A Belfast Affineur

Sometimes I wish I lived in Belfast. Being out here in Tyrone means I miss out on all kinds of events but it also means my visits to specialist retailers are few and far between. Sometime I don't even find out about the place. Arcadia is one such place. Its been there for 60 years yet I only found out about its existence a few weeks ago and resolved to investigate ASAP.

I'm glad I did. In addition to all the usual deli bits like cheeses and meats there's a range of home-made chutneys and other tasty produce. I especially liked the wide variety of UK cheeses available, some of which will be making their way into my new book. There were a couple of cheeses I hadn't even heard of, let alone tasted which has now been rectified. They include the fantastic Leggygowan Blue from Saintfield. These will no doubt be making an appearance in blog form in the near future. They're happy to let you taste the cheeses too; so don't have to be buying blind

I've agreed to participate in an Belfast Bloggers Unite one topic, 40 opinions project. This post is my wilful misinterpretation of the brief "Eating Out in Belfast". If you live in Belfast or its environs get yourself down to Arcadia and bag yourself some tasty cheeses and meats, pop in the bakers next door for some fresh bread and the grocers on the other side for some salad bits then get yourself out there and enjoy Belfast's green spaces. Have a picnic in the Botanic Gardens, a ploughman's in Ormeau Park. You could even pair it with beer by grabbing some bottles from the ever plentifully stocked Vineyard...though of course most public places disallow alcohol; so perhaps save that for those back garden picnics!