Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Kris Hopkins was among the 3,000 visitors that came along to Ballywalter for a taste of the sea and the shore on Sunday 9 and Monday 10 October at Ards and North Down Borough Council’s special two-day Loaves and Fishes event.
The event featured chef demonstrations and tastings by Michelin star chefs, artisan food stalls and other foodie-themed family fun.
Ballywalter Park, the ancestral home of Lord and Lady Dunleath, provided the perfect venue for the programme of masterclasses in local seafood cuisine and traditional bread making. Part of the NI Regional Food Showcase and Seafood Week 2016, the unique event provided visitors with an opportunity to meet 32 of the best local artisan producers.
Minister Hopkins was delighted to be supporting the Loaves and Fishes event. He said: “The trade stands and food producers have shown us a wonderful range of local products. Be they older or newer companies, the standard of the food that I tasted was amazing!”
Demonstrations from Michelin star holders Stevie Toman of Ox and Martijn Kajuiter of the Cliff House Hotel produced exciting seafood dishes using everything from halibut to scallops and inspiring visitors to take home some seafood and have a go themselves.
Visitors to the event, which was sponsored by SeaFish NI and Food NI, also had the chance to help create a bread unique to our region. The end result was a sourdough bread created from home grown wheat and full of Ards and North Down charm!
Students from Northern Ireland catering colleges got to put their skills to the test in a ‘MasterChef’ inspired seafood competition.
The contest, which was judged by a host of fabulous foodies including renowned critic Charles Campion, was won by Belfast Metropolitan College. A College spokesperson said: “We are thrilled to be at the Loaves and Fishes showcase and to have won the Student Seafood Master Chef title.
“Our students have worked hard in the run-up to the event and have learned so much about the local seafood industry and how to prepare and cook fantastic seafood. We are so pleased to support Seafood Week in Northern Ireland and return to the College all fired up about fish!”
For more information about events in Ards and North Down go to:
