“I love where I’m from and want to shine a light on NI as a food destination.”
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Images via Stock Kitchen & Bar & Danny Millar
One of the first sourcers we connected with during the development of Source Grow was restaurateur and chef Danny Millar from Stock Kitchen & Bar. Stock is known for sourcing its products locally – very locally in fact as the restaurant is situated just above St. George’s Market! Danny and the team of chefs at stock serve up fabulous dishes in a relaxed, informal atmosphere and open kitchen. One of the best spots to sit at Stock is on their terrace where you can eat your meal whilst watching the traders and visitors below.
When deciding on where to set up the restaurant, St George’s was selected for a reason. Danny was inspired by visits to Spain and Italy, countries known for their bustling markets and seasonal cuisine, and he wanted to create a restaurant that allowed him to explore that passion for fresh, seasonal market produce within his own dishes… and what better place to do this than from within a market!
What Danny enjoys cooking the most when it comes to local produce is fish-on-the-bone, slow-cooked food using all parts of the animal and of course, great simmering stock! Dishes from Stock Kitchen & Bar are sourced local and have included ingredients such as Hegarty’s Cheddar, Ballyhornan Crab, Armagh Cider and Market Vegetables.
When we asked Danny what the future holds for restaurants and their patrons, he said that he sees a resurgence in understanding where food comes from and new-found appreciation for it. Meat and vegetables now come cling wrapped in supermarkets and we, as consumers, are often cut off from the food source when it is presented in this way. The lack of soil and dirt – the things that are natural to fresh food isn’t seen any more and he would like this to change and for people to engage more with what they consume.
“Our forefathers used to pickle stuff!”
Slow, sustainable and seasonal food would be at the heart of this new way of cooking and eating, with consideration to “old” methods of preserving so food can be eaten out of season – making kimchis, pickles, chutneys and marmalades.
Danny has built up wonderful relationships with growers and is incredibly proud of the vibrant food scene that has developed over the years here in Northern Ireland and we hope to continue our connection with Danny through Source Grow too.
“I love where I’m from and want to shine a light on NI as a food destination.”
We were lucky enough to try some of Stock’s delicious dishes and we think you should too!