Darina Allen, Rory O’Connell and Rachel Allen voted Blas na hÉireann 2020 Producers’ Champions

Innovators, educators and Irish food ambassadors,

Darina Allen, Rory O’Connell and Rachel Allen voted

Blas na hÉireann 2020 Producers’ Champions 

Every year, Blas na hÉireann surveys Irish producers asking them to nominate their Producers’ Champion for the year and in 2020, Darina Allen, Rory O’Connell and Rachel Allen have been chosen collectively as the year’s joint Blas na hÉireann Producers’ Champions.

Joining past Producers’ Champions and heroes of the Irish food industry like An Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Coveney, Neven Maguire, John & Sally McKenna and Kai’s Jess Murphy, the 2020 Producers’ Champion honour is voted for by Irish food producers when asked who they feel is doing the most to support Irish food both at home and abroad.

There was a very clear theme from this year’s survey that reflected an appreciation of the late Mrs. Allen’s legacy at Ballymaloe and of Rory, Darina and Rachel, in their individual and collective roles, continuing that legacy as innovators, constant supporters of the best Irish ingredients and producers, and educators of the next generation of cooks and growers.

Darina Allen and her brother Rory O’Connell established Ballymaloe Cookery School in 1983, the world-famous cookery school on an organic farm which has been producing home chefs and professionals to be found in kitchens all over the world for over 37 years. Rachel Allen studied at Ballymaloe herself before joining the team as a teacher, and all three are key members of the core teaching team at the Cookery School.

All three are exceptional teachers and also cookbook writers and tireless ambassadors for Irish food both at home and abroad.  They are well respected voices on multiple aspects of the food from Slow Food and Farmers’ Markets to traditional techniques and sustainability issues.  Advocates of the importance of children learning how to grow and cook food.  They share their expertise through their many award-winning TV programmes.

Often dubbed the Oscars of Irish food, Blas na hÉireann, the Irish Food Awards is the largest food awards on the island, open to all 32 counties, with judging taking place during June and July, finalists notified in August, and finalist judging in Dingle, the home of the awards, in October. With workshops and masterclasses in Dingle, final Blas na hÉireann 2020 awards will be presented alongside producer networking events during the Dingle Food Festival, always an unmissable event for food lovers.

“I know I speak for Rory and Rachel when I say we are thrilled to be announced as Blas na hÉireann 2020 Producers’ Champions.” said Darina Allen. “In this current global crisis, industry celebrations like Blas are needed now more than ever to highlight the great effort of our food community, the importance of good food and the many talented producers we are lucky to have on the island. People in the sector have been through tough times before and the resilience, ingenuity and hard work of Irish makers, growers and producers make them a force to be reckoned with. We look forward to being in Dingle in October to continue to celebrate and support all that is great in Irish food.”

“Our goal at Blas na hÉireann has always been to help Irish producers to tell their stories,” says Artie Clifford, Chairperson and founder of Blas na hÉireann,

“something our three Producers’ Champions have been proudly doing themselves for many years. Their in-depth knowledge and showcasing of Irish products, producers and their narratives has helped bring valuable attention to the sector.

Winning a Blas award has a similar impact in marking a product or producer out as special and worth exploring and has been shown to work for our previous winners in bringing them to the attention of food-lovers both at home and abroad. We are looking forward to doing it all again for Blas na hÉireann 2020, in a time that has its own unique challenges, and we hope to welcome food lovers and our 2020 Producers’ Champions to Dingle in October.”

Entries for Blas na hÉireann 2020 are now open online at the discounted early bird fee of €60 per entry (ex VAT). The early bird discount has been extended to 30^th April. The full entry fee, applicable from 1^st May to 25th May is €75 per entry (ex VAT).

Press release 

MAURA LAVERTY – THIS WAS YOUR LIFE. "FULL and PLENTY" at BALLYMALOE

press release

MAURA LAVERTY – THIS WAS YOUR LIFE

Ballymaloe Grainstore

Pre-Show Dinner in Ballymaloe House Will Feature Recipes from Maura Laverty’s Iconic Cookery Book, Full and Plenty

Friday 28 February 2020

The sparkling new play, Maura Laverty – This Was Your Life, comes to Ballymaloe Grainstore on Friday 28 February. It tells the rollercoaster life of the broadcaster, playwright, novelist and agony aunt, Maura Laverty.

A household name in Ireland for three decades, her work was often controversial and her novels were banned by the censors for their sexual frankness.  In the 1960s her cookery books, with their unique blend of recipes and stories, were found in nearly every home in the country.

Maura is spirited back from the dead as a guest on a surreal TV show called This Was Your Life. She cooks a recipe on stage from her iconic 1960 cookbook, Full and Plenty, and talks about her dramatic and difficult life.

The host gets Maura to reveal dark secrets and confront the price she paid for her success.  Moving from comedy to tragedy, the play reassesses the legacy of a trailblazing Irishwoman and examines a life of triumph and heartache.

A pre-show dinner inspired by Maura’s Full and Plenty recipes will be served in Ballymaloe House at 6pm.  Head Chef Dervilla O’Flynn has created a three-course menu of deliciously ‘retro’ choices. Booking [€53 per person] is essential on 021 465 2531. A special ‘Play and Stay’ accommodation package includes overnight in Ballymaloe House, dinner, show tickets and breakfast.  Packages are from €185 per person sharing.

The Curious Ensemble production is written by Yvonne Quinn and Bairbre Ní Chaoimh, the authors of the enduringly popular award-winning Stolen Child. It stars Bairbre Ní Chaoimh as Maura and Malachy McKenna as television host, Rip Riley.  It is directed by Joan Sheehy.

Running time is 1 hour and 20 minutes with no interval.

Tickets for Maura Laverty – This Was Your Life in Ballymaloe Grainstore on Friday 28 February are €22.  They can be bought online at www.ballymaloegrainstore.com or by phone on 021 475 7200.

MAURA LAVERTY FULL AND PLENTY MENU IN BALLYMALOE HOUSE

Starter

 Cream of Spinach Soup 

or 

Winter Salad of Farm Eggs, Beetroot and Lettuce with Traditional Dressing

Main Course

 Steak and Kidney Pie 

or 

Duck Rineanna with Apple and Cider Stuffing

Duchesse Potatoes, Leeks au Gratin, Glazed Carrots

Dessert

Floating Islands with Poached Rhubarb or Plums

PRESS QUOTES FOR MAURA LAVERTY – THIS WAS YOUR LIFE:

Writer Maura Laverty’s life is a fascinating tale of talent and tenacity; she is brought back to life in this charming play full of detail, wit and tragedy. Bairbre Ní Chaoimh (who plays Laverty in this hugely enjoyable production) cooks a Spanish omelette as the show progresses.  For younger audiences this is a fascinating picture of how a strong woman refused to play nice in the restrictive post-war decades and worked her way bang into the centre of Irish cultural life. Her ghost will be well pleased. – The Irish Independent

A witty and entertaining journey through the writer’s life, with Ms Ní Chaoimh in splendid form as the pugnacious Laverty. – Irish Mail on Sunday

Ballymaloe Craft Fair. Busier Again This Year.

Ballymaloe Craft Fair. Busier Again

Spent Sunday morning wandering around the 150 plus stalls at this year's Ballymaloe Craft Fair in the Grainstore and surrounding buildings including the now iconic Big Shed. If truth be told, spent most of that time in the shed, as that was where most of the food and drink was to be found.

Golden Bean coffee

One of the most eye-catching stalls was that of Joe's Farm Crisps where two generations of the Burns family, including crisp-maker Sandra were stationed. It was eye-catching in the sense that it was the first time I had seen their lovely new packaging. Lovely new design but with echoes of the original.

Long
necked
bottle

Anyone of you who have enjoyed dinner at Barnabrow will know that Head Chef Stuart Bowes is a dab hand at the petit fours. Now, Stuart and Barnabrow have expanded the service and owner Geraldine was on hand at the fair with boxes of their delicious handmade chocolates. Had a tasting - can now recommend especially the raspberry "jelly" topped dark chocolate and also the salt and caramel one and I may indeed another few favourites before the day is through.

Got down there about 10.30 on Sunday morning (the final day of the 3-day festival) but by then there were hundreds of cars parked - ample car-parking by the way. The Grainstore, packed with craft stalls, was also packed with people, but soon became more comfortable once you got away from the area immediately adjacent to the entrance. And if you got yourself a cuppa and a treat, you had lots of benches and seats at your disposal.

Interesting lighting!

One tea of quite a few from remedyroots.com

Great to say hello to Micheál and Aoife of Galtee Irish Honey Farm. Lots of other little chats too,
including with Geraldine of Barnbrow, Sandra of Joe's Farm Crisps, Kate of Kinsale Mead, Lisa
and Stuart of Remedy Roots

GEORGINA CAMPBELL AWARDS 2020

GEORGINA CAMPBELL AWARDS

Ireland’s Hotel, Restaurant, Chef, Hideaway and Pub of the Year announced at National Awards Ceremony

From Ireland’s best street, ethnic and seafood to the finest host and the most pet-friendly destination, winners of Georgina Campbell  Irish Food & Hospitality Awards 2020, in association with AIB announced

Representing the four corners of Ireland, the winners of the 2020 Georgina Campbell Irish Food & Hospitality Awards, in association with AIB, were announced on Sunday.

Celebrating 21 years in their current incarnation, the Georgina Campbell Awards recognise and honour Ireland’s standard-bearers in food and hospitality in Ireland with particular emphasis, this year, on the industry pioneers who put down quality markers a generation or more ago. For a full list of the winners and citations please click here 

Celebrating generations of standard-bearers
According to Georgina Campbell, one of Ireland’s foremost food and hospitality writers, Ireland’s success in food, tourism and hospitality is a very exciting and ever-developing story. “I have been thinking a lot about the legacy of the wonderful Myrtle Allen -  to whom the industry owes an enormous debt of gratitude and who we remember fondly at today’s event - and those of  her generation who have laid down the unshakable foundations of quality. Many of these great people are still active and working alongside their children and often their grandchildren, and they are the pioneers of the genuine hospitality, sustainable food sourcing and innovation that Ireland is gaining a reputation for today,” said Georgina Campbell.

“Equally we can marvel at the wave of talented, skilled and motivated young people who are laying down new foundations and safeguarding the future for the generations to come. It’s a challenging time to be in food and hospitality right now, but it’s also a very exciting time and, in the main, standards are increasing at every level from ground-breaking new restaurants to casual dining destinations, street food trucks, cafés and bars. So much so, in fact, that selecting the shortlists for these awards was an even more demanding task than usual.”

Sustainability
Georgina added, “This year, in tune with our special recognition of the pioneers in Irish food and hospitality, we have also been looking particularly at sustainable development, and especially when it takes place within a family business. The ability to recognise the need for change and act creatively and sustainably so that they can not just survive, but thrive, is what marks out many of our most successful multi-generational businesses - some of which have re-invented themselves several times in recent decades.”

for a full list of the winners and citations please click here 

Room for improvement
Whilst the awards are a celebration of our best hospitality and finest producers, Georgina Campbell did express a note of caution. “When carrying out our independent and anonymous assessments around the country, we have encountered disappointments once again, and particularly with some 4- and 5-star hotels, where there really should be no excuses. There is a worrying lack of a sense of hospitality in some cases and poor training - or indeed no apparent training at all - and it is baffling that there are still issues with standards at ‘top’ establishments every year.  Hotel prices are continuing to rise too, especially in the major cities and without any corresponding rise in standards, and it is disappointing to see us losing the competitive edge that was so hard won during the recession,” said Georgina.

Sourcing and provenance
Speaking at the awards, Georgina Campbell had praise for the improvements in sourcing policies, crediting Bord Bia’s Just Ask programme for the work it has done in this area. “Provenance is so important to consumers and establishments owe it to themselves, their suppliers and their customers to highlight the origin of the produce on the menu, thereby supporting Irish suppliers,” said Georgina.

The Awards were held in association with AIB for the first time and David McCarthy, Head of Hospitality & Tourism at AIB said: “Our message to hospitality businesses in a time of uncertainty with increased competitiveness, mounting cost pressures and slower revenue growth, is that it is now more important than ever for SMEs to focus on sustainability from a social, environmental and economic perspective.”

Amongst the many guests who attended the prestigious awards were Richard Corrigan, Darina Allen, Michael Deane, Niall McKenna and Andy McFadden, all of whom are widely recognised as leading lights in the promotion of Ireland’s thriving food and hospitality industries.

for a full list of the winners and citations please click here 

Press release

Ballymaloe House embraces excitement of Rugby World Cup with Sake Dinner

press release

Scrum-tious Sake

Ballymaloe House embraces excitement of Rugby World Cup as they present a Japanese dining experience that is not to be missed

As the excitement of the upcoming Rugby World Cup grips the country, Japan is the destination on everyone’s mind and the topic on everyone’s lips. To coincide with this momentous event, the award-winning Ballymaloe House have decided to bring a taste of Japan to their famous venue, with a dining experience that will see a carefully curated menu paired with five varieties of sake.

Taking place on Friday 11^th October, the event will kick off at 6:30pm and will take guests on an educational and palatable journey through the process of sake production, from its origins in the paddy field to final presentation. Sake expert Honami, Head of Marketing for KEIGETSU, a range produced by the family owned Tosa brewery, will be on hand to guide guests through the entire taste experience as he introduces a selection of sake that varies from sparkling to cold to sweet. Ballymaloe House’s Head Chef Dervilla O’Flynn will create a tailored menu specifically suited to sake pairing, ensuring that the overall dining experience is enhanced and thoroughly enjoyed by those attending.

Created from rice through fermentation, sake is a Japanese wine, which has been brewed and manufactured by KEIGETSU since 1877. The company’s quality product is as a result of the brewers’ expertise combined with the clear waters and fresh air to be found in abundance within the Tosa-Cho region, where the brewery is based. The area is surrounded by a serene natural environment near the Sameura Lake and KEIGETSU sake is handmade in small batches using this high-quality, soft water from the locale. The creation of sake, from fermentation to production, will be explored by Honami during the upcoming event at Ballymaloe House, as he takes diners on a rare gastronomic journey they are unlikely to forget.

Tickets for the event cost €105 per person and advance booking is essential as places are limited. For more information on the event visit www.ballymaloe.ie. Tickets can be purchased by emailing res@ballymaloe.ie or calling 021 4652 531.

Lobster & Sushi at Granary a Highlight of Midleton Sunday Stroll

Lobster & Sushi at Granary a Highlight of Midleton Sunday Stroll. FEAST 2019

Lobster from the Lobster Man

Food was left, right and centre in Midleton last Sunday as FEAST 2019 reached its finalé. Restraint was called for as there so much on offer. The Lobster and Sushi offering at The Granary had been pinpointed earlier as a likely lunch plate and that was where we found ourselves in the early afternoon.

A big warm welcome and soon we were sitting at our outdoor table awaiting one plate with lobster, the other with sushi, and both also packed with a range of delicious salads. Oh, and not forgetting the glass of wine, all for twenty euro per person. The tables were communal and we like that on these occasions, even more so when on Sunday we were joined by two young gentleman and we went on to have a lovely chat before heading out to all those stalls on the sunny main street.

Okawari supplied the sushi.

Our first stop on Sunday morning was to the demo area where Ballymaloe pastry chef JR Ryall and Ali of Ali's Kitchen were baking a "Raspberry Beret". They had to match their cake to a song and they choose the Prince number. Lots of fun as they got this part of the show on the road and they would be followed by a series of top names in the Irish food community.

Local hotels and restaurants were represented in the many stalls on the main street
and here we see Patryck of Surf and Turf greeting customers.

This bad boy would get busier and busier.

The bees came too! No shortage of wasps either.

Children were very well catered for, especially in the farmers market area.
Here they are busily painting their own tea towels.

We got our dessert from the Bite Size stall, very nice too!

Also at Feast

Patryk Serves A Feast of Poland At FEAST Dinner In Surf & Turf

Asado at Barnabrow House. FEAST’s Argentinian BBQ

Ingenuity & the Bounty - the Seafood & Wine Dinner at Ballycotton’s Bayview Hotel.

Sunil Ghai at SAGE (coming 11th)

Summer’s Here. Lunch and Sculpture. Both Al Fresco at Ballymaloe

Summer’s Here. Lunch and Sculpture. 

Both Al Fresco at Ballymaloe

Al Fresco at Ballymaloe. "Contemplation" in copper by Helen Walsh

These are the days. Lunch al fresco at the Garden Café Truck by the Ballymaloe Cookery School. And another impressive sculpture exhibition on the lawn in front of Ballymaloe House. And new this summer is their own Ballymaloe Cider. Try it while you’re there.

Actually, let me start with the cider. You’ll find it in the bar at Ballymaloe House where Traford Murphy is the genial manager. It comes in a 500ml bottle and the ABV is 5.2%. It is made from apples from the Ballymaloe House orchards, also from trees across the farm and alongside the appropriately name Orchard Cottage. Varieties included Dabinett, Crimson Bramley, Santana, Topas, Delles Bell and Dellinquo, plus other old varieties.

It has an amber colour, fountains of little bubbles rising. Packed with intense flavour, pleasant and refreshing all the way to a lip-smacking finish. One of the drier craft ciders around and definitely one to try.

Trifecta

So suitably refreshed, let us pop out to the lawn. You’ll can’t miss the “congregation” of sculptures here but you’ll see too that the old golf course is now a meadow. Should be quite a feature in a year or two. 

The sculptures are curated by Richie Scott www.rssculpture.com and are generally not as large as they were in previous years. There are still some big ones though, most notably The Bear (this time with The Cub), both in stainless steel by Patrick O’Reilly. There are, as always some quirky ones. I liked the bronze Goat by Seamus Connolly and the marble Venus of Holles Street by Jason Ellis.

Diver

There are over forty pieces in all and Michael Quane is well represented and I enjoyed his Diver in Carrara marble. My favourite piece though (after two visits) is the Trifecta, featuring a trio of hounds in a race. Trifecta is a bet in which the person betting forecasts the first three finishers in a race in the correct order. Might be hearing less of that after the current controversy in the greyhound industry.

Never much of a gamble when you visit the Garden Café Truck by the Ballymaloe Cookery School. You are guaranteed a win here as the food is excellent, based on very local produce indeed. Of course, if you cannot make it over to the school, you’ll eat well too at the cafe behind the shop in Ballymaloe House.

Farm Salad

We did make it to the school and enjoyed our hour or so there. It is all pretty informal, your tables and chairs sheltered by a “tent”. Just check out the menu boards, make your choice, order and pay, and your food will be brought to your table.

If the day is hot, and we hope they will be for some time to come, then the Cold Cucumber Soup will go down well. Lots of other cool drinks on offer including Elderflower cordial, Homemade lemonade, or organic raw milk. Anyone fancy a Strawberry Popsicle?

Mocha Choca Yumma

Some beautiful salads and sandwiches on the board too. The menu is short, as you’d expect, and can vary from day to day. The Hot and Spicy Slow Roasted Lamb Taco, with chipotle mayo, hot sauerkraut, cooling avocado, and fiery rocket, is a favourite here over the past few years and I enjoyed that while CL was delighted with her Farm Salad.

The Cookery School is noted for its top quality on the bakery side and you are strongly advised to take advantage. I’d say any cake on the day (there are usually two) will be delicious but my favourite is perhaps the Mocha Choca Indulgent Cake, not that the Tahini Cake is far behind. Enjoy those with a cup of their excellent coffee.

Long, Lazy Sunday at Ballymaloe

Garden to Plate at Ballymaloe.

Superb Craft Fair Too.

There were gasp when Ballymaloe House gardener Mags Coughlan told us she grows 4,500 leeks here each year. Soon we would see some of them on our plates as we enjoyed lunch in the house. The garden tour, a mead tasting, a long leisurely lunch and a visit to the ever increasing craft fair in the Grainstore and Big Shed, were all part of a lovely day that brought the curtain down on the Munster Wine and Dine activities for 2017. A good day. A good year.

Here's where we get our hazelnuts

Hazel Allen introduced the fifty or so of us to Mags who told us the aim here in the walled garden and surrounding area is to grow “seasonal and unusual”. Even with Mags working flat out, there is no way the garden could fully supply the house, so Ballymaloe gets much of its regular plant and vegetables supplies from local growers, a traditional relationship maintained.

That leaves the gardener, in consultation with the chefs of course, to concentrate on something different, a crop of sea-kale for example, followed in turn by asparagus and artichoke. And then there are also edible flowers and flowers for decoration. One of the specialities of the walled garden, taking advantage of a south-facing wall, are peaches. Lots of herbs here too, of course.

All is grown from seed so that means glasshouses and we walked through there admiring the lines of harvested pumpkins (also on the day’s menu). We were then shown the relatively new cider apple orchard; varieties here include Dabinett and Bramley. Here too we saw the hazel bushes which provide quite a harvest and have a bit of growing to do yet!

All had been quite in the fields where the pigs are kept until the arrival of our group. Then little groups of the younger pigs came rushing out to greet the visitors. They may not have been so eager had they known that the same people would be eating their older siblings later on.

Back then to the conservatory room in the house for an aperitif, thanks to Kate Dempsey of the Kinsale Mead Co. We sampled her Atlantic Dry Mead and also Wild Red Mead  – and then she made some delicious cocktails using her mead (and also the new Beara Gin). Quite a few were very impressed by the mead. Both meads are honey based and are rapidly becoming widely available in Supervalu’s and speciality shops such as URRU in Bandon and Bradley’s in the city's North Main Street.

Kate and her meads

Time now for lunch, the main event. A good start is half the battle. And so it was here with a delicious warming bowl of Garden Pumpkin Soup with Chilli and Parsley Oil. More simple food followed, simply delicious Ballycotton Crab Paté with cucumber and dill salad.

We had a choice for the main course. CL chose the Poached Ballycotton Monkfish with Chive Butter Sauce served with Leeks and Romanesco while mine was the Roast Ballymaloe Farm Pork with red cabbage and Bramley Apple Sauce. Each, with Pommes Duchesse and Glazed Carrots on the side, was superb.

The temptation levels then soared with the arrival of the famous Ballymaloe Dessert trolley. We were like the little piggies! Pavlova, poached pears, chocolate cake (and sauce), and so much more, all washed down with little sips of sweet Jurançon. Pratsch Gruner Veltliner and Solstice Rhone Valley were the earlier wines.

After the tea or coffee, or a garden infusion, there was a quick review of 2017, a raffle for foodie prizes and an announcement that Munster Wine and Dine had decided to donate €300.00 to Penny Dinners.

Crab

Some of us then took a walk around the annual craft fair. The opening day, Saturday, had been busy but one stall holder told me Sunday, the day of our visit, was even busier and she was looking to getting her feet up for the night! There were some gorgeous crafts here but, looking for a particular item with certain restrictions as to material, size and colour, proved mission impossible for me! The search begins again next week at the big Craft Fair in the City Hall and the smaller one at Franciscan Well Brew Pub.

Sweet stuff

Darkness had now settled on this amazing East Cork farm and our bus had arrived. A very satisfied group headed back to the city, bang on schedule. Here’s to another great Munster Wine and Dine season in 2018. Happy Christmas everyone from Eithne, Richie, Colm, Beverly, Michael, Stuart, and yours truly.

Craft Fair

Al Fresco in F-EAST Cork Superb Sage Meal

Al Fresco in F-EAST Cork

Superb Sage Meal

A sharing plate of one of our four starters, Ballycotton Smoked Salmon

Kevin Aherne has some serious form when it comes to an outdoor feast. He has even one or two on board a small boat. Tuesday's outdoor event though was in the much more stable, much more comfortable courtyard at Sage, his Midleton restaurant famous for the #12 mile menu!

Of course, the food would be local and Kevin emphasised the importance of provenance as we sat down to eat at the Long Table. As soon as the starters arrived, the oysters, the salmon, the mackerel, the mussels, we were on a roll and total strangers began to chat and enjoy the occasion and the food. 

It reminded me, to a degree, of the supper that often followed a day's threshing back in the day. But we wouldn't have had wine in those days, mostly bottles of stout and other beers. And, of course, it would have been in an open barn or in the farmyard, not under a heated canopy.

The other starters: oyster, mackerel and mussels

No doubt the forty or so of us gathered for this event, the second of FEAST, the newly rebranded food festival in East Cork, were soon in good form, especially after a glass or two of the lovely organic Cava, the Alta Allela, from a family vineyard close to Barcelona. The La Source blend of Vermentino and Chardonnay, another organic wine, was a delight and it accompanied our starters and the Le Caveau import from the Languedoc was an excellent match indeed.

Kevin, Réidin and their team were now busy, working hard to assemble the food for the mains. But there wasn't a problem (not that we noticed!) and soon the large group were tucking into the local duck and beef with the various sauces and side dishes. An amazing display of just how good local produce is once in the proper hands. Again that velvety wine from Portugal was just the job.

Just like the starters, there were four items for dessert, all delicious. Perhaps the highlight though, certainly for those around me, was the Bó Rua mature cheddar from just out the road. Then again was it the Wilkies 64% chocolate delice served as the memorable feast came to a sweet and appropriate conclusion.

Still time to enjoy a visit to FEAST. This Thursday evening, Ballymaloe is the venue for a Seasonal Cocktail and Feast. Tomorrow, take a trip to Rostellan for chocolate, cheese, shellfish, wines, prosecco, teas and hot chocolate in a historic courtyard. Saturday is the main event with demos and stalls all over Midleton. Highlight may well be the restaurant tent with 11 local restaurants serving small dishes for a fiver (max.) and a long table outside. On Sunday, it will be wind-down time in Sage with a #12 mile BBQ in the Courtyard.

Last Tuesday’s FEAST Menu in Sage:

Local man Kevin.

On arrival: Cava Alta Alella, a Brut Nature (biodynamic)

To Start: Ballycotton hot oysters, breadcrumbs, aged cheddar.

Ballycotton smoked salmon.

Pickled and charred Ballycotton mackerel.

Ballycotton mussels and Jameson cream.

La Source, Pays D’Oc 2016 (Vermentino/Chardonnay.

To Savour: East Ferry roast Aylesbury duck, spiced plum sauce.

Beef sirloin (James Walsh, Buckstown), béarnaise.

Pickled beet salad (Joe Burns, Killeagh)

Cauliflower gratin (Joe Burns, Killeagh)

Last of new the new potatoes with gremolata (Staffords, Roche's Point).

Beyra, Douro 2015; Alfrocheiro/Jaen/Tempranillo/Touriga Nacional

To Finish:  Toasted mallow and lemon verbena posset, wild strawberries.

Wilkies 64% organic chocolate delice.

Soft Ardsallagh goats cheese, elderberries.

Bo Rua cheddar, Terry’s honey crackers.

Highbank Orchard organic proper dessert cider.

Posset

See other posts from FEAST 2017

Rostellan Chocolate Hosts FEAST

Ferrit & Lee. The Perfect Serve.

FEAST on the street. The main event.