A tapas recipe designed to highlight the unique microclimate of Mount Stewart’s Spanish Gardens has been selected as a commended entry for the latest Climate Creatives Challenge.

The Climate Creatives Challenge is a global initiative designed to serve as a catalyst for innovation in climate communication. This includes a biannual international design competition, supporting new and novel approaches for communicating the impacts of climate change and the benefits of mitigation, adaptation, and resilience.

This year sees the entry of a Mount Stewart tapas recipe by Dr Alan Kennedy-Asser and Delia-Maria Asser, selected as a commended entry for the Climate Creatives Challenge #03: Adapting Historic Environments. Dr Alan Kennedy-Asser is a climate researcher, amateur cook, and kitchen gardener; and Delia-Maria Asser is a MasterChef finalist.

Their recipe is designed to highlight the microclimate in the Mount Stewart gardens, where the mild temperatures allow fruit and vegetables such as grapes, pineapples and bananas to be grown. It draws attention to ongoing research by the University of Bristol and the National Trust to mitigate the damage a changing climate has had on Mount Stewart’s Spanish Gardens in recent years, with sea water flooding and killing much of it.

The tapas are a fusion of old and new, bringing Spanish influences to local Northern Irish produce, paying tribute to what has been lost and what might be to come.

Click here for the tapas recipe.