Hillsborough Castle and Gardens are buzzing about the Honey Fair

After a successful inaugural year which had the Gardens of Hillsborough Castle buzzing, the Hillsborough Honey Fair is back and bringing some sweet tastes, sights and sounds to the historical venue on Saturday August 6 and Sunday August 7.
By Julie-Ann Spence
Published 21st Jul 2022, 14:46 BST
Updated 21st Jul 2022, 14:57 BST
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Chef Paula McIntyre will headline the popular Food Demo Stage each day, which will also see a line-up of local chefs - including Royal Hillsborough’s own The Plough and The Hillside, - preparing delicious dishes inspired by the ingredient of the moment – honey. UTV’s Rita Fitzgerald will host the demo stage, talking through each recipe with the chefs and taking questions from the audience.

Alongside the demos, almost 50 of Northern Ireland’s local producers will sample their products, all tweaked to include local honey, which can also be brought home by sweet-toothed visitors.

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Meanwhile, the beekeepers of Northern Ireland, including Hillsborough Castle and Garden’s very own beekeeper, Gwen Earnshaw, will bring samples of their hives and honey to the Fair for visitors to get up close with, and learn more about our vital pollinators. Hillsborough’s expert gardeners who care for the Castle’s 100 acres of stunning grounds will also be on hand to share how we can nurture bees in our own back gardens.

Head of Hillsborough Castle, Laura McCorry is pictured with Chef Paula McIntyre who will headline the chef demo stage at the Hillsborough Honey Fair, with UTV’s Rita Fitzgerald who will host a series of local chefs, returning to create a dish inspired by honeyHead of Hillsborough Castle, Laura McCorry is pictured with Chef Paula McIntyre who will headline the chef demo stage at the Hillsborough Honey Fair, with UTV’s Rita Fitzgerald who will host a series of local chefs, returning to create a dish inspired by honey
Head of Hillsborough Castle, Laura McCorry is pictured with Chef Paula McIntyre who will headline the chef demo stage at the Hillsborough Honey Fair, with UTV’s Rita Fitzgerald who will host a series of local chefs, returning to create a dish inspired by honey

The weekend’s entertainment will all be set to a backdrop of live music from gospel to jazz and blues, plus a special Family Waggle Dance experience, inspired by worker bees, with Leonie Pony.

Laura McCorry, Head of Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, explained: “We have an incredible weekend of family entertainment, delicious foodie treats, arts and crafts, dancing and music, all inspired by bees and their beautiful local honey.

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The Hillsborough Honey Fair aims to inspire our visitors to understand just how important bees are to the environment, from their pollination to helping plants grow, which of course allow our local food producers to make their incredible products. We’re delighted to have once again teamed up with Food NI who have curated a wonderful array of local farmers and producers who continue to put Northern Ireland on the map as a foodie haven.

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“With our family entertainment from dancing to storytelling, beeswax food wrap workshops and everything in between, we hope our visitors will be inspired to do their bit in their own gardens, support local producers and live even more sustainably.”

Tickets are now on sale for the unique event at www.hrp.org.uk/hillsborough-castle/

Related topics:GardensNorthern Ireland