Seafood lover Patrice lands break in Britain

French foodie Patrice Bonnargent brought his love of seafood to Northern Ireland to create an artisan business, Lecale Harvest in Ballynahinch, that’s now won significant business in Britain.
Patrice and son Luca at the oyster and mussel farm at KilloughPatrice and son Luca at the oyster and mussel farm at Killough
Patrice and son Luca at the oyster and mussel farm at Killough

Originally from Tours on the Loire, Patrice runs Lecale Harvest with wife Joy, who’s from Co Armagh, and son Luc and daughter Perrine. They produce gourmet seafood and meats in Ballynahinch and Killough. Their French-influenced seafood and meat products have recently been chosen by one of Britain’s leading artisan food distributors.

The small business has been listed by Cotswold Fayre for its range of seafood pâtés and gourmet meat products including Beef Brisket, Confit Duck, Pork Belly and Slow Cooked Pork. The listing is Lecale’s first retail presence in Britain.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The family business farms oysters and mussels near the small fishing village of Killough and makes other gourmet products at their factory in Ballynahinch. Patrice has been involved in the seafood industry, especially shellfish, in Northern Ireland for over 30 years. He is a widely respected personality in the industry. Interestingly it was his love of rugby that brought him to Northern Ireland. A prop forward with his rugby club in Tours, Patrice first came here to play for Portadown.

Patrice Bonnargent of Lecale Harvest came to Northern Ireland from Tours and has won first business in Britain for gourmet seafoodPatrice Bonnargent of Lecale Harvest came to Northern Ireland from Tours and has won first business in Britain for gourmet seafood
Patrice Bonnargent of Lecale Harvest came to Northern Ireland from Tours and has won first business in Britain for gourmet seafood

He met Joy and decided to make this his home. He had been working in the French oyster and seafood industry and brought this passion for molluscs and experience in

farming to processors around Kilkeel.

Commenting on the new business in Britain, Patrice says: “We made contact with the distributor at a ‘meet the buyer’ showcase organised last year by local business

development agency Invest Northern Ireland.

“This gave us an opportunity to show and sample our range of pâtés and gourmet meats to a host of potential buyers from Britain. Cotswold Fayre was impressed by the quality and taste of the products and subsequently came back to us with the offer of a listing in its Christmas catalogue distributed to its huge number of delis and gourmet stores in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We were delighted by the listing from such an important gourmet food distributor. This could help us to establish a very strong presence in Britain and in the Republic – we are already on sale in many local delis, fishmongers and other specialist grocers,” he adds.

John Hood, Invest NI’s Director of Food, says: “This is excellent news for Lecale following our meet the buyer event. It is great to see the support we offer small companies assist them to make huge steps in new markets. I look forward to seeing Lecale use this contract as a springboard to further contracts in Britain and beyond.”

Lecale’s seven-strong range of seafood pâtés and other foods have won awards for outstanding taste. The range features locally sourced ingredients and includes crab, langoustine, smoked salmon and mackerel.

The development of pâtés is seen by Patrice as a “logical diversification” for the family business.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“There’s a growing interest in seafood here, other parts of the UK as well as in the Republic. The waters around Killough are ideal for oysters and shellfish. He continues. They have a great tidal range from the Irish Sea, getting flushed out every six hours. This means the nutrition really comes into the oysters in particular,” he explains.

“It’s also unique in that fresh water from the River Quoile merges there with the salt water and gives Killough shellfish a unique taste.

Patrice has also developed the oyster and mussel farm at Killough into one of Northern Ireland’s leading exporters of oysters and shellfish to France and further afield.

“Northern Ireland shellfish and other seafood products are exceptional because of the water quality here,” continues Patrice. “It’s easy to see why they are so sought after by enthusiasts from other parts of Europe. This quality is reflected in our pâtés and other gourmet foods.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In addition to its recent success with Cotswold Fayre, Lecale Harvest, a Food NI member company, has taken part in food markets in Britain including the iconic market in London.

Cotswold Fayre is dedicated to providing independent retailers with a complete range of top quality ambient food and drink products. It is focused on gourmet foods from small producers that aren’t usually chosen by major supermarkets.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper whenever you are able to do so.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper when you can safely.

You can also enjoy unlimited access to the best news from across Northern Ireland and the UK by subscribing to newsletter.co.uk

With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Thank you