Amazin' tasting stout bread from artisan bakery

Amazin' Grazin', an artisan bakery in Northern Ireland, has marked the success of another local craft business in a major awards.

The bakery, which is based at Portstewart in county Antrim, has created a new flavoured version of the traditional Irish wheaten or brown soda bread using stout from Lacada Brewery in nearby Portrush, county Antrim.

Lacada, a community co-operative brewery had a string of successful beers in the recent Blas na hEireann Irish National Food Awards held annually at Dingle in county Kerry. The awards are the most important for the food and drink industry on the island of Ireland.

Lacada, one of the Northern Irish success stories, was named 'Best New Product' in Ireland and won the gold award for its quirky Devil's Washtub Ale, silver for Utopian Stout and bronze for Whiskey Barrel Aged Stout.

Baker, Lynne Gardiner, formed the artisan business in 2016 and has since developed a range of wheaten-based breads including an Irish whiskey wheaten. "I developed my new Lacada stout wheaten for the recent beer and food festival in Portrush to mark the brewery's outstanding success.

"It made sense to launch the new bread at such a popular event and it proved such an outstanding success that I've decided to feature it as a core product within my range of artisan breads."

She's also baked wheaten breads with apples, dates and treacle. They are all handmade and retail at around £4.

Lacada Brewery was formed in 2015 following a public meeting in the local Town Hall that included real ale enthusiasts.

Lacada is Irish and is derived from Liach Fada, which means 'the longstone' and refers to a low, mean, rocky outcrop about 300 yards east of the world famous Giant's Causeway. In 1588, one of the remnants of the Spanish Armada, a galleon named Girona, was desperately trying to return home but a relentless storm forced her onto the north coast of Ireland. She was wrecked on Lacada point with only nine survivors.

Head brewer Laurie Davies says: "We believe that we need a locally brewed beer for this area, to augment and strengthen the visitor experience and to show off and bring out the best in our communities here. We have people joining from different ages, genders and beliefs - a wide and diverse community that comes together for great beer and socialising."