Rory Best’s Northern Ireland: small in size, giant in spirit
Spring is in the air and the rugby legend has a spring in his step as he tries stand-up paddleboarding and soda-bread making by Strangford Lough followed by whiskey and chocolate tasting in the Mournes
I’m a farmer and someone who loves good food. I love cooking at home, but I also love going out and about and finding new places. I’m always amazed by just how many incredible places and things to do we have on our doorstep – I live on the border of County Armagh and County Down with my wife and three children and I’m always happening across new places I’ve never been to before. Today I’m taking a tour around some of Northern Ireland’s small and passionate food and drink producers, mixed in with a little outdoor activity.
A Tuesday morning with a difference
I’m up early and in no time at all I’m driving along the shore of Strangford Lough. It’s a beautiful, if chilly, blue sky day and I’m feeling a bit reluctant to get wet if I’m honest. Yet before I’ve barely shaken hands and said hello to watersports instructor Joe Jeffrey, I’m in my wetsuit and attempting to do a headstand on my paddleboard. It’s not the usual start to my Tuesdays here in Northern Ireland. I’m paddling around Ballymorran Bay where Joe lives. It’s lovely and calm and we’re having great craic – I’m pretty sure he’s trying to make me fall in, though. My competitive streak kicks in and after a few attempts I get my legs in the air for a few seconds. It isn’t the most graceful head stand but I did it – and didn’t fall in.
Rory takes to the water at Ballymorran Bay with Joe Jeffrey, his paddleboard instructor for the day
The food of life
Welcomes don’t get much warmer than the one I get as I walk into the homely, thatched 18th-century cottage. A fire is roaring and the smell of baking hits me straight away. I see a long wooden table set for lunch. There’s a huge tureen of butternut squash soup, plates of soda bread, two fruit bannocks and a sponge cake filled with cream and jam. I always think there’s nothing better than arriving somewhere with the smell of home-cooked food waiting for you. It reminds me of going to my granny’s house back in the day where there was food everywhere – like her, Tracey is worried she hasn’t made enough. There’s enough to feed a small army. There are endless pots of tea too, of course, as I chat to Tracey about the typical Northern Ireland breads such as soda, wheaten and potato. She tells me this area has a microclimate and all the produce she uses, including the flour, is from around here. I’ve soon got a pinny on and I’m making it myself.
“The food in Northern Ireland is incredible – with my farming background, produce is something we’re very passionate about”
Although I love cooking and often bake with my daughter, I’ve never made soda bread. Tracey assures me it’s easy. Like everyone who’s a master of their trade she makes it look that way. We mix buttermilk into the soda-bread flour until it comes together. We roll it and cut it into little quarters and then cook it on a griddle. It’s just four minutes each side and 40 seconds on each end of the triangles. You’re meant to let it rest but there’s no way I’m letting mine rest. I cut it straight open, put on a bit of local butter and Tracey’s homemade rhubarb and ginger jam and devour it right away.
Rory’s Top things to do
Select to find out more
Royal County Down Golf Club
1
Greencastle and Carlingford Lough
2
Strangford Lough
3
4
Gastropubs galore
5
City sights in Belfast
6
Gosford Forest Park
7
Newry canal towpath
8
Newcastle and the Mournes
9
Castlewellan Forest Park
10
A day at the beach
1
Royal County Down Golf Club
We’re lucky to have some of the best courses in the world on our doorstep in County Down. There are some really good courses in this area including Ardglass Golf Club, Holywood Golf Club, Belvoir Park Golf Club and Royal County Down, which I especially love. It’s a real privilege to play on and the more you do, the more you see what’s unique about it. It’s very tough but the views are amazing. You’re hitting your ball out along the shore of Dundrum Bay – then when you turn around to come back you have Slieve Donard mountain in the background, the beautiful hotel clubhouse, and the sea to the left.
A Northern Ireland adventure
So easy to visit from anywhere in Great Britain, discover the beauty of Northern Ireland and all the incredible stories that give it a giant spirit For more information, visit ireland.com
Advertiser content for
Produced by: Telegraph Media Group Writer: Rachel Truman, Project manager: Tom Gadd, Commissioning editor: Jim Bruce-Ball, Sub editor: Tim Cumming, Video and Photography Manager: Alex Kelly, Designer: Victoria Griffiths, Web editor: Natalie Wain Photography: Johny Savage
Making some soda bread with Tracey at her wonderful farmhouse
The food in Northern Ireland is incredible – with my farming background, produce is something we’re very passionate about. It always impresses me to see how local produce is transformed by passionate home cooks and chefs - their love and care totally elevates it. As I leave, Tracey gives me her recipe for potato bread, along with a bag packed full of warm soda bread and bannock to take home to the kids. Tracey and Joe are a lovely couple and I’ll definitely bring the family back in the summer for one of their SUP and pizza nights – a combination of stand-up paddleboarding and good food.
The drive from Ballymorran Bay to my next stop, Killowen Distillery near Carlingford Lough, is stunning – it takes you right through the Mourne Area of Outstanding Natural beauty, past Spelga Dam and through the mountains. Spring is such a beautiful time in Northern Ireland – the flowers are out and the land is so green. The scenery we have is some of the best in the world. Although I’m in the Mournes on a sunny day, you don’t need the weather to enjoy it. You just need to get out into it, regardless.
The hills are alive with tradition
Whiskey-making – and tasting – at Killowen, the smallest distillery on the island of Ireland
Despite my initial reluctance, I don’t want to come back in from the water. There’s no calmer place than being out on the waterways here. I love Strangford Lough with all its wee islands and I’m tempted to paddle out of the cove and keep going to Daft Eddy’s. It’s a great café and pub on Sketrick Island that takes real pride in using local produce including seafood and Irish beef. I’m here to learn about traditional Northern Ireland breads too. Joe’s wife Tracey runs Tracey’s Farmhouse Kitchen in their home, just a few strides from the lough. En route the local farmer stops for a yarn. That’s something about my home that I love. Everyone has time for you and wants to chat.
Driving up a tiny country lane up Knockshee mountain, I think there’s no way there’s a distillery up here. But I spot Brendan Carty, who founded Killowen – which I discover is the smallest distillery on the island of Ireland – standing by a shed. It’s a wonderful find and well worth all visitors to this part of the world seeking out. Brendan takes me in to see two artisan copper stills, used to make his traditional pot still whiskey, poitín, rum and gin. They’re beautiful and he explains the process of distilling. Throughout the tour and tasting, I get a sense of the passion Brendan has for preserving old traditions. He makes real Irish whiskey, using a traditional mash bill featuring turf-smoked grain which is matured in PX sherry wood casks. He sources ingredients in County Down. They smoke their own oats, grown on the slopes of Knockshee, with local peat and gather botanicals such as elderflower and wild mint for their gin from the Mournes. Killowen makes poitín too, once again reviving another local tradition.
“This is what Northern Ireland does best: quality producers making the most of what they have to create world-class food and drink without massive high-tech factories or funds”
He tells me the hills around here were filled with illicit poitín distillers back in the day and that the laneway we’re walking along was an old French brandy smuggling route up to Knockshee during the Napoleonic Wars. I love that sense of history. He's taking me to the barrel room where his spirits are left to age. Each cask produces a unique flavour, Brendan tells me. I get to uncork a barrel myself and to use a wine thief to decant a bit of whiskey. It’s been aged for five years in an Oloroso sherry barrel – the dark colour is incredible and it tastes fantastic. Brendan is very typical of people around here – with a love of what they do and the passion they speak with. It strikes me that this is what Northern Ireland does best: quality producers who are really making the most of what they have to create worldclass food and drink without massive high-tech factories or funds.
Rory and the chocolate factory
There’s a huge sense of community among them too. Brendan tells me I need to head down the way to visit some friends of his, NearyNógs, a bean-to-bar chocolate producer with whom he collaborates on tours and tastings. Whiskey and chocolate is something I can get behind.
‘Shane tells me it takes three days to make their chocolate. This means the quality and nutritional value is so much higher as the cacao’s natural health benefits are maintained’
NearyNógs is run by Shane and Dot Neary, who converted an old potato factory into their artisan chocolate factory. It’s a beautiful, light-filled space – with a café serving incredible coffee, hot chocolate and buns – but what I find most interesting is their ethical ethos. They really care about the sourcing of cocoa beans, paying a fair price to their growers and helping these communities. Like Brendan at Killowen, they make the most of the incredible landscape all around them. Their Wild Irish Dúlamán bar uses gorse flowers Dot picks on the Mournes and seaweed she collects just down at the local bay at Greencastle, somewhere I love to holiday myself.
Shane tells me it takes three days to make their chocolate. This means the quality and nutritional value is so much higher as the cacao’s natural health benefits are maintained. It’s fascinating but ultimately it comes down to taste. I get to sample lots of bits and pieces while I’m chatting to the couple and it’s delicious. I can’t stop eating the Irish Sea, a salted chocolate fudge and Salt Water Days, a 60 per cent chocolate with flakes of Irish sea salt and gold dust. Shane tells me it’s inspired by the sun sparkling on the Irish Sea.
Indulging in sweet treats at the Nearys’ incredible chocolate factory
Driving back along the coastal road towards Newcastle, I’m reminded that we need to spend more time here this summer. It’s so close to home and on a beautiful day there’s nowhere you’d rather be. I’ll take the wife and kids to NearyNógs and nip up to see Brendan at Killowen. My day’s exploration has come to an end, but I have one final stop. I’m off to the Slieve Donard Resort and Spa – which I think is one of the prettiest hotels in the world – to take a quick peek after it’s recently finished a huge renovation. It looks fantastic with a cosy but luxurious interior that matches its grand Victorian exterior. I spend a lot of time here, playing golf and in the beautiful clubhouse, but can never take its view of the Mournes running right down to the beach for granted.
Some of my local top tips while you’re here
A brilliant thing about Northern Ireland is its size. You can go anywhere easily, largely within an hour and a half or two hours. There is such a community feel about it – no matter where I go I’ll know somebody in the area who’ll tell me about some great new places to eat and what to see. The people of Northern Ireland are so warm, friendly, chatty – and proud of where they are from. They just love to share their home with visitors. The only problem we have is that there are so many great places to go and things to do. Here are 10 of my favourites:
10
A day at the beach
9
Castlewellan Forest Park
8
Newcastle and the Mournes
7
Newry canal towpath
6
Gosford Forest Park
5
City sights in Belfast
4
Gastropubs galore
3
Strangford Lough
Greencastle and Carlingford Lough
2
1
Royal County Down Golf Club
Get yourself to Strangford Lough, hire a paddleboard and keep going to Daft Eddy’s for some great local seafood like fresh battered Kilkeel scampi or even just a nice pint of Guinness. Then you can paddleboard back and eat at Tracey’s Farmhouse Kitchen. I’m keen to do either their SUP and Pizza experience or the Canoe and Cake Tour next – to be honest, I’m sold on either.
Strangford Lough
3
10
A day at the beach
9
Castlewellan Forest Park
8
Newcastle and the Mournes
7
Newry canal towpath
6
Gosford Forest Park
5
City sights in Belfast
4
Gastropubs galore
3
Strangford Lough
Greencastle and Carlingford Lough
2
1
Royal County Down Golf Club
We holiday at Cranfield Beach, right at the mouth of Carlingford Lough, whenever we can. You’re right by the sea with the Mournes behind you. The Greencastle ferry is just down the road and the cafés and restaurants of Newcastle not far away. The kids have a real sense of freedom here and we know they’re safe – we all love it. My favourite oysters come from here too – Millbay Oysters.
Greencastle and Carlingford Lough
2
10
A day at the beach
9
Castlewellan Forest Park
8
Newcastle and the Mournes
7
Newry canal towpath
6
Gosford Forest Park
5
City sights in Belfast
4
Gastropubs galore
3
Strangford Lough
Greencastle and Carlingford Lough
2
1
Royal County Down Golf Club
Being from a pedigree beef farm, I love my red meat and going out for a good old beef steak. We have some brilliant pubs close to where we live. We love Rice’s Hotel in Poyntzpass and the Downshire in Banbridge, they are both great traditional pubs with classic food and a real sense of history. We went out to the Plough Inn in Hillsborough recently with friends. Like Rice’s, it’s an old coaching inn with a friendly atmosphere – the food was seriously good and the service brilliant.
Gastropubs galore
4
10
A day at the beach
9
Castlewellan Forest Park
8
Newcastle and the Mournes
7
Newry canal towpath
6
Gosford Forest Park
5
City sights in Belfast
4
Gastropubs galore
3
Strangford Lough
Greencastle and Carlingford Lough
2
1
Royal County Down Golf Club
We love to go into Belfast, especially spending time in and around the Cathedral Quarter – we’ll wander around St Anne’s Square and take the kids to Titanic Belfast. There is such a good buzz here with so many things to do, including museums and galleries, and you get a real sense of Belfast’s history. It’s where some of my favourite places to eat are, such as Coppi. It’s an Italian restaurant and a real family favourite. Belfast has some brilliant hotels now too – they’ve really upped their game, although we’ll be back home in just over an hour.
City sights in Belfast
5
10
A day at the beach
9
Castlewellan Forest Park
8
Newcastle and the Mournes
7
Newry canal towpath
6
Gosford Forest Park
5
City sights in Belfast
4
Gastropubs galore
3
Strangford Lough
Greencastle and Carlingford Lough
2
1
Royal County Down Golf Club
Gosford Forest Park
6
10
A day at the beach
9
Castlewellan Forest Park
8
Newcastle and the Mournes
7
Newry canal towpath
6
Gosford Forest Park
5
City sights in Belfast
4
Gastropubs galore
3
Strangford Lough
Greencastle and Carlingford Lough
2
1
Royal County Down Golf Club
We live right near a canal towpath, which basically follows the Dublin to Belfast railway line, and we’ll cycle or walk along it a lot as a family. We might walk to Scarva where there’s a great wee place called Hollie Berrie where we’ll stop for a coffee and homemade bun. If we go the other way to Portadown there’s another brilliant pitstop, Escape Coffee & Bakes – Marcus does all the coffees which are brilliant and his wife Julie makes all the traybakes and sausage rolls, to which I’m very partial.
Newry canal towpath
7
10
A day at the beach
9
Castlewellan Forest Park
8
Newcastle and the Mournes
7
Newry canal towpath
6
Gosford Forest Park
5
City sights in Belfast
4
Gastropubs galore
3
Strangford Lough
Greencastle and Carlingford Lough
2
1
Royal County Down Golf Club
Right at the foot of Slieve Donard, Newcastle is somewhere we go a lot and we’ll go up walking in the Mournes. Slieve Donard is the highest mountain in Northern Ireland and a tough climb, especially the last wee bit. We’ve never done it as a family, but this summer we’re planning to go up together now the kids are a bit older. There’s a couple of good walks in and around Silent Valley too. Newcastle has some great places to eat, serving the local produce, and you can stay in some fabulous hotels such as the boutique Avoca and the grand Slieve Donard Resort and Spa, which has recently been renovated to a very high standard.
Newcastle and the Mournes
8
10
A day at the beach
9
Castlewellan Forest Park
8
Newcastle and the Mournes
7
Newry canal towpath
6
Gosford Forest Park
5
City sights in Belfast
4
Gastropubs galore
3
Strangford Lough
Greencastle and Carlingford Lough
2
1
Royal County Down Golf Club
We love spending time in Castlewellan Forest Park as well. There’s so much for the kids to do here with its play areas, maze and trees to climb. We might take a picnic and go for a stroll or I love hiring e-bikes to explore the mountain bike trails. They allow you to get right up high – one route goes up Slievenaslat mountain, where you get an unbelievable 360-degree view of the lake, castle, sea and the Mournes. Hiring e-bikes means we don’t get any complaints from the kids on the uphill journey either.
Castlewellan Forest Park
9
10
A day at the beach
9
Castlewellan Forest Park
8
Newcastle and the Mournes
7
Newry canal towpath
6
Gosford Forest Park
5
City sights in Belfast
4
Gastropubs galore
3
Strangford Lough
Greencastle and Carlingford Lough
2
1
Royal County Down Golf Club
We have some incredible beaches – fantastic, undeveloped sandy stretches with hardly anyone on them, whether up on the north coast like Portrush and Portstewart Strand or in County Down. Tyrella is lovely and Murlough Beach is as nice a beach as you’ll get anywhere. It’s a bit of a walk through the sand dunes to get to it, mind, but it’s well worth it. We’ll spend the day there then go for dinner at Mourne Seafood in Dundrum, which is just excellent for local fish and shellfish, including mussels and oysters.
A day at the beach
10
We live on the border between Co Armagh and Co Down, and we have some beautiful walks around us. My wife Jody and I love to walk together, often going to Gosford Forest Park. It’s so big and you have the mix between the open deer parkland and the forest. There are loads of tracks for bikes too. The riverside walk in Clare Glen is another favourite place we’ll go together.
2
3
4
5
7
8
9
10
6