Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council welcomes return of Speciality Food Fair

‍Preparation is well underway as Lisburn & Castlereagh roll out the iconic stretch tent for the 11th return of the much-loved Moira Speciality Food Fair, which will take place at Moira Demesne this year on Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th August.‍ ‍

Following the popularity of the event’s extended two-day format, this year’s Speciality Food Fair will again stretch from 10am – 6pm across the weekend with a range of food, drink, artisan produce, crafts, and entertainment for the whole family. This year is expected to be better than ever, with more Northern Irish agri-food producers, street food, sampling opportunities, live chef demonstrations, arts, crafts, learning opportunities and the addition of the new Food for Thought stage by LoveNIFood Podcaster Shauna Magill-Fegan, who will interview champions of local food and drink in front of a live audience.

Catering for a wide range of guests, the event will offer unique finds for knowledgeable foodies as well as items offering wide appeal for all ages and tastes as visitors from across Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council area and beyond descend on this hub of all things local and seasonal.

Commenting on the return of the Moira Speciality Food Fair, Alderman James Baird, Chair of the Regeneration & Growth Committee, said: “We are delighted to once again announce the return of the Moira Speciality Food Fair, a highlight in Northern Ireland’s annual food and drink calendar. The Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council area is brimming with dedicated growers, innovators, makers and entrepreneurs in the world of food, drink and artisan crafts, and this annual event shines a light on the long-time favourites and up-and-coming brands and products produced locally.”

Coffee Lovers will rejoice with the wide range of hot and cold options available from the teams at Coop Coffee Co, In The Mix, and Johnson’s Coffee and more, whilst Noreen’s Nettles serves up nettle tea and other goodies from her new food trailer pod. Street Food options will range from sandwiches to burgers, pizza to scampi, and feature names from Council favourites like Square Pops Up and Nomad, amongst others.

‍Visitors will also be spoilt for choice with a visit to the Food Hall to find sweet treats, artisan baked items and more to enjoy on-site or take home for later including sweet treats from Little Cake Works, Little Popcorn Shop, Jack’s Fudge, Moon Gelato, Ollie’s Patisserie, Rosie McNeill Cakes, Kin&Folk Bakery, Tori’s Coffee Bakes and Cakes and The Daily Apron whilst those with more of a savoury tooth might prefer the wide range of interesting flavours and combinations found in a pie from The Pie Shop Moira.‍ ‍

Those seeking out unique gifts, crafts or special items for their homes will enjoy perusing the stalls of local artists, crafters and makers including Amber Jordan Design, Simply N, The Quirky Flamingo Co, artist Ali Parks, Ayeen Art and Sage and Soul, whilst Humble Bee Therapies offer up unique cosmetics and skincare products, and even our furry friends can get in on the treats with The Woofternoon Tea Company offering a wide range of treats, gift and toys for our four-legged companions who are welcome to join at Moira Demesne throughout the weekend.

Across Saturday and Sunday, guests can also look forward to some of Northern Ireland’s best-known chefs giving live cooking demos, including Moira’s very own Chef Chris McGowan from Wine & Brine and Sabeh Sendi of Carthago, as well as culinary icon Paula McIntyre and Chef Stevie Higginson of Square Bistro in Lisburn. The Craft bar tent will also be hosted this year by Square Bistro whilst the Street Food Hub will feature an expanded format with more delicious options to sample and more seating to encourage guests to linger longer and soak up all the Fair has to offer.

In addition to the Food Hall which will host a wide range of culinary delights, the whole family will enjoy trying their hand at arts and crafts on-site, face painting, balloon modelling, a Fun with Drums workshop, giant garden games, and street theatre performances as well as musical entertainment from Arco String Quartet, Boom Strutt Band, a host of acoustic musicians and the ever popular Rock Choir who will bring the house down on Sunday.

Entry and parking at Moira Speciality Food Fair are free.  On-site parking in the Demesne grounds will be supervised with provision for accessible parking.  Dogs are welcome but must always be kept on short leads and, for hygiene purposes, are not permitted in the main food hall.

For more information on traders and a full programme of events, visit visitlisburncastlereagh.com or follow Visit Lisburn Castlereagh on Facebook.com/enjoylisburn, Twitter @VisitLisburn and Instagram @visitlisburncastlereagh.