Cliodhna Prendergast
Meet Ursa Minor in Antrim, the bakery making the most of seasonal produce
Inspired by their love of the landscape and the local ingredients it produces, Ciara and Dara O’hArtghaile have created Ursa Minor, a bakery shining a light on the importance of our connection to the land.
Driving into Ballycastle, the sun is throwing shafts of light over velvet green fields huddled around of one of the nine glens of Antrim. Colourful rows of houses run down to the sea, the beacon-like limestone and basalt cliffs of Rathlin Island almost a swim away and the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland clearly visible to the left of Fair Head at the mouth of the bay.
This is the perfect base to explore the northern coastline, the Giant’s Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, beautiful Ballintoy Harbour and the Bushmills Distillery. Fast becoming another landmark of the Antrim coast, on Ann Street in Ballycastle, is the Ursa Minor bakery and café. From early morning, the windows are decked with fresh sourdough loaves and the aroma of warm bread and coffee spills out onto the street, making it almost impossible to pass.
Owners Dara and Ciara O’hArtghaile first met during the summer of 2010 when they were working at the Carrick-a- Rede rope bridge, fell madly in love and spent over a year travelling through Europe, South America, and New Zealand together. In New Zealand, working opposite shifts, their only rendezvous time was midday. This was spent drinking coffee, eating cake and taking in the Antipodean café culture. From this, their love of food and its provenance flourished.
It’s hugely important to support our local producers and growers; it inspires people to value the importance of Irish food in all its forms.
However, the hills of Antrim called and the couple returned home in 2011. They missed the delicious sourdough, cakes and pastries they enjoyed so much during their time in New Zealand and were disappointed that they could not find anywhere locally that produced them.
So, they decided to teach themselves how to bake sourdough bread and a star was born: Ursa Minor, named after the bear-shaped constellation. Initially, it was a farmer’s market stall where queues formed for their bread and pastries that sold out every day, and an increasing demand for wholesale product grew.
A tiny premises in the town became free and they opened a pop-up café. For two years, they juggled baking at home, children and the café until an opportunity arose for them to have a permanent, larger space where today, their thriving bakery serves the town and wider community. They have managed, for the most part at least, to create a business with a good work-life balance that shows in their work, in the calm vibe of the bakery and their three happy children.
While many premises of its kind do what they can to keep things local, for Ciara and Dara this ethos is a non-negotiable tenet of their baking and they take a pronounced pride in using the finest locally sourced and Irish products, celebrating their producers and local growers at every chance. “It’s hugely important to support our local producers and growers,” Ciara says. “It promotes a thriving and sustainable food scene.
Using seasonal ingredients from the land around us is a massive part of our ethos. Not only does it showcase the beauty to be found in food throughout the year and inspire people to value the importance of Irish food in all its forms, it also helps them to feel more connected to their landscape and home.”
Their distinctly delicious bread is their lynchpin; Dara and the team of bakers at Ursa Minor are true artisan bakers using traditional methods. While Ciara has a flair for matching unusual flavours and foraged ingredients to add a touch of magic to pastries, finishing them beautifully in her own creative style. The love and good will they invest in their work can be tasted in every bite. Their short day-menu is vegetarian- focused and sings with wholesome local ingredients.
Since opening, they have been recognised by the global slow food movement’s much-sought-after awards, acknowledging their expertise in baking exceptional artisan breads, especially sourdough and patisserie.
It is a marvellous sight to see the bread line the window early in the morning and the beautiful glass display case gradually fill with irresistible pastries and then, like a turning tide, watch how they quickly disappear into paper bags and out the door. I filled a bag with pastries and bagels to bring home and packed a light and bubbly focaccia sandwich filled with kale pesto, hummus and cashew rayu for my journey back down the west coast. I started eating when I hit Donegal and by the time I was on the Sligo border, I was seriously contemplating turning back for more.
2024 will see a small expansion to their offering. “This spring, we will open a bakery school with lots of courses both in sourdough and patisserie, which we are very excited about,” Ciara says. They also have pizza evenings most Fridays that will continue throughout the year and “we have a new series of guest spots coming up for spring including some very exciting chefs,” says Ciara. “Plus, we will continue our little outlet in Ballintoy called Ursa Minor Minor.”
Ursa Minor is Ireland’s northern star bakery. They have formed a perfect constellation of producers, colleagues, collaborators and customers, giving rise to an honest, world-class, local business that they and their community are deservedly very proud of.
“Sorrel is found in abundance around the verges, hedgerows and fields of the glens,” Ciara says, and so she loves to find ways to incorporate it into her bakes. “Luckily for me, it’s in our garden too!”
INGREDIENTS • 100g water • 100g caster sugar • 50g common sorrel
METHOD • 1. In a small saucepan, heat the water and sugar over a medium high heat until boiling, turn down slightly and simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. 2. Wash the sorrel and blitz in a small food processor with 2 ice cubes. 3. Pour the blitzed sorrel mixture through a sieve into a container, then add the cooled syrup. 4 This will keep in the fridge for a few days. Use to drizzle over cakes and ice cream, or in your G&T.
Photography and words by Cliodhna Prendergast. This article originally appeared in the Spring 2024 issue of IMAGE.
IMAGE Summer 2024The Summer issue of IMAGE is here, and we’re taking the longer days as an opportunity to slow down, take stock, and luxuriate in the lull that summer brings. From laid-back looks to in-depth reads, there’s everything you need to set you up for the season. Plus: * Warm-weather style * Boho is back * In studio with Irish designer Sinéad O’Dwyer * Career success stories * Growing and foraging * Women in music * Reframing divorce * Tackle your tiredness * Summer beauty favourites * Bringing the outdoors in * Irish eco escapes * Garden getaways * and so much more…
Have you thought about becoming an IMAGE subscriber? Our Print & Digital subscribers receive all four issues of IMAGE Magazine and two issues of IMAGE Interiors directly to their door along with access to all premium content on IMAGE.ie and a gorgeous welcome gift worth €142 from Skingredients. Visit *here* to find out more about our IMAGE subscription packages.
Also Read
