A new Bangor dog park was officially opened near the Seacliff Road during the recent ‘Summer Fun for Cool Canines’ event that was organised by the Dogs Trust charity in conjunction with Ards and North Down Borough Council.

With the hot sunshine beating down, plenty of dogs and their owners were already making use of the enclosed park. The new facility allows dogs to roam freely without fear of escape and owners can relax on benches while keeping an eye on their four-legged friends.

All received a warm welcome from members of the Dogs Trust charity who raised awareness about the dangers of leaving dogs in hot cars while providing practical tips to keep their four-legged friends cool and safe during warm days.

Even the dogs were supplied with free doggy ice cream, water and enjoyed a pool party!

Mayor of Ards and North Down, Alderman Bill Keery, said:

“The new dog park is a fantastic new facility for dog owners in Bangor. It’s perfectly located near the coastal path and will give owners the chance to let their dogs run freely in a safe environment.”

“Officially opening the park alongside the Dogs Trust charity event provided a great opportunity to raise dog owners’ awareness about the dangers that their pets face on hot days.”

Just a few minutes in a hot car can prove fatal for dogs and yet every year animal welfare charities and the police receive thousands of reports of animals being left alone in cars on warm days. The summer is now coming to a close but dog owners should always be wary of leaving their dogs in hot environments.

Laura McAnea, Campaigns Manager at Dogs Trust, said:

“Many people still believe that it’s OK to leave a dog in a car on a warm day if the windows are left open or if they’re parked in the shade, but the truth is, it’s not.”

“A car can become as hot as an oven very quickly, even when it doesn’t feel that warm and a dog can die in a hot car in 20 minutes. When it’s 22 degrees outside, in a car it can reach an unbearable 47 degrees within the hour.

Dogs Trust and the Council advise that if you see a dog in distress in a hot car, call your local Animal Welfare Officer who will liaise with the PSNI to organise the rescue of the dog. This will help ensure the dogs can be removed from the car as quickly as possible, in a safe and legal manner.

To find out more about caring for dogs in hot weather, visit www.dogstrust.org.uk.

TREAT yourself to a luxurious Autumn break at the Culloden Estate & Spa and take advantage of the Rest & Revive package from only £100pps*.

Enjoy luxurious overnight accommodation, complimentary room upgrade, a selection of tasty local treats, full Irish breakfast and use of the spa facilities.

This magnificent hotel, recently named one of the top 10 snazziest hotels in Ireland by leading independent Irish travel and culture website, Ireland Before You Die, is just six miles from Belfast and the perfect location for guests to completely unwind and relax with roaring log fires and views over Belfast Lough and across County Antrim.

The Culloden Estate has 98 stunning bedrooms and suites, luxurious spa and a range of dining options including Vespers Restaurant serving modern cuisine using only the finest and freshest local ingredients; The Lough Bar offering light snacks and the hotel’s famous decadent Afternoon Tea and the Cultra Inn, a cosy bar and bistro which nestles within the Estate and is perfect for a tasty lunch, evening meal or pint by the fireside. 

For further information or to book go to www.hastingshotels.com or call 028 9047 1066.

*Terms and conditions apply. Subject to availability.

For those unfamiliar with graphic design the thought of writing a brief for the talented wizards can seem a little daunting. But it should not be. Like drafting any other part of your marketing and communications plan it is about explanation.

And, that explanation should be broken down into similar steps to your marketing.

The first thing to include is your company profile. A short synopsis of what you do, including history and your clients or customers. This will help the graphic design team focus on the industry you operate in.

Perhaps the most important area in the brief will be the aims: what you and your company want to achieve with the design. Is it a complete re-brand, is it a new brand or is it for a campaign?

This will explain what you expect in terms of scope of the project and helps once consulting with the design team later on in the process.

Equally as importance is your company’s target audience. Young and funky, edgy people, a business-to-business campaign, or an older audience all will influence the design. This is time to consider carefully that audience. A short audit of your type of client may help clarify this.

The media format is something that you should also consider. A full suite of material could include stationery, leaflets, stands, website and other key elements. It could also be as simple as a leaflet and well-designed advertisement.

As you consider the breadth of what you want, do not forget social media. Whatever you want designed must have elements that work across multiple social platforms appropriate to your target audience.

At this stage it is important to include others in your team. They can provide valuable input, and help you revise the brief.

Of course, this is the hard part – money. You need to be clear about how much you have to spend on the design and the products it is to be used on. Be clear on this and be certain about the timescale that the project has to be delivered. Above all, remember that the cheapest option may not provide the quality you expect.

The life of the design brief does not end once you have appointed a designer. Before they start work meet with them and agree all of the above elements. An experienced graphic designer will be able to tweak the brief and help you work through what is exactly to be delivered. Chiho Tang, Owner of Oranga Creative said: “It’s great to meet with a client for coffee, to understand what they want, cause often the client can’t articulate what they actually want in just their brief alone and having a chat with them can fully allow us to understand their needs and be able to meet them with our designs.”

Also agree with the design team progress reporting, presenting of drafts and keep in contact – without pestering them. Let them get on with producing a design right for you.

To find out more about Oranga Creative’s Graphic Design services visit: https://www.facebook.com/orangahq/

After owner Emma Bricknell sent social media into a spin with her provocative ideas for advertising, Made In Belfast launched their weekend brunch menu recently.

The risqué and controversial concept ad campaign involved imagery of both men and women “licking” a sausage.

And when Emma uploaded it to social media sites like Facebook, the commentators went wild.

“When I floated the idea of a sausage about to be eaten in a provocative manner it was a bit of fun designed to promote the idea of weekend dining outside the normal lunch and dinner menus,” she said.

“And, after the success of the launch we have people wanting to know more about it and be there come Saturday and Sunday.”

Offering a range of dishes on Saturday and Sunday, the brunch menu at the Talbot Street venue was launched last weekend and already interest is burgeoning.

Attendees at the launch also got a further taste of Emma’s cheeky side with napkins emblazoned with Made In Belfast’s iconic lips and the slogan “bite me”.

Emma believes taking risks in business is essential and sometimes it’s important to stand out from the crowd.

She added: “It’s up to everyone in business to keep on innovating and using the immense creative talent here in Northern Ireland to develop. I firmly believe that being continuously able to change and shape the business is key to the ongoing success of Made In Belfast. That, and the amazing team we have. We’re very lucky.

Featuring outdoor bred meat in sausages and bacon, fresh produce, the brunch menu retains Made In Belfast’s ethos of supporting local sustainable farmers. Vegetarian and vegan options are also included.

Meanwhile Made In Belfast looks forward to expanding to four restaurants with the forthcoming Lisburn Road development.

“While we are planning our fourth city restaurant we never rest on our laurels. The brunch menu is something we’ve been developing for some time” said Emma.

“Next up I think will be a refurb at our city hall restaurant, it’s important to keep things fresh.”

The brunch menu is on offer Saturdays from 10:30 am to 12:30pm, and on Sundays from 10am to 12:30 pm at Made In Belfast in Talbot Street, Cathedral Quarter, Belfast.

The full brunch menu can be found at madeinbelfastni.com

The owner of the Hair Friendly salon in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter has raised almost £4,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support by opening her garden to clients, family and friends.

Christine Boyles explained that after her mum passed away from cancer several years ago, she invested much of the money she left her into her beloved garden – and had an ‘open day’ in aid of the Northern Ireland Hospice.

After doing more work to the garden in recent years she thought she’d organise a similar venture.

“The Macmillan Cancer Support nurses really helped my mum so much so this time I thought I would do it for them.

“It was forecast to rain and I was praying like mad – but in the end it was a lovely sunny day.

“I was just so pleased for everyone who had helped that their hard work paid off – people who washed the dishes, did the baking, sold the ballots, etc. They were all amazing,” said Christine.

Maria Small, Fundraising Manager for Macmillan Cancer Support – who called at Hair Friendly to collect the cheque for almost £3,700 – said: “Without people like Christine and the support she received from local people and businesses, Macmillan wouldn’t be able to fund our personal services.

“We don’t get any government funding so we rely on members of the general public holding events to help us provide things like our Macmillan nurses, patient grants and vital information services right across Northern Ireland.”

Brunch may appear to be a millennial phenomenon, but it actually goes back much, much further.

Originally, brunch was the 19th Century hangover cure. The term, which are the words breakfast and lunch sandwiched together, was allegedly coined by an Englishman called Guy Beringer in 1895. The meal was reputedly designed for “Saturday-night carousers” who were too hungover to get out of bed on Sunday morning.

Other sources credit early 1900s New York reporter Frank Ward O’Malley with coming up with the term as a way of describing the odd eating habits of newspaper journalists.

Popularised and (supersized) by Americans, this stylish Sunday hangover cure was quickly exported throughout the world. Comic books in the 1960s, cooking books and even smash-hit 90s TV shows such as Sex in the City has helped make brunch mainstream. Today, everywhere from the UK and Dubai to South Africa and China enjoy their own version of brunch.

With that said, brunch has taken millennials by storm. So, what is behind the explosion of this generation’s late elevenses? Emma Bricknell, Owner of Made in Belfast, has the answer after launching her new brunch menu: “Maybe it really is the best hangover cure on a Sunday. Perhaps it’s the perfect opportunity to catch up with friends and recap the previous night’s shenanigans.”

Or maybe it’s just a sign of the times. Income is meagre and prices are steep, then after squandering all of Fridays paycheck in the bar, getting up and eating later saves money on a couple of meals. If brunch is timed right, it could be the only meal of the day. So it’s possible it ticks a box that says ‘all of the above’. Or simply, it’s an excellent excuse to make drinking before noon socially acceptable.

Alternatively, it could be a case of a lifestyle change among 20-somethings. Over the previous decade, brunch has quickly overtaken breakfast, lunch and dinner as the most popular meal of the day. Restaurants everywhere are reporting longer lines than ever before, proving that the love affair with brunch is far from over. A study by Fahrha Ternikar, who wrote the academic; Brunch: A History, claims that brunch’s popularity has been steadily on the rise since 2004.

The two most popular days for brunch were Mother’s Day and Easter Sunday. Ternikar also noted that there is a correlation between those with disposable income and those who eat brunch. After all, brunch has its roots firmly planted in high society, who possessed both the time and the money to drag breakfast into lunch as a social affair. While modern-day vape-toting hipsters may not have the income – they do have the time.

What’s clear though, is that brunch represents a culinary pillar of our society. So, sleep in a little longer, skip breakfast, then let’s have brunch.

Book now for brunch at Made In Belfast, Talbot Street, Belfast at www.madeinbelfastni.com or just call in.

Excitement is building as this weekend sees Donaghadee ‘Light Up’ with a fantastic programme of events from 5-8 September.

The festivities commence with a scrumptious Taste of Donaghadee food tour on Thursday 5 September at 6pm. The tour will include visits to the new Copeland Distillery as well as Bull & Claw, Harbour and Company, Lighthouse Bar and Grill, plus Pier 36.

A ‘deelicious’ menu has been constructed by the town’s top chefs with a tantalising course at each venue satisfying even the most discerning of food connoisseurs. Limited tickets are still available at £62pp.

If you fancy setting sail on the ocean and listening to ‘stories of old’ told through popular sea shanties, you can climb aboard at 7pm on Friday (6 Sept) or at 2pm on Saturday (7 Sept) and Sunday (8 Sept). Tickets cost £12 per adult and £6 per child.

Or if you prefer to keep your feet firmly on dry land, the Historic Walking Tour of Donaghadee will entertain and inform by giving you a glimpse into the town’s fascinating past. Hear tales of Vikings, the 12th century Norman outpost and the slave ship that sailed into the harbour during the 18th century.

These one-hour tours leave from Donaghadee Community Centre on Friday (6pm), Saturday (4pm) and Sunday (3.30pm). Tickets costs £3 per person.

Saturday evening in Donaghadee will be buzzing when the Red Hot Chilli Pipers take to the stage in The Commons with a free show that’s so hot, it reportedly carries its own health warning!

From 7.30pm to 9.30pm, the Scottish bagpipes and drums will raise the cooling September temperatures a notch higher as they entertain the crowds before a fantastic fireworks finale provides the perfect send-off for festival-goers.

FREE buses will operate from The Commons to Ards and Bangor Bus stations following the event at 10pm and 10.30pm. This is an outdoor event so please dress accordingly.

Please note that The Commons car park will be closed from midday on Friday (6 Sept) until 10am on Sunday (8 Sept), with no exception.

The concert and fireworks display are free to attend but booking for food, boat and walking tours is essential. Tickets are available from www.ticketsource.co.uk/ardsandnorthdown.

If you think of Indian cuisine, chances are the first dish that springs to mind is one of the fabulous curries authentic to the region.

These aromatic, flavourful dishes come in a range of styles from sweet and creamy to suit those looking for a mild flavour to fiery sauces for those who relish the heat.

What Is a Curry?

According to Chef Jainal, head chef at Belfast’s newest Indian/Italian fusion restaurant “curry originates from the Indian subcontinent and is typically meat or vegetables cooked in a sauce flavoured with a combination of spices and herbs”.

The blend of spices varies across India, with as little as five or as many as thirty combined to achieve the perfect flavour.    

“Curry dishes can be classified into two types; wet and dry,” said Chef Jainal.

“Dry ones are cooked with very little water, and any liquid added will evaporate while cooking leaving an even coating of the dry gravy on the vegetables or meat.

“Wet curries usually have a sauce and be served with rice, bread or chapatti to soak it up.”

What Are The Most Popular Curries?

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala is possibly the most well-known of curries in Indian cuisine. Preparation of the dish is simple yet has to be done with utmost care. Skinless chicken has to be marinated in a spice, yoghurt and salt mix and will be left to blend for an hour or more. Once that’s done the chicken will be roasted in a clay oven commonly called as Tandoor until it’s mostly cooked.

Chef Jainal explained: “The curry base is made with a blend of spices and salt along with onion, garlic, and ground cumin, roasted in butter and heavy cream added in last to give the dish its signature thick consistency. Fresh coriander is sprinkled over the curry as a tasty garnish.”

Butter Chicken

This is a classic dish that’s easy to make. Slow cooked chicken that falls from the bone coated in a sauce rich with tomatoes, spices and butter, finished with cream.

Butter chicken is said to have originated in Peshwar, but in 1947, after the partition, the dish journeyed into India and beyond.  

Mutton Rogan Josh

A slow-cooked Kashmiri delight made with a blend of spices, Rogan Josh has a light, aromatic gravy that’s easy to make and usually served with chapatti, rice, naan, or sheermal.

 Spices such as asafetida, cinnamon, cumin seeds, cardamom chilies, and peppercorns are roasted in a large pan, followed by mutton or an alternative meat. After 10 minutes on a medium heat, the sauce is seasoned with salt and more liquid added and simmered until the meat is soft. The curry is finished off with yoghurt, over a low heat, and some add garam masala powder, almond paste, grated khoya and kewra water for more flavor.

Vada Curry

Vada ia a mouth-watering dish which originated in southern India. Chana dal (split chickpeas) are soaked in water for 3-4 hours and then ground with fennel seeds, garlic cloves, ginger, green chili, and salt. The ground mixture is then taken in small proportions, flattened with fingers and deep-fried in oil. Often in southern India, the mixture would be dropped into the hot oil, without being flattened and cooked until crisp.

Chef Jainal said: “For the curry base chopped onion, ginger, garlic paste, and curry leaves are sautéed in oil until lightly browned.  Tomatoes and spices will be added along with ground coconut paste and seasoned to taste. Finally, the fried Vada mixture is added to the curry sauce and cook for 5 minutes.”

Chicken/Vegetable Korma

Korma is rich, heavily scented curry which is easy to make. Meat should be marinated in spices for a few hours before cooking in a cast iron pan, until cooked through.

For the sauce, onion and garlic is blended with water into a puree before being cooked in hot oil for 2-3 minutes. Tomatoes and the spice mixture, which includes garam masala, turmeric, cumin, cardamom, and coriander, and added with a sliced green chili, coconut milk, and yoghurt, and simmered for 30 minutes.

Chicken/Mutton Vindaloo

An authentic chicken vindaloo is a fiery curry made by dry roasting dried chilies, cumin seeds, and mustard seeds in a pan and blending them with ginger, garlic and tamarind paste with a little water.

Onion is then cooked in oil, followed by the meat until cooked through, and then the paste is added with tomato puree and salt to taste. 

Mumbai Milano, 11 Wellington Place, Belfast is open 7 days a week. Lunchtime is an all-you-can eat buffet every day and their a la carte menu is available from 5pm. Book your table by calling 028 9031 1101 or log onto mumbaimilano.co.uk for more information.

The wonderful, colourful world of Cosplay will once again take centre stage at Ireland’s top gaming and anime convention, Q-Con, from Friday, August 30 to Sunday, September 1 at Queen’s University campus, Belfast.

Cosplay is the artistic hobby that sees people create costumes and dress up as their favourite characters from anime, manga, movies, video games, comic books or TV series.

Hundreds of pounds and hours are invested in producing or commissioning the best costumes, making the reproductions as exact as possible… but there’s plenty of room for those who just want to throw something together or marvel at everyone else’s hard work.

“It is a wonderful community that has grown greatly in the past 15 years both locally and internationally,” said Ben Harrison of Q-Con. 

“It brings fellow cosplay enthusiasts and artists together to have a bit of fun and to create something that can be appreciated by all.

“For some it’s even a gateway to a creative career in film and television that they are passionate about.”

The Cosplay community has been burgeoning for years in Northern Ireland and Q-Con is the hub for hundreds of devotees. Across the weekend watch out for the wonderful costumes in and around Queens.

A Cosplay Fashion Show, Cosplay Blind Date and Cosplay Talent Show are among the many events at Q-Con over the weekend.

Hosted by QUB Dragonslayers Q-Con promises a host of events, including an appearance from the creator of the classic game ‘Doom’, John Romero, who will challenge you “to beat him at his own game” as well as an exclusive meet and greet.

With 26-years-experience behind their belts the volunteer Dragonslayers know how to lay on three days of fantastic – in all senses – experiences.

“Since we began in a few rooms at Queen’s with 150 people Q-Con has exploded in popularity and excitement,” said Ben. 

“We’re working hard to make 2019 even better. From video gaming to tabletop gaming, or live text adventure in The Dark Room, through to our cosplay events we are packing the weekend out.”

Designed by gaming and anime fans Q-Con attracts people from across the UK and Ireland and further afield, with last year seeing a five percent increase in attendees. People from all ages are present throughout the weekend, with Sunday being especially accessible for families.

“When we see so many people around the university district coming along on trains, buses and in cars dressed up as their favourite comics, games and anime characters it shows just how popular gaming and anime has become, and how Q-Con caters for a demographic so often missed by the mainstream media,” added Ben. 

Taking place across the Queen’s campus, including the Whitla Hall, Elmwood Hall, Queen’ Film Theatre, the Computer Science Building and many other venues it is essential to plan your weekend to pack as much in as you can.

For more information and tickets go to q-con.org.uk