On 17 March 2026, the Office of the Northern Ireland Executive in Brussels hosted its annual Ulster Fry breakfast to mark St Patrick’s Day, welcoming 230 guests for a taste of Northern Ireland. The event celebrated Northern Ireland’s fantastic local produce, with ingredients sourced by FoodNI.
We were pleased to be joined by Junior Minister Aisling Reilly, Junior Minister Joanne Bunting, and the Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Andrew Muir, who travelled to Brussels for the occasion. The morning began with a welcome from ONIEB Director Aodhán Connolly, followed by short remarks from the Ministers.
This year’s Ulster Fry featured bacon, pork and beef sausages served alongside black and white pudding sourced from The Meat Merchant in Moira. Traditional potato, soda and wheaten bread, essential to any Ulster Fry, was baked by Irwin’s Bakery in Portadown and sourced locally from Stonemanor, just outside Brussels.
Guests also enjoyed apple juice from Long Meadow Cider in County Armagh, as well as tea and coffee from Belfast-based Thompson’s Tea and Bailie’s Coffee Roasters.
Invest Northern Ireland provided a gift for guests on the day, with a selection of snacks from Forest Feast in County Armagh, showcasing more of Northern Ireland’s food offering.
This years Ulster Fry was a great success and a really enjoyable way to celebrate St Patrick’s Day with colleagues and friends from across Brussels.
A big thank you to FoodNI and Stonemanor for helping make the event possible.
You can find our NI producers and suppliers
@Food_NI @TheMeatMerchant @bailiescoffee @LongMeadowCider @PunjanaTea @IrwinsBakery
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