Northern Notes

By Debbie Orme Notes

Fab food the order of the day at The Dairy

Sandra McDowell stands in front of her well-stocked deli counter

Local, top-quality produce has never been so popular and The Dairy with its farm shop, butchers and bistro’s gastronomic offering certainly has taste buds in Gleno – and the surrounding area – flowing. The Dairy is built on the former site of a co-operative creamery, which was founded more than a century ago. The name for the business, ‘The Dairy’ is a welcome reminder of the building's former history. When business owner, Sandra McDowell along with her late husband Robert, decided to breathe new life into the area by creating a coffee shop and gift shop, she soon found that the project was taking on a life of its own. ‘My late husband and I bought the original dairy building over thirty years ago,’ said Sandra.

‘It was really important to us that the new business retained the charm and history of the old. And so while we had to demolish and rebuild the site we were conscious to merge the new with the traditional to create a place that felt like it fitted perfectly in our rural surroundings. ‘We stripped the old building, retaining all of the items that we could salvage, such as slates and beams. We kept the old stone to build the fireplace, the windows to create dividing sections in the restaurant and my brother-in-law even handcrafted the tables from the old beamwork - if we could use it again, then we made sure nothing was wasted.’ 100% eco-friendly gas (Calor BioLPG) for all its heating and cooking. ‘While our initial vision was to create a quaint, little coffee shop with a neighbouring gift shop, as the project began to develop, we realised that there were new, wide-ranging opportunities,’ Sandra continued. ‘We instead opted to develop the building as a bistro, butcher’s shop and farm store.’

Passionate about sustainable agriculture and traditional free-range farming, owner Sandra takes pride in personally curating and sourcing all items. All the beef and lamb sold at the butchers are reared onsite on the family farm.

‘I’m also a big advocate of top-quality, locally-sourced produce and so, naturally, we wanted to provide such products both in-store and in our Bistro. Our shop showcases quality local suppliers in our varied range of artisan products, ranging from chutneys to chocolates; from breads to sweet treats. On our menus we have also marked the local items or produce that you can purchase behind our butchers counter or in the store to take home.’

Sandra McDowell outside The Dairy Our great chefs pride themselves on being able to cater for everyone and so our menu offers a wide range of breakfast and lunch dishes that are suitable for meat eaters, vegetarians, vegans and coeliacs alike,’ says Sandra.

‘The Bistro now has its own alcohol licence and so diners can pair their meals with a wide range of wines, not to mention our specialty, local craft beers, which are available on draft.

‘Our fantastic culinary team cooks everything fresh every day, using the top-quality, local-sourced products from the shop and we also have a dedicated baking area where all of our scones, cakes and tray bakes are made by hand by our new in-house pastry chef.’ The Dairy also offers its own signature roast coffee beans, the ‘Gleno Blend’, having partnered with local roasters Wild Heart Coffee Roasters to offer a truly unique coffee experience. As with most ingredients used at the Bistro, the beans are available to purchase in The Dairy Farm Shop.

‘We’ve really developed a reputation for the quality and standard of our food, and our customers and visitors alike are all greatly appreciative of – and complimentary about - our home-cooked food.’ The Dairy - bistro, butchers and farm shop - is located in the heart of the Gleno valley, and is situated only a few minutes’ walk from Gleno waterfall. The area’s proximity to the Causeway Coastal Route means that it’s a real ‘go to’ venue for locals and tourists alike, and Sandra loves the fact that the customers are so wide-ranging and from a diverse range of backgrounds.”

The Dairy is a popular meeting place for locals and visitors alike who wish to relax after exploring Gleno waterfall and the local area. The attractive, pet friendly, courtyard dining area is perfect for those visiting with their four legged friends or popping in for a coffee break on their cycle route.

‘I just love meeting and chatting with our customers,’ says Sandra. ‘We pride ourselves on providing a warm welcome to everybody. Obviously it’s great to see the locals coming in, but we love it when customers mention how far they have ventured to visit us. We get a lot of groups who are in Gleno to visit (or swim in!) the waterfalls and who then come in for a bite to eat, not to mention cyclists who seem to enjoy a coffee break on their journey down to the Causeway coastal Route. It’s a real ‘social centre’ for the area: a community hot spot if you like.’

There’s no doubt that ‘community’ is a buzz word for Sandra and her contribution to the local community is invaluable.

‘I’m delighted that I’ve been able to create employment in this rural area,’ she says. ‘I’m currently employing 20-25 people in the bistro, butcher’s shop and farm store. Together we’re shaping a new and important chapter in Gleno’s history by breathing new life into the area and I’m so proud to be playing my part.’

Unique array of gifts and food at Walled City Christmas Market

Derry’s walls and the Walled City market

Guildhall Square in Derry will play host to an array of traders offering unique gifts and scrumptious tasty treats when the Walled City Christmas Market comes to the city in the first two weekends of December.

The city's Markets, nestled underneath Ireland's tallest Christmas tree and between the Guildhall and the world famous Derry walls are known throughout the country for their charming handmade crafts and mouth-watering ‘legenderry’ food.

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Alderman Graham Warke, encouraged visitors and locals alike to pay them a visit. ‘I am really excited to see the Walled City Market return, it provides an excellent platform for local traders and a brilliant selection of unique gifts and food for shoppers,’ he said.

‘It has been another tough year for traders so I am pleased that they will have the opportunity to showcase their products again.

‘I'd like to encourage shoppers to make an extra effort to support them this year, when we shop local and keep money in the local economy it gives everyone a boost.’

The Walled City Markets are one of the key events in Derry City and Strabane District Council's Christmas programme.

Alderman Warke has invited Santa and his Elf and Safety helpers to Derry and Strabane for a quick visit before Christmas and planned lots of festive fun activities for all the family to enjoy.

His programme begins at Strabane's Alley Theatre on Saturday December 4th from 12pm – 5pm before moving to the city's Guildhall from Friday December 17th until Sunday December 19th. Tickets are free and will be available to book at derrystrabane.com/christmas.

Celebrating 100 years of food and drink heritage in Causeway Coast and Glens

A special celebration of local produce from the Causeway Coast and Glens has been held in the beautiful surroundings of the Arcadia in Portrush.

The evening, which was led by distinguished chef Paula McIntyre, was organised as part of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s NI 100 programme.

In association with Taste Causeway, invited guests from Council’s NI 100 Working Group joined members of the local food and drink Collaborative Network to learn more about the heritage of our food through the years as Paula guided them through a bespoke tasting menu featuring recipes specially chosen to showcase the area’s food provenance.

This unique history has also been captured by Taste Causeway in a series of video interviews with local businesses who have been part of this story including Bushmills Distillery, Morelli’s Ice-cream and the Woman’s Institute along with complementary recipe videos where Paula serves up traditional dishes from the last century.

‘I really enjoyed working with the Taste Causeway members to capture the history and the stories of the people and the place which makes our food and drink so renowned across the world,’ Paula McIntyre said at the event. ‘I had the opportunity to chat to the Master Distiller at Bushmills Distillery, meet three generations of the Morelli family and have afternoon tea with the Woman’s Institute, as well as cook traditional recipes from different decades in the last 100 years. It is wonderful that we have been able to capture and preserve this for future generations.’

Sharon Scott from the Taste Causeway collaborative network and chef Paula McIntyre are pictured at the special celebration of local produce held in the Arcadia building in Portrush as part of Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council’s NI 100 programme.

From left: Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council Chief Executive, David Jackson; Mayor of the council, Richard Holmes; Alderman Michelle Knight McQuillan; chef, Paula McIntyre and Councillor John McAuley at the celebration of local produce held in The Arcadia in Portrush.

New app now available for first time to Irish patients to aid in recovery from robotic joint replacement surgery

Hermitage Medical Clinic becomes first hospital in Ireland to use mymobility

THE Hermitage Medical Clinic has become the first hospital in Ireland to use a new cutting-edge care management system which assists patients before and after robotic orthopaedic surgeries such as hip and knee replacements.

Thanks to an agreement between the Hermitage, Zimmer Biomet and Apple, the mymobility app can be used by any patients who can use a wearable device such as an iWatch or an iPhone.

Mymobility tracks the patient’s movements and prompts them when they need to do their post operative exercises, while also providing guidance on whether they are doing them correctly.

It is used in conjunction with the ROSA Knee System, another marketleading technology designed to adapt to each surgeon’s workflow while maximising efficiency and enhancing intraoperative feedback.

This the first robotic platform to be used in the Hermitage, where patients can now benefit from the more personalised approach to recovery.

Mr. David Cogley, an orthopaedic surgeon at the Hermitage who specialises in knee and hip surgery, says that the system is helping to deliver real results to patients.

“An effective recovery journey is absolutely vital to the surgical process. What mymobility does is provide patients with the information they need to do the required exercises correctly.

“The medical team here at the Hermitage can monitor patients’ progress remotely via mymobility. It helps doctors to identify immediately where problems exist, and lets us know where extra support and guidance is needed. Using it helps to maximise the benefits of the robotic joint replacement, and it helps patients to stick to their post op recovery plans and ultimately get back on their feet more quickly,” Cogley said.

Mymobility aids with both pre- and post-op preparation and exercises for orthopaedic patients and it is anticipated that many of the patients who benefit from it will be in older age cohorts, although it can help patients of all ages who undergo joint replacements.

Patricia Connerton of Lanesboro, County Longford, recently had a bilateral hip replacement in the Hermitage.

Prior to the procedure, her arthritis had made exercise very difficult, which presented significant challenges as she prepared for the surgical procedure: challenges which the mymobility app helped her to surmount. “Mymobility was brilliant. I got the app a few weeks before the operation, and it gave me exercises to do in order to build myself up for the operation. I would get up in the morning and I would get a ping on my app - no way to get away without doing my routines or exercises.

“For the recovery, it had a whole programme of exercises and reminders and trackers for me, which helped me to build up my walking again.

“Not only is it simple to use - I downloaded it from the App Store - mymobility also has educational tips. It answers questions for you, for example, at six weeks it will tell you what you should be doing, and if you are not walking enough, it will tell you,” Connerton said.

Mymobility also allows medics to track their patients’ progress, thus helping to provide additional support to all involved.

“Being able to use mymobility in conjunction with ROSA will be of huge assistance in preparing patients for surgery in the coming years, and in aiding their recovery. It is a massive win for patients, and another example of how modern technology is delivering real results in orthopaedic surgery here at the Hermitage,” Cogley concluded.

The Hermitage Medical Clinic is a 112-bed private hospital in Lucan, West Dublin, which provides specialised medical, surgical and other care to patients from across Ireland.

Orthopaedics is a major area of expertise at the Hermitage. Along with two dedicated state-of-the-art orthopaedic operating theatres with full laminar air flow, enabling skilled surgeons to perform all orthopaedic surgery, the Clinic also offers a comprehensive diagnostic imaging department, providing a service across a range of modalities including MRI, CT and Digital X-Ray.