Slow Food Causeway events happening this month

Originally founded in Italy during the 1980s to combine the regional traditions with the slow pace of life, since then, the slow food movement has evolved worldwide and hopes to preserve the unique culinary heritage of NI.

Taste Causeway is an accredited slow food destination, one of only a handful of destinations in Ireland to be awarded the accolade by the global Slow Food Movement.

Here are some Slow Food Causeway Events happening this month:

1. The Spirit of the Bann Tour with Causeway Coast Foodie Tours

Saturday 5th March, Thursday 17th March and Saturday 26th March, 2.30-4.30pm

The award-winning Causeway Coast Foodie Tours are back this Spring with their very special ‘The Spirit of the Bann’ river whiskey-tasting experience along the picturesque river.

‘The Spirit of the Bann’ along with White River Charters are hosting an afternoon full of exquisite whiskey flavours, accompanied by an array of tasty, award-winning local Slow Food produce.

Where better to celebrate our unique Slow Food food and drink heritage than via a journey on the River Bann alongside the beautiful site of Mountsandel, Coleraine?

2. Apple, blackberry and cinnamon chutney making class

Saturday 5th and Saturday 12th March from 11.30am-1pm

Learn how to make your own apple, blackberry and cinnamon chutney with Amanda Hanna from Jam at the Doorstep in her farmhouse kitchen.

You will also get the opportunity to try some of the farm shop’s produce throughout the class. There will be time to have a browse around the farm shop and buy some local produce to take home with you.

3. Bread and butter pudding class

Saturday 19th March, 11:30am-1pm

Learn how to make your own bread and butter pudding with Amanda Hanna from Jam at the Doorstep in her farmhouse kitchen.

You will also get the opportunity to try some of the farm shop’s produce throughout the class, drink long meadow apple juice, enjoy a cheese board using cheeses from the shop, sample other chutneys that Amanda produces and finish up with tea/coffee and cake/biscuits from the shop or Amanda’s own sticky toffee pudding and Morelli’s ice cream to finish.

4. Fermentation at Broughgammon

Sunday 27th March, 11am-1pm

Studies have shown that regularly eating fermented foods can promote healthy digestion, better mood, and stronger immunity.

So why not come along to Broughgammon Farm ,where guests will learn the basics of fermentation and put theory into practice making a variety of fermented foods including pickles, kimchi and kombucha?

5. Slow Food Showcase at Benone Complex

Saturday 26th to Sunday 27th March

From market stalls to tasting demos, there will be something for everyone to enjoy including a Taste Causeway showcase and special performances from Paula McIntryre.

Celebrate the great outdoors at Benone Tourist Complex with live music, NNCG Market, street food, picnic area, wild cooking, children’s activities as well as some activities on the beach.

6. Slow Cocoa

Wednesday 30th March at 7pm

Slow Food NI Director, Taste Causeway Ambassador and TV chef Paula McIntyre will join The Chocolate Manor’s chief chocolatier, Geri Martin, to take guests through an exciting journey of savoury and sweet dishes, paired with the Causeway’s finest gin and whiskey.

Guests will be introduced to Basalt Gin, the Causeway’s newest distillery, and founders James Richardson and Martha Gabe will be on hand to describe their unique distilling process.

Paula will introduce guests to slow food, through a selection of tantalising canapes and small plates, some of which will incorporate the indulgent single-origin chocolates available at The Chocolate Manor, and paired with either Basalt Gin or Bushmills Whiskey

Guests will then explore the five steps to tasting chocolate, guided by chocolatier Geri, by savouring ten sustainably sourced chocolates from across the globe, before sampling a selection of specially created gin and whiskey truffles and treats, handcrafted by The Chocolate Manor team in Castlerock.

7. Mussenden Unwind

Sunday 20th March, 4-8.30pm

In celebration of the equinox, Claire from Mussenden Sea Salt has teamed up with Clare McQuillan from Feasting on Weeds to bring you an evening of wild cooking, foraging and feasting on the beach.

Sit back and relax to the rhythmic sound of the waves, feel the sand between your feet and watch the sun set. There really is nothing quite like the feeling that the world has stopped for a moment as the luxury dining area embraces the elements. This evening will be the perfect opportunity to unwind outdoors after a busy week.

8. Slow Food Paella Cookery Class - Ocho Tapas

Saturday 5th March, 1pm

Embrace your inner Latina with an evening of paella making and sangria drinking at the award-winning Ocho Tapas Bistro in the heart of popular seaside resort, Portrush.

Start your evening with a glass of cava, breadboard and dips, learn how to cook paella and sangria, then sit back and enjoy what you’ve made.

9. Ursa Minor Sourdough Class

Sunday 6th March, 9am-5pm

Come and bake with Ursa Minor for the day and learn how to make your own loaves at home.

This class covers three different types of bread, using both sourdough culture and yeast. You will be guided through the process from scratch, learning tips and tricks along the way.

With expert tutelage from Dara, Ursa Minor’s head baker, you’ll be shown how to make and look after your ‘mother’ (Sourdough starter) methods of mixing and kneading and shaping styles. In this small class, there’ll be plenty of opportunities to ask questions, chat about your love of bread and the beauty of gluten.

10. La Cena Club: Evening Hosted by Fidela Coffee Roasters

Saturday 12th March, 7-10pm

A Latino inspired five-course course tasting menu in collaboration with Fidela Coffee Roasters and The Butterfly and the Bear.

Enjoy the flavour of Ecuador and Colombia that Frank, one half of Fidela, grew up eating.

On the evening you will enjoy a curated four course taster menu from Butterfly and Bear, finished with a coffee sampling flight from Fidela Coffee Roasters.

Included in your ticket will be complimentary home-made sangria as well as an 180g bag of Fidela Coffee.

11. Slow Food Tapas Cookery Class

Saturday 26th March, 12.30pm

Ocho Tapas are famed across the Causeway Coast and Glens for their unique take on Spanish tapas. Tapas are the embodiment of the slow food ethos, created from local produce and made by traditional cooking methods that have changed little over hundreds of years.

This special slow food tapas cookery class, led by the chefs at Ocho Tapas will teach you how to create these wonderful slow food delicacies at home, and show you a new way of using Taste Causeway products.

Visit slowfood.tastecauseway.com for more information.

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