Showing posts with label Horizon Farm. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Horizon Farm. Show all posts

Thursday, November 4, 2021

Autumn Dining in the Crawford Gallery Café's Tents

 Autumn Dining in the Crawford Gallery Café's Tents

Pancake supreme!

There are leaves under my feet as I approach the gallery. We are heading for lunch, dining outside in the two 
cone-topped tents. Leaves on the path. Leaves gather in little clumps on the roof of the tents. Leaves on the carpet which a staff-member brushes away. But, as one long side of the structure is open, replacements rapidly rustle in.


The other long side - the two tents are joined together - has colourful panels of summer plants, some fauna too, and a row of heaters. They offer to turn one of those in our direction but, warm enough, we decline and enjoy our meal in comfort.

Ventilation!


We are here, in the Crawford Gallery Cafe in Cork city centre, for a slightly late lunch (table reserved) and the autumn sun and light wind, plus the walk downtown, has put a little edge on the appetite. We have the menu immediately and there is a quick decision. Not that the menu is short, far from it, there is quite a choice here.

Toastie


It is an interesting menu, always is, closely reflects the seasons, from breakfast through lunch there’s never a dud dish here. There’s an excellent little wine list too and many appealing pastries but we would have to leave those, leave the Devilled Kidneys, the Roast Marrow Bone, the Leek (autumn!) and Cheddar Cheese Tart. Leave too the Tagliatelle with all’s it tempting flavours, the Hake and Chips, the Shepherd’s Pie.

Colourful panels


We settled on these two below, after a little spat, a full scale war averted with a decision to share and the fact that our mouths were stuffed with some of excellent brown bread they gave us to fill the gap between order and delivery. Indeed it was hardly a gap at all, certainly not a noticeable one.

The exterior where the points of the tents echo that of the gallery itself.


CL had first go at the Crawford Spinach and Mushroom Pancake (with cucumber pickle, Horizon Farm leaves and hollandaise sauce). This was seasonal and rather special and terrific value at 14 euro, the price of a cocktail in many places. She said it was one of the best pancakes around and I agreed that it was half of one of the best. Joking aside, this is Highly Recommended!


And we’d say much the same about the Crawford Toastie, sixteen euro worth of Gubbeen salami, buffalo mozzarella, cheddar, pesto and sun-dried tomatoes, with leaves. Actually the leaves, from Horizon Farm, were especially good as was the dressing. And the toastie itself was the star on the plate of course with that robustly delicious salami from West Cork and well judged quantities of cheese and pesto, really well assembled and presented.

Mrs and Mr Rembrandt (from 1636, when he was 30)


Our servers were very pleasant and efficient and we paid indoors where the café itself was very busy as well, even if lunch hour (last Tuesday) was well over for many by now. Under pressure, as our parking disc was close to expiry, we left our visit to the Rembrandt prints in the gallery to tomorrow and made a beeline for Bradleys in North Main Street where I made a dent in the recently received supply of beers from the Brehon Brewery in County Monaghan. Their Ulster Stout was my personal beer of the year last year.


So on the morrow, there’s a trip back to the gallery - where I’ll  give my contact details to the young person at the door again - to see the prints of the 17th century Dutch artist. Later, a short stroll will take me to the 19th century English Market, particularly to the second stall that my friend Margo Ann has opened up under the Roughty Fruity banner. By the way, here’s a Cork (or Kerry) lesson for you: the correction pronunciation is Ruthy not Ruff-ty; the name comes from a river and valley near Kilgarvan, Co.Kerry!

Tools of the trade. One section of the exhibition shows how 
the various types of prints (engraving, etching, etc) are made.


And we did all that on the following day (day before yesterday) plus a stroll around the ramparts at Elizabeth Fort and a little shopping at Roughty Fruity’s additional stall in the English Market and also at the new Cameron Bakery shop in Parnell Place (an addition to their Washington Street store).


Oh, by the way. I like leaves, both when they are on the trees and on the ground as they are these autumn days. Love to hear the rustle as the wind shifts them about. But, while they can block drains and make places slippy and must be moved from such locations, I find it hard to understand when even tiny congregations are immediately met with brush and blower and rapidly shifted out of sight!

Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Taste of the Week. Ummera Smoked Organic Irish Picanha Beef

 Taste of the Week

Ummera Smoked Organic Irish Picanha Beef


Ummera, winner of the Golden Fork Award for their smoked Irish organic salmon in the 2020 Great Taste, have another winner in their Smoked Organic Irish Picanha Beef. I recently ordered a box of produce from the Timoleague producer and the Picanha, with its out of this world flavour, is now our Taste of the Week. 

Owner/operator Anthony Cresswell: "The Rump Cap is a highly regarded cut of beef in Brazil where it is called Picanha and Ummera have adopted the name, despite people saying it should be Irish, to which we reply and what about Entrecote Steak? It also adds uniqueness; I mean have you ever heard of Irish Picanha? Probably not!"

Anthony recommends serving it with a fresh salad and a light dressing and that's just what we did with the Aberdeen Angus beef. The salad came via Neighbourfood, a bag of superb mixed leaves from Horizon Farms, delicious, semi sundried tomatoes from Sicily in a mixed oil, equally delicious quartered artichoke globes in a mixed oil also from Sicily along with, from the Pyrenees, freshly dressed Arbequina olives (tiny but with a huge flavour). Quite a plateful! 

The Picanha is available in whole pieces with weights varying from 500gm to 1 kg to 1.5kgs and should be sliced thinly. Very Highly Recommended! 

It's not the first time, I've had this as Taste of the Week. During the Ballymaloe LitFest, I got the very first bite of it at Anthony's stall in the Big Shed. That was in 2016, the same year that it was voted the Best New Organic Product at the Irish National Organic Awards

Ummera

Call on +353 (0)23 88 46644

For all enquiries please email info@ummera.com

Stockists here

Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Crawford Gallery Café At Home Every Saturday

 Crawford Gallery Café At Home Every Saturday


Dinner, lunch, coffee and cakes all available now from the Crawford Gallery At Home service. We were tempted by the dinner menu for last Saturday, called in between 12.00pm and 2.00pm and had a lovely chat with Sinead as we collected our boxes of the good stuff.

Very little “homework” required to get the dinner going later on that evening and soon we were enjoying a rather splendid meal. The menu: 





Starter: 

Beetroot, pumpkin, goats cheese & Horizon Farm leaves

Goats cheese and beetroot is something of a local classic at this stage. And, with such splendid goats cheese as Ardsallagh on our doorstep, why not? The pumpkin added a seasonal touch and the beets and the ever first-class Horizon leaves, topped with a terrific dressing, all enhanced the cheese. No shortage of cheese by the way in a very generous starter.


Main:

Lamb shanks with tomatoes, white beans and rosemary

And the mains was equally generous. The shanks, fore shanks, were huge. Due to the shank muscle being used so much, when properly cooked, it renders to a beautifully tender piece of meat. And ours was spot on! And that bean and tomato sauce was the perfect accompaniment for this dirty old winter’s night. 


Dessert:

Gingerbread cake with caramelised pears

After a French-style pause (trou), dessert was served. Again it was generous and sumptuously sweet. Beautifully caramelised pear atop a cake moistened to dripping point with a caramel sauce. Sweet dreams after all that.

Lots of other good stuff in the Crawford. Note those puddings!


You can order online (the lunch and dinner menu is posted on their Facebook page in midweek, also on their website). Your pre-ordered food will be available for collection between midday and 2pm on Saturdays. You can also walk in and order while stocks last. They also have take away Coffee & Cake!  Just drop in to collect Saturday 12pm - 2pm. And, hot tip, I did spot Christmas puddings on the counter as well!

Perhaps you'd like a drink with your dinner?


Pizza Lunch!

On the way into town on Saturday, we realised that Stuart Bowes and his amazing Curly Stu sourdough pizzas were operating in a new regular base at the Coalquay Farmers Market. We called over and nine euro bought us the special of the day. The Pumpkin with Gorgonzola blue cheese, red onion and fresh chives special was demolished, in almost total silence, at lunchtime. Check him out next Saturday.



Monday, December 2, 2019

Food At Crawford Gallery Café. Well Sourced. Well Executed. Well Worth A Call.


Food At Crawford Gallery Café
Well Sourced. Well Executed. Well Worth A Call.

We are in high-ceilinged high-windowed room in the heart of the city, surrounded by art works on the walls. Indeed we are in the heart of the Cork’s best known art gallery. But don’t worry, this is an informal room, a very pleasant one, and the food you get here, in the Crawford Gallery Cafe (founded 1986) is not at all formal, not really art on a plate but the tasty culmination of artisan craft from the farm to the kitchen to your plate, neat and tidy and a superb lunch or brunch. 

And then there’s the counter ahead, more or less weighed down with so many good things, pastries and cakes to savour slowly with a well made tea or coffee. Quite a few other drinks available too, including a glass of well chosen wine.
Pancake

Everything is well-chosen here. Let them tell you about their leaves: “… our salads are so flavourful thanks to the natural farming methods of the growers at Horizon Farm in Kinsale. Colum and Liz O'Regan carefully work their beautiful farm and its soil, which is enriched by the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean, to produce leaves of unique and exceptional flavour. The food we serve you just wouldn't be the same without the talent and dedication of these local producers.”

This day (27th November 2019), we are here for lunch. Nothing Christmassy on the menu as yet, thankfully! The splendid old fireplace though is getting its seasonal makeover and camera phones are clicking as we study the menu.
Pears & Blue Cheese

There are some terrific choices here ranging from Soup of the Day to a Steak and Chips. And the choice is enhanced by the fact that you may have smaller or bigger portions of a few dishes including Devilled Kidneys on Sourdough.

I’m seriously thinking about those kidneys but instead go for the Pear and Cashel Blue Cheese Bruschetta, also available in small or large. I’m a big fan of Cashel Blue but I have to say, the Conference pears that the Crawford served with it were also outstanding, thinly sliced, crisp and juicy with a melting consistency and the typical subtle sweet flavor. An amazing combination with the cheese and the sourdough and those Horizon Farm leaves of course. Not art but quite a masterpiece.

Our other main dish was The Crawford Spinach and Mushroom Pancake, with cucumber pickle, Horizon Farm Leaves and Hollandaise Sauce. Another super plateful, another layer of flavour added by the sauce to the already flavoursome creamy package inside the pancake. Delicious.

“Coffee?”, we asked one another. Why not? “Dessert?” One to share. You could close your eyes and stick a pin and still come up trumps on that counter. But we didn’t leave it to chance and our pick was the Plum and Pistachio Cake, a generous slice with cream. Sweet finalé. And the coffee was good too.

And then we got a bonus, the chance to sample the gorgeous nougat that Sinead is making here. She uses butter and I must say I loved it, both flavour and texture. Sinead:  "I’ll be making more for Christmas and selling it on the counter here at the cafe. I’ll package some and have some smaller bars on the counter to have with coffee." So there's a tasty tip for you!

Festive Welcome!

  • For all of you nice and early with your Christmas shopping, they have the lunch special to get you through the retail mayhem. Les Tartines are their Open Brown Bread sandwiches with Gubbeen Farmhouse Cheese and Pickles, Bresnan’s bacon, relish and cucumber pickle, plus a cup of soup, tea or coffee, anytime between 12 noon and 3.00pm Monday to Saturday.

Crawford Art Gallery
Emmett Place
Cork
Tel: +353 (0)21 427 4415

Opening Hours
Monday–Saturday
8.30am – 4pm
Sundays and Bank Holidays
11am – 4pm
Café Christmas Times
Closed 25, 26, 27 December 2019
Closed 1,2 January 2020
Closed 6,7,8,9,10,11,12 January 2020

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Bastion. Playing in the Irish Top Rank.


Bastion. Playing in the Irish Top Rank.
Salmon

The summer was back as we headed towards Bastion in Kinsale on Wednesday last. Late in the season, but the town was still busy, tourists walking around and checking the menus. With the water sparkling and the colourful marina packed, it could have been the Med. What we ate in the Bastion could sit easily on Europe’s top tables. And that puts it in the top rank here.

We even have a window table (good light for the pics!) so the signs are good from the start. And it continues that way with the two breads, a hard to match sourdough and a matchless Brioche. Hard to decide then between the Treacle Butter and the Olive Oil with Balsamic. But no decision necessary - enough to share!

There is a mega wine-list here. Take the reds for example. You may start with a €27.00 bottle, a very nice Vina Albergada for example, and go right up to the famous Penfold’s Grange. The Grange will set you back nine hundred euro or €180.50 per glass. They use the Coravin here so you can indeed sample some of the more expensive wines by the glass.

They have Prosecco on tap and some very interesting Prosecco based cocktails. The Kir Royale (cassis and prosecco) is a superb example of its kind while I was absolutely delighted with my Pisco (elderflower, orange bitters and Prosecco).

By now, the first of our five courses, from the Early Bird Tasting Menu, had arrived. A local oyster, from Oysterhaven; served with apple yogurt, purée and jelly and pickled fennel, this bracing delight of the sea had the taste buds standing up.

The Celeriac Velouté was next, an unctuous sauce in its own container, and, on a little dish, pickled giroles, apple, celeriac mousse and hazelnut oil. Now those taste buds were on full alert.

And their reward was a gorgeous Smoked and Cured Organic Salmon dish. That salmon was superb but the accompaniments, especially the soft goats cheese and the salt-baked beetroot, were also outstanding and the candy walnuts got into this tasty act as well.

The main event was now at hand: Lamb rump, with peas, turnip and preserved lemon. The peas were good but the turnip was something else and there were some pickled rounds of it also. Needless to say, the lamb from the Kerry hills, in its two manifestations (roast and slow-cooked), was spot on.

Desserts, occasionally, don’t match the rest of the meal. Not the case here! Our White Chocolate Panna Cotta, with Pistachio Sponge, cherry sorbet and cherry granola, was a delightful finalé, served in an eye-catching fine china cup.

This superb restaurant, which has gone from strength to strength over the past three years under Helen (front of house) and Paul (Head Chef), supports local producers. In this menu alone, suppliers include Horizon Farm, Padraig O’Donovan fish, while the cheese, the beef and the lamb are all Irish. 

It holds the only Michelin bib in Cork city and county and everything you eat here, from the bread to the sweet treat with your coffee, is made in-house. While Bastion faces the same challenges as most other restaurants and cafes in staff recruitment, their service is friendly and attentive (without ever being in your face).

As we walked earlier in the warming September sun towards town centre Bastion, we spotted, in the backwater under Man Friday, a quartet of herons in different trees, all on the alert. There were fish jumping, seemingly without a care in the world. On our return, there were no fish jumping. And the herons looked well satisfied. Like us, they had enjoyed a very good meal!


Thursday, February 8, 2018

Good Day Deli. Good Food Daily

Good Day Deli

Good Food Daily
Pic by Good Day Deli

Kai Moana is one of the exotic names that pops up on the menu at Good Day Deli in the gardens of Nano Nagle Place in Cork City. Those of you who have visited the South Pacific, especially New Zealand and the “neighbouring” islands, will not find them strange at all and know that Kai Moana is the Maori for seafood.

Perhaps the most important two words you’ll read are Mana Tiaki. It is the motto for this lovely new daytime restaurant. “In the Cook Islands, the core value of Mana Tiaki is guardianship of heritage and the environment for future generations. Mana Tiaki is a beautiful value to live by and is at the core of Good Day Deli.”

So sustainability is the guideline for the crew here, fronted by owners Clare Condon and New Zealander Kristin Makirere and Head Chef Charlotte Murphy, from the food sourcing right down to the paper napkins. 


Importantly that food is delicious; the word has already spread and the place was packed when we visited about 12.30pm last Friday. Don't just look in through the glass and say “we’ll never get a table”. Open the door and soon enough you’ll be seated. You may reserve a table earlier in the week (Tuesday to Thursday).

The afternoon menu kicks in at 12.30. After a few minutes delay we were seated and studying the list. There was a hot seasonal soup (chilli and coriander in this case), a Tart of the Day, a Vibrant Vegan dish, and a Halloumi Citrus Salad. Sides galore: honey, nut dukkah, tapenade, hummus, paprika fries and more.

We had spotted a hake dish on their facebook page and were hoping it was still on. It was and CL picked that one: Kai Moana Fish Tacos, lightly battered Irish Hake on Blanco Nino Corn Tortillas with raw slaw, pickle plus lemon coriander mayo and fries. That fish was fresh and delicious, a lovely dish for €15.00.

I also hit the jackpot with the GDD Curry Bowl (€14.00). Crown Prince Squash + Chickpea Coconut Curry Bowl, with Basmati rice, yogurt and toasted coconut is the full description. Probably the best curry I've ever tasted is mine. Just perfect.

Service here, even with the small queue at the door, is excellent. No pressure, just smiles and all the info you want.

One of their aims is to “elevate local producers”. They feature quite a list on the menu including (it will change seasonally) well-known cheesemakers such as Ardsallagh, Hegarty’s and Toonsbridge, farms like Kilbrack, Horizon and Richard’s, also Green Space, Frank Hederman, Ballycotton Seafood, and Organic for Us (milk). Quite an impressive list and that’s only half of it. Oh yes, the Blanco Nino Corn Tortillas with the hake are made in Clonmel.

The café, bright and airy with some outside tables, has one of the best situations on the city, in the middle of the peaceful well-kept gardens of the Nano Nagle Place, fast becoming one of the city centre’s top attractions. While at the café, I took the opportunity to visit the buildings and you may read about it here. No doubt as the season goes on, both Nano Nagle and Good Day Deli will get busier.

Nano Nagle Place
Douglas Street
Cork
(021) 432 2107
clare@gooddaydeli.ie

Monday, October 26, 2015

Go Visit the Diva. She can’t come to you!

Go Visit the Diva

She can’t come to you!
Get your share of these!
If you go to the Diva in Ballinspittle, and you should, and if you order a side of those gorgeous Sweet Potato Chips, and you should, then you should also mind your manners and do please share with the person you came with!

If the team here, in their newly revamped kitchen, back in action (since 21.10.15) after months out due to fire, can get the small things right, and they do, there is every chance they’ll get the big things right. And they do. Big time.
The Big One!
We called there for lunch last week and thought we’d have no problem by going early. We just about managed to get a table for two. Lots of different styles of tables here - it was after all the kitchen that got the revamp! But it is all part of the charm, as is the friendly service and the imaginative use of all that brilliant local produce.

Indeed, one of the first things you’ll notice is the back wall (the left bit) as you go in. Here there is a huge declaration of provenance. Meat from Lordan's butchers in the same street, greens from Horizon Farms, vegetables from All Fresh, free range eggs from Beechwood Farm and fish supplied by James O’Keeffe.
All Wrapped Up!
I had enjoyed a Reuben sandwich at the recent Waterford Harvest Fest and so was open to trying the Diva version. The Waterford one, in a Blaa, was very tasty but, in fairness, it was from a street food stall and could hardly be compared to the Champions League effort in Ballinspittle. Well, maybe New York rather than European. Massive, contained (not quite) in two large slices of their own bread, the length of my knife and about half the height, corned beef from Lordan’s, Sauerkraut, Gherkin, cheese and more. A magnificent Reuben. Worth the journey on its own.
Crumble
 But it wasn't on its own. We had ordered a side of those Sweet Potato Chips. Put them with the Reuben and I had hit the jackpot, even if I did share! CL was enjoying herself as she tucked into her excellent Roasted Veggie Wrap, with goats cheese and a mango chutney. And a well dressed salad of course. And those chips, of course!

We were sitting at a small table and directly opposite us was the counter and the utterly tempting display of sweet things. We settled for a pot of tea and two cakes from the display, sharing (again!) the Raspberry Crumble and an equally lovely Honey and Spice (ginger) Cake.


Honey & Spice!
And after that, we said goodbye to the efficient and friendly folk in the cafe and strolled down to the bakery to see more good things, including produce from other local and Irish artisans. Some lovely breads on display - probably would have been more had we called in the morning. One that we bought was the Potato Loaf. It is a delicious souvenir (didn't last too long, of course) of a pleasant trip to Ballinspittle. Very Highly Recommended.

Diva Boutique Bakery Cafe & Deli
Main Street, Ballinspittle, Co. Cork
Open:
Wednesday-Saturday 9.30-5.00 Sunday 11.00-5.00
Tel: (021) 477 8465
EMail: diva.ballinspittle@gmail.com
Twitter:  
Facebook: Diva Boutique Bakery Cafe & Deli
In the bakery/deli

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

The West’s Awake. Find it Fresh in Bradley’s

The  West’s Awake.

Find it Fresh in Bradley’s

Opening day in Bradley's
Fresh from West Cork is back in town and you’ll find it installed in Bradley’s, North Main Street. Walter, familiar to many of you from his stint last year in the English Market, fronts the operation and is as enthusiastic as ever.

And why wouldn't he be? He has some great produce in Bradley's; all the familiar names are there including Irish Atlantic Sea Salt, Rosscarbery Recipes, Gubbeen, Ummera, Glenilen, Sally Barnes (he especially recommends her smoked mackerel, “a big seller”), West Cork Pies, Culture Foods (the Sauerkraut people, who are now exporting) and more.

June Kingston’s Soda Wheaten loaf is a best seller and there are tasty apple tarts from the Walshes of Caheragh (near Drimoleague). And don't forget the Loughbeg Tea Brack and be sure to get some Glenilen clotted cream to go with that! Then you have yogurts and Lemon Labneh from McCarthy’s Dairy not to mention the many fish products from Union Hall including Smoked Mackerel Paté and Smoked Salmon Paté.

No shortage of honey and jam. The honey comes from Noel and Patricia Love of Knockeen (Skibbereen) while jams are supplied by Kathleen McCarthy of Drimoleague and Eithne McCarthy from Skibbereen. And watch out too for the Loughbeg chutneys, quite a few but the star is the Yellow Zucchini Relish which was adored by a bunch of “nine Michelin chefs from London when they sampled it at the English Market last year”.

And the good news is that you can get these six days a week, from 8.00am to 9.30pm! And more good news. If you like your vegetables fresh (and who doesn't?), Colm O’Regan of Horizon Farms will be making three deliveries a week to North Main Street.

And from next Friday, you'll be able to get raw pressed juice here: carrot, beetroot and a vegetable and fruit blend! “And the week after that, we'll have mini-meals,” he said. I looked puzzled! “Especially for toddlers,” he clarified. So there you are. Walter and Fresh from West Cork will feed you all, big and small.


Friday, January 30, 2015

Roughty Foodie. Generation to Generation

Roughty Foodie

Generation to Generation
Garett, on duty.
“I believe the survival of the English Market over the last hundred years is down to the families who have ran the stalls from generation to generation. They have kept it going.” So said Garrett Murphy, as we chatted over a cuppa in the Farmgate Cafe. Garrett, a current stallholder, knows what he is talking about!

For fifty years, his father Michael ran the Roughty Fruit King stall in the centre of the market, until ill health came in 2011. Four generations of the Murphys worked there, in different locations, until they settled on the current stall in 1961. Nowadays, Garrett and his sister Margot Ann work in the new look foodie stall (now called The Roughty Foodie) and they have help from time to time from younger members of the family.
 Two thousand and eleven was the year of the Queen’s visit and the Murphys, in transition from a specifically fruit stall to something more general, weren't ready for her but, with help and encouragement from the City Council and fellow traders, they were up and running for the peak summer months.


“It kinda fell into our laps,” says Garrett as he recalled those anxious months. “But we could see the change of emphasis to quality. We could compete with the supermarkets on quality though not on price. So we took that new direction and grew organically. We soon had a few local producers on board, including Macroom Mills, Glenilen and our home-baker.” Garrett will never forget that first Saturday. “Everything cleared. We had nothing left on the shelves.”


They moved along from there with new producers coming on board, including Brian from Beechwood Farm and his brother Colm from Horizon Farms, Mags (who makes a great Lemon Curd) from Heavenly Preserves and Betty Smith with her jams and marmalades. Also joining were Harty’s Jellies, Taste the View, while local strawberries came from Rathcooney.

“The two months July and August of 2011 were great. The tourists came flooding in and kept buying, the locals too despite the parking problems. Traders told us it would get better in October and November but that didn't happen and we were worried until December and the run-in to Christmas which proved massive for us and had us back on track”.

 Two of the stall’s suppliers, Seymour Biscuits and Kilbeggan, may be bought at the upscale Dean and Deluca in New York but “we have no big-name suppliers” says Garrett. “Some are part-time and some were professionals who lost out in the recession and turned to what they knew. Nicola of the Big Red Kitchen is an example of the latter.”


I asked Garrett what the most popular products are. “It is seasonal so, for example, we sell a lot of porridge in the winter months. Jams, preserves and honey are always very popular and so too is cheese.” What has surprised you over the past few years? “This Christmas it was the amount of hampers and Irish cheese and crackers that we sold. At Christmas 2011, goosefat was a huge seller.”


What are his own favourites? Licking his lips he had no hesitation: Eddie Hicks’ fantastic bacon jam and Ballybrado Supreme Spelt muesli. He has great time too for Kitty Colchester’s Happy Heart organic rapeseed oil and the High Bank Farm Apple Syrup. And indeed is enthusiastic about every single product he displays!

The stall is packed with food. But it is not just food. Tourists love the Seaweed Bath. The Goats Milk soap from the Burren is very popular too and he has a great candle-maker from Portmagee on Valentia Island. So do go in and explore. You never know what treasure you’ll find in Roughty Foodie.