Darina Allen: Locally-caught prawns and sloe whiskey — food fare is the star in Co Down

Well, I can’t exactly take the higher moral ground because I hadn’t been either and it has to be said, the climate is much more agreeable and certainly less sizzling than many exotic-sounding places in summer.

Some other members of the of the Irish Food Writers' Guild and myself were recently invited to a whistlestop tour of the area by TASTE Ards and North Down. 

You can’t imagine how much we packed into one and a half days. 

We started with a bus trip plus a picnic through the rolling countryside from Dublin to Comber, lunch was at Number 14 at the Georgian House where chef James Mulholland and Pippa Groom, his pastry chef, cooked many of their favourite dishes proudly showcasing local produce.

I particularly remember this delectable crab tart, generously shared with Examiner readers.

I just remembered that the brilliant local deli, Indie Füde was around the corner, so I whizzed over there in search of one of my favourite Northern Ireland products, smoked eel from Lough Neagh. 

Sadly they didn’t have any, but I picked up some Abernethy’s handmade butter instead, and several perfectly ripe cheeses from this super cool little deli on Castle Street.

Then on through Newtownards to Carlos Henrique Capparelli, who is producing a range of artisan pastas from ethically sourced ingredients and heritage grains.

Shapes like casarecce and radiatori were totally new to me. 

Carlos, who worked with Yotam Ottolenghi, is overseeing a hugely impressive restoration project at The Old Mill, which will be a series of restaurants, cocktail bars, and private dining rooms by next summer. Watch that space…

Then on to Ballyboley Farm near Greyabbey to meet the Alexander family and their herd of Dexter and Highland cattle, and believe it or not, afternoon tea or sloe whiskey in the field overlooking Strangford Lough. 

We could clearly see the Mull of Kintyre in the distance, which prompted us all to break into the Beatles song.

TEA WITH THE BEES

Northern tourism is all about experiences, so groups can have cake with the cows, or tea with the native Irish bees - their enthusiasm was infectious.

From there, it was on the Copeland Distillery in Donaghadee which produces award winning Irish gin, blended Irish whiskey, rum, vodka and a coffee liqueur.

There’s such a lot happening on the food and drink scene in Northern Ireland nowadays, but particularly in this area of the Ards Peninsula and North Down. 

We enjoyed three cocktails, each paired deliciously with a plate of food, beetroot cured salmon gravlax with horseradish cream, apple and freshwater cress. 

Then there were plump pigs' tail milk buns sprinkled with fennel seeds and flaky sea salt, which I really enjoyed with the Copeland whiskey, and a chocolate pavé with poached fig, a dollop of cream and some fresh fig oil on top. 

A delicious little feast created by Andy and wife Roz of Hara Food.

Our overnight stay was in the lovely Clandeboye Lodge, where all my friends, bless their appetites, tucked into dinner while I drank fizzy water with a few drops of Angostura bitters to aid digestion, while listening to a cacophony of appreciative sounds around me.

First stop the following morning was to meet the many producers from the Ards Peninsula and North Down at the Food Fair in the Courtyard and Great Hall at Clandeboye House. 

Counterculture Real Bread, Bró Coffee, Ballyboley Dexter Beef breakfast rolls, Clandeboye Estate award winning yoghurt, honey, Stonebridge Cottage Farm rare breed pork and more - fed on whey from Mike’s Fancy Cheese and spent grains from local craft breweries and distilleries... any wonder it tastes so good? 

Out in the courtyard with many other temptations were honey, Simply Scampi, award winning prawns landed at Portavogie, hand shelled and flash in a light crispy batter and so much more.

Then on to see another restoration project at The Walled Garden, Helen’s Bay, where Lorraine Small’s enthusiasm was infectious. 

While she is clearing the beautiful space of bindweed and scutch grass, people flock for arts and craft making workshops and new food and drink experiences.

Then onto another distillery, and it wasn’t even noon. 

This time a return visit to Echlinville Distillery in Kilgubbin, the first new distillery in Northern Ireland for 125 years and it seems is going from strength to strength. 

As in the Copeland Distillery, there’s constant experimentation and innovation, Jarlath Watson was excited about a particular whiskey aged in PX barrels. 

We tasted several others too, including Dunville and Old Comber which I liked a lot. 

After a delicious pairing with Northern Irish cheeses Young Buck, Kilmore, Dart Mountain and Ballylisk Triple Rose and Broughgammon charcuterie, we piled onto the bus in a wonderfully mellow state and headed for Heuston Station, driving alongside the shores of Carlingford Lough where thousands of Brent geese were feeding in the mud flats. 

Our heads were swirling with happy memories of generous hospitality and many new foods and drinks - check it out…

• For further info and more see visitardsandnorthdown.com

Hara's Beetroot Cured Salmon with Horseradish Cream & Apple Salad

To At Roz Recipe Sharing Hara For And You Andy This Thank Delicious

Servings

4

Course

 Starter

ingredients

• The for Salmon:

• Small Of 1 Thyme Bunch

• Beetroot, Chopped Peeled Raw 500g Roughly And

• Salt 500g Sea

• Sugar Caster 250g

• Zest 2 And Grated Finely Of Oranges Juice

• Salmon, Boned And Pin ½ Of Side Trimmed

• The for Horseradish Cream:

• Fraîche Crème 100ml

• 100ml Double Cream

• Sauce Horseradish Tbsp 1

• Lemon Of 1 Zest

• Salt Pepper And

• Apple for The Salad:

• 1 Smith Similar Granny Eating Or Apple,

• Juiced 1 Lemon,

method

1. The for Salmon:

2. Pick In Paste The Together Thyme Place With The Beetroot And Food A A Processor And Blend Leaves To

3. Stir And A And Salt, Together The With Orange Zest To Transfer Bowl Sugar, Juice

4. Hold Big The Or Large A Salmon The Mixture Into Box Pour Tray, Enough To

5. Ensuring Salmon, Covered With Sides Are Hours That The Beetroot For The Refrigerate Add Cover All 24 Mix And

6. Rinse 24 Out To Take Cure Cold Salt Hours, After Carefully Salmon Remove The Of With And The Beetroot The Water All

7. Refrigerate And The Allow Further Tray Before Dry Further Towel Up Salmon Dry To Rack To Firm With Paper For To A A 24 Wire On A Transfer Using, And Hours

8. The for Cream:

9. Fold And – Then And Together, More If Whip Horseradish Prefer The Sauce Cream Horseradish Fraîche Zing! In You More Zest The Add Lemon Crème

10. With Taste And Pepper To Salt Season

11. for The Salad:

12. Into Mandolin On The Apple Or Knife Thin Shave A A Using Sharp Slices Carefully

13. Oil Toss Of Lemon Juice It The A Add Then Stop Olive Browning, To Drizzle With

14. Serve: to

15. To Thin Into Slices Salmon On Plate The A Slice Serve, Across And Lay

16. Horseradish Spoonful Apple Slices Cream Add Of A And Some

17. A Garnish Rocket Leaf Of With Two Or Salad Watercress Or

18. In Will 2 3 Salmon Fridge Keep For Days The Leftover Covered any

No 14 The Georgian House's Ardglass Crab & Coolattin Tartlette

House, 14 Down The James Thanks And No To Pizza At Co With Georgian Special

Servings

15

Preparation Time

 2 hours 30 mins

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Time Total

 2 hours 50 mins

Course

 Side

ingredients

• The for Pastry:

• Flour 250g Plain

• Pinch Salt Of

• Butter Cold Irish 125g

• Range 1 Free Whole Egg

• for The Filling:

• 250ml Cream

• 2 Whole Eggs

• Cheddar 150g Coolattin

• White Crab Meat Fresh 150g

• Salt Pepper And Freshly Black Ground

• Pastry 10cm Moulds

method

1. The Pastry Make first,

2. Cubes, Mix Large For The Pastry The A Fridge Add Until Hour And Then Leave Mix, Fingertips Salt Rub To Form A In Sieve Paper The Bowl The In And 1 Cut The Egg Forms Your To Toss Breadcrumb Flour And In Dough Into In A Butter Parchment Wrap Flour Into With Mixture Like And The The

3. The Out In ) (tip Chopping The Roll To Pastry Freezer The Place And The From Rolling Pastry When The Pastry To Keep Board Cold A Fridge Remove Here

4. Moulds, Pastry Cut Approx Of Circles Into 10cm

5. Melted Brush Pastry Little Moulds Butter A The With

6. Add Circles Down Keep Top Its Shape Another Moulds Cut We To The Normally Your Of Help And Place Press Onto Mould Pastry On

7. Mark Preheated Minutes Oven To The Moulds Precook The Oven For 165°c/gas The Pastry 9 In Preheat 3

8. Oven Remove Tarts A The Them The Few Remove The Cool Then Leaving For Moulds From To From Minutes

9. Filling next, Make The

10. The The And Cheese Mix Add Together, Cream Crab Egg And

11. Pepper Ground Into Your Salt Pour With Freshly And Black Taste To And Season Pastry Moulds

12. Minutes Until And The At Serve 165°c, In Or Firm Cook Centre, For 12

Walled Garden at Helen’s Bay Lemon Curd Drizzle Cake

Small Thanks Lorraine To With Special

Servings

10

Time Preparation

 30 mins

Cooking Time

 45 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 15 mins

Course

 Baking

ingredients

• for The Cake:

• Butter 175g Softened

• Caster Sugar 175g

• Large 3 Eggs

• Of 2 Lemons Zest

• Self Raising Flour 175g

• Powder 1 Tsp Baking

• Milk Tbsp 2

• The for Syrup:

• Sugar 100g Icing

• 2 Of Lemons Juice

• for Icing: The

• 125g Icing Sugar

• Tbsp Fresh Lemon 3 Juice 2

method

1. Mark 3 Fan) To Oven (150°c Preheat 170°c/gas Your

2. Tin Grease Paper With Line Loaf And 900g A Parchment

3. The Together Until Time, Stir Butter Light And The The 3 Baking One In About 4 Cream Zest And Sift Fluffy, Lemon Minutes Flour And The Sugar Eggs In Beat A Caster Self At Powder Raising Softened

4. Milk, Butter Dry The Until Mixture, Fold And Gradually Ingredients Smooth The The Alternating Bined Well Into The Batter Is With

5. Preheated 45 Spoon Batter Skewer Top Bake Out Loaf Tin, Clean Oven Minutes, Centre Into In Until Prepared Into The A Es Smoothing Inserted The Spatula Or 40 For A The The The With

6. 15 Loosely Minutes To 10 The Too Starts The Quickly, Last Cover It Top With Of For Baking Brown If Foil

7. To Sugar Dissolved The In Syrup With Fully Cake The The Lemon Icing ‘lemon While Mix Drizzle’ Create Is Until Juice Baking, A The Small Bowl

8. Baked, The It Wire Before The Tin A Oven Once Let Cake Pletely Rack Remove Is Cool From The It The In Cake To Transferring

9. Sandwich Slowly To Good In And Over Syrup Allowing Cake Soak It Curd Sides The The Split Lemon Lemon Pour Both Together Quality With

10. Glaze A The Spread Make Lemon Tablespoons Leave The Lemon More Icing, Juice, Icing And Cake And Sugar Over 2 Bine Of Smooth, To Pourable To Set Needed As The Create Juice Lemon The Adding

11. With From Edible Garden Decorate Flowers Your

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