Chef Rob Curley of Slemish Market Supper Club will be competing against 21 of the best Patatas Bravas chefs in the city of Palencia in the Castile Y Leon Region, Spain on Monday 26th September.

Patatas Bravas translates as “fierce potatoes” because of their spicy tomato sauce. It is one of the most popular tapas dishes in Spain. Rob’s entry is called Son’s of Tapa’s Patatas Bravas. It has Boxty potato Skulls and bones, a Son’s of Tapa’s spicy tomato Bravas mousse and turf-smoked Garlic Aioli. Just one other of the 22 finalists (a chef from Andorra) is from outside Spain. The winner will receive a work of art by the internationally renowned Palencian painter Antonio Guzman Capel, 750 euro in cash awarded by Vermut Yzaguirre, 1500 bottles of Fuentes de Lebanza water and a professional video-report for social networks valued at 500 euro, courtesy of the production company Oceangrain Audiovisual. The final will be live streamed on YouTube from 9 am to 5 pm.

Follow Slemish Market Supper Club social media for updates.

http://www.facebook.com/slemishmarketsupperclub
http://www.instagram.com/slemishmarketsclub
http://www.palenciabrava.es

Three Taste of Ulster members took home top awards at a ceremony in Dublin on 19th September 2022. They were for the all-island winners of the Restaurant Association of Ireland annual awards.

Deane’s EIPIC, Belfast won Best Restaurant in Ulster. This award is for places which deliver on allaspects of an outstanding dining experience. The winner of Best Wine Experience in Ulster was Ox Cave in Belfast. It is given for a well-chosen selection from quality producers. The award for Best Emerging Irish Cuisine in Ulster was Clenaghan’s Restaurant in Armagh. The judges were looking for a genuine commitment to actively influencing the future of Irish cuisine by encouraging us to try something new.

Well done to all of you!

Food NI members certainly made their mark at the Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards Ceremony in Dublin on September 13th , 2022.

The awards celebrate Irish retailers, producers and manufacturers. Deli Lites from Warrenpoint, Co. Down won Product of the Year 2022 for their Beets and Spirulina Crunch Pot. It also won Gold in the Vegetarian/Vegan Category. They do a wide range of food to go for retail. Noisy Snacks won a bronze award for their Noisy Coated Chip Shop Curry Chickpeas.

There was Gold for Alistair Bell’s Irish Black Butter in Chutneys and Relishes. It is made from Armagh Bramley apples. There was a Rising Star Award for Richard Gilpin, Head of Farm Operations of Gilfresh Produce.
Gilfresh also won Bronze for their Vegetable Fajita Kit. They grow, pack, process and distribute vegetables.

McCrackens Brewery from Portadown won Drinks Product of the Year with their Brewery Black Irish Stout. Their range now includes 7 craft beers. Milgro Onions took Gold in Food to Go for their Flame Grilled Steak Flavour Crispy Onions. Based in Limavady, they are the largest grower, packer and processer of onions for leading retailers. There was a Marketing Prize for Moocha Kombucha from Dungannon. They won a campaign worth 10,000 euro from Urban Brand Creative.

Well done to all!

A new category celebrating potato bread has been introduced to Tiptree World Bread Awards with Brook Food in an exciting addition for this year’s competition. 

The new category is in association with FoodNI.  “We are thrilled that the Awards, the UK’s leading celebration of the art of bread-making, is recognising this important part of our food culture,” said Michele Shirlow MBE, Chief Executive of FoodNI. “Potato bread is a form of bread in which potato replaces a portion of the regular wheat flour. It is cooked on a hot plate or griddle in farls (or fourths) and is a staple part of our diet, particularly in an Ulster Fry.’’

The new category is also in memory of Charles Campion, the late food critic and broadcaster who was a judge of the Awards for a number of years. “Charles Campion was a great friend to the Awards,” said Caroline Kenyon, Founder of the Awards, “He was a judge from our very first year. And he was also a passionate champion of Northern Irish foods, including wheaten bread. Indeed, he introduced us to FoodNI. So it is really meaningful that this award celebrates his memory and all that he did to support traditional regional food culture.”

With over 20 categories, the Awards celebrate the great diversity of bread baking; ranging from Sourdough and Baguette, to Speciality Sweet and Flatbread. 

This year’s illustrious judging panel is chaired by Stephen Hallam, Brand Ambassador for Dickinson & Morris. Judges include Ilgin Beaton, Award Winning Sourdough Baker & Teacher, Just Sourdough; Henry Herbert, Fabulous Baking Brothers, Hobbs House Bakery; Marcia Harris, Real Bread Campaign Ambassador; Harry Lomas MBE BEM FIH, Head of Culinary, Wembley Stadium and Jack Sturgess, Author & Channel 4, Sunday Brunch Bread Expert.

Entries for Tiptree World Bread Awards with Brook Food are to be submitted via the website. Submissions close Sunday 9 October 2022. 

If you are a Northern Ireland-based baker, to arrange delivery of your Potato Bread loaves to London for the Judging Day on Wednesday 19 October 2022, please contact Christine Cousins at Food NI, christine@nigoodfood.com 

Winners will be announced at an Awards Evening on Wednesday 26 October 2022.

The countdown is on for a week of tastebud temptation as Belfast Restaurant Week returns from 19 to 25 September in restaurants right across the city centre.

Supported by all the BIDs (Business Improvement Districts) across Belfast in the Belfast One, Cathedral Quarter and Linen Quarter areas, more than 500 mouthwatering menu choices will be served up in forty participating restaurants which are hosting a feast of delicious dishes during the week long event.

Speaking about Belfast Restaurant Week, Chris McCracken, Managing Director of Linen Quarter BID, said: “The excitement is building as the countdown to Belfast Restaurant Week has well and truly begun. It’s marvellous that we can celebrate the creativity of our city’s food and drink during Belfast Restaurant Week and it is a great way for people to re-experience what is on offer at an affordable price throughout the city centre.

“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 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.”

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.

Wild Sika Venison Loin from Baronscourt Estate is awarded top accolade for taste in Northern Ireland for 2022, at last night’s Golden Forks ceremony.

Following a record-breaking 14,205 food and drink entries from 110 countries across the world, Great Taste, Food NI producer member Baronscourt Estate has won the Golden Fork Award for Northern Ireland.

Announced last night (5th September 2022) at the Great Taste Golden Forks ceremony held at Southwark Cathedral, the Great Taste Golden Fork trophy for Northern Ireland has been awarded to Baronscourt Estate from Tyrone for its Wild Sika Venison Loin, described as having “flavours of game and natural sweetness which balance beautifully and sing out” and “a rich red colour”. The Wild Sika Venison Loin comes from wild sika deer that roam Northern Ireland’s Baronscourt Estate.  Impressing the Great Taste judges with its “bold aroma which was followed by bold flavour”, the Wild Sika Venison Loin made an impression at every stage of the blind-tasted judging process across the 90 days.  Rising to the top among hundreds of other entries from Northern Ireland, this “rich andtender” loin was celebrated as the best tasting product in its region at the highly anticipated ceremony – the culmination of Great Taste.
 
John Farrand, managing director at the Guild of Fine Food comments: “Unveiling the Great Taste Golden Fork winners is a huge honour. After months of rigorous blind-tasting and judging, it is fantastic to reveal the award-winning products and celebrate the producers’ hard work and innovation. It’s been an exceptional year for creativity and inspirational food and drink entries. Huge congratulations from all of us at GFF to all the award winners, it really isn’t easy to do what you do – I have the utmost admiration for you all. And thank you to everyone who was involved in Great Taste 2022.”    

For more information on Baronscourt Estate, see here: http://www.barons-court.com

The Great Taste Golden Fork from Northern Ireland was sponsored by Invest NI. Also nominated this year were the Great Taste 3-star Corndale Chorizo Picante from Corndale Charcuterie based in Derry-Londonderry and The Single Rose, Ballylisk of Armagh Farmhouse Brie from Ballylisk Dairies based in Armagh.