We had the fantastic opportunity on Saturday morning to go on the maiden Catch and Sea trip with Causeway Coast Foodie Tours. Our morning started very early, we met at 6.15am at the Causeway Lass in Portrush Harbour and we were taken out towards the Skerries and Dunluce Castle in time for sunrise. That experience in itself was worth the cost of the trip but it got better and better.
Our host was Wendy Gallagher from Causeway Coast Foodie Tours who made us feel so welcome and fed us lots of delicious local breads from Tony’s Griddle Goods.
Our fishing experts were Richard and Charlie. They put us at ease straight away and even though I have never fished before they gave me such confidence to have a go. It worked. I caught the first and largest mackerel. It was one of the best feelings!
We spent a couple of hours fishing and Charlie regaled us with local stories and lots of information about wildlife. We even spotted a sunfish. They are a rare sight and it was amazing to watch it swimming around the boat. Later we also watched a gannet circling the boat majestically. You can’t put a price on opportunities like this, I was grinning from ear to ear. Charlie and Richard also taught us about filleting fish and we were given a really helpful information pack at the end of our trip.
After a couple of hours fishing we returned to dry land and headed round to Babushka for our breakfast. Richard presented the mackerel and then the lovely people at Babushka cooked our breakfast with mackerel as the star of the show.
Even at this point in the trip when I knew we had got our money’s worth, there were more little treats in store. Babushka gave us a glass of their home made naturally fermented redcurrant soda to start our breakfast experience
and then we tasted 3 different coffees: Workshop Gachatha AA, Koppi and Pernodby Grecencio. I was having a ball and breakfast hadn’t even arrived yet. Then breakfast arrived. Oh my! it was a thing of beauty. The mackerel drizzled with a little Broighter Gold lemon infused rapeseed oil, Ursa Minor Sourdough, lashings of Abernethy butter, a poached egg and finally some crumbled Broughgammon Farm goat bacon. We also had some Northern Smokehouse smoked dulse to sprinkle over the dish if we wanted. This breakfast was a showcase of everything that is wonderful about local producers. If you haven’t tried any of the producers and products I’ve just mentioned then you need to, they are seriously good. It’s no wonder these producers have been winning stars.
What I particularly loved about this tour was the passion and knowledge that came with it. Everyone involved was a real advocate for the Causeway Coast wanting to share all it has to offer. Wendy was able to highlight the local food producers who have recently won taste awards and Babushka ensured that whilst mackerel was the star of the show other local producers were included. Quality shone through the entire morning. The goodie bag was another lovely touch to remember the morning by. If you get an opportunity to book on one of these tours, do it! You won’t be disappointed. We’ve definitely caught the fishing bug and are already planning a trip on Causeway Lass next time we are home.
Causeway Coast Foodie Tours: http://www.causewaycoastfoodietours.com
Causeway Lass: http://fishportrush.net
Tony’s Griddle Goods: https://www.facebook.com/tonysgriddledgoods/photos/pcb.605250119632281/605250009632292/?type=3
Babushka: http://www.babushkakitchencafe.com
Broighter Gold: http://www.broightergold.co.uk
Abernethy Butter: http://abernethybuttercompany.com
Ursa Minor Bakehouse: http://www.ursaminorbakehouse.com
North Coast Smokehouse: http://www.northcoastsmokehouse.com
Broughgammon Farm: http://broughgammon.com