Just enjoyed our annual Irish Food Writers Guild voyage of discovery to Northern Ireland.
This year, we explored Armagh, the Orchard County, home of the Bramley seedling Apple and ecclesiastical capital of Ireland, how about that!
We drove past acres and acres of both old and new trees, laden with apples almost ready for harvest. Needless to say there are many entrepreneurial businesses, making a myriad of products from the famous cooking apple and the pollinators scattered through the orchards, but there is also a bourgeoning artisan food sector.
Burren Balsamics, was a surprising find. You’d expect it to be in County Clare but there are several other Burrens around the country. Here the charismatic Hamilton-Stubber family and their super innovative team make a wide variety of small batch balsamic vinegars from a base of white balsamic, flavoured with local blackberries, wild garlic…
They also make little pearls of balsamic vinegar, tiny flavour bombs of Blackberry and Thyme, that burst deliciously in the mouth.
During our short sojourn in Co Armagh, we visited two cider makers, both were on family farms. At AgniIig, James Mackle, a student with an impressive list of degrees has been experimenting with small batches of iced cider aged in virgin chestnut casks and is fastidious in his quest for the perfect result. Armagh iced cider, a premium product is indeed worth seeking out. Watch this space….
Another warm welcome to Long Meadow Cider Farm from the McKeever family in Portadown, one of the leading food tourism experiences in County Antrim.
This is a sixth generation family farm who supply virtually the whole of Northern Ireland with their famous apple juice, still and sparkling cider and apple cider vinegar with its many medicinal attributes.
They continue to experiment and have recently introduced with great success, some flavoured ciders, including rhubarb and honey, Berry Blast and their latest, a Mango Cider for which they can scarce keep up with the demand….
Longmeadow Farm also offer a tempting variety of tours and experiences for groups..
Another highlight was a visit to the Armagh Robinson library established in 1771, home to a remarkable collection of books, manuscripts and archives including a first edition of Johnathan Swifts’s, Gulliver‘s Travels and a special viewing of 18 century cookery related works. I could’ve stayed there all day long, it was truly fascinating.
Of course, we had many memorable meals, our first taste of Armagh was our lunch cooked over fire by Rory and his Mum, Fiona at On The Hoof located at Annareagh Road.
The deputy Lord Mayor, Lavelle McIlwrath added to Fiona‘s warm welcome. Such fun to see a copy of my Forgotten Skills Book on the shelf almost in ‘flitters’ from constant use.
Many delicious dishes including Beetroot Tzatziki, sprinkled with Marigold petals and a Summer berry Pavlova to die for!
Our last meal before we left was at Dante‘s Deli at the Palace. Among the memorable tastes of Armagh, we particularly loved the Ham Bon Bons. Thank you to Daniel Gallagher for sharing the recipe with our Examiner readers.
Loved the eclectic mix of food and culture chosen for us to experience by Tourism NI. Guess what, we were also introduced to road bowling by a couple of members of the Antrim team. Road Bowling is one of Ireland’s most distinctive, traditional sports.
Such fun but don’t think I’ll make the A-Team, think I’ll stick to the pots and pans!
We also had dinner at FE McWilliams Gallery And studio, hosted by Quails at the Gallery, an award-winning restaurant located within the venue, a delicious celebration of local ingredients, artisan producers and Armagh ciders, many flavours of Northern Ireland Food Heartland. Need to put this venue on your list too when you plan your visit. Lots of places to stay, but we were very comfortable, warmly looked after and enjoyed a special breakfast at the Armagh City Hotel.
A whistle stop tour but one that left me yearning to return to the beautiful Orchard County of Armagh.
Ham Bon Bons
Thanks to Daniel of Dante’s Deli Armagh for sharing this crunchy, irresistible and very moreish recipe
Makes (approx. 40)
Ingredients
1.5kg Pork Knuckle
1 Star Anise
2 Bay Leaves
2 Sliced White Onions
1 Tablespoon Black Peppercorns
100g Brown Sugar
100g Sweet Paprika
50g Salt
1 Teaspoon whole grain mustard
1/2 Teaspoon Chilli Powder
100g chopped gherkins
500ml Apple Juice (Long Meadow Farm)
Bread Crumb Coating
4 Tablespoons White Flour (plain or gluten free)
1 Beaten Egg
100ml Whole Milk
150g Panko Breadcrumbs
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Method
Mix all dry ingredients to make a rub.
Coat the pork in mustard
Cover in dry rub
Add chopped onions, cider and pork to an oven proof dish.
Cover and cook at 160°C (320°F) for 6 hours
Allow the pork to cool.
Shred, weigh out 60-80g of pork mix, taste for seasoning and roll into walnut size balls.
Coat the bon bons in flour, dip in egg wash and coat in breadcrumbs.
Keep in the fridge or immediately deep fry until golden brown and piping hot through. Serve with a chosen relish or chutney.
Beetroot Tzatziki
Thank you to On The Hoof for sharing this recipe.
To start..
Source a selection of beetroot, we love all the colours pink , amber , white and red striped.
Fiona steams them to cook them through , but they roast or boil beautifully too. They are cooked when the peel will rub off easily.
Drain, allow to get cold, peel and dice.
Tzatziki
De-seed, two cucumbers, grate them into a colander squeezing out the juice, set aside.
Mix the drained cucumber into 450 g (500ml) thick Greek yogurt, add the juice of one small lemon. Add salt to taste and a little good olive or rapeseed oil to loosen.
Add some finely chopped mint and dill.
Taste and adjust seasoning to your taste.
To finish, spread the Tzatziki over the base of a wide serving dish, decorate with the beetroot dice, top with some fresh mint and dill leaves.
Traditional Potato Apple Bread from Long Meadow Farm
A much loved and traditional Armagh recipe
Recipe makes 2
Ingredients
175g self-raising flour
420g cold mashed potatoes
1 medium sized Bramley apple (peeled and thinly sliced)
Method:
Add flour into a mixing bowl. Gradually add in the cold cooked mashed potatoes.
Stir ingredients together to make a dough (I like to use my hands as its easier to mix both together).
If you find the mixture is too sticky add more flour.
Turn mixture out onto a floured board and knead gently into a ball shape. Divide into two pieces.
Dust a rolling pin with flour, using one piece of the mixture, roll into a circular shape about ½ inch thick.
Mark a thin slight line down the middle.
Arrange the sliced Bramley Apple to one side of the circle of dough to form a couple of layers (1 medium sized apples should be enough for both servings).
Fold the other side of the mixture over the apples and seal the edges with your fingertips and cut off any excess dough.
The apples should now be enclosed within the dough like an apple turnover.
Repeat with the other half of the mixture. Heat a griddle until hot, dust with flour.
Lay the potato apple bread onto the griddle for 2 – 3 minutes. Turn the griddle down to medium/hot.
Turn over onto the other side. The potato apple bread should have now formed a light brown skin.
Continue turning
the bread every few minutes (you should be able to hear the cooked apples
bubbling). By continually turning the potato apple bread it remains soft and
prevents it becoming scored and burnt.
Take off the griddle, slice open, add lots of butter and sugar to taste.
