Overview
Ballykenver is a working dairy farm where Amanda Hanna – the fourth generation of her family to farm this land outside Armoy – makes award-winning puddings and preserves in the farmhouse kitchen and will teach you to make your own jam at her table. What started with a single batch of rhubarb jam has turned into a shelf of small-batch preserves, a clutch of national taste awards, and a workshop people drive across the glens for.
If you only stop for the shop, you’re missing the point. The thing to book is a session at the kitchen table: a couple of hours making jam, chutney or lemon curd, a cup of tea while it sets, and a pot to take home. It’s a few miles from the Dark Hedges, so it slots neatly into a Causeway Coast day.
The farm shop
The shop trades on low food miles and short shelves. Jars of jam, chutney and lemon curd sit beside salted caramel sauce and the puddings Amanda is known for – sticky toffee and Christmas pudding, both also made in gluten-free versions. Several have picked up national taste awards. Everything is either made in the kitchen here or comes from nearby: local butter, free-range eggs, flour from local mills.
Because it’s all small-batch, the popular lines can be gone by the weekend. The shop only opens Thursday to Saturday, 11am to 3pm (until 5pm in July and August), so come early in the week and early in the day if you want the full spread.
The workshops and afternoon teas
The kitchen workshops are the heart of the place. You sit at the farmhouse table and learn to make a jam, chutney or lemon curd from scratch over about two hours, finishing with a tasting and a jar to carry out the door. They suit complete beginners; children aged 10 and over are welcome with an adult. Amanda is a natural talker, so you get the farm history and local stories along with the recipe.
Sessions need to be booked ahead, through the website portal or by email, and the kitchen also takes private groups – hen parties, school visits, corporate days. On dates like Mother’s Day and Easter she runs seasonal afternoon teas at the same table, with homemade treats and a preserve-making demonstration.
Practical information
- Opening hours: Thursday to Saturday, 11am–3pm; extended to 5pm in July and August.
- Admission: Free to the shop and farmyard; workshop and afternoon-tea fees apply separately.
- Parking: Free on-site car and coach parking.
- Accessibility: Not wheelchair accessible – there is step access with a handrail. Guide dogs are welcome. Gluten-free dietary needs can be catered for if you email Amanda in advance.
- Booking: Workshops and group experiences must be booked ahead, via the website or directly by email.
- Contact: Tel +44 (0) 7880 593 492 | Email amandahanna@btconnect.com
- Website: ballykenverfarm.com
Getting there
The farm is at 77 Ballykenver Road, Armoy, County Antrim, BT53 8RP – roughly six miles from Ballycastle and a ten-minute drive from the Dark Hedges. There is no public transport out this way, so you’ll need a car; set the satnav to the postcode.
Nearby
A short drive brings you to the Dark Hedges, the beech avenue made famous by Game of Thrones and now one of Northern Ireland’s most photographed spots – go at dawn or you’ll be sharing it with coach parties. The wider Antrim Coast and Glens opens out from there to the Giant’s Causeway and the harbour village of Ballintoy. A morning workshop here followed by an afternoon on the coast makes a well-paced day; book the workshop first and build the rest around it.