Northern Ireland chefs show how to cook meals easily on a budget at Balmoral
Practical cookery sessions at the Food NI Pavilion will showcase nutritious, affordable Northern Ireland produce at this year’s Balmoral Show, as chefs respond to rising food costs and inflation pressures
Practical guidance on how to cook nutritious local food on a budget will be on the menu for a team of Northern Ireland chefs next month at Balmoral Show.
Cookery demonstrations in the Food NI Food Pavilion by leading chefs and artisan producers have long been among the most popular events at the big show near Lisburn.
The current oil crisis from the conflict in the Arabian Gulf has helped to sharpen be focus this year on cooking nutritious meals easily and, increasingly importantly, cost-effectively.
The influential UK Food and Drink Federation recently found that 61% of households say they’re cutting back on food shopping due to increasing costs. Food inflation is now predicted to hit nine percent by the end of the year. Food for the average UK family now costs £26 more a week.
From 13-16 May at the Eikon Exhibition Centre at Balmoral, the Theatre Kitchen, again sponsored by Tesco, will feature live daily cookery demonstrations highlighting local Northern Irish produce and the expertise of some of our leading chefs. The theatre is free and open to the public.
The kitchen will be hosted by a team of culinary experts, including BBC and News Letter celebrity chef Paula McIntyre, Stephen Jeffers of the successful Forestside Cookery School in Belfast, Dean Coppard, a former restaurant owner and now development chef at Lynas Food Group in Coleraine, chef Julie Fitz, who is renowned or her roast dinners, and Lisburn’s Suzie Lee, an experienced chef with a background in Asia dishes.
Those attending the sessions will also be able to sample the foods cooked, and meet and talk to the chefs and food producers. Around 100 companies will also be showing their products in the pavilion.
The Tesco kitchen sessions are also in tune with key objectives in the new Food Strategy Framework and Action Plan for 2025-2027. The strategy seeks to transform our food system by encouraging safe, nourishing, accessible food while protecting our natural resources.