Posts in: 'United Kingdom'
Super Market sweeps up the plaudits
Posted: 19 January '10 by Niall
St. George's Market, Belfast
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.
Categories: Local Food Heroes > News > Northern Ireland > United Kingdom
No Comments - Click to Add Yours
Healthy “eating”? You should just graze.com
Posted: 09 January '10 by Kelly
Graze.com - Nature Delivered
Now if your New Years’ resolution is anything like mine (to eat less!!), then listen up! With all the food and drink I consumed over the Christmas and New Year celebrations nothing now seems to fill me for long and I am constantly thinking about eating.
So when Niall told me about the ‘Graze box’ I was excited. Graze.com are a UK based company that deliver (by post) different boxes of food to your desk for as little as £2.99. You can choose what you want in your box, ranging from fresh fruit to nuts and Olives. Your food is then hand picked, boxed and sent to your home or your office with free (yes free!!) first class delivery – far better than picking up a curly pre-packed sandwich from a garage on the way into work.
It is also worth adding that ‘Graze’ boxes are from a sustainable forest, biodegradable and recyclable.
Niall’s mum is a big fan of grazing throughout the day, instead of eating three big meals a day she snacks regularly. Research shows that snacking on natural foods throughout the day can maintain and control blood sugar which helps to lose weight.
Graze were kind enough to send us a ‘nibble box’ to try and I absolutely loved it! When it came through the door it was like getting another present!! In my box of treats I got -
- Apple strudel – Dried Apple, naturally dried apricots and dried cranberries
- Macadamia nuts
- Yin and Yang - extra dark chocolate buttons with cherries and almonds
- Cajun seed mix
Now, I thought I would be able to eat them all in one go, but they are surprisingly filling. So I was able to snack throughout the week with them.
I have to say my favourite was the ying & yang, it was delicious. Meaning the unity of opposites – the dark chocolate is in perfect contrast to the blanched almonds and the sweet dried cherries to create a really tasty snack.
For the calorie-conscious it’s important to remember that even though it’s healthy the content still has calories. Nuts have a high fat content as well as dried fruit being high in sugars – even though it’s natural. The Yin & Yang pot, for instance, was 296 calories. Now this may seem slightly high for a snack but keep in mind you are getting some chocolate (which is extra dark so therefore has many health benefits), you are also getting lots of nuts and dried fruit. More importantly this will keep you sustained until your next meal and you wont feel tempted to snack again in between. If you thought that the 296 calories was too high then the apple strudel of Dried Apple, naturally dried apricots and dried cranberries could be the one for you. This only had 172 calories (but unfortunately no chocolate)!!
You can personalise your Graze box by choosing what goes into it, so you can have as many or as few calories in your box as you want. I will be ordering another box for sure, the only problem I am having is what to order?
You can see more photos hereImage 1Image 2Image 3
Our verdict:
I really loved the Graze nibble box – it’s a healthy way of snacking throughout the week. They never use any artificial colours, flavours or preservatives in their products and the boxes are environmentaly friendly. The box also provided me with a few of my ’5 a day’ which is a real bonus.
So get grazing!!
Other information
You can find out more by visiting www.graze.com
Chilli and Chocolate members:
Graze.com have been kind enough to give our members a discount: get your first box free and your second box at half price! Visit the Members’ Section for more details
Categories: England > Local Food Heroes > United Kingdom
2 Comments
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 info@cupcakesandfairycakes.com.
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
Categories: Local Food Heroes > Northern Ireland > United Kingdom
No Comments - Click to Add Yours
Discover the world of olive oil at St. George’s Market
Posted: 05 August '09 by Niall
Find out more at biostore.ie
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
Categories: Local Food Heroes > Northern Ireland > United Kingdom
