I promised in my last post to tell you all about the Belfast Food Tour I did on my most recent trip North.
The infamous St George’s Market is where you meet the tour guide, Caroline Wilson. It is also the starting point of the Belfast Food Tour. Caroline took a large group of us to some of her favourite stalls where we met producers of coffee, tea, sausages, bread and so many more award winning products. After several samples, including the freshest oyster I’ve probably ever had, it was onto various venues where craft beer and cider, champ, chocolate, oils, cheese and too many others to mention were on the menu.
Our final destination was an Italian restaurant called Coppi. Whilst you may think this is an unusual port of call for a Belfast Food Tour, Caroline was quick to explain that the restaurant is a supporter of local produce and their delicious Italian dishes incorporate lots of Northern Irish ingredients such as Tyndale Goat. The tastings were plentiful here (the male kid goat pizetta with hazelnuts and honey went down a treat ) as was the Prosecco to wash it all down and bring the 4 hour tour to a conclusion.
Caroline’s knowledge of Northern Irish products and the individuals behind them is extensive and impressive. The tour group, which was a mix of tourists and locals, found her enthusiasm infectious and described her to me as a wonderful host and guide. My sincerest thanks to Caroline for the invitation to take part as her guest.
If you are passionate about artisan food and planning a trip to Belfast, you should definitely do the food tour. I’m collaborating with a tour company at the moment to host a visit for 2 nights in October 2015 and the tour will feature on the visit. Email me if you would like to receive details when they become available.
You can hear my interview with tour guide, Caroline Wilson, and some of the others who did the tour on the Best Possible Taste Podcast Look for the 10 March 2015 show.
