Meet Ursa Minor in Antrim, the bakery making the most of seasonal produce

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.

Photography and words by Cliodhna Prendergast. This article originally appeared in the Spring 2024 issue of IMAGE. 

IMAGE Summer 2024