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.

The Aberdeen Angus Ulster Provincial Championship will take place for the first time this year at Randox Antrim Show, Shanes Castle (Saturday 27th July).

Sponsored by the Irish Aberdeen Angus Association, the winner of the prestigious Ulster Perpetual Provincial Trophy will be selected by judge Thomas Beirne from the Drumbeera Herd based at Gorvagh, County Leitrim.

The winner will also receive a sash, gold medal and an engraved crystal whiskey glass. Schedules and entry forms for the Show are now available here, and all completed entry forms and appropriate fees must be returned to the secretary on or before Monday 15th July (it is possible to enter online).

Antrim is also delighted to be hosting three other NI championships in its cattle section this year: The Thompson’s NISA Dairy Cow Championship; the Dexter Group’s Premier Show; and the Northern Ireland Limousin Championship.

Pictured looking forward to the event are Fiona McKeown, Templepatrick, and NI Aberdeen Angus Club secretary Cathy O’Hara.

The ‘King & Queen of the Castle’ Jiving competition will commence at 2.30pm on Saturday 27 July 2019 at Randox Antrim Show, Shanes Castle.

Admission to Randox Antrim Show (9am-5pm) is £10 per Adult, £5 per Young Person (12-17 yrs) and children under 12 years of age go FREE.  Car parking is FREE.  Event admission is payable at the gate.

Online tickets for £9 available here until Wed. 24 July.

‘King & Queen of the Castle’ Jiving Competition Terms & Conditions:

1. Open to jiving couples of all levels of ability.
2. Entries will be taken in the entertainment marquee immediately prior to the start of the competition. The entertainment marquee will be marked on a map that will be available as you enter the show and the secretary’s office.
3. There is no additional fee to enter this competition, other than admission to Randox Antrim Show.
4. Competition to commence 2.30pm, Saturday 27 July 2019. Music will be provided by The Jiving Chicks.
5. The judges’ decision is final.  The competition is judged by Step by Step.
6. 1st Prize £200 and the title ‘King & Queen of the Castle’, 2nd Prize £100 and 3rd Prize £50. The jiving competition has been sponsored by Enkalon Foundation.