CURIOUS WINES OPENING NIGHT

CURIOUS WINES

Curious Wines officially opened their doors at Kinsale Road last evening and no expense was spared as dozens of guests were entertained, wined and dined. Thanks a million, Mike and Matt.

Just inside the door, plates of very tasty nibbles were the centre of attraction before we slowly moved upstairs where a classical trio entertained and where bottle laden tables awaited.

Sparklers first and I sampled some Prosecco, one fizzy, the other sparkling; preferred the first but the second was also gorgeous. We would come back to that table as herself liked the Italian (not so much the wines but the tanned guy dishing them out). Popped over to France and some Chablis la Colombe.

The Apple Company in Cahir

THE CHAMPAGNE OF APPLE JUICES

This is my favourite apple drink: The Apple Farm of Tipperary Sparkling Apple Juice. I have previously called this the champagne of apple juices and see no reason whatsoever to change my mind after my most recent tasting which came at the weekend when I bought a couple of bottles (€2.50 for a small bottle but well worth it) of this premium apple juice from The Pantry Stand in the Midleton Food Market. The Pantry obviously has good taste as this is available in their Midleton restaurant.

How is it made?

RED ALL OVER

WINE ALLIANCE COMPETITION  

ENTRIES CLOSE 8.00am MONDAY 2oth!!!!

It’ll be Red all over on September 19^th and to celebrate Cork’s success in reaching the All-Ireland football final we have a cracking prize for you: 6 bottles of classy Spanish red wine, perfect for the celebrations.

The Rojo Mojo Tempranillo (2009) and the Rojo Mojo Shiraz (2009) are new to Ireland and are being imported exclusively by Wine Alliance

The Question: Did Cork wear red or white jerseys in the 1973 All-Ireland final when, helped by two goals (and a point) from Jimmy Barry-Murphy, they defeated Galway? This is a slightly tricky one – you don’t expect us to give the wine away too easily. 

If you need a hint, go here and scroll down to (or search for) Blast from the Past. Video clue here.

Send your answer to: b1946l@gmail.com

ORGANIC MARKET

Ollie Moore has been in touch to tell us all about Ireland's first organic market opening in Clonmel. read more

Photo: produce by Siobhain la Touche.

Wagamama

From today, Wagamama introduce sushi to their Cork menu ..read more

FRENCH DOUBLE

FRENCH DOUBLE

Wine Alliance has come up with an impressive French double, both by Boutinot . The 2009 red Mas de Vigneron is a Pays de Vaucluse while the white is Pays Cote de Gascogne.

Vaucluse as you probably know is a part of Provence and Mas means farmhouse in the local lingo, usually one with no windows on the north so the dreaded Mistral can't bite through. By the way, I’m looking to rent one (well part of one anyhow!)  there next summer....so if you have any contacts let me know!

One such farm building, Mas de la Dame , has been producing wine and olive oil for four generations and has other claims to fame: Vincent van Gogh painted it (1889, later stolen but still used on wine label as at right), it was mentioned in the Nostradamus predictions and also referred to by Simone de Beauvoir.

This Pays de Vaucluse may not be AOC. You wouldn't be expecting much?  Mistake. Especially where an area has no appellation controlee vineyards.

This summer, I spotted the local Pays de Domme where I was staying in Sarlat and put it in my trolley only realising back at the Gîte that at about €8.50 it was the dearest wine I bought that day but this local beauty was also the best wine I bought that day.

Thanks to our host, I has also drank a few bottles of another local wine, Pays de Perigord, and that too was excellent and the same can be said of this exclusive import from Vaucluse which consists of Grenache Noir (70%) and Syrah (30%).

Colour is a burnt red with berries on the nose. It is soft and fruity and spicy as you’d expect with good length on the finish. Medium bodied and well balanced it is a great taste and great value at €8.99. ABV is 13% and this very drinkable red is recommended to go with grilled meats, casseroles, pizzas and mature hard cheeses. I drank it on its own and it was just delicious.

The white, Pays

Crafty Confections in Midleton

CRAFTY CONFECTIONS

Crafty Confections is run by “sugar artist” Kelly Cope. "I love the challenge of designing each cake, creating something unique, that will truly be a centrepiece and quite simply, make people say Wow! It is very important to me that the cakes not only look good, but that they also taste amazing. I often get told by people, they can't believe they actually taste even better than they look!"

The hype can

Rose Cottage Fruit Farm in Mountrath

ROSE COTTAGE FRUIT FARM

The tasty products of the Rose Cottage Fruit Farm may be found at quite a few local markets including Mahon Point and Midleton. Cherries and Blueberries are included in a wide variety and they also do drinks such as Apple Juice, also mixes such as Apple and Raspberry, and they have a full range of jams.
Enjoyed a bottle of their Apple Juice recently and can agree it is worth the three euro for the 75cl.

SOWAN’S ORGANIC

SOWAN’S ORGANIC

Sowan’s Organic, listed in the Bridgestone Guide, make bake mixes so that you can make real home baked food, real fast. Mixes currently available include: super spelt, traditional brown, pancake mix, gluten-free real bread and quite a few others including the Wheat and Rye mix that we bought at their stall in the Recent Midleton food festival.
www.sowansorganic.ie
353 (0)86 805115
Carrigeen, Stradbally, Co Laois.

Check out my review of Sowan's Organic - I am cork - on Qype

Tastefully Yours

TASTEFULLY YOURS
From Waterford come new and unusual flavours in the Chutneys, Relishes and Pickles produced by Dunhill’s Tastefully Yours. I tried out a few recently (at the Midleton Food festival) and they certainly tickled the taste buds. I bought two chutneys: the Cheese Board Chutney along with the Beetroot and Orange Chutney.
Their hand crafted products are the perfect accompaniment to pasta dishes, salads, hot and cold meats and are high quality ingredients for use in your daily cooking.

TOP FOUR - IN A ZONE OF THEIR OWN

SETÚBAL’S STELLAR QUARTET  

Portuguese prize-winners

Get your hands on these Iberian newbies, a quartet of quality Portuguese wines from the Setúbal peninsula at an astounding price, brought to these shores, for the first time, by the talent spotters of Wine Alliance.

Let me fill you in.

MIDLETON FOOD FESTIVAL 11.09.10

Midleton Food Festival 11.09.10
Click on collage to enlarge

MIDLETON: WALK DOWN MAIN STREET

Sun was out as we hit Midleton on Saturday for the annual Food Festival. First stop was at the Agri Aware Mobile Farm where young and old alike were enjoying seeing and touching the mainly young animals.

Picked up some relishes from Tastefully Yours and from Ballymaloe; then Hegarty’s Cheddar and Chicken Liver Pate (with smoked bacon and port) from On the Pigs Back, followed by a slice of pizza from Volcano Pizzas before enjoying a well timed and welcome cup of tea courtesy of the Radisson in Little Island.

An almond and currant cake was next into the bag, purchased at the Soul Bakery stand. Dee’s Wholefood mobile stand was a busy spot as was the local Stock Pot. Next purchase was at Sowan's followed by a couple of cup cakes from Crafty Confectionery and a soup tasting at Cully and Sully’s. Local firm BiteSize was also on the list and then a huge contrast between a Chocolate Fountain and the Ballycotton Sea-food stand (featuring a shark) before ending the walk at The Pantry (see below).

Couldn’t go home though without calling to the Farmers Market, also doing great business. It is celebrating ten years on the go and most retailers were allowing ten per cent off. Enjoyed meeting producer Deirdre Hilliard who makes so many good things in Cobh’s Just Foodhttp://www.justfood.ie/ . I helped myself to one of her brilliant organic mueslis but forgot to get some of the excellent soups. Still, they are widely available.

Also called to Arun, the showman supreme of Green Saffron where we got our (prepared) main course for the evening, Chicken Korma. What a stall! Busy, busy. But he always has time for the customer.

Needed a loaf of bread for lunch so last stop was Arbutus Bread where we picked up a Rye loaf for €3.00, normally €3.30. A few slices of that, plus the newly purchased cheddar and relish, made for a quick and tasty lunch when, all bags full, we finally reached home.

Could Midleton, by any chance, make this a monthly affair? Particularly in summertime.

THE PANTRY

Met some friendly people at The Pantry Stall during the weekend’s Midleton Food Festival. The Pantry serves breakfast and lunch, open from 9.00 until 5.30pm. They are also proud of their foodstore where they stock all kinds of goodies from jams to homemade meals.

I spotted a particular apple juice on the stand but was looking for a larger size and a young lady obligingly ran across to the actual restaurant to check for me. As I say, they were friendly and I really appreciated that extra effort. As it turned out, they didn't have the size but I bought two of the smaller ones and left with a very good impression.

www.thepantrymidleton.com

021 4633335

WELL DONE UMMERA

WEST CORK SMOKE-HOUSE WINS GOLD IN LONDON

Less than 12 months back, in Cork's Clarion Hotel, we tasted Anthony Creswel's Smoked Silver Hill Duck Breast. It was a winner with us and apparently with everyone else that sampled it that day. Encouraged by the reaction, by its own experience in other smoked products, Ummera confidently strode into the marketplace and a few days back the duck was named the "Best Irish Speciality Award" winner in the Great Taste Awards in London. 

To read more, click here

THE WEEKEND CATCH

THE WEEKEND CATCH

Restaurant & Bar Scene in Cork

via Twitter & Facebook

localmarkets A must this weekend in Midleton if you are nearby http://www.midletonfoodfestival.ie/

West Cork Hotel A Taste of West Cork Food Festival 2010 begins on Saturday - have a look at the programme; there is something for all the family.‎2010 Programme for A Taste Of West Cork food festival - Skibbereen, West Cork, Ireland  www.atasteofwestcork.com

Cafe Paradiso Plumbing issues all

BARRY'S TEA WINNER

Congratulations to Belinda Daly of Balbriggan, Co. Dublin, the winner of our recent Barry's Tea Competition. We asked

THE CLARE VALLEY COMES TO CORK

AN EVENING IN THE CLARE VALLEY

The Clare Valley is a very small part of Australia: it takes just 25 minutes to drive from Clare in the north to Auburn in the south. But the valley, really an inter-weaving series of rolling hills and valleys from north to south, punches well above its size in terms of the quality of wine produced there, as we found out last evening at a very entertaining few hours in Blackrock Castle where our guide to the area was none other than Tim Adams.

Tim and his wife Pam set up there in 1987, starting with an input of just 10 tonnes, now up to a current crush of 850. Wine styles are traditional and Tim has strong opinions on wine-making. 

He puts the Clare Valley success – there are very few big producers here – down to the unique combination of the climate, the altitude, the soil (in part, rich in red iron oxide) and the weather where a cooling ocean breeze drifts in so regularly you can do without your watch and still know the time. The area is very strong in Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz and we had examples of all to taste.

And each and every bottle had a

STRONG TEAM FROM BARRY'S TEA

Strong team from Barry's, plus regulars Gold Blend and Classic.

BARRY’S TEA

Strong Line-Up For Competition

Barry’s Tea have been regular sponsors of sports events over the years so it is only fitting that our current competition has a sporting theme. 

Whatever the result between Cork and Down later this month, Barry’s will always put a full team out for you. The prize, on this occasion, is a gift box filled to the brim with the entire Barry’s Tea Speciality range along with the usual Classic and Gold Blend treats! Their strongest side possible! 

Have a go; the question is not too difficult. Closing date is September 9th (8.00am).

When did Cork last win the All-Ireland senior football title?

Was it 1890 or 1990?  Send your answer to cork.billy@gmail.com

If you want a hint, go to http://www.gaa.ie/about-the-gaa/gaa-history/rolls-of-honour/

MISS KATIE’S TEA ROOMS in Blarney

MISS KATIE’S TEA ROOMS  

8A Blarney Shopping Centre

087 2359046

www.cupcakesbykatie.blogspot.com

Cupcakes by Katie is a family business, founded by Kay Weldon, and it was Kay herself that we met in her Tea Rooms (next to Malone’s Bar on the Blarney by-pass) last Saturday.

We really enjoyed our coffee and cup cakes and a wide ranging chat with herself, ranging from picking blackberries to the good old days and also including the All-Ireland final. The few minutes we’d scheduled for the cuppa stretched pleasantly, not least because the cup cakes were gorgeous.

She does them in many flavours and in a few sizes: mini, large and giant and you may also order specials like Black Forrest Gateaux and Banoffee and Wedding Cupcakes (of which she had a few on display last Saturday).

Now you know where to go if you are in the Blarney area and need a cuppa and cake and maybe a pleasant conversation as well. We certainly enjoyed it and purchased a box of cakes on our way out.

Check out my review of MISS KATIE’S TEA ROOMS - I am cork - on Qype

Healy's Honey in Ballincollig

NOT QUITE A SWEET CONCLUSION
DEBATE GOES ON

Bought my honey chase for the summer to a temporary though sweet conclusion on a recent visit to Dunnes Store in Blackpool. My Recent Post highlighted the differences in price and make-up of the amber nectar around the Cork area.
I was in Dunne’s on a different “mission” when I spotted their honey offerings. Their own brand (€1.99) and a Boyne Valley product had the same make-up as the Aldi product, that is the honey was a blend of EC and non EC honeys.
So I left those and then I spotted Healy’s Honey. This has to be Irish, I thought. Well, yes and no. While Healy’s do at least one jar that is 100 per cent Irish honey, most of their products contain imported honey.
The one I bought was Healy’s Natural Honey Blend. It cost €2.99 and I found it very tasty and enjoyable. But it is not 100% Irish as it states clearly on the jar: a blend of Irish and non EU honey for improved flavour and quality. They also do an organic honey and that comes from South America.
I must try their Pure Irish Honey. But Dunne’s didn't have it and neither did Tesco (who also stock otehr Healy products). I’ll leave it there for the moment. Better try and finish off the jars accumulated in recent weeks!
Healy’s Honey, Maglin, Ballincollig, Co. Cork
http://www.healyshoney.ie
021 48 71 258

Check out my review of Healy's Honey - I am cork - on Qype

Amicus Restaurant in Paul Street, Cork

AMICUS 

(Paul Street)

021 4276455

My first impressions on entering Paul Street’s Amicus, after a long absence, were good. There was a jolly welcome and we were escorted to our lunchtime table upstairs. Seating was comfortably and the place looked good and clean.

The service was friendly and smooth throughout and we were asked if everything was okay two or three times which is about sufficient.

The food was excellent. I went for the specials, I often do. Started with a Celery and Bacon Soup, a hearty bowl of freshness with plenty of tasty bits in there.

Picked the main course off the board: Lamb with vegetables, garlic and rosemary mashed potato and a red win jus. Everything here was spot on, particular the vegetables which were cooked to a t, indeed a degree or two better than in a recent dish at Market Lane where they were a touch too hard.

They really have a huge menu here, huge choices and some bargains to be had. The drink list is also extensive and they sell red wines by the glass. I picked the De Gras Cabernet Sauvignon and this deep red medium bodied Chilean was great value at €4.95.

The bill for two (2 starters, 2 mains and 2 wines) came to €42.80. Would be quite willing to go back there again for an evening meal.

Check out my review of Amicus Restaurant - I am cork - on Qype