Unique Irish wheaten is the acclaimed Taste of the North West

A traditional Irish wheaten loaf that features a unique oyster stout in its ingredients has been named Taste of the North West. SAM BUTLER talked to John Crowe, the chef/entrepreneur of Carrick Foods and the renowned Stout City Loaf.

The wheaten is a signature dish that John, 55,, a much travelled and highly regarded chef, has developed for Carrick Foods, the small bakery he’s developed in Derry. The award is his latest success and is a result of his approach that’s based on keeping things simple. The company also produced a popular cured salmon with lemon and dill.

“We are thrilled to receive this important recognition by the business community in the North West. It’s an exciting development for our small business and one of our original products.

“The loaf is a signature product that are easy to use for meals and snacks. It’s a moist and moreish loaf that’s baked with buttermilk and dates,” he explains. “It’s inspired by the traditional wheaten bread my mother and grandmother used to make back home on the family farm near Carrick in Tipperary,” he adds.

The loaf also received two gold stars from the UK Guild of Fine Food in the inspirational Great Taste Awards.

“It’s a wheaten with a different flavour drawn from the North West and a distinctive ingredient from the River Foyle. I’ve given the traditional loaf a LegenDerry twist by using our very own Foyster Stout that is made from shells of the renowned flat oysters farmed on the lough. It’s delicious served with a simple slather of butter and a cup of tea,” adds John.

The wheaten is based on a collaboration between the Walled City Brewery and Ebrington and Sippy Fest community festival that led to Foyster Ale. All oysters used are sustainably sourced through the Lough’s Agency and local fishermen, and every part of the oyster is utilised to create a unique stout. The stout has been brewed by Walled City Brewery and is available at selected bars and restaurants across the city.

Walled City Brewery, a major investment for James Huey that includes a widely acclaimed restaurant, distillery behind Amelia Earhart gin and a brewery academy, was also named Restaurant of the Year in the awards organised by the City Centre Initiative with Derry Chamber of Commerce. Other food winners included Claude’s Café, The Cosh Bar and Grill. Moran’s Retail sponsored the award to Carrick Foods.

“Our award-winning Stout City loaf is created using the finest grade flours combined with the natural sweetness of rich caramel scented dried fruits. To contrast this, we sourced a locally crafted creamy oyster stout made using the famous Lough Foyle Irish flatbed oyster native to the North West of Ireland to produce our Stout City loaf,” he says.

The wheaten and a cured salmon with lemon and dill product reflect John’s gastronomic experience of almost 40 years in Ireland and further afield.

A father of two teenagers, who began cooking at the age of 16, John now lectures in culinary arts at the North West Regional College (NWRC), a role he has performed for almost 20 years. His is also co-ordinator in the Professional Chef Diploma course.

He completed his formal training in Galway, afterwards going on to developing a wealth of knowledge as a professional chef in five star properties providing fine dining.

NWRC has a strong focus on food that includes FoodOvation, an organisation that helps in the development of innovative food and drink products in the North West and further afield. NWRC has contributed to the development of Carrick Foods and Walled City Brewery, as well as other successful artisans such as Broighter Gold Rapeseed Oil in Limavady, Whoosh in Coleraine, Carol’s Stock Market and Monto Gourmet Chocolates, both based in Derry.

John continues: “At Carrick Foods we have a wealth of experience and we put this to good use to craft and develop the homemade products. If homemade and traditional are as important to shoppers as they are to us, then our Stout City Loaf and our Cured Salmon with Lemon and Dill are the essences of this.

“We represent traditional, local, fresh and honest food prepared and produced to the highest standards to ensure that it reaches consumers the way we intended,” he adds.

An accomplished competition chef with many awards and accolades, John has developed and mentored many students for a wide range of competitions, including Toque D`Or, WorldSkills and The Graduate Awards, to name but a few.

“A professional chef at heart, I am continually inquisitive and have a passion to reflect best practice and to develop strong links within industry. To this end, I have been proactive working with leading industry chefs to benchmark and update skills and also sourcing placements for students,” he says.

He’s just launched a new website about the entrepreneurial business – www.carrickfoods.com