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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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Super Market sweeps up the plaudits

Posted: 19 January '10 by Niall

The City Food and Garden Market in St. George’s Market is one of the highlights of our week – it’s a great start to the weekend – and is seems that The Guardian think so too, having named St. George’s as one of the top 10 markets in the UK. You can read the original post in The Guardian here.

The Saturday market is a real treat for all the senses: the air is full of exotic spices and the aroma of exotic delicacies for you to try; the happy murmur of shoppers talking to stall-holders about their produce; the sense of expectation that turning the next corner will reveal another stall of new and never-tried-before cuisine; and the strains of the live musical entertainment weaving through the crowds. Perhaps the best thing about the market, however, is the atmosphere – people genuinely care about the produce on display, from the proprietors to the customers. Freshness and flavour is the order of the day.

Many of the stalls actively encourage you to “try before you buy” too, with plates of free-to-sample food allowing customers to mull over their choice before handing over their hard-earned money. The choice is really bewildering, and everything looks so good. A word to the wise though – you will want to buy everything – like a recovering compulsive gambler in Las Vegas, you will have to take yourself aside and have a quiet word with yourself (or with your partner when your monthly statement comes in)!

Our favourite stalls include: the olive oil from Biostore; artisan chocolate from Co Couture; cold meats, olives, and cheese from Love Olive; bread from The Yellow Door; and free-range, organic rare-breed meat from Pheasants Hill Farm.

All of this walking about and tasting is hard work mind you. Fortunately, there are also a wide variety of hot food stalls (and seated areas) for you to take a break. You’ll often find us enjoying those tasty crepes from the French crepe stall, or trying something a little more fiery from the Jamaican food stall (the heat from those little pasties really sneak up on you!). There are also stalls selling filled sodas, tea, and coffee.

Having criticised the poor organisation of and motives behind the Belfast Christmas Continental Market and the Belfast Taste and Music Fest 2009 I think it’s only fair to say that Belfast City Council have really gotten this one right – St. George’s Market is something for Belfast to be proud of. Well done BCC!

You can see more photos hereImage 1Image 2Image 3Image 4Image 5Image 6Image 7Image 8Image 9Image 10

Other information

Variety Market
Day: Friday
Opening hours: 6am – 1pm
Details: Stalls sell a variety of products including fruit and vegetables, meat and fish, antiques, books and clothes.

City Food and Garden market
Day: Saturday
Opening hours: 9am – 3pm
Details: The market offers a huge range of local, continental and specialty foods including meat and fish, cheese, coffee beans, tapas and organic products. There’s also entertainment and music on most Saturdays.

St. George’s Market
12-20 East Bridge Street,
Belfast
BT1 3NQ
T: 028 9032 0202
W: www.belfastcity.gov.uk/stgeorgesmarket
You can also see St. George’s Market on Google Maps.

Tags: belfast, st georges market

Categories: Local Food Heroes > News > Northern Ireland > United Kingdom

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Cupcake Heaven

Posted: 05 October '09 by Kelly

We decided to head off to the West Coast of Ireland at the weekend to celebrate our friend Orlaith turning 21 again:)  As you all I’m sure would agree, no birthday celebration is the same without a nice cake.  But if your like me and cant decide between chocolate, lemon, white chocolate, strawberry, plain, double chocolate… well you get my dilemma…. Then cupcakes are the perfect choice. 

As both Niall and I were working all week we decided that instead of baking them ourselves we would order them.  We found a company in Belfast called ‘Cupcakes and Fairy Cakes’ that specialised in celebratory cupcakes for birthdays, weddings, christenings, or any other excuse you can find to eat cake… I have many. 

I wanted all 14 I had ordered to be different flavours and thought this might prove difficult but Bernadette and Martine from ‘Cupcakes and Fairy Cakes’ were extremely helpful even suggesting flavours they thought would be nice…. I particularly loved the alcohol infused cupcakes. 

The cupcakes went down a treat at the party and everyone had their favourite flavour.  Niall’s favourite was the Strawberry cupcake – it had strawberry jam mixed through the cupcake mixture which made it really moist and sweet.  Ciara and Orlaith loved the Buttercream ones And I preferred the chocolate… no suprise there then :)

Everything that we tried from ‘Cupcakes and Fairy Cakes’ was moist, fluffy and packed with flavour and I have already put my order in for Halloween.  I’m looking forward to see how they are decorated – i’ll post the photos as soon as we get them.

Other Information

If you would like to order cupcakes or a cake from Bernadette and Martine you can contact them on 07879400177 or Email them at cupcakesandfairycakes@hotmail.co.uk

Prices start from £1.00 per cupcake and they also do gorgeous gift-boxes if you are giving them as a gift.

Contact information

Cupcakes and Fairycakes
T: 07879400177 or 07968225732
E: info@cupcakesandfairycakes.com
W: www.cupcakesandfairycakes.com

Tags: belfast, birthday celebrations, Cakes, Chocolate, Cupcakes, strawberry

Categories: Local Food Heroes > Northern Ireland > United Kingdom

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Discover the world of olive oil at St. George’s Market

Posted: 05 August '09 by Niall

I remember the first time we realised that the world of olive oil was more complex and enjoyable than the litre bottles of oil from your local supermarket. At Locanda Locatelli in London our waiter had a menu of oils, all with different flavours and aromas – it was a revelation! We raved about the various olive oils for days afterwards but, returning to Belfast, I didn’t think that we’d get the chance to continue our exploration any further. Well, it has been a while – but help is here at last.

A recent trip to St. George’s Market in Belfast unearthed a real gem. BioStore have a range of olive oils from the regions around the Mediterranean – Sicilian, Italian, Greek and Middle Eastern. The differences in the flavours are truly amazing, and you’re fully encouraged to sample the different oils. Having tried them all I can safely say that we prefer the Foggia (fruity, but with a real pepper-y kick) and the Sicilian (a nutty oil with some lemon and herbal undertones). Once decanted into your bottle, the oil develops a thick layer of sediment – a sure sign that the oil is of the best possible quality – extra virgin from the first few pressings of the olives.

But what makes the whole experience of buying your oil in this way even better is the stall-owners enthusiasm for his product, and the fact that Ronan clearly enjoys talking to people. To be fair, it’s completely reciprocal – you do tend to day-dream as he describes trekking across the Med, unearthing small co-ops of local farmers and buying their olive oil – and the strange and startling sights along the way!

At £10 a litre (less if you’re returning the bottles) the price really is competitive, being less than we’ve found elsewhere – and the oil is simply delicious. The flavours can be pronounced or subtle, depending on the oil that you’re tasting – but it’s always good. We’ve used the oil for drizzling over foccaccia and ciabatta as appetisers at several parties, and it never fails to impress.

The process of tasting olive oil has as many peculiarities and rituals associated with it as has wine – in the next few weeks we’ll do a step-by-step guide through Ronan’s whole stock with tasting notes and a guide to sampling and savouring your olive oil.

So call down to St. George’s Market some Saturday and, as your explore what the market has to offer, set aside 10 or 20 minutes and to speak to Ronan and try his olive oil.. you won’t regret it!

The website is still under construction, but you should visit: www.biostore.ie

Tags: belfast, biostore, st georges market

Categories: Local Food Heroes > Northern Ireland > United Kingdom

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