Sugar and kids

About time this message gets out there: Parents are 'poisoning' their children with fizzy drinks and sweets http://dailym.ai/1EKggWv

Good articles

Hi here's a few thought provoking articles,please read and pass on:

'Healthy' fruit snacks with more sugar than Haribo http://dailym.ai/1G4zihD

Chicken bug

 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/shopping-and-consumer-news/11637001/Chicken-bug-scandal-worse-than-salmonella-in-80s-and-90s.html

Revealed... how to get the most nutrition from your fruit and veg http://dailym.ai/1KC4dmn

Summer market

The Continental Market has rolled into town for its May Bank Holiday market, in the grounds of City Hall. Guess what, it didn't rain. I renewed old friendships and tastes (chicken meat balls and rice from the Morroccan chicken, amazing, and of course the Jamaican jerk chicken). 

Usual suspects present (as Christmas Market), but it's warmer. Make way wooden huts, welcome open tents. There's more warmer weather stuff eg ice cream, yoghurts etc. 

It's on til later tonight, tomorrow and Sunday. So pay it a visit. It's also making an appearance in July for the Tall Ships.

The BelfastFoodMan

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Superb lunch tasting

Saphyre was opened by Kris Turnbull about eighteen months ago.

It's a very impressive eclectic use of an old church building. The front is a really nice up market furniture showroom and the restaurant is at the rear. The architectural  offices are located in the balcony in the main body of the building. Exterior is well kept and modern, yet keeping the original facade of the church.

Saphyre has very elegant and opulent decor with comfortable and intimate seating, which imbibes a wonderful atmosphere. It has a high class and high ended style about it. The seating capacity is for 40-50. The colour scheme is blue, purple, green and gold and works wonders. The cutlery and crockery is the finest German and Swedish offerings and the candle holders come from the Kris Turnbull range. The real interesting thing is that the dining chairs can be purchased, sort of try before you buy!!

To start I was served fresh warm olive bread and herb focaccia with soft County Mayo butter and Maldron salt.

Then I had an Ulster fry- homemade tomato ketchup, black pudding crisps, soda bread croutons on the outside. Inside was a poached egg sitting on potato bread (non wheat,rice flour) foam or espuma and topped with bacon bit crumble and a slice of black truffle. Wonderful presentation and portion size. A guilt free way to enjoy an Ulster Fry with a twist, without being stodgy and fatty. One of Saphyres signature dishes. 

To follow was pan fried halibut on fennel purée and bisque, with stem asparagus, stuffed Strangford crab baby artichoke globe and viola flower with dusting of fennel. This plate was very light and citrusy. It was delicious and fish was meaty, the crab was citrusy and worked very well with the fish and it had real seafood flavours.

The main course was Thornhill duck breast on a rhubarb purée, with black and white quinoa, rhubarb and wilted dandelion. Served with crispy confit fried pancake and red wine duck jus. The sweet and sour of the jus and rhubarb really complimented the perfectly cooked duck (on cutting the duck the juices were clear but duck was just pink). A remarkable dish, not too filling, but packing some wonderful tastes and flavours. 

As a palate cleanser I had a lemon tart topped with blood orange sorbet, meringue, blood orange segments and Valhrona white chocolate drops and a sprig of fennel. This was a light, fluffy and tarte dish and an intriguing use of fennel.

I had an Americano coffee served with hot milk whilst I was waiting for my sweet dish. Chef made me a rhubarb soufflé infused with ginger and served with frozen yoghurt and yoghurt pieces, accompanied by a biscuit topped with rhubarb and cream topped with yoghurt drops. Again a light fluffy sweet, the hot and cold worked well, as did the biscuit accompaniment. I suggested adding a pinch of green cardamom powder to the soufflé to give an added dimension. This was a superb end to an amazing two hour tasting menu.

I had a bottle of Badoit sparkling water to wash it all down. 

I would thoroughly recommend Saphyre as a truly unique dining experience in decadent surroundings. It is a great place for a celebratory meal, a romantic meal and even a family meal, as they have a children's menu also. One can mix business with pleasure or indeed shopping and pleasure. Kris and his team deserve all the accolades they get. A big thanks for the wonderful hospitality. Definitely will be back.

The BelfastFoodMan

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Judge @ Irish Quality Food & Drink Awards

Dear all

I'm very excited and honoured to announce that I have been invited to be a judge at the Irish Quality Food & Drink Awards. I will be judging on Thursday the 9th and Friday 10th July at the Dublin Institute of Technogy. 

This is a superb opportunity and I'm relishing it. It will give me an opportunity to test and try local produce and advise. 

Will post more running up to the judging and afterwards, including the awards ceremony in September.

The BelfastFoodMan

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Healthy Big Lunch

On a wet, windy and cool spring day, I attended the Health Big Lunch at the Great Hall in the Belfast City Hall. This is a great event to get young and old out and about and mingle with the community, to learn of services available and all over their own packed lunches.

The event was sponsored by Halifax and ASDA and had stalls ranging from how compost is made from brown bin contents, Pets as Therapy (wonderful national charity which provide dogs to children, OAP's, people with dog phobias to ostracised individuals be it kids at school or adults), Health in Mind (deals with mind issues and are found in Libraries in NI), caricature artist, alternative therapies, Sustrans, Belfast Bikes, The Jungle (Zorbing balls), recycling and Age Friendly.

This is a very worthwhile cause which brings together the community and allows people to eat together and learn what facilities the community offers. Well done to the organisers!!

The BelfastFoodMan

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Ribs and bibs

I was very well looked after at Ribs n Bibs. This Southern USA styled BBQ ribs/brisket and chicken joint really is an excellent addition to the eateries in Botanic Avenue.

It opened in January 2015 after previous incarnations of Restaurant 25 and Carlito's. Malachy and his team have done well.

I had a special Chefs platter of:

Pulled pork mini burger, ribs with smokey BBQ, macaroni cheese, fries, coleslaw, pickles and pickled onions. Also 6 chicken wings with chilli bourbon sauce. This was served on a large metal tray and white dish respectively. The meat was succulent, juicy and fell off the bone (meat marinaded overnight), pickles were nicely pickled (all done fresh), mac cheese brilliant- you could really taste the cheese. Sauces all delicious and freshly made. All in all a really really good selection of food. Signature dish is beer can chicken, have to try that one soon!!

All food is sourced locally and meats are all fresh. Well decked out in rustic wooden southern USA style. Staff very friendly and helpful. Definitely a great place to come and eat.

The BelfastFoodMan

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Great hotel and facilities

My wife and I had a stopover before connecting flights.

Gormanston Meath

Ireland

http://www.citynorthhotel.com/en/

+353 (1) 690 6666

The hotel is just off the M1 and 15 minutes drive north of Dublin airport. There is a free shuttle service to/from the airport. It's an ideal venue for weddings, events, conferences, short breaks, stopovers before or after holidays or between flights. It's family friendly and has great food and very comfy and spacious bed rooms. A good base if visiting local attractions such as Newgrange, Tayto or Funtasia.

A good base if visiting local attractions such as Newgrange, Tayto or Funtasia. Definitely worth a visit!!!

The BelfastFoodMan

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Pepsi to remove aspartame

The debate rages on, why is Pepsi removing Aspartame? 

Read this Is sweetener hidden in 6,000 products a danger to your health? http://dailym.ai/1cC5J9z

BFM

Arrival of Royal Princess

Hi guys if you want to see this cruise liner tomorrow please see following press release:

 

PRESS RELEASE – Embargoed to 0001 BST on Thursday 14th May 2015.

 

Another ‘Royal’ arrival… Royal Princess docks in Belfast for another busy cruise ship season

 

Belfast welcomes royal visitor and international passengers and crew as cruise season gets under way

 

Belfast today (Thursday 14th May 2015) welcomed the return of Princess Cruises’ ‘Royal Princess’.  

 

Carrying over 5,000 passengers and crew – many of whom will embark on a variety of shore excursions across Northern Ireland – its visit marks the official start of another bumper cruise tourism season for the city.

 

The £470 million vessel, which was launched by Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in 2013, is a flagship of Princess Cruises’ fleet and confirms the city’s increasing popularity as a cruise destination.

 

As the largest vessel scheduled to dock in Belfast Harbour this year, the Royal Princess signals a shift towards much larger cruise vessels arriving in Belfast. This year, more than 115,000 passengers and crew will arrive from across North America, Europe and around the world, supporting Belfast and Northern Ireland’s world-class visitor attractions and growing tourism economy.

 

The 1,083ft long Royal Princess, owned by California-based Princess Cruises, carries around 3,560 passengers and 1,500 crew. 

 

Roy Adair, Chief Executive at Belfast Harbour, said:

"With over 5,000 passengers and crew on board, the Royal Princess is one of the largest cruise ships operating in Northern Europe and we are delighted to have worked closely with Princess Cruises over the years to make sure that Belfast is now firmly fixed on their “must see” list of cities. Princess will make 10 visits this year and will be joined by other large ships such as Queen Elizabeth and Celebrity Silhouette.

 

“Cruise ships are now a regular and familiar sight in Belfast across the summer months.  We are particularly pleased that we have extended the season yet again this year, with first arrivals now docking at Belfast Harbour as early as March and running right through toNovember.”

 

Gerry Lennon, Chief Executive, Visit Belfast, said: 

“The success of Cruise Belfast is vitally important to our growing tourism economy as it brings significant numbers of first time visitors to not only Belfast but the wider Northern Ireland region.  The arrival of a cruise ship, particularly those the size of the Royal Princess, provides a substantial boost to business for our visitor attractions, tour operators, transport and hospitality providers.

 

“Belfast and Northern Ireland offers a wealth of unique itinerary ideas for international cruise operators looking for memorable experiences for their customers.  We’re delighted to continue our successful partnership with Belfast Harbour in promoting the region as port of call for international cruise ships.”

 

Princess Cruises is a global cruise and tour company that takes one million-plus passengers each year to more than 300 destinations on six continents on its fleet of 18 ships.

 

…//

Along with the Royal Princess, which is scheduled to visit Belfast 10 times this year, this year’s cruise schedule features liners from some of the largest cruise operators in the world including Celebrity, Cunard, Crystal, Silversea, Fred Olsen and Saga.

 

Cruise Belfast is the marketing partnership between Visit Belfast and Belfast Harbour – aimed at promotingBelfast as a primary port of call for visiting cruise ships.

 

Visit Belfast is Belfast City Region’s official destination marketing and visitor-servicing organisation. Its main funders are Belfast City Council, Northern Ireland Tourist Board, more than 560 private sector members, and key strategic partners Diageo, Translink and Value Cabs.

 

ENDS…//

 

For more information, further images or to request an interview, please contact Chris Pollock on 07506 884213 at 028 9042 7004 or email chris@lkcommunications.co.uk.

 

Notes to Editors:

 

For more information on Cruise Belfast and to view an update schedule of vessels: http://www.cruise-belfast.co.uk/

 

The Royal Princess:

Its 19 decks stand 217ft high – taller than Tower Bridge – and longer than four Obel buildings lined end to end, weighs in at 141,000 tonnes. The ship features a glass-bottomed walkway that extends 28ft from the side of the vessel, an open-air cinema, croquet lawn and dancing fountains. 

 

Visit Belfast is Belfast City Region’s official destination marketing and visitor-servicing organisation. Its main funders are Belfast City Council, Tourism Northern Ireland, its 560 private sector members, and key strategic partners Translink, Diageo Northern Ireland and Value Cabs. 

 

For more information, log on to www.visit-belfast.com

The BelfastFoodMan

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How do u like your bugs?

The future of sustainable protein in the form of bugs, brought to you by Harper Adams University.

I tried the three types, mealworms, garlic chapulines and locust ( the only halal bugs!!) and they tasted good!! They are dry and crunchy and tasty. Will you take the bug challenge?

Balmoral Show

The It's that time of year and it's all roads leading to the Show. As always logistics are a nightmare, but once inside there is something for everyone. 

I made a bee line for the food tent. There was such a large array of locally produced food and drinks. It's good to see from small producers right up to the big boys displaying their products. There were lots of demos, tastings, educational games for children and adults!!!

Moy Park had a strong presence and I had a good chat with some of their staff.

There were also big marquees for the big players like Tesco, M&S and LIDL. As well as specific farming based marquees. 

For the younger folk there were play areas, amusement rides and for the older folk rides, a bar, hot food outlets and a shopping village and market stalls. 

I had a lengthy chat with Nic Parsons (Dairy Tescos) about all things Tesco and he reassured me that Tesco are taking the wellbeing of its suppliers and customers seriously and honouring their corporate social responsibility. They have programmes for educational visits to farms and their stores for Primary School kids. It's good to see that their pork comes from Karro/Cookstown.

I also chatted to the Chairman of United Dairy Farmers, John Dunlop who said that he was satisfied with the treatment received from the supermarkets. So things are not as bad as some parts of the media portray!!

Meanwhile there was showjumping, livestock displays, big commercial machines on show. In short there is a lot for everyone to see and do and enjoy. The car parking is £7 and entrance £15, maybe a bit high? Traffic is still an issue!!

New things I saw were new range of products from Mash direct, new branding  from Annaghmore mushrooms, new products from Cookstown sausages (microwaveable bacon), new branding from Ormo bakery and the introduction to healthier pancakes for kids (50:50). Also got some sausages from Kennedys and tobacco onions from Milgro.

There are a couple of events coming up like the Big Lunch next week and the Sunflower festival (end of July). Also some info on Hovis and Ormo.

Got some rapeseed oil from Harnett's oils and tasted the new range of the Broighter Gold oils. Had a delicious chicken and ham pie with mash and gravy from Jolly Pies-delicious. Tasted some lovely cabbage from Gilfresh. Also tasted some of the offerings in the Lidl tent. Good to see Lidl sourcing more local produce (their chicken range comes from Moy Park), they are sponsors of the Tall Ships, they have plans to open 10-15  new stores in the North over the next 3 years and employ 600 staff at their distribution centre in Antrim (which is second largest warehouse in NI). They also help local charities and causes Clic Sargeant being one such one. 

There was also a strong government presence which is good to see. Also an unusual sign in the portaloo!!!!

So two and a bit days left, get down to the Balmoral Show.

The BelfastFoodMan

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