Take a peek at the revival of Northern Ireland's coastal cuisine

Along the wild Causeway Coast of Northern Ireland, there's a community of small-scale businesses - from innovative restaurants to foodie tours and experiences - who are as passionate about their local produce as they are about the spectacular landscapes.

An imposing coastal rock formation surrounded by the calm sea; a safeguard boat is passing the coast.
Northern Ireland's Causeway Coast is known for its scenic landscapes — and delicious seafood.
Photograph by Annapurna Mellor
Story and photographs byAnnapurna Mellor
February 10, 2025
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
A woman with half her long hair in a bun and wearing an apron is sorting through a bag of fresh mussels.
At LIR - a restaurant just outside Coleraine that's named after a sea god in Irish mythology - owners Stevie and Rebekah McCarry are on a mission to bring local, sustainable seafood to the Northern Irish coast.
A fisherman on deck of a fishing boat, helping to pull a filled net aboard.
The couple know each of the fishermen who supply their stock, and at the top of every menu is a list of the boats that delivered today's catch.
Mussles fresh from the sea and still wet.
Today's mussels come from father-and-son duo Liam and Raymond McGuiness, whose business Foyle Bia Mara supplies mussels grown in Lough Foyle estuary.
Mussles cooked with garlic, leek and cider on a plate with a side of bread and butter.
They are served in a sauce of Irish cider, barley and leeks, with a couple of slices of sourdough bread on the side.
A look inside the restaurant through a round window, the inside blending modern seaside decor and art deco lamps.
LIR doesn't have a freezer, so everything is prepared fresh and incorporates Irish produce and flavours.
Man wearing a polo shirt and windbreaker, holding a mug and standing onboard a ship looking into the sunlight.
"Today, you're going to see the world from a different perspective," says Charlie Adjey, a local storyteller who works alongside skipper Richard Connor (pictured). "Usually, we see the sea from land, but today, we see the land from the sea."
A small fishing boat with a group of people aboard, just in front of the hilly coast.
Together, they run sunrise breakfast tours on the charter boat Causeway Lass. As we sail out of Portrush Harbour, we spot the medieval Dunluce Castle up on the headland and White Rocks Beach below, basking in the glow of the morning.
Fishing rods thrown off the boat with fake fish attached.
The rods are cast and bring back mackerel, which are found in abundance in these waters. The fish are filleted back at the harbour and then taken to Kraken, a casual seafood restaurant with ocean views.
Cooked mackerel fillets over poached egg and roasted potatoes in a cardboard box for takeaway.
Here, chef Lee Gibson cooks up the morning catch for breakfast - mackerel this fresh is best served simply, with poached eggs and fried potatoes.
A market stall close up of fresh produce and juice, including apples, tomatoes and spring onions.
Heading inland, the emerald glens of Northern Ireland are also home to delicious, responsibly sourced produce.
Plates of breakfast at a restaurant with a seedy french toast, yoghurt and raspberry dish in focus.
Wendy Gallagher runs Causeway Coast Foodie Tours, giving visitors a glimpse of the goods that come from both the sea and the land. Her Coast and Country tour visits a salmon smokehouse, a deli in Bushmills called Maegden, then stops or brunch at Market Square Cafe.
A charming, seasoned farmer on a field, lovingly petting a donkey's head.
The next stop is to meet Robin Cole, who moved to Broughgammon Farm 22 years ago, searching for the good life.
A bunch of goats peeking through the gates of their stall.
Since then, his son Charlie and his partner Millie have turned the farm into a sustainable business with a focus on goat meat. The farm and the team behind it have countless accolades under their belt, including Irish Food Writer's Guild and British Charcuterie Live awards.
Photograph by Annapurna Mellor
A woman dressed in black on an Irish beach, cooking off salt in a frying pan over a makeshift bbq.
"Our food is about community, family and connection to the sea", says local Claire O'Kane who runs Mussenden Unwind, a wellness experience that puts visitors in touch with the sea, land and flavours of the coastline.
A weedy coastline at sunset with the end of a wooden fence peeking in, the ocean in the distance.
Salt is a key component of the Unwind experience, which came about after Claire began wild swimming to combat health issues. The saltwater had a profound effect on her, but when she started looking for Northern Irish bath salts, they didn't exist.
A wide shot of the windy Northern Irish coasline, a lonesome person walking along the shore.
The Unwind experience takes us from the wilds of Downhill Beach to a meditation session in Downhill Forest, ending at a pub, The Point Bar, where we smoke our own salt over an open fire.
Published in the Cruise guide, available with the Jan/Feb 2025 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).

To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).