A group of Northern Ireland families got their first chance to dine together at a restaurant on Friday night at our sister hotel Corr’s Corner Hotel.
Corr’s Corner Hotel served a very special meal to more than 100 diners with life-threatening allergies. The occasion was the inaugural Allergy NI Annual Dinner, where people suffering serious allergies were able to dine out on delicious organic food free from peanuts, tree nuts, egg, dairy, wheat and gluten.
“Most people take eating out for granted but when people with allergies eat out they are taking their lives in their hands so it is so unusual for families with an allergy sufferer to eat out together,” said organiser Maureen Paul
The food was prepared and cooked by the hotel’s sous chef, Gary Kiely who was thoroughly trained by the charity’s advisor and environmental health expert, Dr Ian Leitch. To prevent any cross contamination, Gary had to store the food in a separate cold room and cook it in an isolated part of the kitchen. He also had to come in during the night to prepare food. Gary admitted he felt a heavy responsibility in ensuring conditions were as free from harmful allergens as possible.
Most of us have the option of sending a meal back if we don’t like it, but for those suffering severe allergies a single wrong ingredient can prove potentially fatal. “I talked to a woman who hadn’t been out to eat for 28 years. She couldn’t afford to take the chance. Cooking for people with allergies does make you more vigilant,” said Gary “We are dealing with people’s lives so I have to make sure that everything is as safe as possible. All nuts are off the menu for the day; in fact we didn’t even have nuts in the building during the dinner.
“All of our staff have done the training but for this particular function I did all the cooking from start to finish so there was no risk of cross contamination. “The 12 waiting staff made sure their clothes and hands were spotless and that they did not eat nuts during the day. All the utensils had to be steeped in fairy liquid to remove potentially harmful proteins,” he added.
Last year, Gary cooked his first allergen-free dinner at Corr’s when Allergy NI held its Young Person of the Year Awards in the hotel. The night was so successful, the charity decided to use the venue to hold its first annual dinner and invite along families of allergy sufferers This time around, he had the added responsibility of making a range of desserts and make sure they were safe to eat. Each dessert had to have its own set of sterilised utensils, including three separate ice cream scoops as some had ingredients potentially harmful to some of the diners.
Allergy NI Co-ordinator Maureen Paul praised management and staff at the hotel for a fabulous evening and for their thoroughness and dedication. “Corr’s Corner is probably the only hotel in Northern Ireland that could cope with this event. The hotel has really risen to the occasion. Management has ensured all the staff have been given in-depth Allergy Awareness training. “Gary has sourced all of the ingredients to make sure they were free of allergens. We have had so much support from them and our members greatly appreciate it,” she added.
The menu for the evening included: Main Course: Roast Organic Ribeye of Beef or Roast Organic Chicken (both cooked separately in their own juices); Mashed Potato (with no butter or milk added); Baked Mini Jacket Potatoes or Chips (cooked in sunflower oil) and Steamed fresh Carrots and Cauliflower. Desserts: Fresh Fruit Salad, Swedish Glace Ice Cream, Chocolate Sponge Cake and Iced Plain Cake. For more information visit www.corrscorner.com or www.allergyni.co.uk
On the back of this, the other properties in the group (Adair Arms Hotel and Dunsilly Hotel) have also now had indepth allergy awareness training.
Chef Gary Kiely at Corr's Corner Hotel recieves an award in recognition of his dedication from Allergy NI co-ordinator, Maureen Paul
