Dozens of Taste of Ulster members took home plaudits at the Ulster Regional Final of the Irish Restaurant Awards 2022 which took place in the Slieve Russell Hotel, County Cavan on Tuesday 23rd August 2022.

Wine and Brine in Moira took Best Restaurant and Best Chef (Chris Magowan) and Best Wine Experience for Armagh while Deane’s EIPIC’s Alex Greene won Best Chef in Antrim and Stephen Holland from Lough Erne Resort was named Best Chef in Fermanagh.

The Best Restaurant in Derry/Londonderry was Brown’s Bonds Hill. The Derry/Londonderry award for Best Chef was won by Natalia Polo Mullan from Ocho Tapas Bistro in Portstewart.

The Best Hotel & Guesthouse Restaurant category was awarded to the Grand Central Hotel, Belfast for Antrim. In Armagh, it was Newforge House. Derry/Londonderry was won by Ardtara Country House. It was The Cuan in Down. The Catalina at Lough Erne Resort was the Fermanagh winner while in Tyrone, the award went to the Corick House Hotel & Spa. Newforge House won Best Customer Service in Armagh. Best Customer Service in Antrim was Bushmills Inn.  No. 14 at The Georgian House in Down won a new award category for Best Sustainable Practices.

Best Emerging Irish Cuisine in Armagh was won by Clenaghans. Best Wine Experience in Antrim was given to Ox Cave Belfast. Best Café in Down was Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, in Fermanagh, The Jolly Sandwich Bar won. The Hillside won the Pub of the Year Award in Down.

Local Food Heroes for each county included Simon Dougan from the Yellow Door Deli, Armagh , Indie Fude’s Laura Bradley in Down and Ric Dyer  Symphonia Gin – Woodlab Distillery in Tyrone. In the Best Gastro Pub category, The Morning Star  took the Antrim prize and the Walled
City Brewery won in Derry/Londonderry.

“It has been a tough time, as we all know, so extra well done to all these worthy winners and best wishes for the upcoming final” said Taste of Ulster CEO, Michele Shirlow. Speaking at the Ulster Regional Awards CEO of the Restaurants Association of Ireland Adrian Cummins, said; “Now in their 13th year, the Irish Restaurant Awards returns after the 2020 Awards were cut short. The Awards are an opportunity to celebrate the existing and up
and coming talent in the sector and are a reminder that hospitality is nothing without the dedicated and passionate staff in the industry.”

All of the county winners now compete for the Regional and All Ireland Titles, which will be announced at the Irish Restaurant Awards All Ireland Final on Monday 19th September 2022 in the Convention Centre Dublin(CCD).

Find out more here: https://irishrestaurantawards.com/

Leading NI food company, Moy Park has secured a supply deal with Ocado to list a new range of Moy Park branded coated chicken products!

The range features three lines – whole breast Chicken Kievs with creamy garlic butter, Tempura Chicken Mini Fillets and Buttermilk Burgers coated in a pepper breadcrumb. Moy Park has supplied Ocado since 2008 with both own label products and the Moy Park chicken brand.

Ellen Wright, Senior Brand Marketing Manager at Moy Park said,

“We are thrilled to strengthen our relationship with Ocado and bring these new branded coated products to consumers across the UK. As a market leading brand with over 75 years of expertise, we recognise the need to develop new products in line with consumer trends.”

“This range, which uses 100% British chicken will allow consumers to enjoy restaurant style coated chicken in their own homes. Our product development team has taken inspiration from recent trends in street food and combined them with traditional family favourites, such as mini fillets, kievs and chicken strips.”

Find Moy Park’s full range here: https://moypark.com/

Following a two year absence, Belfast Restaurant Week is returning to restaurants across the city centre this September with a menu to tempt every tastebud.

Promising to be the biggest event of its kind in the city, Belfast Restaurant Week is being supported by all the BIDs (Business Improvement Districts) across Belfast with Belfast One and Cathedral Quarter coming together again and being joined by Linen Quarter for the first time, to create a feast of activities between 19 and 25 September. The week long event will give restaurant goers a great opportunity to socialise and restaurants a platform for showcasing and shining a spotlight on chefs and menus that make dining out in Belfast an unrivalled experience.

Speaking about joining the initiative, Chris McCracken, Managing Director of Linen Quarter BID, said: “We want to celebrate the creativity of our city’s food and drink, and Belfast Restaurant Week is a great way for people to re-experience what is on offer at an affordable price. We are delighted to join with Belfast One and Cathedral Quarter to enhance this exciting initiative and support our hospitality industry when they need it most. We invite people into Belfast City Centre to sample the mouth-watering dishes on offer, at new restaurants and old favourites alike, and we hope you will come back hungry for more.”

Kathleen McBride, Managing Director of Belfast One, said: “Belfast Restaurant Week was previously a staple in the calendar of Belfast’s key events and we are confident we can recreate the atmosphere and buzz this initiative brought to the city centre again, especially now that Belfast One and Cathedral Quarter have been joined to support the initiative by Linen Quarter. People are energised by the opportunity to come out and taste their way around the city. What better way than to dine out with friends and family over special menus being offered all week long in some of the most exciting and award winning restaurants our city is proud to boast.”

Damien Corr, Business Improvement Manager of Cathedral Quarter, said: “There’s great anticipation for the return of Belfast Restaurant Week among restaurants located in the city’s Cathedral Quarter and we are proud to once again work with Belfast One to bring the vision for this initiative to life. Being joined by Linen Quarter means we can truly deliver the choice of all the restaurants from across the city to diners who wish to experience great tasting food with great value for money offerings city wide.”

As well as dishes priced from as little as £10 for lunch and £15 for dinner, there will be special offers throughout the week and the Big Belfast Brunch at the weekend. And also on Saturday and Sunday, St George’s Market will be the place to visit for cookery demonstrations by local chefs where visitors will be offered the opportunity to taste dishes directly from the demo oven.

Belfast Restaurant Week is organised and delivered by Belfast One, Cathedral Quarter and Linen Quarter BIDs across BT1 and BT2 and runs from 19 to 25 September. For participating restaurants and menus, please visit www.belfastrestaurantweek.org.

Follow Belfast Restaurant Week on social media and share your pictures with #BelfastRW22.

www.facebook.com/belfastrestaurantweek2022; www.instagram.com/belfastrestaurantweek22; www.twitter.com/BelfastRW22.

Three Food NI producer members are in the running for the title of Supreme Champion of 2022. Among the highest-scoring 3-star products at this year’s awards are  The Single Rose, Ballylisk of Armagh Farmhouse Brie from Ballylisk Dairies (http://ballyliskofarmagh.com),  Wild Sika Venison Loin from Baronscourt Estate (http://barons-court.com), Corndale Chorizo Picante from Corndale Charcuterie (http://corndalefarm.com).

One of them will take home a Great Taste Golden Fork award – a trophy which celebrates the best in region – in a few weeks’ time and are in with a chance of scooping the top honour of the Great Taste Supreme Champion 2022.
 
Christabel Cairns, operations & marketing director at the Guild of Fine Food comments: “It’s really interesting to see some of the overall trends that we saw during the main judging process reappearing in the Golden Forks nominees list.  Well-made and innovative ingredients, plus excellent examples of more traditional products – a real reflection of the quality that food lovers and independent retailers look for across all the categories.”
  
There are a total of 36 3 star nominees for a Golden Fork, but just one will take home the highest accolade of them all – a winner described by judges as “so delicious”, “incredible” and “addictive”.

All will be revealed on Monday 5 September during the Great Taste Golden Forks awards ceremony held at Southwark Cathedral, London.

Aspiring chefs are being called to step up to the plate and enrol on a brand-new training course, launched today by the Northern Ireland Hospitality School, offering students the chance to gain a chef qualification and secure guaranteed employment with one of Northern Ireland’s top hotels.

The brand-new Chef Academy will see six successful candidates selected to undertake a year-long scholarship delivered through on-the-job training at one of Northern Ireland’s top hotels; Adair Arms Hotel, Galgorm Resort or Tullyglass House Hotel, where they will ultimately secure guaranteed employment.

Successful candidates will gain a nationally recognised qualification (FDQ Level 2 Diploma in Professional Chef – Northern Ireland), delivered by training partner South Eastern Regional College (SERC).  The course involves not just classroom learning, but on the job training with our highly skilled kitchen brigade as well as unique experiences with our local food producers. 

Representing an investment in year one of nearly £250,000 the new academy aims to recruit six locally based chef apprentices for its first intake in September, with applications now open.

The announcement follows the launch of the Northern Ireland Hospitality School last April, part funded by Ballymena-based charity The Gallaher Trust. To date, the school has already supported 24 students in gaining full-time employment with partnering hotels through its dedicated Bar Academy.

For more information visit nihospitalityschool.com

Top awards for Ballylisk of Armagh, Baronscourt Estate, Morelli’s and Corndale.

All four 3-star winners from Northern Ireland in the 2022 Great Taste Awards are members of Food NI. The winning products are Ballylisk of Armagh Single Rose Brie cheese, Baronscourt Estate Wild Sika Venison Loin, CorndaleChorizo Picante and Morelli’s Raspberry Sorbet. Only 1.7% of the 14,205 2022 entries received a 3-star for“extraordinarily tasty food & drink”.

Burren Balsamics won two 2-star awards for their Balsamic Jelly and White Balsamic Jelly as did Suki Tea Makers for their Breakfast Tea. 2 stars are awarded to products deemed “above and beyond delicious”). Kestrel Foods won 2 stars for Forest Feast Salted Dark Chocolate Almonds as did Long Meadow for Blossom Burst Cider, Maud’s Pistachio Verde Ice Cream, McCracken’s Black Irish Stout, Thompson’s PunjanaTea Bags and Rooney Fish Millbay Oysters.

Ann’s Pantry from Larne won six 1 star awards for Sugar Free Oven Wheaten, Spelt Real Soda, Spelt Christmas Pudding, Custard Tart, Sugar Free Irish Wheaten Loaf Mix and Spelt Real Soda Mix. Other multiple 1 star winners included Dale Farm for Dromona Pure Butter, Dromona Extra Mature Cheddar, Mullins Strawberry Ice Cream,  Mullins Gourmet Sticky Toffee Pudding Ice Cream and Dale Farm Honeycomb Ice Cream. Kestrel Foods won 4 1 stars for Forest Feast Sea Salt and Cider Vinegar Nut Mix, Sea Salt and Black Peppercorn Nut Mix, Acti Snack Peanut Butter Trail Mix and Milk Chocolate Salted Caramel Almonds. Mash Direct also won four 1 star awards for Beer Battered Onion Rings, Chilli Baby Bakes, Champ and Skinny Fries. There were four 1 starplaudits for Morellis to add to their 3 star which were Clotted Cream with Caramelised Fig Ice Cream, Butter Rum with Boozy Raisin flavour, Calypso Coffee and Gianduia Ice Creams. 

Dundarave Estate’s Spiced Plum and Damson Jam won a star as did Deli Lites Tex Mex-inspired Plant-Based Burrito, Echlinville Distillery Irish Pot Still Gin, East Coast Seafoods Ballyhornan Smoked Salmon, Henderson’s own brand Spar Enjoy Local Peppered Rump Steak, Desserts by The Kitchen Salted Caramel Apple Pudding, The Chef Chicken and Ham Bake and The Kitchen Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup, Kennedy Bacon’s Dry Cured Gammon Roast, Kilmegan Sparkling Apple Juice, L’Artisan Foods 3 Cheese and Caramelised Pear Quiche and also Meatballs, Long Meadow Apple Cider Vinegar, Linwood’s Shelled Hemp and Cold Milled Flaxseed, Maud’s Piemonte Hazelnut, McCracken’s Pale Irish Ale, Milgro Original and Flame Grilled Steak Crispy Onions, Punjana Special Everyday and Signature Blend Tea Bags, Quails 28 day Himalayan Salt Aged Tomahawk Steak and Beef and Caramelised Onion Sausage Roll, Springmount Farm Honey and Free Range Eggs, Suki Black Bush Tea Pyramids, Tartine at the Distillers Arms Pickle Sauce, Berties Bakery Toaster Wheaten and Four Big Pancakes,The Croft Farm Shop Erin Grove Wheaten Bread, Symphonia Irish Apple Rum and Yellow Door Apple, Rosemary and Raisin Soda Bread, Beef Rendang and Seared Irish Chicken with Herbs, Home Cured Bacon and Dijon Cream Sauce. 

The highest scoring producers now go through to the regional finals. The Golden Fork Ceremony celebrates the best from each region with the winner being awarded a Golden Fork trophy – there are ten up for grabs. Plus, the ultimate winner of Great Taste 2022 – The Supreme Champion – will be crowned for winning the highest-scoring 3-star product of the year.

All will be announced at the Great Taste Golden Fork Ceremony on Monday 5 September 2022, held at Southwark Cathedral.