Antrim Agricultural Society was pleased that this year it could finally return to holding its Annual General Meeting face-to-face at Shanes Castle; the venue of its annual Randox Antrim Show that will take place on Saturday 23^rd July 2022.

During the AGM’s formal proceedings George Robson from Doagh was appointed to Chairman of the Society. The position had remained vacant since the passing of former Chairman Robert Wallace in November 2020, a long standing and dedicated member of the Society to whom tributes were paid.

William Graham, from Gracehill, was then appointed the new Vice Chair.

George first helped out with the agricultural society when he was a member of the Young Farmer Clubs, and in his role as Sheep Director, has helped grow the sheep section in recent years, giving Antrim an enviable turn out of sheep each year.

William, a beef farmer, has been involved with the Society for decades. He recalls he was a child when he first helped his father and uncle with the set up for show day, so there remains a wealth of knowledge and experience to draw upon at the helm of the Society.

All Directors and other positions which were up for re-election at the meeting were re-elected. A couple of new Directors, who’d been elected through a virtual AGM last year, namely Linda Davis, Joan Gilliland and James Watt, were also welcomed on board.

The reports by the secretary and treasurer summarised the situation following a two year hiatus in holding the Show and left everyone more determined than ever to put on a great show for 2022.

Sponsors

Chairman George Robson added; “We must remain optimistic that we can team together and secure pre-pandemic levels of sponsorship so we can ensure the show returns as big as ever this year. I’m delighted that our title Sponsor, Randox where the first to re-commit their support. We welcome other supporters -old and new- to join them. We are indebted to all of our sponsors for their support and to our volunteers without whom the show could not go on.”

In the equine section, members were also delighted to hear that Sweeney Equestrian Limited has also committed to coming on board as first time sponsors of the showjumping grand prix.

Guest Speaker

After the formal proceedings, attendees got a chance to hear from the evening’s guest speaker; Lynne Montgomery, Vice President of the Young Farmers Clubs of Ulster.  Lynne gave a very informative talk which confirmed for attendees that the rural youth organisation was in a healthy and positive position despite the negative effects of the pandemic. Antrim’s local clubs of the YFCU also help to run the annual Randox Antrim Show and the organisation’s County Antrim Competitions Day is held at the Show.

On 3rd March 2020, Antrim Agricultural Society held its AGM at Shanes Castle; the grounds of the Randox Antrim Show that it annually organises for the fourth Saturday of July.

AGM
During the AGM’s formal proceedings Robert Wallace from Templepatrick was appointed to Chairman of the Society. The position had become vacant as Fred Duncan from Crumlin has taken the post of President, vacated by James Clements. George Robson from Doagh, was then appointed the new Vice Chair.

Robert first became involved with the agricultural society when he started showing dairy cattle at Antrim in the 1960s, and Fred first helped out when he was a member of the Young Farmer Clubs so there is a wealth of knowledge and experience to draw upon at the helm of the Society.

As Sheep Director, George has helped grow the sheep section in recent years, giving Antrim an enviable turn out of sheep each year.

The reports by the secretary and treasurer on last year’s show success left everyone in a positive mood and Robert added; “We are indebted to all of our sponsors for their continued support and to our volunteers without whom we could not put on our event, but we mustn’t become complacent. With the current Coronavirus situation Antrim must, of course, be prepared for the worst but we’ll certainly be hoping for the best as we continue with planning July’s show.”

Directors who were up for re-election at the meeting included David Crawford, James Clements, Fred Duncan and George Robson and all positions were re-elected.

Guest Speaker from Glenarm
After the formal proceedings, attendees got a chance to hear from the evening’s guest speaker, Adrian Morrow, Estate Manager at Glenarm Castle. Adrian gave a very entertaining and informative talk that gave attendees plenty of food for thought as they realised there were many similar challenges that both organisations experienced when running a public event in an outdoor space, especially in modern times.

Pictured below are the three new appointments at Antrim Agricultural Society: George Robson, Vice Chair, Robert Wallace, Chairman, and Fred Duncan, President.

In keeping with promotion of all things local, this year a local chef will be joining celebrity chef Paula McIntyre in the Food Village to provide even more cookery demonstrations as part of the Festival of Food.

• 10am & 11am – Jonathan Clarke, The Holestone at Tweedies in Parkgate.
• 12pm, 1pm & 2.30pm – Celebrity chef Paula McIntyre MBE

They’ll both be demonstrating how to make the most out of local produce and inspiring you to make your own home-cooked fayre.

Meet the chefs . . .

PAULA

Paula is passionate about local produce and works closely with Food NI to promote its use.

Best known to most as hosting the cooking slot on Radio Ulster’s weekly ‘Saturday Magazine’ show with John Toal since 2004, Paula trained in Culinary Arts at the prestigious Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island, USA.

She returned to the UK in 1993 to open her own restaurant in Manchester. After picking up several awards for fine dining she went home to Northern Ireland in 1998, working as Head Chef in several establishments

In 2000 Paula appeared as a guest chef on ‘Ready, Steady, Cook’ beating Paul Rankin in her second appearance. Since then she’s been involved in a number of Northern Ireland TV programmes, including her own 2001 TV series ‘Taste for Adventure’ on BBC 2 NI.

Some career highlights have included contributing in 2011 to the New York morning show ‘Carton and Boomer’ live from the Bushmills distillery. She was also chef for singer Brian Kennedy’s TV series ‘Kennedy on Song’, where guests on the programme included Lulu, Barry McGuigan, Michael Ball and Maire Brennan.

Other strings to her bow include writing for columns in newspapers, publishing books and she lectured in catering at the Northern Regional College.

JONNY

As Head Chef and owner of The Holestone, an intimate restaurant in the village near Antrim, Jonny changes his range of menus week by week. He took over the reins with his wife Chloe in July 2017 with the mission to provide great service, high quality food and consistency. He gained his high level of experience from renowned restaurants such as the Ramore Complex in Portrush, Tartine in Bushmills, St Kyrans Country House in Cavan under the home-grown star chef Eddie Atwell, and stints in the likes of Ox, Muddlers Club & Midsummer House in Cambridge under Daniel Clifford.

His style of food is relatively casual, meeting the expectations of the local farming community but he is a master of flavour with a passion for local ingredients and gears customers towards a finer flair. Local suppliers such as Parkgate Village Butchers, Ewings Seafood, and North Down & Ballymakenny Farm are his firm favourites for produce and their own foraging and garden grown herbs and vegetables tie in to create stunning dishes year-round to match the season. Expect both traditional and exciting dishes including Ewings Hake Fillet, Chorizo, Tomato & Pepper Stew, Pickled Kohlrabi & Red Cabbage Crisps. Great value for spectacular food, local produce and a real passion for small details.

Randox Antrim Show is indebted to the Northern Ireland Regional Food Programme for providing sponsorship for the promotion of local produce.