Lisburn & Castlereagh Council showcasing local food and drink in London
Tuesday, May 1, 2018
I was delighted to be invited to join the “Treasured Opportunities” trip organized by Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council which featured several events showcasing the best of the council area. These included a dinner in the Tower of London, a reception in Westminster and a dedicated food and drink trade mission to the city.
dinner in the tower of london
I have to say that the dinner in the Tower of London was a once in a lifetime opportunity. It really was a special occasion, hosted jointly by Historic Royal Palaces (the charity behind the £20million redevelopment of Hillsborough Castle) and Lisburn and Castlereagh Council. Guests were treated to real taste of the council area with local produce from Carnbrooke Meats, Brambleberry Jams, Abernethy Butter, Hughes Distillery, Hilden Brewery, Free Bird Teas and Pure Roast Coffee.
At the event, the council announced that up to £30million could be injected into the Lisburn Castlereagh economy with the fulfillment of their tourism vision, which was launched at the event.
Speakers included Chief Executive, Dr. Teresa Donaldson, Chairman of the Council’s Development Committee, Alderman Allan Ewart MBE, The Mayor, Councillor Tim Morrrow and Head of Hillsborough Castle, Patricia Corbett.
Being a foodie, the highlight of the evening for me was the menu. We were treated to some fantastic canapés served with Prosecco topped with Ruby Blue Liquor from Hughes Distillery and a selection of craft beers from Hilden Brewing Company.
For our main course, we were served local Carnbrooke Meats traditional slow roasted lamb shoulder served with colcannon, glazed baby carrots, spring cabbage parcels and rosemary & red wine sauce. Pudding was a rather lovely chocolate and Brambleberry jams salted caramel sauce delice with malted milk ice cream. All of this was followed by handcrafted Abernethy Butter fudge, petit fours with Freebird Tea and Pure Roast Coffee.
Westminster reception
The event in the Palace of Westminster was hosted by Lagan Valley MP, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and attended by 200 business people, all keen to hear about the Council’s intensive programme of investment activity (and quaff Prosecco obviously!)
This was a fabulous event with all guests making the most of the networking opportunity and enjoying the tasty canapés.
If you would like to read more about the investment opportunities for Lisburn Castlereagh, click here.
the primrose hill food fair
The final event was completely different. As part of the Councils Food and Drink Trade Mission to London, some suppliers took part in The Spread, a fabulous Farmer’s Market in Primrose Hill, featuring some fabulous products and delicious street food.
I popped along and was delighted to see some of my favourite local producers wowing the good people of London with their fayre. Alison, from Abernethy Butter, Alice from Brambleberry Jams and Karen from Freebird teas were drumming up lots of interest and it was great to see them sharing the Northern Ireland love through Abernethy Butter fudge, Brambleberry Salted Caramel Sauce and a range of Freebird Teas.
A special thank you to the team at Lisburn and Castleragh City Council for the invitation and hospitality. I was delighted to be involved.
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