New Northern Ireland artisan producer is on a roll after adding an oriental twist to the bagel

New Northern Ireland artisan producer is on a roll after adding an oriental twist to the classic bread bagel.

Originally from Hong Kong, Ching Yi Yuen opened Eastern Bagel in Lisburn six months ago and has since received huge success with her home bakery business.

Showcasing her goods for the first time at the Balmoral Show, Ching is hoping to boost her business which has already got the attention of many artisan food fans across Northern Ireland by completely revolutionising the typical bagel.Ching made the move to Northern Ireland last year and launched her new business venture in November selling her filled bagels both online and at artisan food fairs and markets throughout the country.

She explained: “I was a primary school teacher in Hong Kong. I came to Northern Ireland due to my husband’s job in July. At that time, I had an opportunity to think about how to start my new life, and I chose to start my first home bakery. When I was young, I spent lots of time baking with my mum as I liked eating buns.

" I dreamed about having my own bakery, and I think now is the time to make it happen.“Hong Kong food culture is mainly influenced by Asian and European cuisines, due to a long history of being an international port of commerce. Unique blend of East and West, old and new are the main features of Hong Kong cuisine, just like our bagels made with different ingredients and unusual in the UK and Northern Ireland.

“This style of bagel is very popular in Asian countries like Japan and Korea, I brought the idea to Northern Ireland, and see how people think about this style of bagel.

"At first, I was worried that the people here would not accept my bagels as they are quite different from the traditional one. After joining a few markets, I saw that people were surprised by the bagels I made, especially because they came in different colours and were stuffed. Later, I started getting some repeat customers, which made me very happy and encouraged. I'm grateful for their support, especially when they told me they came for my bagels.”

Looking forward to representing the Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council area at the 155th Balmoral Show on May 16 and 18, Ching added: “I hope visitors see me and come along to try my sweet and savoury bagels – they can be a quick snacks or even a meal.

“One of the popular sweet bagels is Coconut and Coffee Bagels, which evolved from a Hong Kong traditional bread, cocktail bun. I love cocktail buns and they go really well with coffee, so I combined in a bagel flavour is pretty good.“The idea of our eye-catching Black Sesame Bagels is inspired by a Chinese dessert- black sesame soup, a delicious and nutritious dessert. As for its colour, I use charcoal powder that also has health benefits instead of artificial colours to create its uniqueness. It’s not just about looks, but also delicious and healthy.

“And Garlic Bagels are the most popular savoury bagels. The distribution of topping of Garlic Bagels is designed to allow people to taste the aroma of garlic butter in every bite. Our garlic butter is also made in a special way to maximise its aroma.

"I can’t wait to welcome everyone to stall 48 in the Northern Ireland Food and Drink pavillion, honestly they are delicious and have to be tried.”