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Archive for February, 2010

We visit ‘Clydesdale & Morrow’

Posted: 26 February '10 by Kelly

Niall and I recently visited Clydesdale & Morrow, Belfast’s only fromagerie. It wasn’t our first time there – we go there when we need a particular cheese for a recipe, or as a treat for ourselves – but this time we thought we’d tell you all about it.

When we first walked into the Lisburn Road shop we were greeted by one of the owners, Antoinette Morrow – and by the smell of all that cheese which is like a tangible, marvelous assault on your senses. The shop is small but packed to the rafters with lots and lots of goodies, far too much to take in at first glance. It’s a real foodie’s dream – you’ll find yourself spending some time just looking around the store, just as we did. 

What we particularly liked was that they stock a good range of British and Irish cheese – although there are plenty of continental varieties too. All of this choice might make selecting your purchase difficult, but help is at hand – Antoinette and Anne are very passionate about their stock and clearly enjoy talking to their customers. You’re also encouraged to ‘try before you buy’ which is a great way of making sure you choose the perfect cheese. You’ll also find lots of different types of biscuits, crackers and chutneys, perfect for that after-dinner treat.

You can catch up with Antoinette at our wine tasting night on March 12th, but until then here is a taster of how and why she got in to the world of cheese…

Kelly: Who are “Clydesdale & Morrow”? What are your backgrounds?

Antoinette: Anne Clydesdale and I have worked together since 2001 when Antoinette joined BIC Systems, one of NI’s most successful indigenous IT companies, and where Anne was already working as one of the company’s directors.

Kelly: How did you make the decision to open a specialist cheese store? What was your inspiration?

Antoinette: We both shared a love of good food and wine and in late 2007 saw an opportunity to indulge in this passion on a commercial basis. Inspired by Sheridans in Galway where customers can combine their purchases with a glass of wine in the winebar above the shop, we initially thought to replicate this set-up. Unfortunately, licencing costs in Northern Ireland ruled out this option but, undeterred, Anne and I still saw an opening for a specialist cheese shop.

Kelly: Your site mentions “artisan cheese” – what does that mean?

Antoinette: As far as possible, we try to stock cheeses that are made in small, family run dairies where the provenance and quality of the milk is guaranteed. Sometimes, we have to opt for more commercial cheeses but we still endeavour at all times to stock high quality products.

Kelly: You’re Belfast’s only fromagerie – did you see a niche in the market? Two years on, have you noticed a growing interest in food in the public?

Antoinette: There are a few delicatessens in Belfast selling cheese, but we wanted to bring a new experience to customers. We pride ourselves on our knowledge of the cheeses we stock and encourage people to taste and experiment with difference cheeses in a relaxed atmosphere. We believe this is one of the reasons why our reputation has grown within and beyond Belfast.

Kelly: How open are most people to new tastes?

Antoinette: People love to experiment and, again, it is down to the unpretentious and relaxed nature of our customer service.

Kelly: Is there much knowledge about the selection and serving of cheese out there?

Antoinette: For the most part, people know the rule of thumb in terms of selection for a cheeseboard – a hard, a soft and a blue. We just help customers be a bit more adventurous. However, there are no hard and fast rules – good quality cheese that the customer enjoys is more important than sticking to specific rules.

Kelly: Where and how do you source your cheese from?

Antoinette: I would love to say that we travel around Europe choosing cheeses from artisan cheesemakers but, unfortunately, we would not make any money at all! We depend on a few trusted suppliers in Ireland and the UK to provide us with quality cheese and other artisan foods.

Kelly: Your site mentions “wedding cheese cakes” – what are they? Have you been commissioned to make many?

Antoinette: This is an offering which has met with great success and we regularly recieve commissions. A cheese wedding cake is definitely a talking point. We consult and advise the couple on what cheeses would suit within their remit and budget – some cheeses are more suitable than others. We suggest appropriate decoration and accompaniments and deliver to the venue.

Kelly: What are your favourite cheeses?

Antoinette: Wow – that’s a difficult one. I adore blue cheese and, to be honest, a really good Stilton – Colston Bassett or Stichelton for instance – is hard to beat. However, I also love flavourful mild cheeses like Ossau Iraty, a Basque sheep’s milk cheese. Or, Ardrahan, a fantastic Irish washed rind cheese. Or….I could go on!

Kelly: Which accompaniments would you choose to go with them?

Antoinette: We have a fabulous range of crackers, from the locally made Ditty’s Oatcakes to crackers with Fig or Fennel – all of which are great with cheese. We also stock fantastic chutneys from small producers in Ireland and England.

Kelly: Are there any tips you could give about creating the perfect cheeseboard?

Antoinette: A cheeseboard can be an informal and sociable ending to a dinner party with everyone hacking away at a selection of perhaps three large pieces of cheese. Or it can be more elegant with small portions laid out on each guest’s plate – again three to four pieces. The cheese should be chosen to represent a balanced range of cheese types, levels of flavour and milk types (goat, cow, sheep).

Kelly: To your mind what are the greatest difficulties and joys in owning a business and a specialist cheese shop in particular?

Antoinette: Probably the greatest difficulty for us in the past year or so was starting a business in the middle of a recession. We are so grateful to our customers for supporting us during this time and for spreading the word about what we do. The most enjoyable part of the business is talking to and establishing relationships with customers, tasting cheese, introducing new cheeses, tasting more cheese…!

You can see more photos hereImage 1Image 2Image 3

What we think

Clydesdale & Morrow is great – just the sort of store that Belfast needs, and the sort of friendly and interested store-owners we need too!

It’s quickly become one of our favourite places.

Other information

You can find Clydesdale & Morrow at:
Clydesdale & Morrow
581 Lisburn Road
Belfast
BT9 7GS
T: 028 9066 2790
E: enjoy@clydesdaleandmorrow.com
W: www.clydesdaleandmorrow.com
You can alsofind Clydesdale & Morrow on Google Maps.

Tags: cheese, local producers

Categories: Local Food Heroes > Northern Ireland > United Kingdom

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Win two tickets to see FOOD, Inc. at the QFT

Posted: 25 February '10 by Kelly

We have two pairs of tickets to give-away to see “FOOD, Inc.” on Saturday 27th of February at the Queen’s Film Theatre, Belfast.

To find out how to enter just visit the Members’ Section.

A big “thank you” to everyone at the QFT for their generosity.

Good luck!

Other information

You can find out more about FOOD, Inc. here.

Tags: Promotions

Categories: Competitions > Promotions

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Tea Brack

Posted: 25 February '10 by Ciara

I got this recipe for Tea Brack from a work colleague and tried it out at the weekend. I absolutely loved it, although i had to give half of it away to my mother-in-law, being the only one in my household to like this sort of cake! Otherwise i would have eaten all of it myself…

Irish tea brack is a rich, moist cake which is perfect for a breakfast or an afternoon snack. “Brack” comes from the Irish word “brac”, which means speckled.

You can see more photos hereImage 1

Makes 2 generous tea bracks

Ingredients

• 450g Dark brown Sugar
• 2.5 cups of tea (make it in tea pot first)
• half cup of whiskey
• 375g raisins
• 525g sultanas
• 3 eggs
• 450g plain flour (no need to sieve)
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 teaspoons mixed spice
• honey for glazing

You’ll also need a little butter and some baking paper to line your baking tins.

Method

1. Dissolve the sugar in the hot tea, mix in the whiskey and soak the fruit overnight in this.
2. Next day, preheat the oven to 17o, gas mark 3 and line the loaf tins.
3. Mix the eggs, flour (no need to sieve), baking powder and mixed spice with the fruit mixture, (i just use a fork) and pour into the prepared tins.
4. Bake for 1 hour.
5. Remove from oven, place on wire rack and immediately brush with honey to glaze (I used a pastry brush).
6. Serve with tea and butter.

Enjoy!

Other information

Please note that these bracks will keep for up to 2 weeks because the whiskey preserves them, although they wouldn’t last that long in our house.

Please also note that instead of the 1/2 cup of whiskey you can just add another 1/2 cup of tea.

Tags: recipe

Categories: Biscuits and Cakes > Featured Post > Irish Food > Recipes

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Food Inc. showing at the QFT

Posted: 24 February '10 by Niall

How much do we really know about the food we buy at our local supermarkets and serve to our families?

The provenance of our food is something that both Kelly and I feel strongly about – watching Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Hugh’s Chicken Run and Jamie Oliver’s Jamie Saves Our Bacon really brought the message home: we need to care more about the food that we buy.

In Food, Inc., film-maker Robert Kenner looks at America’s food industry and reveals a highly mechanized process that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of government agencies, where the U.S. food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and the environment. The supermarket shelves are now packed with bigger-breasted chickens, fruit and vegetables that are available all-year-round, and tomatoes that won’t go bad – but with that America has also seen new strains of E. coli emerge, obesity becoming widespread through their population, particularly among children, and diabetes among adults increasing to epidemic proportions.

It couldn’t happen here… could it?

Dates

You can see Food, Inc. at the QFT on the following dates:

• Friday 26 February – 18:45
• Saturday 27 February – 18:45
• Sunday 28 February – 18:00
• Monday 1 March – 18:45
• Tuesday 2 March – 18:45
• Wednesday 3 March – 18:45
• Thursday 4 March – 18:45

Other information

You can find out more about FOOD, Inc. at the official website.

Queens University Film Theatre
20 University Square
Belfast
BT7 1PA
T: 028 9097 1097
W: www.queensfilmtheatre.com‎
You can also find the Queen’s Film Theatre of Google Maps.

Tags: film, healthy eating, organic food

Categories: Food in the Flicks

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Carluccio’s now delivering to Northern Ireland!

Posted: 22 February '10 by Niall

When Kelly and I visit London our itinerary always includes at least one meal (and a bottle of wine or two) at a Carluccio’s restaurant. Aside from the delicious, authentic Italian food, the friendly staff, and the pocket-saving prices, the in-store deli is a treasure-trove of mouth-watering treats: from truffle butter to dried porcini, imported Italian liqueurs and wines to specialty chocolates.

Carluccio’s was founded in 1991 by chef Antonio Carluccio and has flourished ever since, with 43 locations across mainland UK. When we noticed that they had opened a branch in Dublin (March 2008) Kelly and I were over-the-moon, hoping that a Belfast location was on the cards.

While we’re waiting, however, we can now get our Carluccio’s “fix” online. Until recently they couldn’t deliver to Northern Ireland – but that has all changed! So, as a special treat for Kelly, I ordered a box of Italian delicacies..

You can see more photos hereImage 1Image 2

The delivery from Carluccio’s

• Limoncello Di Sorrento 70cl – £19.50
• Vin Santo D.o.c. 37.5 Cl – £16.50
• Cantucci Al Cioccolato (Chocolate Cantucci Tuscan Biscuits) 300g – £4.95
• Burro Al Tartufo (Truffle Butter) 80g – £4.95
• Sugo Al Nero Di Seppia (Cuttlefish Ink Sauce) 140g – £2.95

Limoncello Di Sorrento

Limoncello is a lemon liqueur from Southern Italy, and Sorrento in particular. Served after a meal, it’s an intensely lemon-flavoured digestif that was particularly to Kelly’s liking.

Vin Santo and Cantucci Al Cioccolato

A Tuscan dessert wine, and similar in some ways to sherry. We followed the directions from Carluccio’s an dunked our Cantucci biscuits into the sweet, fiery drink which really enhanced the almond flavour of the biscuits. Delicious, and a nice way to finish a meal when you have guests for dinner.

Burro Al Tartufo

The truffle butter is the one product that we longed for when Carluccio’s didn’t deliver to Northern Ireland – we’d lament the delivery policy as we salivated over the thought of the white, creamy butter infused with the dark, earthy flavours and aromas of the truffle. We enjoyed ours on toasted crusty bread, which was delicious – but I have a feeling that the scrambled eggs with a dollop of truffle-butter melting over the top that we have planned will be amazing.

Sugo Al Nero Di Seppia

We haven’t tried this yet – but I have a great recipe for Spaghetti in Squid Ink Sauce. Make sure you check the blog in the near future for the recipe and photos of how I got on.

What we thought

Finding ingredients and specialist goods in Northern Ireland can be frustrating – impossible, at times – but with the change in the delivery policy at Carluccio’s a world of authentic Italian tastes are a mouse-click away.

We both loved the various products – each and every one was delicious and had us looking up the site to see what else we could order.

The delivery charge was £5.60 – it sounds a lot but, considering the weight of our parcel, I thought that it was fair enough.

You might have already picked up on the fact that we love Carluccio’s.

Other information

You can visit Carluccio’s online at: www.carluccios.com/.

After some wrangling over their rental agreement for the Dawson Street premises in Dublin, and after the reported closure of the Dublin branch, I’m pleased to report that all is well. A week after closing it’s doors an agreement was reached between the restaurant chain and the landlord, saving around 60 jobs and ensuring the future of one of our favourite restaurants in Dublin.

You can find Carluccio’s in Dublin at:
Carluccio’s
53 Dawson Street
Dublin 2
T: (01) 6333957
W: www.carluccios.com
You can also find Carluccio’s – Dublin on Google Maps.

Tags: italian food, news

Categories: England > Local Food Heroes > News > Product Reviews > United Kingdom

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