Ballycastle farm business wins top Street Food Award in Britain
Ballycastle-based Broughgammon Farm, a Food NI member, gained a major award in the influential British Street Food Awards 2016 in Birmingham today. The farm-based business gained the Best Snack Food Award for its highly original goat tacos from a panel of expert judges.
Broughgammon Farm, a family business, came out on top of a field of 17 street food businesses from across the United Kingdom. It was the first time win for a Northern Ireland food business. The finalists also included Pheasant’s Hill Farm from Downpatrick. Both reached the finals in Birmingham followed their success in the recent Northern Ireland regional heat held as part of the Hillsborough International Oyster Festival.
Becky Cole, Broughgammon’s marketing manager, says: “We are delighted to have won the award for our goat taco with chorizo and bacon crumb. It’s a product that we’ve developed to offer a great taste, something completely different. The judges at the Belfast Street Awards have clearly recognised this.
“It’s great to be bringing the award to Northern Ireland for the first time. It will raise our profile substantially in Britain as well as in Northern Ireland, where we’d like to have the opportunity to cook our meats at Belfast’s St George’s Market in particular.”
Welcoming Broughgammon’s success in the British Street Food Awards Final, Michele Shirlow, Food NI chief executive, said: “This is a tremendous achievement for Broughgammon Farm, now among the most innovative of smaller food businesses in Northern Ireland.
“The Cole family in Ballycastle is spearheading the development of Cabrito meat and dishes in Northern Ireland and has been immensely successful in creating a consumer awareness of the quality of their ever-growing range of goat and veal products.
“It’s another tremendous boost for our Year of Food and Drink especially in Great Britain and will help to enhance further our reputation in our most important market as a primary source of premium food that combines innovation, superb taste and provenance. Broughgammon has also been among the biggest supporters of Year of Food and Drink and has become a regular feature at food festivals across Northern Ireland.
“Increasing the profile and quality of Street Food here is one of the most important objectives of Year of Food and Drink. We saw a need to support the expansion of food festivals throughout Northern Ireland by encouraging those interested in a service that has long been a feature of many global cities and helps to reinforce the tourist experience.
“We want visitors to Northern Ireland to enjoy our street food and to rate in on a part with cities such as Amsterdam, Paris, New York, Hong Kong and Bangkok. We have the quality ingredients and enterprising people to succeed in what has become a very exciting industry that’s reckoned to be worth an amazing £600 million a year and is growing annually by 20 per cent.”
The British Street Food Awards was launched in 2009 by UK food journalist Richard Johnson who had enjoyed delicacies from around the world and wanted to encourage the industry’s growth in Britain. He subsequently won the backing of celebrity chefs such as Mark Hix and Marco Pierre White as well as respected food writers including Tom Parker Bowles. Xanthe Clay, the Daily Telegraph’s food expert was among the judges.
