Our country shows are back and that brings a celebration of food!

It’s great to see all the country shows back after an absence and today it’s the turn of Armagh Show.

It’s one of the longest running shows in Ireland and is celebrating its 175th year. Food Heartland is a food network within the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon region celebrating the rich heritage of food and drink from their place. Food and home industries are at the core of country shows and there will be a dedicated area in the show for them.

There will be a marketplace of producers from artisan cider maker Long Meadow and cheeses from Ballylisk. Established, iconic producers like Linwood’s, Irwin’s bakery, Pinkerton’s pork and Gilfresh vegetables will also be there. There will be food demonstrations (I’ll be cooking) and a school cooking competition.

When I was fourteen I started working in a restaurant beside us in Aghadowey, called MacDuffs. It was the height of sophistication to go there in the eighties and people travelled across the country to eat in it. One of the dishes I loved was pork Cordon Bleu. Pork fillet was opened, battered out with a meat tenderiser and then filled with cheese and ham. It was parcelled up, coated in crumbs, fried and finished in the oven. Crispy pork, ham and oozing cheese was served with a creamy mushroom sauce. There’s a bit of work in it but it’s so worth it. My version here uses pork fillet, leeks and smoked Ballylisk cheese. This is relatively new cheese produced outside Tandragee and is a triple cream style – like a rich brie. Their cheeses have, very deservedly, won global cheese awards and it works beautifully in this recipe. A classic reinvented.

You can’t mention Armagh without a nod to the magnificent Armagh Bramley apple. It’s our national fruit and captures the essence of everything great about this place. Nothing makes an apple tart better than apples from the orchard county. This recipe here is for a baked apple pancake – batter topped with sliced Bramley and baked to a light puff. It’s served with Long Meadow cider custard and feel free to add a dollop of cream or icecream too.