While you consider Eire, you in all probability consider Guinness instantly. However head north to Armagh in Northern Eire — generally known as “Orchard County” — and also you’ll discover one other drink stealing the highlight: cider. Apples have been grown right here for the reason that early 1600s, and immediately the area produces extra apples than potatoes (sure, actually). With its rolling drumlins, fertile soil, and an extended, sophisticated historical past, Armagh has turn out to be the beating coronary heart of Eire’s cider revolution.
Whether or not you’re sipping a dry Carson’s Cider, wandering historic orchards, or tucking into farm-to-fork suppers paired with crisp apple drinks, Armagh is a dream vacation spot for foodies. Right here’s your information to one of the best cider, supper golf equipment, and orchard experiences in Northern Eire’s apple capital.
Why Armagh is Apple Nation
The story of apples in Armagh is older than many of the castles in Eire. Again within the early 1600s, when the crown seized this land through the Plantation of Ulster, apple bushes have been introduced over from England. The orchards thrived within the rolling drumlin hills, which supplied fertile soil and pure irrigation.
At first, the apples have been used to make fruit wines, which have been safer to drink than a lot of the water provide. Quick ahead a number of centuries, and Armagh is now the most northerly apple-growing area within the British Isles, producing every thing from Bramleys to delicate consuming apples. Enjoyable reality: the farmers right here develop so many apples that they really produce extra per acre than they’ll promote recent. What do you do while you’ve received tons of apples and no consumers? You make cider.
Ballinteggart Home: From Blossom to Bottle
The most effective locations to expertise Armagh’s cider tradition is Ballinteggart Home, run by the Troughton household, who’ve been rising apples for 5 generations. Their “Blossom to Bottle” tour is a component orchard stroll, half historical past lesson, and half tasting session — principally, every thing a foodie may need.
The Troughtons produce as much as 20 tons of apples per acre, and within the early 2000s, confronted with an oversupply, they determined to make cider. There was only one downside: they didn’t understand how. So one of many household headed to western England to be taught cider-making, got here again, and created Armagh’s first business dry cider.
That first cider, Carson’s, was launched in 2005. Dry, crisp, and unapologetically totally different, it wasn’t precisely successful with everybody — particularly for the reason that identify “Carson’s” carried political baggage in Northern Eire. So, they tailored. They purchased Maddens Orchard, launched a extra mellow Maddens Cider, and watched it outsell Carson’s two to at least one. Right now, each promote equally effectively.
Then got here Doyle’s, a line of flavored ciders designed for broader enchantment. Assume strawberry, blackberry, elderberry, and blackcurrant blends — all made with 100% apple juice (by legislation, cider solely needs to be 35% apple juice within the UK, however Ballinteggart goes all in). They even make a non-alcoholic cider, plus glowing lemonades and apple drinks for youthful guests or these skipping the booze.
Throughout a tasting, you would possibly attempt the Ruby Black Cider, a mix of apples, blackcurrant, and mint (80% apple, 20% blackcurrant). Or their distinctive honey-kissed cider, which proves innovation is simply as a lot part of their DNA as custom.
For an added expertise, add on the Style of Artisan Armagh! We did this for lunch and have been in a position to get pleasure from a scrumptious meal, all domestically sourced for the world.
The Armagh Meals & Cider Competition
Should you can time your go to for September, you’ll catch the Armagh Meals & Cider Competition, a celebration of all issues apple. Over 4 days, town and surrounding countryside come alive with pop-up eating occasions, orchard excursions, cider tastings, and stay music.
Highlights embody orchard-to-table feasts, cider-pairing dinners, and avenue meals made with Bramley apples (which, enjoyable reality, are so bitter they’re principally ineffective uncooked however magical in cooking). Assume ribs smoked over Bramley apple wooden, desserts made with Grenadier apples, and craft cocktails infused with native fruit.
The pageant is the proper place to see how deeply ingrained apples are in Armagh’s meals tradition. And with cider at almost each occasion, you’ll perceive why this area is rewriting Eire’s drink story.
Crannagael Home Supper Membership
For an intimate foodie expertise, guide right into a supper membership at Crannagael Home, an 18th-century household house surrounded by orchards. Right here, you’ll feast on a multi-course menu ready with native substances, every dish paired with cider from MacIvors, considered one of Armagh’s most celebrated producers.
The setting itself is historic — the primary Bramley apple seedling in County Armagh was planted on this land. The meals is seasonal and deeply rooted within the area, and with a cider skilled guiding you thru the pairings, the night feels equal elements feast and masterclass.
Barbecue at On the Hoof: Farm-to-Fork, Armagh Fashion
For one thing extra informal however no much less scrumptious, head to On the Hoof, a family-run spot housed in a 200-year-old constructing. All the pieces right here is sourced inside 10 miles, from the pork stomach to the Grenadier apples utilized in desserts.
The menu was this Texan’s consolation meals dream: ribs, sliders, wings, pizza topped with pork stomach, apple, and sriracha, fried mac and cheese balls, and arancini. The meats are smoked utilizing Bramley apple wooden, giving each chunk a definite Armagh taste. It’s proof that apple wooden doesn’t simply belong in pies and ciders — it belongs in BBQ too.
MacIvors Cider: A Legacy in a Bottle
Whereas Ballinteggart might have put Armagh cider on the map in recent times, MacIvors has been rising apples since 1855. Their strategy combines heritage orchards with trendy craft, producing ciders that vary from conventional dry to inventive blends.
One standout is their Ruby Black Cider, made with Bramley apples combined with blackcurrants and a splash of mint. It’s daring, refreshing, and barely rebellious — very similar to the orchard nation itself. And sure, they do use splendidly named varieties like “Goose Turd” apples for pollination and mixing. (It sounds much less appetizing than it tastes, I promise.)
We didn’t go to their orchard, however their ciders have been included in so lots of the dinners I needed to point out them. My private favourite was the Session, considered one of their canned ciders.
Street Bowling: A Aspect of Tradition
Foods and drinks are solely a part of Armagh’s cultural material. If you need one thing actually native, try highway bowling. This conventional sport includes throwing a small iron ball (a “bullet”) down a winding nation highway, with the aim of reaching the end line in fewer throws than your opponent.
It’s often a one-on-one sport, however typically complete teams take part. Speeds can attain as much as 80 miles per hour, and the environment is half competitors, half neighborhood gathering. Watching (or attempting) highway bowling offers you a style of Armagh’s character — quirky, vigorous, and fiercely pleased with its traditions.
Remaining Sip
Armagh won’t be the primary place that involves thoughts while you suppose “foodie vacation spot,” however when you’ve walked its orchards, tasted its ciders, and dined on its apple-infused dishes, you’ll surprise why it isn’t. From the Blossom to Bottle excursions at Ballinteggart Home to cider-pairing suppers at Crannagael, to BBQ smoked with apple wooden, Armagh provides a foods and drinks expertise that’s uniquely its personal.
So, whether or not you’re a cider lover, a curious foodie, or simply somebody who appreciates an excellent story with their pint, Armagh is ready to indicate you ways deep its roots actually go.
