Jenny Bristow

High Street Mall - Masterclass

On Saturday 25 October, Jenny Bristow - Ambassador of Good Food Northern Ireland - will return to High Street Mall. The shopping centre located in the heart of Portadown, to host another Hallowe'en themed cookery extravaganza. The Jenny Bristow Masterclasses will commence at 12.30pm and 1.30pm and have been spread out with the aim of allowing as many people as possible to see Jenny's wizardry in the kitchen.

The masterclasses will help inspire shoppers to try their hand at adventurous and delicious dishes, making use of pumpkins, apples and other 'Hallowe'en' produce that can easily be sourced locally.

While delicious concoctions are mixed up in Jenny's pots and cauldrons for the adults, children will be looking forward to the spook-tacular time they will have at the Mall. Storytelling by the Friendly Witches' Den has been organised into sessions at High Street Mall on Friday 31 October and Saturday 1 November, from 2pm to 5pm each day. Quiet listeners will be rewarded with a themed chocolate lolly and colouring-in sheet to take home.

Looking forward to bringing some Hallowe'en entertainment to High Street Mall, Jenny says,

"County Armagh is know for its fantastic local produce, particularly its apples with which I love to cook. In conjunction with Dunnes, I plan to cook up a spellbinding array of dishes to inspire and help the shoppers from Portadown with their Hallowe'en feasts."

Tracey Jackson, Manager of High Street Mall says

"Having built a reputation as an ambassador for local produce, Jenny will be using ingredients during the demonstrations that, where possible, can be sourced locally from Dunnes Stores within the Mall. We'll also be distributing complimentary recipe booklets, while stocks last, with most of the recipes that will be demonstrated on the day, so the audiences will have no excuse not to pick up what they need on their way home to try the recipes out for themselves!"

Dunnes Stores, High Street Mall's outlet for a wide range of grocery products amongst a range of other items for the home, supplies all the ingredients in the recipes Jenny has planned for the day. So, why not pop in on the way home to get the ingredients to try the recipes out yourself!

Jenny's Hallowe'en themed Masterclass cookery demonstrations, which are to take place in the centre of High Street Mall, in front of Dunnes, will leave you with plenty of inspiration for the festive season!

Jenny has worked closely with High Street Mall and Dunnes Stores to develop the following mouth watering recipes.

To download High Street Mall masterclass recipes click here

Cooking for Fun Cooking for Life - Educational workshop at W5

We no longer need to travel the world for ingredients to produce delicious curries form India, salads from Thailand or a feast from the east. With the economic climate here at present in Northern Ireland being very sympathetic to the cost and prices of food, Jenny will be taking the schools on a very colourful journey to introduce foods, products, spices, herbs, fruits and vegetables in the latest Cooking for Fun Cooking for life educational workshop at the W5 on 30th September.

As always Jenny will create her magic and demonstrate how to cook in an economic way to produce dishes with wonderful oriental flavours along with the best of our home grown.

To download W5 masterclass recipes click here

Castledawson's Cookin' Up a Treat – Again!

Jennys Welcome

It's good to build on the success of Castledawson's Lough Neagh Food Festival. This event set in the enterprising and picturesque village of Castledawson has a strong and very positive support of the importance of locally produced food. This is an arena very close to my heart and one I have been working very closely with over the past years.

Here at this unique event I will be cooking up in my Masterclass a selection of recipes totally based on local sourced produce in all its variety from Lough Neagh Eels, local breads, meats and all with its own individual story all part of the rich tapestry of rural life throughout Ireland.

The recipes this year have a strong reflection of our economic climate, low cost, convenient and ideal for everyone to replicate in their own way. Unique recipes will be available here on my website.

Come along and see me cook up a real treat at 12:30pm. There will be a

• Mother Hubbard's Pie
• Prime Local Sausages with Mustard and Red Onion Gravy
• Lemon and Rosehip Pannacotta with Spiced Crab Apples
• Damson Plum Cardamon Cake

and many more

Download the Castledawson PDF Recipe Booklet

I will also be hosting and cooking up a Breakfast Launch event for local producers to share breakfast with me. This will be a great opportunity to network and meet key people involved in buying and marketing of local produce. This year it is great to see the additional interest and respect that this festival has gained with regard to involving tourism, catering and retailing.

I am convinced this colourful food festival will result in many coming to the village, having a fun day as well as understanding and investing in their community and the vision of Castledawson.

I look forward to meeting you all.

Jenny Bristow

Lough Neagh Food Festival set for 6th September – Get Ready for a Gourmet Great Day Out

Castledawson gets ready to cook up a treat once again - with the second Lough Neagh Food festival set to take place on Saturday 6th September 2008. Following on the success of last year's one day culinary event, this year's festival will once again see Castledawson's Main Street converted into a colourful culinary celebration.

Like last year, the Main Street will be full to burstin' with foodie stalls offering all sorts of taste sensations, plus culinary demonstrations by leading chefs. There will be all the usual festival fringe activities - including attractions for children of all ages.

TV celebrity cook Jenny Bristow and Northern Ireland Good Food Ambassador Jenny Bristow will be serving up special dishes created specially for the festival.

Along with the much loved cookery demonstrations, a wide range of local food manufacturers and suppliers will be getting into the food festival mood, fusing local produce with tastes and flavours from all around the globe.

Robert Ditty of Castledawson Development Enterprises said

"The world will come to Castledawson on Saturday 6th September - not just all the people who will flock to the village for the day, but foods and flavours from all over the planet will blend with the finest foods that this area has to offer,"

"Not only does the one day event give the local community a chance to celebrate its rich and diverse food traditions and the contribution the area's food producers make to the local economy, it's also an opportunity for Castledawson and its surrounds to welcome visitors and offer fine food and hospitality."

Jenny Bristow said she is looking forward to the Castledawson food festival once again.

"I particularly enjoyed last year's festival. There was an amazing atmosphere throughout the village - it was full of vitality and delicious aromas. I'll be cooking up a few new dishes - but I'll be keeping it all under wraps until the day."

Chris McCarney of organising company Your Event said

"Last year's food festival in Castledawson was such a resounding success that it is essential that we continue to develop this event. It is a lively, fresh and innovative festival that not only promotes good food and drink, it encourages a sense of community and pride in local produce.

"I'm sure that both local people and visitors from further afield will make a date with Castledawson for Saturday 6th September."

See www.loughneaghfoodfestival.com for further details. The festival is sponsored by Ardboe Cold Store, Ditty's Home Bakery, MDC Tiles and Bathrooms Magherafelt and Mullan & Co Chartered Accountants in Castledawson, and is made possible with funding from the EU Regional Development Programme and the Northern Ireland Regional Food Programme.

The Great Sunday Lunch - 19th October, 2008

A host of celebrities are supporting Age Concern at the launch of the first ever Great Sunday Lunch. Our very own Local good food ambassador Jenny Bristow along with Tess Daly, Barbara Windsor, Anthony Worrall Thompson are all encouraging us to cook up a feast and raise funds for Age Concern. The gastronomic event designed to celebrate the national institution that is Sunday Lunch will raise funds for older people for whom Sunday Lunch can be a difficult and lonely time.

The Great Sunday Lunch will take place on Sunday 19th October, 2008.

Jenny launches the campaign in August for Age Concern Northern Ireland and will supply her own top tips and recipes for creating the perfect Sunday Lunch on www.ageconcernni.org. As a local good food ambassador, Jenny will judge the best Sunday Lunch as part of a region-wide competition. She will be looking out for the lunch that uses the best recipes and local produce. You can enter by emailing your Sunday Lunch menu to greatsundaylunch@ageconcernni.org. All menus must be submitted no later than Friday 3rd October, 2008.

Sunday lunch is often the most socially significant event of the week, where millions of people gather with friends and family to catch up, relax, have fun, and make plans. It is about communication and getting together. Sadly, this doesn't apply to everyone. Older people are particularly likely to be isolated: one in 10 over 65's live with constant loneliness. Over 20% of over 80's live alone, and almost one in five pensioners live in poverty.

Jenny said:

Sunday Lunch in our home has always been a way of life. I firmly believe its part of the cement of the better things in life. A time for those around the table to share food is one of lifes greatest pleasures whatever the choice of meal.

The Great Sunday Lunch is I feel a unique opportunity for everyone to contribute to this event whether you are cooking and eating for 1, a family, groups of people who simply come together to share and eat at home, at work, in restaurants and best of all to extend a warmth of friendship and share your meal particularly with those who are perhaps alone.

Look out for my suggestions and inspiration on Jennys Take on a Sunday Lunch or Jennybristow.com where I have new inspirational suggestions on low cost lunches, best local produce, cooking on a budget and recipes for all ages that are not time consuming and will embrace the wider community here in Northern Ireland and their tastes.

You can get involved by inviting your friends and family round for dinner and donating to Age Concern, you can gather in your local Church or commmunity group, or attend one of our participating venues and they will donate on your behalf.

Anne O'Reilly, Chief Executive of Age Concern Northern Ireland said:

"The Great Sunday Lunch is a fun event that will raise vital funds for our work with older people. This is a wonderful opportunity for people to get together with older relatives and friends who usually eat Sunday Lunch alone. The sense of isolation experienced by older people can be particularly acute at a time when family members traditionally spend time with each other."

For more details on the campaign or to register your involvement please call 02890245729, or email greatsundaylunch@ageconcernni.org