Strabane enjoys bumper Summer Jamm

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Strabane’s Summer Jamm made a welcome return to the streets in June.

The event saw live music, traditional games, amusements, cultural activities, a petting zoo and circus skills performed across a range of venues. Meanwhile, foodies were treated to a range of sweet and savoury delights at the Castle Street Food Quarter.

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Sandra Duffy: “Summer Jamm is always a great draw for visitors, and it’s fantastic to see the event return with all the benefits it brings to the local economy.”

This year, Strabane BID collaborated with businesses on a special Love Strabane event, showcasing the best of Strabane has to offer as well as one-off promotions on local products and services.

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European travel award for Walled City Market

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Derry’s Walled City Market has been named local attraction of the year at a prestigious Europe-wide travel event.

The market, which takes place on the first Saturday of every month in Guildhall Square, was praised by the Travel and Hospitality European Travel Awards programme for its uniqueness, customer care, and quality of facilities.

Derry City and Strabane Deputy Mayor, Councillor Christopher Jackson and Nicolle Walters, Markets Development Officer pictured with traders form the Walled City Market which has been awarded the THA Local Attraction of the Year.

It was selected from over 22,000 nominations, with judges saying the chosen winners ‘reflect the very best in travel and hospitality standards’.

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Sandra Duffy, congratulated all those involved in the Market’s success.

“The market offers an ideal platform for the best of local food and craft and it wouldn’t be possible without the fantastic traders that we have operating at the WCM each month,” she said.

“Whether it’s LegenDerry food or unique gifts, there’s always so much to enjoy for locals and visitors alike.”

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Awards success for LegenDerry eateries

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A Derry tapas restaurant is celebrating after being named World Food Restaurant of the Year at a nationwide awards ceremony.

El Tapas Gra, based in Waterloo Place, picked up the gong at the YesChef Ireland awards in Limerick.

A member of the local LegenDerry Food and Drink Network, the bar and restaurant serves Catalan-influenced cuisine infused with locally sourced ingredients.

Meanwhile the hugely popular Quaywest, on Derry’s Boating Club Lane, was named Ulster Seafood Restaurant of the Year.

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Scone-sational! Derry café’s scones named best in NI

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Derry’s Cottage Café is celebrating after its home-baked scones were named the best in Northern Ireland.

The thatched roofed café, in the city’s historic Craft Village, beat more than 100 other hotels, restaurants and cafes to win the hotly-contested title from the Dairy Council of Northern Ireland.

Michelle Devine from the Cottage Café, who bakes the scones from scratch in a variety of sweet and savoury flavours, entered the competition after a customer told her about it.

“I knew the judges liked our scones when they came around to try them but there were so many other great places in for it, I never thought we had a chance. But then when they called out our name I nearly exploded!” she said.

Michelle, who learned how to make scones from watching her mother bake, said the key to a delicious scone is to go easy on the mixture.

“To me, it’s all in the way you do it and having the oven at the right temperature. There’s not really much else to it,” she revealed.

The Cottage also won the Best Cafe category in the competition, while Patricia’s Coffee House on the Quay was one of five finalists for best cafe.

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Celebrity chef enjoys a taste of LegenDerry

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The North West’s LegenDerry food scene has been showcased in a new online travel series.

Chef Randy Lewis, who describes himself as the ‘Phileas Fogg of food’, met with local chefs, brewers and producers to sample the fantastic dishes and drinks created in the City and surrounding areas.

Randy’s LegenDerry Adventure sees Lewis discover what makes the LegenDerry food scene so special; from Lo & Slo sauces and Dart Mountain cheeses, to fresh catch from fishmonger Moore on the Quay and Mekong Street Food’s Asian-inspired dishes.

The chef, who runs the Randaddy’s restaurant in Co Clare, also tried out some unique local experiences including paddleboarding along the River Foyle with Far and Wild adventures.

All four episodes are available to watch on YouTube, social media and on RTE.ie. You can catch the first instalment here.

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Walled City Brewery is Taproom of the Year

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Derry’s Walled City Brewery has beat hundreds of other taprooms to be crowned the best in the UK.

The Ebrington Square business, which has created more than 200 beers and received multiple accolades since it opened in 2015, was named Taproom of the Year at the nationwide Pub and Bar Awards.

WCB fought off competition from an estimated 600 other UK taprooms to win the top prize, with organisers called it “a cracking operation”.

The brewery, run by James and Louise Huey, is also planning a major expansion which will see it open a standalone Taproom and Experience Centre in 2022.

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LegenDerry Food welcomes 17 new members

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LegenDerry Food has given its seal of approval to 17 more eateries and local producers this year, bringing the total number of members to 70.

The network was established to celebrate high-quality produce and the food heritage of the city and region, from street food trucks and award-winning fine dining, to craft brewers and artisan producers.

Last year saw the development and launch of the LegenDerry brand, complete with a new website providing a central hub for accessing unique food, drink and taste experiences in Derry, Strabane and the surrounding area.

As a certified LegenDerry provider, businesses are showcased on the LegenDerry website and receive a suite of marketing material to signpost their venues or produce with the ‘LegenDerry – Great Place, Great Taste’ stamp of approval.

LegenDerry Food was the result of a Food and Drink Strategy launched in February 2019 by Derry City and Strabane District Council, as part of its wider plan to drive tourism and place the region on the map as Ireland’s top food location by 2025.

Selina Horshi, new Chair of the LegenDerry Food and Drink Network, said: “We are always happy to welcome new businesses onboard this exciting and innovative project and we look forward with anticipation to continued development in the weeks and months ahead.”

To find out more, visit www.legenderryfood.com

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