Arriving at Belfast International in sleet and snow, I drive south to County Down in darkness. It takes an hour to reach the Slieve Donard Resort & Spa in Newcastle – a pretty Victorian seaside town just down from the prolific mussel beds of Dundrum Bay. Newcastle’s vast stretch of sandy beach is shouldered between the Royal County Down Golf Course and the unspeakably beautiful granite peaks of the Mourne Mountains.
The breakfast I wake to is a buffet of fantasy proportions: porridge with Bushmills whiskey and a giant hunk of glistening honeycomb. Fresh and dried fruits, cereals, muesli, smoothies and juices. The creamiest yogurt, cured meats and cheeses. To top it all? An Ulster Fry. Thick-cut back bacon, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, beans, hash browns. Perky little Honeybee sausages with Gracehill Fine Foods black and white puddings. A towering display of Irwin’s breads (soda, wheaten and rye). Oh, and there are scuffins, muffins, pancakes and farls.
Looking out at the Mournes, snow-dusted in dazzling sunshine, I can see precisely what inspired CS Lewis to write The Chronicles of Narnia. I think, if that late Easyjet flight was a wardrobe, I must be in a food lover’s Narnia. I also think, almost painfully, this is only the first meal of the day.
Northern Ireland has been named Best Food Destination 2018/19 by the International Travel & Tourism Awards and it hasn’t taken me long to find out why. The region – already well known for world-class golf and Game of Thrones – is home to some outstanding produce and a growing number of creative food entrepreneurs.