​Ballycastle’s campfire sauce blazes a trail in Ireland’s biggest food awards

The small business gained the prestigious recognition of the Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards (IQFDA) last week in Dublin. The IFQDA title follows outstanding successes for the small enterprise at the UK Great Taste and Blas na hEireann Irish National Food Awards in August.

Seasons of the Glens was among five Northern Ireland food producers to win gold awards at IQFDA. The others were: Morelli’s Ice Cream from Coleraine; Milgro Crispy Onions of Limavady; Karri Kitchen of Portadown; and Killinchy’s Willowbrook Foods in collaboration with German discounter Lidl.

The awards, among the most prestigious challenges in Ireland and one closely monitored by major retailers here, in Ireland and in Great Britain. They were presented at a glittering dinner featuring industry leaders from across the island.

Held annually, IQFDA, now in its 10 th year, is regarded as the gold standard of food and drink excellence. The awards recognise the very best in retail, wholesale, and food service food and drink producers and influence buyers in major retailers on the island of Ireland.

These influential awards recognise and celebrate the finest food and drink products available in Ireland, encompassing retail, wholesale, and foodservice sectors. Each entry undergoes rigorous evaluation by a panel of industry experts, with a focus on key criteria such as taste, flavour, provenance, and innovation.

Seasons of the Glens was formed by the council to sell local food and drink at markets in many parts of Northern Ireland especially Coleraine and, of course, Ballycastle.

The purpose is to represent food producers when they can’t be at market themselves. It’s essentially a social enterprise in which profits are reinvested into delivering the markets.

The winning caramel sauce was developed to meet a demand in the market and also to create an additional source of income to help fund the delivery of the markets and keep costs reasonable for producers to trade.

Devil’s Churn is named after a local landmark in Ballycastle. The ‘Devil’s Churn’ is a component of the 18-19th century salt works near the town.

A natural sea cave in the sandstone mass of Pans Rock, it comprises an inner pool separated from the open sea at low water by a lip of rock. Devils Churn looks bubbly and angry not unlike caramel sauce when it’s being produced, and ‘churn’ also is a nod to the dairy products in the sauce.

The unique sauce is crafted in small batches by Seasons of the Glens Farm Shop, using locally smoked salt sourced from the North Coast Smokehouse, owned by Ruraidh Morrison. This ingredient lends the sauce its distinctive name ‘Campfire

Salted’, offering a perfect harmony of depth, subtle smokiness, and salted sweetness.

Seasons of the Glens Farm Shop operates under the umbrella of Naturally North Coast and Glens CIC, an award-winning not-for-profit social enterprise based in the Causeway Coast and Glens region.

An understandably jubilant Eoin McConnell, Naturally North Coast and Glens, continues: “We developed the sauce to fill a market gap and raise funds for our artisan markets. Devil’s Churn presents a rich, luxurious, and irresistibly indulgent caramel sauce, salted with North Coast Smokehouse beechwood smoked salt.”

All the proceeds from the sale of the award-winning sauce are reinvested to support small businesses and bring about community cohesion through the delivery of Naturally North Coast and Glens markets.

“Winning the Small Producer Award in the Irish Quality Food and Drinks Awards is a tremendous achievement, especially considering the exceptional standard of entries this year,” adds Eoin. “We’re already seeing quite a bit of interest in the sauce,” he adds.

Shauna Mc Fall, of Naturally North Coast and Glens, adds: “We were thrilled to be shortlisted for an Irish Quality Food Award and then excited to receive the award.

“We’re very proud of Devil’s Churn, it has only been on the shelves since 2021 and the local reaction has been extremely positive, resulting in the product being rolled out to a number of local stores and all the Visitor Information Centres across Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council.

“Within our team, we possess a wealth of knowledge and experience, which we used in developing a product that is being enjoyed by many while also giving back to the local community with each jar sold.

“We currently have over 400 artisans registered to trade with us at our markets, with numerous new and young businesses from around Northern Ireland registering with us each month. Additionally, we also support approximately 100 makers and producers through our online store and farm shop,” explains Shauna.