NI’s unique landscapes and places help to create world-class produce

The Northern Ireland Year of Food and Drink 2016 is an exciting time for food and drink here.  Our talented chefs and restaurants continue to gain accolades such as Michelin stars for OX and Eipic and Bib Gourmands for James Street South Bar and Grill and the Old Schoolhouse Inn.

Our food producers are also shining on the world stage with hundreds of Great Taste Award winners including Hannan Meats, Mash Direct, Dale Farm, Punjana Tea, and En Place.

These awards are possible due to Northern Ireland’s unique landscapes and places which have a direct influence on the quality of the food and drink that is produced here, explained Rachel Quigg, Communications and Destination PR Officer, Tourism NI.

“The strength of our local produce has made an impact on the food and drink experience our visitors can expect in our restaurants, hotels, visitor attractions, cafes, pubs and cookery schools.

“Our fields and orchards, landscapes and seas, allow our talented food and drink artisans to make world-class produce that we can be proud of.”

Tourism NI has taken a tasty look at just some of the excellent produce that each county has to offer.

County Down – Comber Earlies

Potato growing in Comber is intertwined with the history of two influential Ulster-Scots families named Hamilton and Montgomery. Only potatoes planted and grown in the former Hamilton / Montgomery lands around County Down can be marketed as Comber Earlies.

Having been granted the elite EU PGI status in 2012, it’s great to see Comber Earlies now among some of the world’s most distinctive foods, in the same league as Parma ham, Roquefort cheese and champagne. Only potatoes harvested in the designated area during May, June and July each year are eligible for the PGI status.

The local fields are protected from winter ravages by the Mourne Mountains and the nurturing embrace of Strangford Lough, so the seed tubers are planted in drills from early January each year – much earlier than in other parts of Northern Ireland.

Don’t miss the Comber Earlies Food Festival, Comber town centre, June 25, for lots of potato themed children’s workshops and crafts and a chance to meet the growers.   There will be live music, fun walks, and competitions ensuring there is lots for the whole family to see and do.potato themed children’s workshops and crafts and a chance to meet the growers. Live music, fun walk about acts and competitions will ensure there is lots to see and do to keep the whole family entertained.

Armagh – Bramley Apples

Armagh, known as the ‘Orchard County’ of Ireland, has a history of apple growing dating back 3000 years. Saint Patrick planted an apple tree at Ceangoba, an ancient settlement east of the city and today more than 4000 acres of Armagh are covered by apple trees.

The orchards now produce more than 40,000 tonnes of Armagh Bramley apples each year – that’s 35 million apples! The Armagh Bramley Apple was awarded Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) Status in 2012.

The modern history of apple growing in the Orchard County of Armagh, begins not in Northern Ireland, but in the village of Southwell in Nottingham. In 1809, Mary Anne Brailsford planted a seed in her garden. Matthew Bramley bought the property years later and the seed and tree took his name.

In 1884, Mr CJ Nicholson of Cranagill House, Loughgall, bought 60 Bramley seedlings from Henry Merryweather, a young nurseryman who spotted the tree’s potential many year’s before, and introduced them to Co. Armagh.

Don’t miss the Armagh Food and Cider Festival, taking place between 5-9 October, offering five days packed with delicious food, fun happenings, special menus and mouth-watering events.

Antrim – Lough Neagh Eels, Dulse and Yellowman

As the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles and the fifth largest in Europe, Lough Neagh is not just steeped in amazing history and folklore, it’s also the home of the largest wild caught eel fishery in Europe. Eel fishing has been a major industry on the lough for centuries – archaeologists have even found evidence of commercial eel fishing dating back to the Bronze Age.  Regarded as the Rolls Royce of the eel, the Lough Neagh Eel’s creamy flesh is a real delicacy with over 400 tonnes of eels fished each year.

So no wonder they were awarded PGI status in 2011, a recognition of the heritage, tradition and authenticity of the best quality eel available in Europe.

Two other uniquely Northern Ireland foods are Dulse and Yellow Man.

Dulse is a salty, seaweed snack, originally harvested by fishermen to supplement their income when fishing was slack.  The unique taste is directly influenced by the region from which it comes, the Antrim coast, and it can be found at markets, in cheeses and it can add a very pleasant saline edge to a loaf of soda bread.

Yellow Man, as with Dulse, is associated with ‘The Ould Lammas Fair’ which has taken place annually in Ballycastle, Co Antrim, since the seventeenth century.  Within the town, streets are lined with more than 400 stalls selling a wide variety of goods, from livestock to painted scrolls. But the busiest trade is always at the stalls offering the traditional Lammas treats of Yellow Man, a sticky honeycomb toffee and Dulse.

Don’t miss the River to Lough Festival, July 2, which will showcase the unique cultural heritage of Lough Neagh and its waterways as well as celebrating the ancient fishing tradition associated with the area. showcasing the unique cultural heritage of Lough Neagh & Its Waterways, celebrating the ancient fishing tradition associated with the area.

Derry~Londonderry

Nestled among the yellow fields of Oilseed rape in Binevenagh Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, you will find Broglasco Farm, home of Broighter Gold Rapeseed Oil.

At the Broighter Gold ÉCONOMUSÉE workshop, owners Leona and Richard work hard all year to produce a premium product and it is now possible for anyone to come and uncover the process involved in the production of the award-winning Broighter Gold Rapeseed Oil.  Visitors will see the oilseed rape transformed into a crystal clear golden liquid and wander through the small exhibition area, explore the historical connection to the Broighter Hoard and discover the characteristics of Broighter Gold Rapeseed Oil.

To celebrate their fifth birthday and to mark the Year of Food and Drink 2016, Broighter have created a special edition oil with flakes of 23k gold.

Fermanagh – Black Bacon

Stunning Fermanagh and its unique bio-diversity make the perfect conditions for producing one of Northern Ireland’s most delicious products – Black Bacon.  Located on a remote island in Lough Erne, you’ll find a herd of rare breed pigs bred especially by Pat O’Doherty that produce the world-famous, award winning Black Bacon.  Take in the sights of the lough on an Erne Water Taxi before hopping off and enjoying some fine cuisine at one of Fermanagh’s award-winning restaurants.

Tyrone – Fivemiletown Creamery

County Tyrone is home to Fivemiletown Creamery, who have been making award-winning dairy produce since 1898 including the first Irish blue cheese, Ballyblue, and the first smoked brie in Europe, Ballyoak.

For more information on Year of Food & Drink 2016 visit www.discovernorthernireland.com/yearoffoodanddrink2016.  You can keep up to date with what’s happening on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using #EnjoyNI16.

W5 offers fantastic group rates to crèches, after-school clubs and summer schemes during July and August! Explore over 250 interactive exhibits, including W5’s incredible climbing structure ‘Climbit’.

Discover W5’s Summer Scheme Workshops for 2016. It’s all about ‘Build it’ this summer and fun and highly interactive workshops. W5 will set your group a range of whacky team building games and challenges. Working together has never been more fun!

Summer Scheme Workshops

7s and under: Build it: Chalk-A-Block!

Little ones will draw, build and create their own city in this fun and creative workshop aimed at bringing out the mini architect in all of us. After first learning about cities and how buildings are made our little engineers will then chalk up their own buildings on large blackboard-style blocks which they’ll use to construct a cityscape of their own design. To finish, they can stand among their buildings for a fun and unique photo opportunity. (30 mins.)

For 8s and over: Build it: Dream Team!

It’s all about constructing the best team in this fun and highly interactive workshop. We’ll set your group a range of exciting team building games and challenges that will test their ingenuity and cooperation. But be warned: they’ll have to think inside and outside the box if they want to be named the ultimate Dream Team. Working together has never been more fun! (30 mins.)

Over 8s (aged 9+): Build it Extreme: The Dome! (minimum 16, maximum 32)

This is a unique construction challenge that will test your group’s building and teamwork skills to the max. We’ll give them just one hour to make a giant geodesic dome from specially designed plastic tubing. Can they work out the pattern and create the shape? Will your team make it in time and if they do, will they all fit inside? Believe it, geometry has never been more fun and hands-on than this! (60 mins.)

How much does it cost?

General Admission: 10am-2pm – £3.50 | After 2pm – £4.50
Workshops +£1.50 (30 mins); +£2.00 (60 mins)
Adults free per 1:10 supervision ratio (additional adults £7)

Booking

Please call W5’s booking line on 028 90467790 / 7793 to book a group visit.

~ Tourism Ireland’s 2016 Game of Thrones® campaign continues to showcase Northern Ireland to millions of fans worldwide ~

17 May 2016 – Episode four of the sixth season of Game of Thrones® aired last night (Monday, 16 May) and Tourism Ireland unveiled its fourth ‘Door of Thrones’ – this week in Blakes of the Hollow pub in Enniskillen.

The door is part of Tourism Ireland’s 2016 Game of Thrones® campaign, created in partnership with HBO, which is showcasing Northern Ireland to millions of the show’s fans worldwide. Tourism Ireland is reminding fans everywhere that nowhere will get them closer to Game of Thrones® than Northern Ireland – the home of countless GoT locations, including Dragonstone, the Haunted Forest and Winterfell, where fans can meet direwolves, learn archery on the exact same spot as Jon Snow and set sail across the Narrow Sea! Earlier this year, Tourism Ireland saved the wood from two trees at the Dark Hedges – known in Game of Thrones® as the Kingsroad – which fell during Storm Gertrude.

The wood was then used to make a series of 10 beautifully engraved doors, each one telling the story of the latest episode in season six. The doors are being unveiled by Tourism Ireland each week as season six unfolds, in restaurants, pubs and other venues near Game of Thrones® filming locations across Northern Ireland. This week’s door in Blakes of the Hollow features several striking designs, immortalising the Targaryens and Arryns. It is near the Brotherhood without Banners’ hideout – the filming location otherwise known as Pollagollum Cave.

The first door (from episode one) is hanging in The Cuan guest inn in Strangford – near the filming locations of Castle Ward and Audley’s Castle. The second door is hanging in Fiddlers Green in Portaferry, near Quintin Bay. The third door, in the Percy French restaurant, is near Tollymore Forest Park. As part of the campaign, Tourism Ireland is also producing a series of limited edition Game of Thrones® stamps, in conjunction with the Royal Mail.

Food lovers will be delighted with the new look Comber Earlies Food Festival which is taking place on Saturday 25 June.

The one day festival organised by Ards and North Down Borough Council in partnership with Food NI, Comber Early Growers and the Ulster Scots Agency, takes place in the town’s centre and will showcase the world famous Comber potato which achieved EU Protected Geographical Indication status in 2012.

Comber Earlies Growers Co-op is looking forward to the festival which is set to be bigger and better than ever. Despite later than usual planting in mid-March, the crop is progressing well and should be ready just in time. Co-op chairman Richard Orr said; ‘it’s fantastic to have the Comber Earlies Food Festival to showcase our crop, and we look forward to the season ahead!’

The event which is part of The Council’s NI Year of Food and Drink programme will have lots of delicious food on offer. Come along and sample the world famous Comber Earlies or some delicious locally produced food from the artisan Food Fair. Local chefs will be providing live cookery demonstrations at the festival kitchen throughout the day. For more information on a series of Year of Food and Drink events in Ards and North Down see www.visitardsandnorthdown.com/food.

The festival promises to be a fantastic day out for the whole family with a programme packed full of activities for all ages. Relax at the hay bale picnic, take part in some Ulster Scots Highland Games or enjoy the live music on offer. Kids can enjoy lots of country-inspired crafts in the Craft Big Top; make a flower, a butterfly or your own scarecrow! In the food activity tent, festival goers can take part in fun food activities, look out for the tractor display and the street theatre programme which features some roller skating tomatoes!

The festival runs from 10am to 4pm and is a free event.

The Comber Earlies Fringe Festival will be running from 17 to 26 June. Delivered by Comber Regeneration Community Partnership, the Fringe Festival programme includes lots of activities like a supper dance, live music, a Spub Quiz, car boot sale and lots more.

For further information check www.visitardsandnorthdown.com

Armagh Craft Fair is returning to Armagh on Saturday 28th May from 10.30am to 6pm, at The Market Place Theatre & Arts Centre.

Bringing high quality Craft to the heart of Armagh City this annual event offers something for everyone. The fair will feature over 45 high quality craft stalls from makers across Northern Ireland and Ireland. The crafts on show at this year’s Craft Fair will include textiles, knitwear, jewellery, wood, metal, basketry, glass, soaps, leather, ceramics, and candles to name but a few…..

There will also be 14 free craft demonstrations from master crafters throughout the day including hands on creative craft making opportunities for both adults and children. Why not have a go and learn a new skill? Ever had a burning desire to try your hand at Ceramics, Mosaic, Flame Worked Glass, Leather Working, Jewellery Making, Lace Making, Basket Making, Weaving or Traditional Wood Turning? Well now’s your chance to roll up your sleeves and get stuck in as they’re all available at this year’s Craft Fair.

In addition to all this, there will be free children’s workshops, musical entertainment, great food & much more including the latest addition to the Craft Fair – Craft Beverages and Tastings with local craft breweries and producers showcasing their quality products for audiences to sample and purchase.

Also, don’t forget to take a look at the fantastic Art Of Craft Exhibition in The Market Place Gallery. Featuring the works of 26 artist | designer | makers from across Northern Ireland and Ireland, this exhibition showcases their unique talents in ceramics, jewellery, mixed media, bespoke furniture, textiles, mosaic and paper working, and much more.

For further information, bookings and to download the full programme go to www.marketplacearmagh.com. You can also follow developments on Facebook (www.facebook.com/marketplacearmagh) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/mptarmagh) for the latest information and video previews.

~ New film highlights Belfast’s Titanic connection to prospective visitors around the world ~

Tourism Ireland has launched a new online film, ’10 Titanic Things to Do in Belfast’, specially created to highlight the iconic ship’s connection with Belfast and Northern Ireland to encourage people around the world to come and find out more about the Titanic story.Tourism Ireland’s short, fast-paced film reminds prospective visitors around the world that the famous ship was “designed, built and launched in Belfast” and urges them to “get closer to the Titanic with these 10 Titanic things to do in Belfast”. It features Titanic Belfast and the SS Nomadic, as well as special experiences like a ‘Segway Titanic Tour’ and a ‘Titanic Dinner’ in Rayanne House.

Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said: “Our film celebrates the legacy of Titanic and its unique link to Belfast. We are capitalising on the huge interest that exists among people everywhere in the iconic ship, continuing to build the recognition of Belfast as its home and encouraging them to come and experience the city, its Titanic legacy and maritime heritage at first-hand.”

The ’10 Titanic things to do in Belfast’ film will also be promoted via Tourism Ireland’s other social media platforms – with its Facebook fans (3.4 million fans worldwide) and Twitter followers (324,000+), and on its YouTube channel.

-ENDS-

Sailing to the International North West 200 with P&O Ferries ­ motorbike fans from across the UK and Europe arrived into Larne ahead of the International North West 200 ­ the largest annual sporting event in Northern Ireland and one of the biggest motorbike races of the year. P&O Ferries, which operate the shortest, most frequent crossings between Scotland and Northern Ireland is expecting hundreds of motorbike enthusiasts to make the journey over the next couple of days

Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council is thrilled to play host to stage and screen legend Robert Powell as he commemorates the 150th anniversary of the publication of Alice in Wonderland in a fantastic night of spoken word and music. Wonderland presented by Clive Conway Productions is at The Old Courthouse, Antrim on Saturday 21 May at 7.30pm.

In 2015, to mark the 150th anniversary of the publication of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, thirteen of the world’s leading composers were commissioned to create a special piece of music based on each of the 12 chapters and the preface of this most loved children’s book. Performed in order, the narrative will be performed through music with violinist Matthew Trussler and pianist Ashley Wass and also through words, spoken by renowned television and film actor Robert Powell. Appealing to all age groups, Wonderland is a reflection of the enduring popularity of this wonderful book.

Robert Powell is one of Britain’s most well-known actors. He has been seen in a host of classic film and television dramas, including The 39 Steps, Jesus of Nazareth, The Detectives and most recently Holby City.

This will be a unique and memorable evening and early booking is advised.  Tickets for this event are priced at £20 & £18 (Concession) and are available from the Box Office on 028 9446 3113 or online at www.antrimandnewtownabbey.gov.uk/boxoffice

Larne will be awash with colour and carnival fun next month as the Summer Festival rolls into town.

Mid and East Antrim Borough Mayor, Councillor Billy Ashe, who is pictured here attending the recent launch event with some colourful carnival characters, has urged everyone to come along.

“The festival opens on Saturday 4 June when Larne Main Street will be the location for the spectacular carnival parade featuring schools, groups and clubs from throughout the Larne area.

“They will be dressing up and taking part in the parade along with a group of local young people who have been learning to stilt walk for the event.

“Come down to Larne Town Centre from 2pm to 4pm to enjoy live music at Broadway Bandstand along with face painting and walkabouts or just to take in the carnival atmosphere and watch the parade pass by at around 3.15 pm,” Cllr Ashe added that the parade will be leaving Larne YMCA at 3pm.

On Saturday 11 June, (11am-3pm) the party atmosphere continues with a colourful craft and food market at Larne Market Yard.
Activities will include Salsa dance workshops, arts and crafts, walkabouts and street theatre, a photo booth, carnival games not to mention live music from the Mardi Gras Jazz Band and the Bourbon Swing Band. All ages are being accommodated too with Fairy Twinkle on hand to tell some stories.

A special bus will run regularly every half hour throughout the event to take visitors into the Town Centre – perhaps for some ‘retail therapy’.

Then, on Wednesday 15 June, local schools and members of the public will be able to experience the thrill of cycling in a velodrome as the UK Street Velodrome Series rides into Larne Leisure Centre. School sessions will run from 10am-4pm and public sessions from 5pm-8pm.

For those who fancy themselves a ‘super hero’ there’s the chance to get into character for a special town centre bike ride on Sunday 19 June.

“Suit up in your superhero gear, decorate your bicycle too and zoom into Larne – Batman or Superman-style,” said Cllr Ashe adding there will be plenty of additional entertainment at Broadway.

“There will be music, entertainers and refreshments to keep all our superheroes and maybe the odd villain going as they cycle the route,” he added.

Participants may even want to create their own superhero character and dress up to take part in the best dressed superhero competition.

Super-cyclists are to assemble at Broadway from 6.15pm for a 6.30pm start. Children under 16 years of age must be accompanied by an adult and all participants must wear a cycle helmet. Anyone not wearing a helmet will not be permitted to take part.

Parking on Main Street will be limited during the event for a period of one hour and members of the public are encouraged to use the Town Centre car parks available, located close to the Main Street.

The Larne Summer Festival is just one of a large number of events taking place in Mid and East Antrim Borough. To keep up to date with what is happening in Ballymena, Carrickfergus and of course Larne visit www.midandeastantrim.gov.uk/events