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Belfast Live
Belfast Live
National
Lauren Harte

Catering for the Clintons is 'a career highlight' for enterprising Lisburn twins

Enterprising twins Rachel and Rebecca Vance say they are hugely proud after catering for a host of US visitors including Bill and Hillary Clinton this week.

The sisters, who set up Lisburn-based company RARE Grazing NI only three years ago, had to keep their exciting secret under wraps for a while but took to social media to share a photograph of themselves with the Clintons on Thursday.

The former US President and ex-Secretary of State returned to Northern Ireland this week to mark 25 years of the Good Friday Agreement.

Read more: Hillary Clinton popping into Belfast restaurant was "pinch me moment" for staff

Hillary Clinton was busy at Queen's University Belfast, where she is Chancellor, as part of a three-day conference to mark the peace deal's anniversary with her husband, who also spoke at the event.

Rachel and Rebecca, 30, found themselves catering for the US entourage during their stay in Belfast, which also included GFA talks chair Senator George Mitchell and his wife Heather.

They shared a photograph of themselves on social media with the Clintons after they had completed their visit this week.

The sisters said catering for their American political guests has been "a career highlight" and an opportunity they'll never forget.

Rachel told Belfast Live: "We were approached to provide various breakfast and lunch options along with afternoon tea snacks for the Clintons, Senator Mitchell and their entourage during their six day stay in Belfast.

"Bill Clinton is vegan so we provided a lot of options for him too. We had an opportunity to meet them on Thursday and have our photograph taken, which was really lovely.

"They were all very complimentary and said the food was absolutely beautiful and that they've been spoiled over here. It was fabulous for a small family business such as ourselves within Northern Ireland to be recognised in this way."

An address by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday closed the three-day conference to mark the 1998 peace accord which largely brought an end to the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

The event saw political leaders fly in from across the world ex-prime minister Sir Tony Blair, former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic. Current Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also attended.

Meanwhile Hillary Clinton will finish off the busy week with an appearance on RTE's The Late Late Show to talk about what she really thinks about Donald Trump's indictment as well as other topics.

Mrs Clinton will discuss 25 years of the Good Friday Agreement and the future of Northern Ireland.

She will also speak to presenter Ryan Tubridy about how she saw a stone-cold killer when she sat in front of Russian leader Vladimir Putin and how she doesn't mind upsetting her daughter Chelsea by spoiling her grandchildren.

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