Hercules Brewing Company existed back in the 1800’s, when there were 13 breweries in Belfast.
This is at a time when Belfast was the biggest exporting port on the island and indeed the second biggest in the British Isles. The onset of the industrial revolution however, meant that the Guinness Family were able to invest ahead of the curve and as a result, the powerhouse of brewing became centred in Dublin and the 13 breweries in Belfast disappeared.
Niall McMullan decided to resurrect this Brewing Company and with it, some of the old traditions of brewing to create a small batch brew lager called Yardsman. Yardsman Craft Lager is a delicate, beer with a mild floral hop character. It is filtered through Irish linen and matured for 6 weeks to allow the beer to mature and develop its smooth and full bodied character. It has a delicate and easy drinking style, which is a perfect combination for food, belies its 4.8% ABV
Hercules has also created an original Belfast Pale Ale. This recipe is reflective of the beer style that would have been available in Belfast back in the mid 1800’s. It has a soft delicate floral bouquet with rich caramels. It has a fruity front palate with a dry full bodied citrus finish.
We’ve all got the baking bug these days, but often don’t have time to make our own creations. Hooray then for Cherry Blossom Bakery in Derry city. This is a family-run business that aims to combine traditional baking and cooking with modern patisserie and country wholesome food.
Gareth Kelly has 5 years’ experience working with top chefs. For his part, his brother Shawn has ten years under his belt with some mighty fine pastry chefs. He’s a dab hand at everything from scones, sodas and wheatens to his trademark Guinness and dark chocolate cake with Bailey’s sour cream, pistachio crumb and peanut butter parfait. Yum!
Sweets and breads aren’t their only shtick, though. They do an array of wholesome eats like homemade pork, leek and cheddar sausage roll with homemade brown sauce and the ultimate bacon sarnie with Grants ham, back bacon, bechamel sauce and cheddar cheese lodged in artisan sourdough toast, topped with ketchup their way.. You have to see it to believe it.
They also have a mobile bakery and coffee shop. That’s in a 24 seater bus. Portable pastries and Johnson’s tea and coffee. What’s not to like?
City cheese is a small family business and they are the proud producers of a variety of Dutch Gouda style cheese. Christo Swanepoel one of the partners in the business, is also the cheese maker at City Cheese has a passion for good food and makes the cheese by hand.
Christo and Angelique Swanepoel are both South African chefs who have been living in Northern Ireland for five years. Christo was brought up on a dairy farm and he was reared on raw milk and raw milk cheese. This passion for raw milk and their background in food made cheesemaking a natural business venture.
He and Angelique decided to start making cheese with milk from Culmore organic farm, which in Northern Ireland’s only licensed producer of organic raw cow’s milk. Their cows are milked by a robot which Christo and Angelique believe makes for happier cows and in turn that means happy milk- and very happy cheese!
They produce 3 different cheeses from their home in Millisle their new approved creamery. They make them in small batches by hand. They are matured at an ambient temperature on locally sourced larch timber shelves for no shorter than 90 days.
With such great raw ingredients and such tender loving care, you just know this cheese is going to taste goooooooooood. And it does. All three of them. Can’t wait till they come up with their next one!!
Owner Niall Delargy started off with a dozen hens. Fifteen years later he has 17,000. Those cosseted chooks have some of the best views in the country from the Cushendall fields where they roam. They lay enough free-range eggs to keep the good people of the Glens of Antrim and beyond very happy. Every egg is rigorously checked and packed using modern machinery and inkjet coding equipment to ensure the ultimate in traceability and quality, personal service and attention to detail comes as standard to them. They come in all sizes but inside they all have that bright orange yolk that shows they are 100% free-range, 100% fresh, 100% happy and100% certified. They’re sold to lots of retail outlets, restaurants, cafes and hotels in north Antrim, but they’re keen to expand their customer base across Northern Ireland. Eggs are all they do, but they do them very well!
They even have poetry written about them
“The Ballyeamon Hens have got it all!
Time to sleep and time to way
Lush green grass to run and play
And that panoramic view of Cushendall
Yes! Recently I read it on an egg box I
t’s there, in print for everyone to see
If I could be a Hen in Ballyeamon
The credit crunch just wouldn’t worry me!”
A poem by Miss Kathleen McGarvey
These eels are rightly famous. They gained EU Protected Name status in 2011 after a long campaign by the Fisherman’s Co-Operative. These tenacious creatures make their way from the Sargasso Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, along the Gulf Stream to the mouth of the Lower Bann, and then into Lough Neagh where they stay 10 to 15 years before returning home.
They are exported within the EU, particularly live to Billingsgate in London and to the Netherlands and Germany. Their creamy flesh is a real delicacy. That’s why more than 400 tonnes of them are produced every year from Lough Neagh using sustainable practices.
The lough is home to the largest wild eel fishery in Europe and the men who fish them use traditional methods passed down through the generations. The Co-Operative is keen to expand into more hotels and restaurants across Ireland.
Owner and Executive Chef, Aaron Hanna has worked in The Quays from the first day the restaurant opened. When the opportunity arose for him and his partner Janine to take over the restaurant, it was a dream come true for them. Aaron employed his brother Mark Hanna as his Head Chef who has worked with some of the best chefs in Northern Ireland.
The Quays Restaurant is situated on the picturesque harbour of Portavogie in County Down with a breathtaking view across the Irish Sea to the Isle of Man.
Over the years they have built up a reputation for the freshest, finest seafood in County Down. Seasonal specialities at The Quays include crab claws, lobster, Dover sole, turbot and many other varieties of fresh fish caught by the local Portavogie boats.
The restaurant prides itself on its level of customer service and family-friendly atmosphere which keeps patrons coming back from as far away as Canada and the US.
OPENING HOURS
Monday – Thursday 12pm -2.30 pm & 5pm – 8.30pm
Friday – 12pm – 2.30pm & 5pm – 9pm
Saturday – 12pm – 9pm
Sunday – 12pm – 8pm
SHUT MONDAYS FROM OCTOBER UNTIL MARCH
