a star for Spaghetti Baby Food as did Hilden Brewery’s Headless Dog Pale Ale, Hillstown Farm’s Beer-fed 28-day Dry-Aged Ribeye and Roasted tomato and red pepper soup, Irwin’s Irish Rose Fruit Loaf and Potato Farls.

There were stars for Kearney Blue Cheese, Keen Nutrition Almond Butter, Kee’s Outdoor Saddleback Shoulder Rack, Kettyle’s Salt Moss Aged Sirloin, Fillet Steak 28-Day Aged in Salt Moss Chamber and Senior Long Carve Sirloin, Krazi Baker’s Potato Apple Bread, La Coquine’s Salted Muscovado Caramel, Zingy Thai-Flavoured Ganache and Whiskey Caramel.

Linden Foods won a star for Two Irish Hereford Ribeye Steaks. Linen Hill’s Piccalilli impressed, as did

Linwoods’ Fruit Loaf, Milled Organic Flaxseed, Sunflower & Pumpkin Seeds, Shelled Hemp and Long Meadow’s Medium Cider,  Mash Direct’s Potato Cakes with Bacon, Turnip and Swede, Cauliflower Cheese Gratin and Red Cabbage and Beetroot, McKee’s Oven Roasted Sunblushed Tomato and Cheese Focaccia, Butter-based Scone Spiced with Cinnamon, Extra Dry Aged Ribeye hung for 40 days and Roasted Mix Nut Roast

Morelli’s Rhubarb and Custard and Sea Salty Caramel Ice Creams were worthy 1 star winners as were Passion Preserve’s Sunshine Relish, Quail’s Fine Foods’ Wheaten Bread, 8-Day Salt-Aged Cote de Boeuf, Handmade Pork and Leek Sausage, Suki’s Fairtrade English Breakfast Tea, Tamnagh Foods’ Maple Nut Fruit Granola.

The Good Food and Wine Company took four 1 stars for  Pure Apple Juice Infused with Cloves, Handmade Traditional Shortbread with Creamy Irish Butter and Fresh Shredded Ginger, Traditional Yellowman Honeycomb coated in Dark Chocolate and Irish Smoked Salmon Infused with Irish Whiskey

Others went to Thompson’s White Tea Romance and Turkish Apple Tea, White’s Toasted Oats Apple and Cinnamon Crunch, Toat’ly Oaty Original, Jumbo Oats Caddy, Organic Jumbo Oats, Oatbran Medium Cut, Irish Oatmeal Old Fashioned Oats and Toat’ly Oaty Wild Fruit, William Orr Potatoes, for First Choice Arran Victory, Willowbrook Foods’s Crunchy Coleslaw with Creamy Curry Flavour Mayonnaise and Creamy mashed & seasoned rooster potatoes, Yellow Door’s Focaccia Blanco Burger Bun, Cranberry and Walnut Loaf, Applewood Smoked Dry Cure Bacon and Hot Smoked Glenarm Organic Salmon.

PHEW!

Well done, all. We are SO proud.

Pay a visit to learn all about the award winning local food in Saint Anne’s Square, Cathedral Quarter Belfast.

There will be chef cooking demonstrations, street theatre and some live music to add to the atmosphere this weekend!

Dates: Sat 9th & Sun 10th August

Time: Noon – 5pm

Book a place on one of Canteen at the MAC’s festival events:

Coffee Brew Bar Master class

Date: Sat 9th August

Time:10am

Cost: £10

Summer Wine Tasting

Date: Sat 9 August

Time: Noon

Cost: £10

Craft Beer and Tasting

Date: Sat 9 August

Time: 3pm

Cost: £10

For more information please contact canteen@themaclive.com

or visit https://themaclive.com/food-and-drink/taste-of-summer-festival-2014