
Treat yourself with these 7 gourmet buys from Northern Ireland
Whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s, flipping pancakes or just investing in yourself for the shortest month of the year, look to Northern Ireland for the finest products and ingredients. We’re talking buttery caramel sauce, fiery ketchup and irresistible charcuterie…

1. Abernethy Butter
Ireland is famed for its butter and hand-churned Abernethy has garnered cult status thanks to its buttercup colour and nostalgic flavour. There’s a range of flavours – many sealed with Great Taste Awards – including smoky-sweet Black Garlic. From £3.70 for 100g, available from Abernethy Butter
2. Boatyard Distillery Sloe Boat Gin
If you were judging a bottle by its label, you’d not go far wrong looking at Boatyard Distillery’s Sloe Boat Gin. The B-Corp company is organic, uses waste stillage for cattle feed and spent botanicals for chocolate – but the best bit is how drinkable the gin is. At a lower 29.8% ABV, it’s tart from sloes, dry from juniper and slightly sweet with plum and chocolate notes. £34.95 for 70cl, available from Master of Malt
3. Wild Atlantic Distillery Amalfi Lemon Vodka
Wild Atlantic Distillery Amalfi Lemon Vodka is made using real fruit, so there’s plenty of zing and sweet citrus to balance the fire of the barley vodka. It’s great cut with a dash of vermouth, martini style, or with soda, bashed lemongrass, ginger and mint. £35.95 for 70cl, 40% ABV, available from Wild Atlantic Distillery
4. Devil’s Churn Irish Whiskey Caramel Sauce
This charming caramel sauce is luxuriously buttery, with a surprise spike of Bushmills Black Bush Whiskey. If it’s not part of your Pancake Day, you’re not living. Devil’s Churn is also a not-for-profit social enterprise, so every surreptitious spoonful is doing good. 100g for £3.99, available from Artisan Market Online

5. Black Fire Ghost Pepper & Black Lime Ketchup
You can never have too many condiments and Black Fire’s Ghost Pepper & Black Lime Ketchup deserves a place in your selection. This umami firecracker isn’t shy with its heat but is rounded thanks to fruity undertones. £5.50 for 160g, available from Black Fire Foods
6. Burren Balsamics Apple-infused Balsamic Vinegar
If you’ve not quite got over the ubiquity of balsamic vinegar in the 1990s, you need to try this infusion. Armagh Bramley apples are infused in small batches of cask-aged Modena balsamic vinegar for a sweet-sour, funky blend that would lift everything from cheeseboards to tuna steak. £9 for 250ml, available from Burren Balsamics and independent delis
7. Broughgammon Farm Rose Veal Sujuk Salami
If you love the warmth of ’nduja, the chew of chorizo and the sweetness of sobrasada, be prepared to fall for Broughgammon Farm’s Rose Veal Sujuk Salami. This regenerative farming family have created an ingenious and delicious solution to a serious problem – since the majority of male dairy cows and billy goats are considered ‘waste’ and put down. Enter free-range rose veal with a peppery, paprika-y salami that sings as charcuterie or fried with eggs. £6.50 for 150g, available from Broughgammon Farm and independent retailers

Find out more about Northern Ireland’s top producers, including a directory, at buynifood.com – and discover our favourite buys from Northern Ireland to refresh your storecupboard.
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