Paula McIntyre’s new cookbook “Recipes and Stories” celebration of local food & drink from the Causeway Coast and Glens.

Paula McIntyre’s new cookbook “Recipes and Stories” is a celebration of local food and drink from the Causeway Coast and Glens.  It is both a travel guide and a recipe book and tells the stories of the farmers, fishermen, chocolatiers, bakers, chefs, distillers, brewers, smokers and charcutieres, who understand well the value of this incomparable landscape.

The book has been inspired by collaboration, something which Paula simply defines as “an alliance which multiplies the success of individuals.”  She is a proud ambassador for Taste Causeway, a collaborative group of food and drink producers, farmers, chefs, retailers, accommodation, and experience providers from right across the Causeway Coast and Glens, on the North Coast of Northern Ireland. 

She writes

“Taste Causeway was born out of a conversation, an ambition and a small group of like-minded people with a passion for their local heritage and their place in the world, connected by shared values of Community, Culture, Local and Responsible.  Our ambition is to build a food destination brand synonymous with our people, our place and our passion.”

“When I travel to cook abroad my luggage always contains ambient products like Broighter Gold rapeseed oil, Islander Kelp, North Coast Smokehouse smoked dulse, Broughgammon veal salami to name just a few. Visitors to our region relish food with tradition, heritage, a story, and most of all taste. When you visit another country, you don’t want to eat the food you left behind at home. Experiencing new cuisines and indigenous food is one of the most important aspects of travel. Experiences are a vital part of what we offer on the Causeway Coast now. From fishing trips on the Causeway Lass, a history tour with Mark Rodgers of Dalriada Kingdom Tours, a whiskey tour of the River Bann with Causeway Foodie Tours, an inside glimpse of the world’s oldest whiskey distillery or a cooking class, there is no shortage of unique adventures to choose from. The thread that binds the people in this book is a commitment to excellence, a passion for what they do and a desire to make everyone around them happy and content.”

The book has been endorsed by Slow Food UK.  Paula has been a passionate supporter and is the NI Director of this global movement involving millions of people, in over 150 countries.  Slow Food  stands for Good, Clean and Fair food and  aims to reinvigorate people’s interest in the food they eat, where it comes from and the importance of our local food traditions.

Taste Causeway gained Slow Food destination accreditation in 2021, the first in Northern Ireland, and one of only a few on the island of Ireland, to be awarded this prestigious accolade. To launch and celebrate this prestigious award, local Taste Causeway businesses delivered a programme of over 40 food and drink events including signature, immersive dining experiences, opening up iconic National Trust landmarks for the first time, intimate supper clubs, workshops, food tours and foraging walks, demos and tasting menus and the launch of the Recipes and Stories book.

Committee Chair, Leona Kane from Broighter Gold who attended a special launch event  for all book contributors commented

“The Slow Food Causeway logo, featuring the iconic Slow Food snail, will now be recognised across the world as a quality marque endorsing great local food which sustains the local economy, is produced to the highest standards, is of the place and respects the local environment.

“This book and the programme of launch events is testament to the imagination, drive and giant collaborative spirit of the Taste Causeway members, championing our local food and drink in the Causeway Coast and Glens. All proceeds from the book will support the continued development of our local food and drink collaborative network.  We  are indebted to Paula Mc Intyre for writing and curating this special book and her continued support for our local food and drink community. ”  

Recipes and Stories will be available on limited release from local Taste Causeway outlets:

The Designerie, Bushmills

Stone Row Artisans, Coleraine

Warkes Deli, Portstewart

The Chocolate Manor, Castlerock

Jam at the Doorstep Farmshop, Dunloy

Broughgammon Farmshop , Ballycastle

Broighter Gold Farmshop, Limavady  

And online through Taste Causeway website https://www.tastecauseway.com/recipes-and-stories/