Regional food
Northern Ireland
Start the day with an Ulster Fry - bacon, eggs and sausages alongside potato bread with local butter then make for St. Georges Market in Belfast. At Saturday's bustling Farm and Speciality Market you'll find local apple juice alongside seafood, beef and pork from nearby farms – and ostrich from Ballyclone! Strangford Loch has wildlife and whirlpools – and fabulous oysters, enjoy them at a friendly pub, served on ice with a pint of Guinness or hot and spiced with a glass of wine in a bustling bistro, either way they're as special as the scenery. Traditional menus feature Irish Stew, tender local lamb simmering gently amongst potatoes, carrots and onions and Champ, creamy mashed potatoes flecked with green scallions. New Irish Cuisine is a gastronomic adventure combining the cream of local produce with flavours from the Pacific Rim and touches of California. Look for cheese with Dulse in it, the tangy edible seaweed 'showing off' the perfection of creamy cheese made from local milk. Autumn orchards are heavy with Bramley apples to be made into deep, fruity pies in family bakeries piled high with flour dusted wheaten farls. The Old Bushmills distillery has had a licence to distil since 1608, revel in the taste of generations of expertise in a shining crystal glass, in a delectable Irish coffee or in a sumptuous sauce over locally caught salmon.
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