‘Cookery Bites’ at the Rathlin Sound Maritime Festival

This fun, relaxed and educational set of cookery demonstrations will showcase our locally caught seafood, our local artisan produce and promote many fantastic businesses within the area that carefully source, prepare, cook and present maritime themed dishes.

Chefs and producers at the cookery bites sessions will include: Gary Stewart from Tartine at Distillers Arms, who will be featuring his award-winning Pickle Sauce, and award winning red seafood chowder. Emer Mullan of Thyme & Co, who will demonstrate a seafood dish. Harry Jordan – The Oyster Catcher, Harry will teach you how to fully appreciate oysters.

A duo with Rob Kerr of Pie in the Sky and Ruairidh Morrison of North Coast Smokehouse who will demonstrate their culinary skills in preparing and cooking fresh local fish.

The festival is a great opportunity to bring people together to celebrate our unique culture, heritage and local produce in the most positive of ways, a celebration of everything that is wonderful aboutthis magical part of the world in the heart of the Causeway Coast and Glens, the music, the people,the scenery, the craftsmanship, the culture and unrivalled locally sourced produce.

The foodie delights doesn’t end there, locally in the town of Ballycastle many restaurants and cafes will also be offering specials during the festival period, including the Seafood Themed Evening on Friday 27th May at Marconi’s in the Marine Hotel. On Rathlin Island you can take part in a foraging tour on Sunday 29th May at 1.45pm. Join local guide Ksenia on a leisurely walk across the Rathlin shoreline and rockpools while learning about the different sea life that makes Rathlin its home. Ksenia has, for the last 16 years collected and cooked with the natural produce that grows along the rocky shoreline of Rathlin Island. It is price £20pp. Book online – www.Nineglensadventuretours.co.uk or at Ballycastle Visitor Information Centre (VIC). Or take part in Rathlin’s BIG Lunch on Sunday 5th June at approximately 12noon - the biggest picnic on the island; bring something to share – pastas, breads, local produce and fruit. This will be Rathlin Island’s first Big Lunch for a couple of difficult years and serves to remind us how dependent on our neighbours we really are throughout the year, giving everyone a chance to repay a kindness to those we know or make new friends for the future. Bring some food to share for a chat on the seafront and watch what happens in the Bay (sponsored by LIFE Raft - biodiversity recovery project, Rathlin Acting for Tomorrow, funded by EU LIFE, National Lottery Heritage Fund and DAERA).

Shauna Mc Fall from Naturally North Coast and Glens said: “Further temptations will also be available to purchase at the festival including a range of hot food and gourmet treats from the Naturally North Coast and Glens Artisan Market. We are delighted to be able to support the festival again this year and offer our traders the opportunity to showcase their produce to a wider audience. Visitors to the festival will be able to delve into the wealth of fantastic food knowledge that our chefs and producers have to offer.”

The full festival programme is now available on the festival website www.rathlinsoundmaritimefestival.com. For the latest updates you can contact Ballycastle Visitor Information Centre by ringing: 028 2076 2024.

Please note, details are subject to change due to tides and weather conditions, so visitors are advised to follow the Festival’s Facebook (@RathlinSoundMaritimeFestival) and Twitter (@RathlinSoundMF) channels for the most up-to-date announcements.

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council is working with Ballycastle Community Development Group and Rathlin Development and Community Association to bring you this hugely popular celebration, with a packed programme of activities on both dry-land and at sea, inspired by the Rathlin Sound – the body of water connecting Rathlin Island to the mainland in Ballycastle.