Starting out:
From a teaching background, also with a qualification in French patisserie, Tracey Jeffery was keen to bring the wonders of Northern Ireland produce to the masses. From initially taking her wonderful macarons to a local farmers market, she swiftly saw the opportunity with other local producers in Co Down who were selling their locally produced wares such as butters, jams and the like.
‘I just thought we have such amazing foods, we should shout about it!’, says Tracey. She set up NI Food Tours in 2016, with a pre-planned route to local farmers and all kind of food producers. Showing international tourists around initially, she said, ‘it was hard work – it took a lot of work to work out a route, but it was well received ‘. Tracey is very proud of what she has done to promote local food and drink businesses to the tourist market.
Tracey shows people the wonderful produce which is available from local producers such as the Dunlarg Dexter’s beef farm Castlecreen Farm, Downpatrick, Killmegan cider, Dundrum, and many Ulster fishermen – sampling oysters, other shellfish & white wine/local cheeses, and local beers etc. from local breweries and distilleries too.
And then to Tracey’s own kitchen..
Seeing the passion and the enthusiasm from her visitors to the food tours, Tracey opened up her home – a large converted barn in Co Down - to visitors as Tracey’s Farmhouse Kitchen. Tracey can welcome many visitors at a time, and goes through traditional breadmaking skills in her wonderful Co Down surroundings. She broadened this into an afternoon tea experience, and in 2019 she started online cookery classes too. Tracey has now moved into producing hampers with her own bakes and makes, and has partnered with other local producers as well in order to offer a huge variety of quality local ingredients for sale, and in a hamper for the perfect Christmas gift – or even a gift to yourself!
The ingredients to Tracey’s hampers include a local apple and ginger drink – from Armagh (orchard county), her own damson & plum gin, her wheaten bread mix which uses course ground local flour milled in Belfast from the grains that grow in the local fields, oaten bread, and salmon pate made from famous north coast Glenarm salmon. Tracey tells me that Ruariadh from North Coast Smoke House smokes the organic smoked salmon from the Glenarm estate. The Ditties oatcakes are handmade by the family-run business, made with oats from the Co Armagh. Also available in Tracey’s hampers are ingredients such as her friend Eileen’s homemade relish and apple jelly, a local Ballylisk soft cheese – a single cream brie from Armagh, and the famous Abernethy butter, the dulce version with seaweed, used for its salty flavour – especially good when making bread.
Over the pandemic when international travel has been severely restricted, Tracey is pleased to note that the food experiences have been going from strength to strength, with local people keen to explore the opportunities for quality food on their doorstep, and keen to support local businesses. ‘I didn’t think Northern Irish people would be interested in learning how to make our local breads, but I am pleased to say they are – I’ve recently hosted a mum and son who had given each other vouchers for the experience and they enjoyed it together! People come time and time again, I’m pleased to say.’ says Tracey.
Tracey has been flying the flag for Northern Ireland food and the quality and provenance has been the key to the experience she provides, and her passion and enthusiasm for the produce is clear. Why not explore the opportunities to showcase local produce in your experience and capitalise on the wonderful flavours which Northern Ireland has to offer.
Proud of our own Produce!
