Taste of the Week. Crossogue’s Loganberry Jam

Taste of the Week

Crossogue’s Loganberry Jam

Having been born and spent my early years in Kenya, I moved to Ireland to marry a wonderful Irish man and together we run the family farm Crossogue. Now 50 years of marriage later with six children and thirteen grand children, I am still here and have enjoyed the journey it has all taken me on!

That is briefly, very briefly, the story of Veronica of Crossogue Preserves. The preserves are a relatively recent addition to the farm, just over twenty two years. And they just get better and better as the flow of prizes and awards (sixty alone from Great Taste) underline.

Must say I'm not sure that their Loganberry Jam features among the prize-winners but it is a beauty. I got mine at the Roughty in the English Market and Margo Ann told go home now and try that out and then tell me it's not “the real thing”. I never had a doubt. It is top notch and our Taste of the Week.

And here’s a tip to get even extra out of it. Use it with cheese, with sheeps cheese in particular. I had this in mind in the market and bought a wedge of Vincenzo’s Pecorino (made in Toonsbridge by an Italian). Serve that with a dash of the loganberry and you have an even better taste of the week. Enjoy!

Taste of the Week. Mella’s Salted Caramel Fudge

Taste of the Week

Mella’s Salted Caramel Fudge

Lovely to meet up with Mella and her utterly delicious fudge at the recent Cork Kerry Food Fair in the City Hall. Lots of tastings going on and I got a few bars.

One was (note the past tense) the Salted Caramel Fudge, our Taste of the Week. 

This is a deeply caramel flavoured fudge combined with O’Neill’s Irish Atlantic Sea Salt. And, yes, like all her fudge, this just melts in the mouth - no effort required - and the top notch salt adds an extra note or two to the combination.  Another symphony from the fudge maestro!

Widely available and also at Mella’s on-line shop 

Taste of the Week. Spice O’Life Curry Sauce

Taste of the Week

Spice O’Life Curry Sauce

Picked up a can of this Curry Sauce (it is made in Dunmanway by Spice O’Life) at the new O’Connor’s Butcher Food Hall in Mayfield that features some other artisan products as well.

There are some basic curry instructions on the side but no harm in adding carrots, mushrooms, onions, peppers, whatever you've handy, to the mix. And of course, you’ll have rice as well.

When cooked, just pour the sauce over the lot and fold in. That's what we did and were pleasantly surprised at the result. This sauce is excellent, our Taste of the Week.

The West Cork company “develop, create, and manufacture the solution to your sauce, marinades, dressings,  spice, seasoning and new product development needs” and their other brands include Dip!t, Marinade Me, Insanely Good and Presto! 

O’Connor’s, by the way, have a large bright building where the old Permanent TSB were and also a busy café called, appropriately enough, the Old Bank.

Taste of the Week. Davidson’s Pizzaiola

Taste of the Week

Davidson’s Pizzaiola

Their Facebook pic

What to have to dinner to-night? Sometimes I’m unsure, probably happens to most people. Then, if you’re lucky, you spot the answer on Facebook. Davidson’s, our local craft butchers, are pretty good on social media.

Pretty good at the essentials too. Just after someone asked the dinner question, a tempting picture of a Chicken Pizzaiola appeared on the butcher’s feed. 

Three juicy chicken breasts marinated in a tomato and herb sauce, topped with grated mozzarella, fresh red onion and chorizo, the perfect lazy option for the weekend. These also won a Gold Award at this years Speciality Foods competition.

So a quick trip up the road. Covered the foil dish in more foil and oven-baked for 35 minutes. Then it was dinner time! And our Taste of the Week was excellent. 

Ready to eat!

The chicken was superb, moist and tender. Obviously the marinade, with no shortage of punchy herbs included, did what it was supposed to do. The cheese melted down and the chorizo rings added spice and flavour.

And Davidson’s regularly come up with the goods. Great to have an innovative craft butcher on the doorstep.

Davidson’s Craft Butcher

7 St Christopher's Drive, Montenotte

Cork

 (021) 451 8184

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davidsonscb/ 

Taste of the Week. Athula's Tikka Masala Sauce

Taste of the Week

Athula Fusion Foods

We’ve featured Athula’s Piri Piri sauces previously and our Taste of the Week is again delighted to highlight his more recent Curry sauces. He has three: Tikka, Korma and Jalfrezi. We picked up a jar of the Tikka during the recent Cork Kerry Food Fair and that is our Taste of the Week.

We went for the classic Tikka Masala Chicken Curry. The creamy orange coloured sauce was just perfect, not too spicy, outstanding. 

Did you know, by the way, that Glasgow claims to have created this curry dish? Check it out here. They say it is perhaps one of the earliest examples of the modern fashion for 'fusion' cuisine.

In any event, Athula knows quite a bit about fusion, having grown up in Sri Lanka (where he now has a farm) and having worked in Ireland's food industry (including being Head Chef at Hayfield Manor - more here). He has perfected his take of his grandmother’s recipes. I think he’s got this one spot-on. 

Athula Fusion Foods,

Unit 1&2, J Street, 

Carrigaline Industrial Estate, 

Kilnageary Road, 

Carrigaline, Co. Cork

Tel: 087 136 7525

Web: http://athulafusionfoods.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/athulafusionfoodslimited/ 

Taste of the Week. Super Kale Pesto

Taste of the Week

Super Kale Pesto

Carolanne Rushe describes herself as the Chief Sweetie on our pack of her Sweet Beat Super Kale Pesto, our current Taste of the Week.

“Our raw kale pesto harnesses the awesome power of fresh kale. We’ve also added Activated Almonds to feed your brain too.” It is gluten free, dairy free and sugar free.

And it tastes well! We used it as a spread and as a dip. But the packet says you may stir it into some pastas, soups and stews as they do in the Sweet Beat Café in Sligo.

Taste of the Week. Express Quinoa & Golden Veg.

Taste of the Week

Express Quinoa & Golden Veg.

I’m becoming quite a fan of quinoa. Indeed, my latest experience has been all good and this Express Quinoa with Golden Vegetables, by Mothergrain, is my current Taste of the Week. And it is express: have it cold or heat it up in 90 seconds!

Got a few samples to try out and was wondering what to pair with this one. The official Blog Chef provided the answer when she came home with Goatsbridge fresh trout in the shopping. Tried the two together and it was an excellent plateful. 

If you want to take it higher, then add a bottle of Domaine Chaume-Arnaud Côtes du Rhone blanc, available at Bradley’s or online from Le Caveau. The wine is organic as is the quinoa.

See here for quinoa availability.

Taste of the Week. Clo’s Wind Atlantic Bar

Taste of the Week

Clo’s Wind Atlantic Bar

Called into Le Fournil, a bakery and chocolatier on the Sligo Food Trail, during a recent visit to the town. And I immediately spotted some truffles that I had seen in Dingle during the Blas na hEireann tasting, truffles that had won for Clo who makes the chocolates here.

But is was one of her bars that next caught my eye. I always like chocolate with a little salt and when I spotted the Wild Atlantic Bar I couldn't resist. It was every bit as good a expected and is our Taste of the Week.

It is a milk chocolate bar and, of course, Irish Sea Salt is one of the important ingredients. Another is Knocknarea Honey. A delicious blend made in Sligo and also a Blas winner for Clo, this in 2015.

Taste of the Week. Kelly’s Vegetarian Pudding

Taste of the Week

Kelly’s Vegetarian Pudding

If you think of sausages and black pudding makers in Ireland then Kelly’s of Newport are going to be in your short list. Must admit I was surprised then to find they make a Vegetarian Pudding, a really good one and our Taste of the Week.

So why would a butcher, a prize-winning butcher, make a vegetarian pudding? “Our customers kept asking us”. The challenge, of course, was to make it as tasty as their meaty ones. They think they’ve done just that and, having dispatched one here in Cork, I agree. 

By the way, Kelly’s puddings are easy to cook. Grill them or fry them to get that crunch on the outside. In a hurry, then pop a few slices in the microwave.

Oatmeal, onions, fresh eggs are among the ingredients. This is not a token effort for the vegetarians but a serious pudding (the Kelly name is on the packet!) that is a flavoursome addition to the breakfast plate, vegetarian or otherwise. Enjoy.

Taste of the Week. Mescan Westport Saison

Taste of the Week

Mescan Westport Saison

This is a Belgian style beer, brewed near Westport, and is our Taste of the Week. It is the kind of beer that, once it hits the palate, makes you take notice. You may also want to note that it has an ABV of 6.2%.

I came across it in Westport a few months back and so I didn't hesitate to buy it and three companions, including a lovely white, when I saw them in Bradley’s, North Main Street, Cork, the other day. They are not the cheapest, this 330ml bottle for instance, is priced at €3.95. 

The Westport Saison is a great one to cut the thirst, is more fizzy, with clove and citrus notes. Very well balanced too and you don't really notice the high alcohol. But do sip rather than gulp!

Saison beer is a Belgian style brewed, in the good old days, for seasonal workers. Reckon I'd appreciate one (or two) after a hard day’s labour or even after an idle day.

Mescan, by the way, was St Patrick’s brewer and no doubt the odd conversion was facilitated by a jug of his brew. The bottle conditioned beer is still cloudy! 

Their Westport white is superb. And I also have their Red Tripel and Westport Extra to try.

Taste of the Week. Bó Rua Mature Cheese

Taste of the Week

Bó Rua Mature Cheese

During the recent FEAST in East Cork, I enjoyed a multi-course dinner at Sage and one of the highlights of the evening was the delicious mature cheese from nearby Bó Rua Farm, so much so that people, pretty full after the amazing meal, were taking some home with them. This is our current Taste of the Week.

The Dineens, Norma and Tom, have been making cheese from the milk of their Montbéliarde cows for just a couple of years. I was impressed with their early efforts at the Cork/Kerry Food Forum in 2015 but didn't know about this gem until Sage.

On this blog, you’ll often read of winemakers saying healthy fruit is a prerequisite for good wine. And the Dineens say the “cheese begins long before milk reaches the cheese vat with the careful breeding of our cows”. In 2015, they were honoured to receive an AHI ‘Milking For Quality Award’.

And you can expect a certain consistency from year to year as this is a “closed herd” meaning that all of the herd is born and bred on Bó Rua Farm, with cow families remaining for generations. Quality in, quality out. So do look out for the cheese from the red cow farm in Ballynoe!  

Taste of the Week. Strawberry Gourmet Marshmallows

Taste of the Week

Strawberry Gourmet Marshmallows

If anything deserves the “melt in the mouth” tag, it is these delicious Sassy Strawberry Marshmallows, from the Cork based mallow factory.

I spotted our latest Taste of the Week in Bradley’s (North Main Street, Cork) the other day and am only sorry I didn't also get some of the other flavours that include Marvellously Mint and Smashin’ Passionfruit.

Melt in the mouth yes, and guilt free too according to the makers. The marshmallows “are handmade with only the best of ingredients and are naturally low in fat, as well as gluten, dairy and egg free.” They are nicely packed as well and a bag will set you back four euro.

More info on their Facebook page here. 

Taste of the Week. Pares Balta Cava

Taste of the Week

Pares Balta Cava

I was introduced to this Cava, the sparkling wine of Spain, during a fish dinner in Ballycotton recently. ENO wines are the importers of our Taste of the Week. Very Highly Recommended.

Donie O’Brien is the Commercial Director of ENO and he told me that Maria Elena Jimenez and Marta Casas, the wives of the joint owners, are the winemakers and oenologists and they all take the organic approach seriously, even to the extent of keeping their own beehives to help with pollination and keeping their own flock of sheep to fertilise the vineyards in Autumn.

The traditional Cava grapes - Parellada, Macabeo, Xarel·lo- are used here and the wine is made by the traditional method, the same method they use in Champagne. It has a pale yellow colour. Medium intensity on the nose with toasty notes combined with aroma of pear and apple. Fresh and alive in the mouth with dominating notes of fruit. Light and soft with a pleasant finish.

ENO is a family owned company and they specialise in the authentic produce of small, family-owned, quality-driven wineries. The bad news is that our Taste of the Week is not available in retail outlets, only in selected hotels and restaurants. But do keep an eye out for it! Very impressive.

Taste of the Week. Crab Apple Jelly

Taste of the Week

Crab Apple Jelly

As followers of my football blog know, I do occasionally wallow in nostalgia. Much like everybody else. So, when I spotted Crab Apple Jelly on sale at a recent Killavullen Farmers Market, it was a sure thing that I’d be going home with some of it.

It was that kind of week, a kind of return to the old times. I had to endure a low residual diet for a few days and it was like a blast from the past with Marietta biscuits, Fruitfield Little Chip marmalade, even cornflakes.

But back to the jam. It is produced by Maura’s Kitchen in Derryvillane, Glanworth. “It is a bit runny,” she said. And it was. But a short spell in the fridge more or less cured that. In any case it was hardly a problem as the jar contained a treasure, a delicious blas from the past, and our Taste of the Week.

Taste of the Week. Glendalough Beech Leaf Gin

Taste of the Week

Glendalough Beech Leaf Gin

You may have to hurry if you want to get your hands on our latest Taste of the Week, the Beech Leaf Gin from Glendalough Distilleries. They haven’t made much of the latest addition to the award-winning range! It is a limited edition with a “beautiful colour”.

During last month’s walk in the woods with Geraldine Kavanagh, their official forager, we passed a few beech trees and were interested, having been earlier introduced to their Beech Leaf Gin. But we didn’t pick any. Geraldine: “There is just a small window between late Spring and early Summer when the leaf is at its best, when they are soft and good.” 

The soft, downy leaves from the mountain beech around the distillery are picked then at their best and added to the botanical gin, resulting in a complex and herbaceous gin. Colour is rich, reminiscent of the beech leaves in autumn. Hints of apple and nutty tones on both the nose and the palate, the Glendalough Beech Leaf Gin is great neat, in cocktails or with Fevertree Ginger Ale and a slice of lime.

Check out the Celtic Whiskey Shop where it sells at €52.50 per bottle; it will be on their website any day now. Also available at these Dublin pubs: Drury Buildings, PMacs, and  JT Pims.

For more on that foraging walk, please check here 

Taste of the Week. Raw Honeycomb from S Bees

Taste of the Week

Raw Honeycomb from S Bees

Stefan

Raw honeycomb is a real delicacy of nature and our Taste of the Week. It is also one of the most efficient ways of storing the honey and I picked up my most recent honeycomb at the Killavullen Farmers Market. It is delicious plus any superlative you’d like to use.

Stefan Buzoianu was the man selling them. Based in Fermoy, he is the man behind S Bees and also sells hive products and gives beekeeping advice and may be contacted at stefan.buzoianu@gmail.com

While he was selling me my honeycomb, he was also feeding bits of another one to a box of bees he had on display on his market stand. This was to compensate them in some small way for the fact “that they were missing a good day's foraging.”

Stefan supports “healthy common sense living” and is worried, like many of us, about the decline in the bee population. Life would be better if we take better care of the bees and encourage them. What happens if the bees die? Check out this video here. 

Taste of the Week. Coolea Cheese

Taste of the Week

Coolea Cheese

Coolea in brine

I’ve often heard of the camaraderie and support that exists between artisan producers. And I saw it in action at Schull Market on a recent Sunday morning. 

I was looking at the cheese selection on the Gubbeen stall when Tom Ferguson began to sing the praises (not of their own Gubbeen, which is worth a song or two) but of a two year old Coolea. He followed up by offering me a sliver. It was every bit as good as he said so I bought a wedge and it is our current Taste of the Week. No big surprise really. Coolea were one of the pioneers and the cheese is sought after at home and abroad.

The cheese venture came about because the Willems family, wh had come from Holland, couldn't find any cheese here other than cheddar and mother Helena started, in 1979,  on a very small family scale with a little pot. But now Coolea is a big name and much of the output is sold at the famous Neal's Yard in London while in Ireland Sheridan’s are the major customer.

The cheese was to be called Milleens after the local townland but that was knocked on the head as the Steeles, further west on the Beara peninsula and living in a townland of the same name, had just started making a cheese called Milleens. And so the Coolea brand was born.

It is firm and smooth, a pressed uncooked Gouda style cheese. Early on the flavours are caramel, nutty and floral but they become more robust as time goes on, sweeter if anything and still carrying traces of its delicate youth. A gorgeous cheese and well worth watching out for.

Taste of the Week. Kinsale Bay Shepherd’s Pie

Taste of the Week

Kinsale Bay Shepherd’s Pie

This Shepherd’s Pie, from the Kinsale Bay Food Company, looks splendid in its new packaging. It is also full of flavour and is our lovely Taste of the Week.

It is a classic lamb pie with chunky vegetables in an aromatic gravy topped with a creamy mash potato. The lamb is100% Irish; the pie is Gluten Free and high in protein.

And that aromatic gravy is more than an advertiser’s imagination. Much more. It is really aromatic, so much so that the puppy got really interested and tried to get up on the table to check it out.

I gave him the almost empty carton (heat in the oven rather than the micro wave, by the way) and he licked it so much that he could see his own reflection. That made the vote for Taste of the Week unanimous. 

Taste of the Week. Chocolates by the Hungry Crow

Taste of the Week

Chocolates by the Hungry Crow

 Niamh O'Reilly and Mark Stewart are the people behind Clonakilty’s 'The Hungry Crow’ and they make quite unusual and very delicious chocolate. The chocolates are missing just one ingredient: guilt! This ‘Free from’ policy helped them win the 2016 Listowel Food Fair ‘Best Emerging Artisan Food Product’.

And their Free From raw and vegan treats taste every bit as good as they look. Niamh makes her own nut butter and fruit is a very important ingredient.  Hungry Crow produce has no refined sugars, grains or dairy.

I had a few samples of the chocolate at the launch of A Taste of West Cork Artisan Book in the County Hall last week and more again this week when I called to see Mark at the start-up stall in the English Market.

He told me they are about half-way through their six week tenancy so you still have lots of time to call in and try the absolutely delicious chocolate treats, mostly featuring fruit and nut butter, perhaps the best chocolate I have tasted in a long long time.

My favourites are the bigger ones. They are normally built around either figs or dates (no ordinary dates either, these are the highly rated Medjool dates, Hungry Crow get theirs from Palestine). They are irresistible and are our Taste of the Week.

Stay in touch with Hungry Crow on their Facebook page 

Taste of the Week. Cascade by Cotton Ball Brewing

Taste of the Week

Cascade by Cotton Ball Brewing

Cascade-ing at Cork Summer Show
A lovely pint from Brian.

Cascade is a relatively new addition to the Cotton Ball Brewing Company’s  portfolio and I made its acquaintance at the Cork Summer Show at the weekend. It’s a beauty and our Taste of the Week.

It is a well balanced celebration of the hops of the same name, a single hop beer with terrific flavour, slightly spicy too but with flavour galore and the ABV is just 3.8%. Well done guys, a superb Pale Ale for the summer sessions and indeed any session.

There is a picture of Humphrey Lynch, the original owner of the Cotton Ball and grandfather of current owner Jack, on the brewery's bottles. His is a fascinating story and includes fighting in the American Civil War and dealing in cotton (hence the name for the pub he bought on his return to Ireland). More here.