Northern Ireland Northern Ireland is largely rural. It's a land of mountains and forest parks, lakes and windswept moors, where you're rarely more than half an hour from the sea. Dozens of small towns are hidden away in the countryside, and fishing villages string out along the shores.

In this article

Climate Fish

Ulster fry Paul and Jeanne Rankin

Recipes

The traditional foods of Northern Ireland are inextricably linked to the land and the climate. Plentiful rainfall keeps pastures lush, which makes for good milk production which, in turn, becomes cream, butter and cheese. The pastures are ideal for producing beef and the mild climate means that cattle can graze outside year-round, giving succulence and flavour to the meat. Much of Britain's bacon comes from Northern Ireland. Sheep-rearing in the rocky uplands is the source of the meat in Irish stew - traditionally made with mutton but now more commonly cooked with cheaper cuts of lamb.

Northern Ireland's lakes and rivers provide an abundance of fish, such as salmon, trout, pike, perch and eels. The sea provides lobsters, prawns, oysters and mussels and all kinds of fish including cod, skate, plaice, herrings and mackerel. Dulse is a red seaweed which has traditionally been gathered and used as food. It can be mixed with mashed potato to make dulse champ. Carrageen, or Irish moss, is usually gathered from the sea in the spring and used fresh or dried in various dishes.

If you're holidaying in Northern Ireland, make sure you try an Ulster fry, the celebrated local fried breakfast of bacon, egg, sausage, soda farls and potato bread, which will set you up for the day.

Small producers from the Province are slowly taking off, with Glens of Antrim a recent success story, being the first local company to supply a line of organic potatoes to major supermarkets. As well as regular TV appearances, husband and wife team Paul and Jeanne Rankin run a successful restaurant and food business in Belfast. Their first restaurant, Roscoff, won Northern Ireland's first Michelin star. They now run Roscoff Brasserie, which has a more informal feel, as well as a number of other restaurants and cafes.

The pair appeared together in their TV culinary journey Gourmet Ireland in the mid-1990s and now run a successful food business of the same name selling luxury food hampers with local honey, jams, chocolates, cakes and biscuits all sourced from their native Northern Ireland.

Smoked salmon and wheaten bread millefeuille with marinated red onion by Paul and Jeanne Rankin
Potato torte with cabbage, bacon and cheddar by Paul and Jeanne Rankin
Clam chowder with potatoes and dulse by Paul and Jeanne Rankin
Wilted cabbage salad with bacon and cashel blue cheese by Paul and Jeanne Rankin