** Please note, this event took place in 2024. These are some of the activities that took place. Keep an eye on this page for exciting details of the 2025 event **
Saturday 7 September 2024 | 12noon - 5pm | Portavogie Harbour
The beautiful harbour village of Portavogie will host a celebration of delicious local produce as well as the Borough's finest food and drink on Saturday 7 September with Tide and Turf.
Running as part of Ards and North Down Borough Council's Taste Autumn programme of events, Thursday 5 - Sunday 15 September 2024, this free to attend family event showcases the food produced around the harbour and surrounding farmland with a focus on seafood and beef and features celebrity chefs Rachel Allen and James Tanner.
Your foodie dreams will come true as you savour the seasonal tide and turf produce.
Find out more about the full Taste Autumn Ards and North Down programme.
Festival Kitchen
Rachel Allen | A bestselling cookery writer, TV chef and celebrated teacher at the world-famous Ballymaloe Cookery School in County Cork, Ireland.
She is a popular figure in the culinary world, with an international audience for her bestselling cookery books and food writing, her live demonstrations, and her much-loved television programmes. Rachel was co-host of Good Food Channel’s Market Kitchen, has appeared on BBC’s Saturday Kitchen, and currently co-hosts The Restaurant alongside Marco Pierre White for RTE as well as writing a weekly food column for the Sunday Independent. Read more about Rachel.
James Tanner | A chef, author and TV personality.
Known for featuring on many TV cookery shows including Ready Steady Cook, Saturday Morning with James Martin and was the resident chef on ITV’s Lorraine. James is passionate about using local, seasonable and sustainable produce of excellent quality, and was involved in the first Red Tractor Week, supporting farmers, processors, retailers and distributors who work together to maintain and raise production standards. James is a regular at food festivals up and down the country, and he and his brother Chris opened their first restaurant in 1999, Tanners Restaurant in Plymouth, and have since went on to co-own a number of award-winning restaurants. Read more about James.
Recipe inspiration
Food demonstrations and unique foodie experiences make up the programme and we want to inspire you with some dishes you can try for yourself at home, which have kindly been provided by our local chefs, producers and SERC lecturers, and may feature at some of the events.- Taste Autumn Recipes
Family Fun
In addition to the food element there are a range of free children’s activities including...
A visit from the magical Mermaid Belleweather, between 1-3pm, maritime themed craft stations - where the Children can take away a memento of their day, made by them. And, we welcome back Exploris Aquarium's touch tank - a favourite for all ages!
Always a goodie - Find the fish hidden around the venue and claim your goodie bag from the Ards and North Down Borough Council Visitor Information Centre caravan in a game of 'What a catch!'
Big Fish Little Fish – Family Rave
12noon - 12:30pm - Quiet Session
1pm - 1.30pm | 2pm - 2.30pm | 3pm - 3.30pm | 4pm - 5pm - Family Sessions
Plus, Pedal boats, sand crafts, and more!
Don't miss ...
View the spectacular JetLev-Flyer Demos; a unique water jetpack experience taking place throughout the event, every hour at: 12.15pm, 1.15pm, 2.15pm, 3.15pm and 4.15pm (demos are approximately 10 mins long).
Music Stage
Grab a deckchair and enjoy live music, quench your thirst at the pop-up bar and pick up a snack from one of the many artisan food stalls.
Anna's Number | From busking on the streets to Belfast, to selling out capacity crowds at the Limelight, the Black Box and the Mandella Hall, Anna's Number are a funky fresh band who inject fun and class into all they do.
Having built their reputation as one of Ireland's top entertainment acts, the pandemic forced Anna's Number back to their humble busking roots. Now, these five formidable musicians are back bigger and better than ever, with a full-production live show.
Bringing the 'showband' into the Instagram generation, Anna's Number are renowned for their expansive, inventive setlist - from 60s rock 'n' roll and 70s funk/soul classics, to noughties Clubland bangers and viral TikTok hits.
Expect the usual favourites, new revamps, epic mash-ups, and a few surprise guests along the way...
With Anna's Number you just don't get their chemistry, you get the whole periodic table!
Junior and Corey: The Shoreline Duo | This pair will seamlessly blend acoustic versions of all-time greatest hits with some hidden gems. Junior's guitar and vocal skills, combined with Corey's upbeat drumming, offer the perfect soundtrack to your day out at Tide and Turf.
To make your day our as enjoyable as possible, please use this Plan Your Trip Section, which will give you more information about:
- How to travel to the event by car or public transport.
- Parking
Park and Ride | Available from Millisle Beach car park, Saturday 7 September from 11.30am to 5.30pm. Park your car and hop on our Park and Ride bus service to Portavogie Harbour which will operate on a continuous loop.
Pre-Bookable Event Shuttle Buses | From Bangor via Donaghadee, Millisle, Ballywalter and Ballyhalbert, from Newtownards via Greyabbey and Kircubbin, and from Portaferry to Portavogie via Cloughey.
- Event Site Useful Information - covering topics including: Visitor Information Caravan | Recycling | Accessibility | First Aid | Lost children and Vulnerable adults | Dogs | Stay sun safe.
This event has received funding from DAERA’s Northern Ireland Regional Food Programme.
*Tide and Turf Portavogie is a free to attend event. Charges may apply to some event activities and purchases at the event.
Sustainability
We encourage visitors to travel via public transport and buses provided. There are fresh water stations on site, so bring along your refillable bottles and reusable bags to pick up goodies at the event. Please dispose of rubbish in the recycling stations provided. Read more about Sustainability.
Please note:
- This event is a no drone zone. Only official event drones authorised by the event organisers are permitted.
- No alcohol should be brought on-site. Only alcohol purchased at the bar may be consumed in the designated area.
-For more information on safe alcohol consumption, visit the Drink Aware website.
Further detail to follow - Keep checking back to the website, follow our facebook page or sign up to our ezine for updates.
[Please note, details subject to change. This event is being photographed/filmed. Images may be used in Ards and North Down Borough Council promotional material. If you do not want your image to be used, please inform our event staff].
To make your day our as enjoyable as possible, please use this Plan Your Trip Section, which will give you more information about, how to travel to the event by car or public transport, parking, shuttle buses, as well as, event site useful information - covering topics including: Visitor Information Caravan | Recycling | Accessibility | First Aid | Lost children and Vulnerable adults | Dogs | Stay sun safe.
Part of the Taste Autumn in Ards and North Down Programme. Experience the incredible starry skies above Burr Point, the most easterly point on the island. Astronomers from the Northern Ireland Amateur Astronomy Society will be on hand with their telescopes ready to explore the planets and galaxies above.
