Ursa Minor Bakehouse cleans up at international competition

Husband and wife team Dara and Ciara O’hArtghalle of Ursa Minor Bakehouse in the Co Antrim coastal resort have just been recognised by the global Slow Food Movement’s coveted annual awards, the third year in a row, for their expertise in baking exceptional artisan breads, especially sourdough and patisserie for customers in the local area and from further afield.

Created nine years ago, the Slow Food awards are totally democratic with no prior shortlisting, the winners are simply chosen by whoever gets the most votes from the public.

Thousands voted over the autumn for their favourite producers. Each region has its own winners, with the highest number of votes in each category also being the overall UK winner.

Slow Food promotes local food and traditional cooking. It was founded by Carlo Petrini in Italy in 1986 and has since spread across the globe. Developed by Petrini as an alternative to fast food, the movement seeks to preserve traditional and regional cuisine and encourages farming of plants, seeds, and livestock characteristic of the local ecosystem. It promotes local small farming and food businesses and sustainable foods and focuses on food quality rather than quantity and campaigns against overproduction and food waste.

Ursa Minor Bakehouse was among eight local businesses and an individual to be recognised this year. Leona Kane, founder of Broighter Gold Rapeseed Oil in Limavady was named Slow Food Personality of the Year. One local company, Slemish Market Garden in Ballymena, was the only to win an overall national award as the Best UK Greengrocer. Other Northern Ireland award winners included:

Ballylisk of Armagh Cheese for the Best Product; Mike’s Fancy Cheese in Newtownards as Best Cheesemonger; Seafood and Scran in Portstewart as Best Fishmonger; and Indie Fude of Comber as Best Grocer/Deli.

Dara O’hArtghalle started baking sourdough and other breads with Ciara on their return to their Ballycastle home town in 2014 after a stint in New Zealand.

Dara says: “We are so proud to be awarded Slow Food Baker for Northern Ireland again. We’ve always striven to do things properly, allowing the baking process to take the time it deserves.”

And this passion shows in everything they bake. In addition to the bakery, they run a successful café in the town.

Difficulties in finding the sort of sourdough, other breads and cakes in Northern Ireland they had enjoyed in New Zealand was a motivation in starting to bake from their home.

“We were also looking for an income and baking seemed to offer opportunities for us,” Dara remembers.

The sourdough they produce by hand is a unique type of bread that does not require commercial yeast in order to rise. It’s made with a ‘live’ fermented culture of flour and water, a sourdough starter, which acts as a natural leavening agent. The bread is seen by many experts as being better for the digestive system and other conditions.

They also use traditional techniques, hand moulding the loaves and baking directly on the oven floor to help create a delicious crust.

“We take time to produce real bread that smells, looks and tastes amazing. Real bread takes time,” Dara continues.

Sourdough is regarded by many as the original bread.

“We follow the ethos and methods of bakers of generations long gone, opting to use three main ingredients, organic flour, water, and salt. We allow the organic grains to ferment in water over a long period to produce outstandingly tasty results. All our bread is free from chemical additives and improvers. We are always working towards the perfect sourdough and other products,” he adds.

Dara and Ciara are self-taught and proud of it.

Their unique style comes from a mixture of old and new. They take inspiration from traditional recipes but are continually researching new ideas and experimenting with different, exciting flavours to create bread that’s different.

Word about their exceptional home bakes spread quickly and they were inundated with orders especially from cafes.

“We were blown away by the support we received when we then began visiting food markets to share our bread and sweet bakes. This is what has encouraged us to move forward. We had been organising pop-ups and were humbled by the genuine interest and excitement for our products. We wanted to bring Ursa Minor to everyone on a more permanent basis by creating a unique bakery/café experience,” Dara continues.