Darina Allen: A trip up North exhibits the quality of Irish food

Darina Allen explores what the Mourne Mountain area in Co Down has to offer

Granny Mary's wheaten bread

Anyone who has experienced the chaos in so many airports this summer to get to their longed-for holiday destination may well have questioned whether it’s really worth the effort. Having battled to get there, many were sizzled alive at temperatures from mid-30ºC to 40ºC.

Been there, done that too, so from now on, whenever I can snatch a few precious days, I’m determined to explore parts of Ireland hitherto not visited. I haven’t been to the North since before the pandemic, so let me tell you about a recent trip to the Mourne Mountain area in Co Down. It’s such a beautiful area, a hill walker’s paradise, but I was also on a food trail.

The Northern Ireland artisan producer scene has exploded since peace was restored in 1998 and Government-funded organisations in different regions have been generous in their support of those with a spark of entrepreneurial spirit.

Mourne Mountains and Ring of Guillion, plus Savour Mourne, were also very supportive with information on where to visit in the area. Killeavy Castle Estate has been saved from an advanced state of dereliction and restored by an Australian couple with a connection to the area, Mick and Robyn Boyle. It’s set in the midst of a 330-acre farm, woodlands and walled gardens. Young chef, Darragh Dooley is super enthusiastic about local produce and is on a mission to use as much produce as possible from the estate — beef from the longhorn cattle, lamb from the flock of Cheviot sheep, vegetables, fruits, fresh herbs. It’s a work-in-progress but an admirable aspiration.

Darragh and his kitchen team cooked us a delicious lunch where I also met several local producers. Damien Tumulty rears Dexter cattle and sells online from Castlescreen Farm.

Andrew Boyd makes a range of award-winning ciders at Kilmegan when he’s not teaching rowing. 

Another local entrepreneur Brendan Carty set up Killowen Distillery in 2019 — he makes whiskey, gin, rum, liqueurs and poitín. There are so many good things to taste and explore in this area. 

Ann Ward, a medic, set up meditation and mindfulness Xhale Experience Yoga and forest bathing. How about that for a fun and restorative experience? 

We also tasted several Northern Ireland artisan cheeses. Young Buck is a delicious, feisty blue made by cheese pioneer, Mike Thompson. Ballylisk Tripple Rose is made by the Wright family from the milk of their pedigree Holstein herd.

A few miles along the road in Castlewellan, another highlight, this time, an artisan brewery tour. 

The Whitewater Brewing Company was established in 1996 by Bernard and Kerrie Sloan — on a fifth-generation family farm. This dynamic, innovative couple is making some of the best artisan beer on the island of Ireland. They have also been very courageous in their business decisions investing with “fingers crossed” in a bottling plant and later a canning plant that has been a huge success and has opened up many more options. Their completely natural beers are gluten-free, vegan, and have won top awards here and abroad and are now exported to France, Italy, Sweden, and further afield to Japan. 

Their latest venture is an interesting range of seltzers which will be launched in September. Their enthusiasm was irresistible and infectious. Visit them when you are in the area or get some pals together to spend a day learning how to make a “wee brew” together in the brew school.

We enjoyed a spectacular dinner cooked by multi-award-winning chef Paul Cunningham who cooks at secret locations. He popped up at Carrick Cottage Cafe in Annalong. Carrick Cottage Cafe is really worth seeking out on any day.

Apart from all of this, the rugged landscape and granite stone walls in the Mournes and the long drive along the coast are all truly spectacular — an exciting new discovery for me as was the charming little Hillyard Hotel in Castlewellan.

Here are some of the recipes I enjoyed on my trip.

Granny Mary’s Wheaten Bread

recipe by:Darina Allen

Perfect with a cup of tea

Servings

18

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 1 hours 15 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 35 mins

Course

 Baking

Cuisine

 Irish

Ingredients

• 1kg (2 1/4lb) wholemeal flour

• 200g (7oz) porridge oats

• 25g (1 tbsp) salt

• 15-20g (3-4 tsp)/15-20g bread soda

• 2 eggs

• 100ml (3 1/2oz) olive oil

• 75ml (3 tbsp) treacle

• 50g (3 tbsp) caster sugar

• 110g (6 tbsp) coarse pinhead oatmeal

• 1200 ml buttermilk

• 75g mixed sunflower and pumpkin seeds

• Equipment

• 1 large rectangular tin with edges 32cm/13 inch (length) x 23cm/9 inch (width) x 5cm/2 inch in depth

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 175˚C/325˚F/Gas Mark 3.

2. Oil the sides and base of the tin and line with parchment paper.

3. In a large bowl mix flour, oats, salt, bread soda, sugar and pinhead together and mix by hand until combined. In another bowl whisk the eggs add the treacle and olive oil and buttermilk.

4. Whisk to combine. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients and mix to a soft dough.

5. Pour the mix into the lined tin. Sprinkle with 75g of mixed seeds.

6. Bake in the preheated oven for 75 minutes.

7. Remove from oven take out of tin and bake for 10 more minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

8. Best served warm with some unsalted butter.

9. Adapted from Killeavy Castle Estate (August 2022)

Jane's shortbread biscuits

recipe by:Darina Allen

A delicious afternoon treat

Servings

24

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 30 mins

Course

 Baking

Cuisine

 Irish

Ingredients

• 170g (6 oz) plain flour

• 100g (4 oz) soft butter

• 50g (2 oz) sugar Icing (optional)

• 100g (4 oz) icing sugar

• 1 tbsp water

• Food colouring (optional)

• Sprinkles of your choice ‍

Method

1. If you have a food processor put all the ingredients for the biscuits in together and mix until they form a soft ball. If making these by hand rub the butter into flour and add sugar. Gather the mixture together and knead well.

2. On a floured surface roll out the mixture until it is about 5mm thick.

3. Cut shapes and place on a greased baking tray. Gather the remaining mixture, knead together again and roll out to cut more shapes. Repeat until all the mixture has been used up.

4. Bake in a moderate oven, 180°C or Gas mark 4 until biscuits are pale brown (about 15 minutes).

5. Remove and cool on a wire rack. We normally sprinkle the cooled biscuits with a little icing sugar and serve. However, if you want to be more festive they can be decorated with a topping of your choice.

6. For the icing, mix the sugar and water until the icing is free of lumps. Spread a thin layer of icing on each and sprinkle with a decoration of your choice. Allow the icing to set.

Irish Bannock

recipe by:Darina Allen

Enjoy freshly cooked, in thick slices, slathered with butter

Servings

10

Preparation Time

 30 mins

Cooking Time

 40 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 10 mins

Course

 Baking

Cuisine

 Irish

Ingredients

• 450g plain white flour, preferably unbleached

• 1 level tsp bicarbonate of soda

• 1 level tsp salt

• 2 tsp sugar

• 75g (3oz) currants or raisins or sultanas

• 1 organic egg

• 350 - 425ml buttermilk

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7.

2. In a large mixing bowl, sieve in the flour and bicarbonate of soda; then add the salt, sugar and sultanas. Mix well by lifting the flour and fruit up in to your hands and then letting them fall back into the bowl through your fingers. This adds more air and therefore more lightness to your finished bread.

3. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture. Break the egg into the base of a measuring jug and add the buttermilk to the 425ml (14fl oz/1 3/4 cup) line (the egg is part of the liquid measurement). Pour most of this milk and egg mixture into the flour.

4. Using one hand with the fingers open and stiff, mix in a full circle drawing in the flour mixture from the sides of the bowl, adding more milk if necessary. The dough should be softish, but not too wet and sticky.

5. The trick with bannock like all soda breads is not to over-mix the dough. Mix it as quickly and gently as possible, thus keeping it light and airy. When it all comes together, turn it out onto a well-floured worked surface.

6. Wash and dry your hands.

7. Roll around gently with floury hands for a second, just enough to tidy it up. Flip over and flatten slightly to about 2 inches (5cm) approx. Transfer to a baking tray lightly dusted with flour.

8. Cut the surface with a deep cross and once again if you would like 8 wedges. Let the cuts go over the sides of the bread to make sure of this inches) deep.

9. Put into the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Cook for 35-40 minutes. If you are in doubt about the bread being cooked, tap the bottom: if it is cooked it will sound hollow. This bread is cooked at a lower temperature than soda bread because the egg browns faster at a higher heat.

10. Serve freshly baked, cut into thick slices and smeared with butter and jam.