Northern Ireland's Food & Drink innovation showcased at major Science Festival

Four artisan and smaller food and drink companies are being spotlighted during the Northern Ireland Science Festival to demonstrate the science and technology now underpinning the local industry.

They are Boundary Brewing, Belfast; McConnell’s Irish Whisky also from Belfast; Broughgammon Farm in Ballycastle, and Newry’s NearyNógs Chocolate Makers, Ireland’s only bean-to-bar stone-ground chocolate producer. The company exports its fine chocolates across the world and includes high profile stores such as Fortnum and Mason among its customers.

McConnell’s Whisky, based in a wing in the former Crumlin Road Gaol, will offer ‘A Guided Pairing with Ireland’s Finest Cheeses’, designed as an evening of “indulgence and discovery in the atmospheric and historic distillery” that’s now home to McConnell’s Whisky, among Ireland’s oldest spirits and once again an outstanding export success story.

The evening will explore the art of whisky distilling and cheese pairing. NI is home now to around 12 distilleries, making producing acclaimed single malts and premium blends.

Hosted by the expert McConnell’s distilling team and renowned food writer and ‘Cheeseologist’ Patrick McGuigan of Fine Food Digest magazine in London, the event promises “a perfect harmony of flavours”.

Three local artisan cheeses are likely to be covered: Ballylisk Triple Cream, Portadown; Dart Mountain, Dungiven; and Mike’s Fancy Cheese in Newtownards, producer of the multi-award-winning Young Buck, a popular blue-veined cheese.

McConnell’s will also host a separate ‘behind the scenes’ tour. Guests will be taken on a unique and in-depth tour of the fully operational McConnell’s Distillery, learning about the history of the distilling industry in Belfast and this heritage brand, before getting up close to the whisky production process under the guidance of their experienced distillery team.

Boundary Brewing, a pioneer in craft brewing with one of the city’s first tap rooms serving a range of beers, will host a tasting evening about the brewing process. Boundary was among the first in NI to create and market a range of craft brews.

Kevin Sheridan of Sheridan’s Cheesemongers in Co Meath will provide a special ‘Raw Cheese and Natural Wine Evening’. Kevin will explore the wines and cheeses as participants taste them and explain the role of micro flora in the development of flavour and aroma in these fermented foods. ‘Soil to Plate’ is a fork-to-feast supper that features all ingredients grown, reared, butchered, prepared and cooked by the Cole family at the multi-award-winning

Broughgammon Farm in the hills above Ballycastle. The soil runs a programme of cheese production and meat butchery classes as part of its community engagement. The farm is an industry leader here in ethical and organic farming techniques and is run by husband and wife team Charlie and Becky Cole.

“We initially set up the farm back in 2011, when we saw that a majority of male kid goats born to the dairy industry were being put down at birth. This led us to develop goat meat products, then we introduced veal meats. In 2019, we began producing vegetables and edible flowers sustainably.

“We now have our own artisan on-site butchery, where we teach others the art of butchery and handling meats including wild game. We also run foraging courses with Forage Ireland throughout the year, herbalist workshops, seasonal cookery classes, fermenting workshops and more!

"In addition, we have a farm shop and farm cafe where we serve up innovative baked goods using foraged finds, seasonal produce and edible flowers from our garden as well as great coffee.”

Participants at the ‘Master Craft Chocolate Experience’ will discover how NearyNógs operate systems that embrace the latest environmental preservation technologies including solar power and rain harvesting. The small company in the Mournes is an important community integrated enterprise that’s led by Shane and Dorothy Neary.

They will enjoy a tour through the chocolate-making process, from bean sorting to tempering and packaging without plastics.

They will be able to taste ethically sourced, single-origin beans from around the world.

Shane, previously a graphic designer, says: “We are delighted to be hosting a Science Festival event because it gives us an opportunity to demonstrate the exact science underpinning the growing of cacao beans for a range of chocolate products.

“We will also show participants our extensive investment in renewable technologies including solar power for heating and running machinery, rainwater harvesting and our focus on sustainable packaging throughout our business.”

Established in 2014, the festival has led the way in stimulating young people, in particular, to recognise the role of science across a wide range of industries here, including food and drink, and consider career options.