To celebrate World Porridge Day [Monday 10 October] a new report has shown that for 8 out of 10 adults across Northern Ireland agree it’s important to start the day with a healthy breakfast.

The research, commissioned by Co Armagh based White’s Oats to coincide with World Porridge Day, placed a spotlight on the breakfast habits of people across Northern Ireland. It looked at their preferences and what influenced their choices as well as examining wider consumer opinions on sustainability.

73% of adults ranked oats in their top three preferred breakfast meals which includes porridge, granola and/or muesli with 57% rating taste the top priority.

The research also explored consumer’s awareness around the benefits of oats with all adults agreeing that the number one benefit of oats is its high fibre properties and a quarter of all adults agreeing that oats help lower cholesterol and support good gut health.

Danielle McBride, Marketing Manager of White’s Oats said ‘’It’s encouraging to see that so many people across Northern Ireland recognise and enjoy the benefits of starting their day with a healthy and nutritious breakfast. Whether you’re a regular porridge eater or have recently joined the growing overnight oat trend; oats are packed with nutritious goodness- 100% wholegrain and high in fibre, they also pack a punch when it comes to supporting our immune system owing to their rich source of vitamins and antioxidants, which is especially important as we come into the colder winter months.’’

The research also looked at wider consumer opinions around the importance of sustainability with 70% of adults agreeing that when shopping for breakfast they would prefer to buy products from local producers.

90% of adults agreed that only when ingredients come from Northern Ireland and the product is made in Northern Ireland should it be labelled as a local product.

“With the research supporting consumer’s conscious efforts to embrace sustainability in their shopping baskets; from supporting local products to preferring to buy products in recyclable packaging, we also remain committed in our approach to providing sustainable products, and not just nutritionally but in everything we do from farm to bowl’’, says Danielle.

“Our conventional oats are grown locally helping to reduce food miles. We work in close partnership with over 100 trusted farmers, of which 40 are located within 60 miles of our mill in Tandragee. We’ve also made great strides in our packaging with all our porridge oats now available in fully recyclable paper bags.”

Find out more about White’s Oats here: https://www.whitesoats.co.uk/

Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council has announced the return of the popular Moira Speciality Food Fair this time with an autumnal flavour to proceedings. The artisan food fair will set up in the picturesque setting of Moira Demesne on Saturday 15th October from 10am – 6pm.

In a change to events this year, a new dimension has been added with a community centred family event taking place the evening before to launch the weekend of food and fun! ‘Friday Fun in the Park’ takes place in Moira Demesne from 5pm-6pm on Friday 14th October and will give families the chance to come along and enjoy the colour of street theatre, with a range of seasonally inspired craft and dance workshops and family fun sports races.

Commenting on the upcoming Moira Speciality Food Fair, Alderman Allan Ewart MBE, Chairman of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council’s Development Committee, said, “Throughout the last year we have continued to see LCCC businesses grow and many new businesses coming onto the food and drink scene. I am delighted to see the return of the Moira Speciality Food Fair and to welcome our new aspect to the weekend with Friday Fun in the Park. Both events will give our local producers, craftspeople, and entertainers a well-deserved stage that will shine a light on their talents and offerings. We are really looking forward to welcoming foodies and families back to Moira Demesne for one of our favourite events of the year.”

Taking on a similar format to previous years, Saturday’s Speciality Food Fair will showcase a diverse range of producers, traders, chefs, musicians, and family fun activities, hailing from the council area and across Northern Ireland. The timing of the event in the heart of harvest season is fitting as sustainability in where we source our foods, reducing food waste and the benefits of eating with the seasons is now more important than ever. The artisan Foodhall will reflect the richness of NI’s food and drink offering with the prevalence of food trends such as organic, fermented and vegan foods very much to the fore.

Festivalgoers will be glad to know that all the usual characteristic features are retained for this year’s event. As well as the artisan Foodhall, the Kitchen Sessions with Chef Demos, Craft drinks tent, Street Food hub and live music all return to include a widened programme of family fun activities. Producers and chefs that will feature at this year’s Moira Speciality Food Fair from varying artisan backgrounds include Spontaneous Deuce, Jack’s Fudge, Ispini Cured and The Daily Apron with craft beer specialist Hilden Brewery at the helm of the craft drinks tent. The artisan street food and coffee offering are always a big draw to the event and this year it will feature The Quirky Bird and Steady Neddy coffee trucks, Tribal Burger, The Hatch, Simply Scampi and newcomers to the NI street food
scene, LASA and Feast. Kitchen Sessions will feature cookery demonstrations and expert tips from Moira based Chef Chris McGowan of the acclaimed restaurant Wine & Brine, Chef and author Paula McIntyre and fermentation guru and author Dearbhla Reynolds of The Cultured Club.

The impending weekend of food and fun has something for all ages to enjoy. Both the Friday Fun in the Park event and Speciality Food Fair will have a programme of interactive family friendly activities to include magic and street theatre, Movement and Dance with entertainer Squiggles and Giggles and ballet inspired dance and Pilates sessions in the park. There will also be art and craft workshops, storytelling with Moira Library, and science workshops where children can embrace kite making whilst learning the physics behind making kites fly.

Entry is free and there is parking onsite with provision for accessible parking.

For more information on traders and a full programme of events visit visitlisburncastlereagh.com or follow Visit Lisburn Castlereagh on Facebook.com/enjoylisburn, Twitter @VisitLisburn and Instagram
@visitlisburncastlereagh.

Ella Mills (‘Deliciously Ella’) has been announced as one of the headline speakers at Women in Business’s all-island Female Entrepreneurs Conference taking place on Tuesday 11 October. Speaking about the growth of her business and her own journey into entrepreneurship, the award-winning food writer and businesswoman will be joined by over 400 attendees at the conference, which will take place between live audiences on an all-island basis for the first time, while also interactively linking participants in Dublin’s Gibson Hotel and Titanic Belfast.

Commenting Ella said, “Consistency is critical to me, especially as our business grew. I had to be across so many elements, 24/7, 365 days a year, there’s a relentlessness to owning your own business that people don’t talk about enough and the only way to grow is to continue to put everything you have into what you’re doing every day. I am looking forward to sharing my entrepreneurial journey to inspire women across Ireland and to help shape the future of their businesses.”

The conference is being hosted by Norah Casey in Dublin and Sarah Travers in Belfast and is sponsored by InterTradeIreland and the Yes You Can female enterprise support programme. For more information visit https://www.womeninbusinessni.com/events/belfast%20%7C%20all-island%20female%20entrepreneurs%20conference

The new and improved Millbank Farm Shop in Saintfield, Co. Down has been opened after a significant investment by the McGowan family, who are sixth generation farmers from nearby Killinchy.

A new addition is a No Waste Station where you can reuse your own containers with a selection of nuts, dried fruit and whole foods. They also supply paper bags and glass jars if you forget to pack yours. You weigh what you like and only pay for what you need.

Emily McGowan says they have also introduced many new lines to the shelves “There are a few we’re particularly excited about. There are eighty different spices. Guiseppe’s do homemade pizza to cook at home and there is fresh pasta from Carlos Capparelli. Sushi is delivered daily from Sushi Gaz. Counter Culture and French Village supply bakes and bread while traybakes come from Brown Bean. Four Leaf sends leaves and tomatoes. We
also stock fresh fruit and vegetables, meats, fish, dairy and an array of fine foods.

Opening hours are Monday to Friday 0900-1730 and Saturday 0830-1700. 30 Main Street, Saintfield, BT24 7AA.

http://www.millbankfarm.com

All roads finally led to Dingle in Country Kerry at the weekend (30 th September-1 st October 2022) for the Blas na hÉireann finals; the largest food awards on the island of Ireland. Food NI members took home dozens of crystal trophies.

The bronze, silver and gold winners from Co. Antrim across a range of different categories are Dale Farm, Glenballyeamon eggs, Glens of Antrim Potatoes, Lacada Brewery, Suki Tea Makers and Tempted Cider Company.
The bronze, silver and gold winners from Co. Armagh are Karri Kitchen, Armagh Cider, Avondale Foods, CRAIC Foods, Daily Bake, Hannan Meats, Holmes Bakery, Kestrel Foods, L’Artisan Foods, Long Meadow Cider, White Oats and Burren Balsamics, who were also awarded Best in County.

The bronze, silver and gold winners from Co. Derry-Londonderry are Carol’s Stock Market, Corndale Farm, Taste Joy Company and Broighter Gold, who were also awarded Best in County. The bronze, silver and gold winners from Co. Down are, Bró Coffee, Deli Lites Ireland, Lick Gelato, Longbridge Drinks, Papas Mineral Company and Rooney Fish. The bronze, silver and gold winners from Co. Tyrone across a range of different categories are En Place Foods, Ispini Charcuterie and Karro.

This year’s finalists and winners got to experience the Blas Village for the first time. Located in the heart of Dingle, this pop-up village was built for producers across the country to come together and celebrate the very best of Irish food and drink for Blas’s first in-person event in three years. As well as the awards being held there, finalists and winners have had the opportunity to showcase their products, engage with customers and meet key industry buyers. Finalists and winners showcased their produce in a new tented market—each tent highlighting a province in Ireland—also a new addition to the festival. Suitably named Eat Ireland in a Day, visitors were able to enjoy the high calibre quality of food & drinks that reached the finalist stage.

Speaking after the announcement Artie Clifford, Chairperson and founder of Blas na hÉireann said, “After a three-year hiatus from an in-person event, having a three-day event with the addition of the Blas Village and Eat Ireland in a Day has been worth the wait. I am really proud of what we hosted online but one thing that was repeated over and over was that people missed being in Dingle. As well as the excitement of the awards, it has been an intense and fantastic few days of focused networking, catch-ups and creating new connections and I am delighted that we have been able to showcase this exceptional produce to both regular visitors and industry experts in such an approachable and enjoyable way. What a great few days to welcome our Blas family back to Dingle.”

Now in their 15th year, Blas na hÉireann saw a huge increase in entries with almost 3000 products and many new producers entering the awards for the first time.

The shortlist has been announced for the Irish Food and Wine Magazine Restaurant of the Year Awards 2002. Taste of Ulster members in the running for Best Restaurant include Ox, Deanes Eipic, The Muddlers Club, Waterman in Belfast and Wine and Brine in Moira.

Best Chef nominees are Stephen Toman, Ox Alex Greene, Deanes Eipic, Belfast, Chris McGowan, Wine & Brine, Moira, Down, Ian Orr, Browns, Derr, Gareth McCaughey, The Muddlers Club and Aaron McNeice, The Waterman, Belfast The Parson’s Nose, Hillsborough, and The Holestone, Ballymoney, both County Antrim are in the mix for Best Casual Dining.

Best wine experience contenders are Ox, The Muddlers Club and Deanes Eipic- all in Belfast The Jolly Sandwich Bar, Enniskillen has been shortlisted in the Best Sandwich Bar category while Nicole Crowe from Ox, Belfast is up for a Best Pastry Chef Award. The River Room Restaurant, Galgorm, Antrim and Taylor & Clay, The Bullitt Hotel, Belfast are in the Best Hotel Restaurant section.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Dublin on November 7th 2022. Good luck to all of you!