News from the North

Barbara Collins

Ballycastle-based Broughgammon Farm’s goat tacos have won them the Best Snack Food category in the influential British Street Food Awards 2016 in Birmingham.

Broughgammon Farm, a family business, came out on top of a finalists field of 17 street food businesses from across the United Kingdom. It was a first time win for a Northern Ireland food business.

The finalists also included Pheasant’s Hill Farm from Downpatrick, both reached the finals in Birmingham followed their success in the recent Northern Ireland regional heat held as part of the Hillsborough International Oyster Festival.

Becky Cole, Broughgammon’s marketing manager, says: “We are delighted to have won the award for our goat taco with chorizo and bacon crumb. It’s a product that we’ve developed to offer a great taste, something completely different. The judges have clearly recognised this and it’s great to be bringing the award to Northern Ireland for the first time. It will raise our profile substantially in Britain as well as in Northern Ireland, where we’d like to have the opportunity to cook our meats at Belfast’s St George’s Market in particular.”

Welcoming Broughgammon’s success in the British Street Food Awards Final, Michele Shirlow, Food NI chief executive, said: “This is a tremendous achievement for Broughgammon Farm, now among the most innovative of smaller food businesses in Northern Ireland.

“The Cole family in Ballycastle is spearheading the development of Cabrito goat meat and dishes in Northern Ireland and has been immensely successful in creating a consumer awareness of the quality of their ever-growing range of goat and veal products.

“It’s another tremendous boost for our Year of Food and Drink, especially in Great Britain, and will help to further enhance our reputation in our most important market as a primary source of premium food that combines innovation, superb taste and provenance. Broughgammon has also been among the biggest supporters of Year of Food and Drink and has become a regular feature at food festivals across Northern Ireland.

“Increasing the profile and quality of Street Food here is one of the most important objectives of Year of Food and Drink. We saw a need to support the expansion of food festivals throughout Northern Ireland by encouraging those interested in a service that has long been a feature of many cities internationally and helps to reinforce the tourist experience.

“We want visitors to Northern Ireland to enjoy our street food and to rate it on a par with cities such as Amsterdam, Paris, New York, Hong Kong and Bangkok. We have the quality ingredients and enterprising people to succeed in what has become an very exciting industry that’s reckoned to be worth an amazing £600 million a year and is growing annually by 20 per cent.”

The British Street Food Awards were launched in 2009 by UK food journalist Richard Johnson, who had enjoyed delicacies from around the world and wanted to encourage the industry’s growth in Britain.

He subsequently won the backing of celebrity chefs such as Mark Hix and Marco Pierre White as well as respected food writers including Tom Parker Bowles. Xanthe Clay, the Daily Telegraph’s food expert, was among the judges. 

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Barbara Collins is a freelance food, travel and agricultural writer. A former Chief Food Writer for Flavour magazine, she contributes regularly to Countryfile magazine, the Farmers Guardian, the Irish News, FFT and the Irish Mail on Sunday. She is a member of both the UK and Irish Food Writers Guilds and splits her time between Belfast and Galway. Barbara also does menu consultancy and copywriting.

@thegoodchinaset