COBH MANAGER TAKES HOME TOP HONOUR AT PRIDE OF CENTRA AWARDS

COBH MANAGER MICHELLE TAKES HOME TOP HONOUR AT PRIDE OF CENTRA AWARDS

-Annual Award Ceremony Applauds Centra Employees-

The sixth annual Pride of Centra Awards ceremony took place recently in Dromoland Castle in Co. Clare, where a selection of outstanding Centra employees were honoured for their passion and commitment shown in the workplace this year. There were 54 employees from across the country shortlisted across six categories with Michelle McCarthy, Department Manager of Centra Cobh, Co. Cork, taking home the Department Manager Award but also named as the Overall 2019 Pride of Centra Award winner.  

Presented by Sybil Mulcahy, the Pride of Centra Awards celebrates the dedication and enthusiasm demonstrated by employees. Each of the shortlisted finalists have gone above and beyond their role to emulate the Centra brand values and ensure their store is at the heart of their community. The overall winner was selected from six category winners; Employee Award, Department Manager Award, Store Manager Award, Length of Service Award, Community Champion Award, Outstanding Customer Service Award & Overall Pride of Centra Award 2019.

Commenting on the Pride of Centra Awards, Dan Curtin, Centra Sales Director, said; “These awards were established to recognise and celebrate the incredible individuals who consistently live by the Centra brand values, each and every day. Centra stores operate in the heart of communities across the country and these awards not only provide the opportunity to showcase the amazing work that Centra staff do every day within the store, but also highlight the remarkable and selfless work they do within their local communities. Customers tell us time and time again that the number one driver of shoppers to Centra is our staff and we are proud and grateful for their dedication, commitment and passion for our brand.”

Pride of Centra 2019 Category Winners:

1. Pride of Centra Overall Winner & Department Manager: Michelle McCarthy, from Centra Cobh, Co.Cork
2. Pride of Centra Employee Award, Nikita Kelly, Centra Kells, Co. Louth
3. Pride of Centra Store Manager Award, Connie Lynch, Centra Piltown, Co. Kilkenny
4. Pride of Centra Length of Service Award, Brendan Deane, Centra Belmullet, Co. Mayo
5. Pride of Centra Community Champion Award, Bridget McLaughlin, Centra Moville, Co. Donegal
6. Pride of Centra Outstanding Customer Service Award, Rachel Ellis, Centra Kells, Co. Meath

Commenting in relation to overall winner Michelle McCarthy, Judge Paul Ellison said; “Since joining Murphy’s Centra Cobh, Michelle has helped turn the shop into a local landmark, famous for its fresh food and high-quality service. She is an inspirational leader that has built a fantastic team of staff and created a positive culture through continuously motivating, involving and encouraging all employees of the store. Michelle is loved by all the customers with her wonderful positive attitude, friendliness and enthusiasm and she is hugely involved in the community dedicating her time to many different initiatives and charity events every year. She truly embodies the Pride of Centra Award.”

The 54 finalists represented 19 counties; Dublin, Cork, Sligo, Waterford, Wexford, Donegal, Galway, Clare, Cavan, Leitrim, Limerick, Mayo, Laois, Tipperary, Kildare, Kilkenny, Kerry, Carlow and Offaly. All shortlisted candidates were recognised for their ongoing commitment to their work with community initiatives, charity organisations, customer service and engaging activities in-store.

 press release

Something Different at Dockland. A Delightful Diversity of Dishes

Something Different at Dockland 

A Delightful Diversity of Dishes

Thai Curry

The transition from Club Brasserie to Dockland had some punters worried. But it was more or less seamless and soon we realised that, while there were many small plates here, the choice was bigger than ever, the types of dishes more varied than before. You don’t need to be over adventurous to enjoy the flavoursome food here but plain eaters may have to study the menu in some detail.

Toulouse sausage

We arrived in early on a Friday, in good form having earlier attended the O’Donovan Wine Fair in the nearby Clayton. The form wasn’t entirely down to the wine - we spit much more than we swallowed. But the drops and the chats were enjoyable as was the warm welcome by Beth and her newly male reinforced Dockland team!

There are no sub headings on the menu, just one title: bites to bigger bites. Roughly you have a dozen bites (small plates) and, believe it or not, more or less the same number of bigger bites (main courses, if you will, not that the old terminology is entirely accurate here). You could perhaps have three bites, or one bite and one bigger, or even two bigger. Lots of scope to try different things and also to share.

And lots to drink also, including an increasing choice of non-alcoholic (they’re working on that!). A good list of white and red wines, an impressive collection of gins, and a full bar too. No shortage but in the circumstances we gave it a skip on the night.

It did take us a while to go through the menu. I started with the Toulouse Sausage Bruschetta, with tomato chilli jam, roasted red onions, mustard mayo and honey mustard dressing. With a crispy little salad, this was terrific, moist and full of texture and flavour, a terrific bite and I was on my way for six euro.

Roasted stuffed Aubergine

CL’s opener cost the same, actually 6.50. Her choice was the Roasted Stuffed Aubergine, with tomato fondue, roasted red onions, feta cheese, sumac and mint oil. Again, moist and delicious, a cracking combination of textures and flavours. Up and running.

Just to give you an idea of the variety here, I’ll detail two of the other “bites”. One is the Moroccan Lamb Koftas (ras al hanout, saffron aioli, harissa oil, and zataar), another the Macroom Halloumi cheese, courgette plus carrot fritters. With all the various combinations available here, you could eat at Dockland for weeks and not repeat yourself.

Big bites are just as varied. You could have Crispy Asian Duck confit plus a spiced noodle salad (with blood orange lime nam iiim chilli dressing, coriander, chillies, mint, toasted tomato seeds, sugarsnap, mixed peppers). I was seriously considering that before I made a different choice.  Also tempting was the Slow Roasted Crispy Belly of Pork with fennel seeds, served with Borlotti beans, rosemary, buttered cabbage, Clonakilty blackpudding and caramelised apple.

In the end, my pick was the Thai Green Chicken Curry, basmati rice, cucumber mint salad (18.00). At first glance, I thought this was a little on the small side but the bowls were packed, one with the curry (oh those crunchy peppers), the rice was perfectly cooked and that little bowl of cucumber sauce played a key role and I also enjoyed my poppadum. Took my time with that I can tell you and enjoyed every little bit - no room for dessert at the end!

Dhal

Our other dish was also from the east: Spiced Lentil and sweet potato dhal, spinach, basmati rice, poppadum crisps and yogurt (16.00). The result here was equally satisfying, a superb and generous counter to the cold outside. We were very happy with those two dishes, not the kind of plates you’d do at home (and that’s one of the reasons we venture out to Cork’s marvellous restaurants and cafes).

And that plain eater?  Perhaps the Chargrilled Ribeye steak along with the Dockland Dirty Fries would do the trick. Even there, expect a surprise or two like the roasted harissa oil with the chips! Plain or adventurous, you’ll be well looked after here. The welcome is warm and the service is efficient and friendly.

Taste of the Week from Kilbrack Farm. Buy local, fresh and fair.

Taste of the Week

from Kilbrack Farm

I found my current Taste of the Week in the superb kale on sale at the Kilbrack Farm stall in the Coal Quay Farmers Market last Saturday. They have other amazing organic vegetables, as does Caroline Robinson a few stalls away. It doesn't have to be just at the Coal Quay. Midleton or Douglas Markets may be more convenient for you. I plan to go to Killavullen next Saturday morning. If Saturday doesn't suit, head to Mahon Point on Thursday. There's a couple of excellent farmers stalls there and don't tell me the markets are expensive. Last week, I got five or six superb carrots in Mahon for one euro!

After the Coal Quay last Saturday, I called to the English Market. Eoin O'Mahony had a lovely piece of porchetta* to go with the kale. There was bread from ABC and paté from On the Pig's Back. As you know, there's lots of other stalls in both markets so no shortage of choice. The point I'm making is support local, buy fresh and fair and you'll end up with a taste of the week that suits your tastes and your budget and, more than likely, your health. The longer my food's journey, the less I trust in it (anyone been watching Rotten on Netflix?). So buy local and from a trusted source. The more we pull together, the further we will go.

* Speaking of pork, we got a delicious shoulder from Woodside Farm at Mahon Thursday; cooked low and slow with seasonal root vegetables, it gave us a very satisfactory dinner on Sunday, as it regularly does.

Nash 19 Champions Local Producers. The Customer Wins

Nash 19 Champions Local Producers.

The Customer Wins

Superb pork, crowned with crackling

Quite a few new restaurants, all types, sizes, styles, in Cork these days, some of them grabbing the attention. But a experienced and still enthusiastic troop of the old reliables can teach these new kids on the block a thing or two. Take Nash 19 for instance, established in 1992 and now a treasure of good food and good cooking right in the heart of the city: seasonal, local, consistent and so welcoming.

Good to keep these places in mind and I reaped the benefit last Tuesday when I accepted an offer to a birthday lunch (mine) and we decided on Nash 19. Some new faces in the crew but all come with big smiles and they soon had us seated, the menus in our hands, water at hand. It was a good start and gradually got better.

Warm Chicken Salad

Lots to pick from here, various salads, four fish dishes, traditional offerings such as Lamb’s Liver and Irish Stew. And if you couldn’t make up your mind you could do worse than choose the Local Producer Plate, their signature tasting plate.

The one that caught my eye was the Pork Loin, baked in Bombay Aloo (potato) & Fennel, with crackling (15.90). Crowe’s Farm are their regular supplier so I had no worries about the pork and in addition to the described elements there was also a helping of cracking kale (from Waterfall Farm), gratin potato and root vegetables. Overall, a superb mains, well thought out and equally well executed.

CL meanwhile was enjoying her Chicken Warm Salad, Mexican style, guacamole, tortillas and salsa (13.90), a bowl packed with colour, flavour and texture. 

Wines are supplied mainly by Liberty and Le Caveau and the birthday boy was invited to help himself by his driver for the day. Our server was confident about the wines and suggested I try the light unoaked and organic Mesta Tempranillo, a 2018 joven, from Ucles in Spain. She was spot on and I enjoyed the pairing!

We had each started with a “small” bowl of Rich Tomato and bean soup; they also had a chowder on offer. The soup took the cold out of the system and we settled back to enjoy our mains.

Nash believe in quality. Not alone do they source the best but they handle it well all the way from delivery to the plate. And it is not just quality. Quantity is never lacking here. So we were pretty full when the dessert question came up!

I studied the list, again no shortage of choice. The legendary Raspberry Mille Feuille caught my attention immediately but then I spotted something that might better suit the cool October day and so we decided to share the Pillow Meringue with spiced plums and hot chocolate sauce (6.60). Glad to report my hunch was right on the money. Indeed, those mildly spiced plums were worth the money on their own.

So there you are. What’s another year? Let’s see.

Superb Cuisine in Capacious and Comfortable Cornstore

Superb Cuisine in Capacious and Comfortable Cornstore

Very much enjoyed the cuisine, not to mention the comfort of the renovated dining room, at dinner in the well-established and hugely popular Cornstore last week. Cold and wet outside but we were cosy and well fed inside.

The Oyster Festival may be over - and we did visit the Cornstore as one of the stops on the previous Saturday’s Gourmet Trail - but there is no shortage of oysters around. And they have quite a variation here with their Hot Grilled Buffalo Oysters, an unusual twist on the classic Buffalo wings that, with ginger beer pickled samphire, gives the molluscs a spicy lift!

There’s quite a choice of starters on the A La Carte here, about ten appetisers plus five small plates and also a special or two on the night. I had been looking at two of the specials - smoked mackerel and lamb kebab - before ordering the oysters. CL’s pick was the Heirloom Tomato Salad with Crumbled feta, red onion, toasted pistachio, shredded basil & organic rapeseed oil.

No shortage of choice either when it comes to the main section,. Here their famous aged steaks have a little section to themselves and, as we’ve found out on previous occasions, are top class. This time though I picked Rack and rolled lamb (Roast rack of lamb & braised shoulder of lamb, rosemary and sweet potato cake, leek fricassee & a mint pesto). The rack is served medium here and was perfect. Hard to beat the tender shoulder, hard to beat the whole combination, the different textures of the lamb, the soft crunch of the leek plus the bread-like feel of the cake. Quite a dish.

CL loves her fish. As this is another speciality of the house, it was with confidence that she ordered the Baked salmon with grilled prawns with Fondant potato, tender stem broccoli, samphire and blood orange hollandaise. And that confidence was well placed indeed and well rewarded too.

Quality all the way at the Cornstore but no shortage of quantity either, so there was some hesitation about dessert before we decided to share the Vanilla Crème Brulée with salted chocolate biscuit. Again a delicious choice, even that biscuit was a beauty!

Whiskeys galore here and the Cornstore cocktails (including dessert cocktails and mocktails) are legendary. An extensive wine list includes whites from light and crisp to rich and elegant, reds from easy drinking to full bodied and robust.You may get craft beers by the bottle - I noticed bottles from Blacks of Kinsale and Black Donkey of Roscommon on the list. And I found another one, a wheat beer, for my non-alcoholic “collection”, a Schneider Weisse by the famous German brewer. Enjoyed that!

Enjoyed the dinner very much indeed and it got even better when a family member texted us with an offer of a lift home. Delighted to accept!

• By the way, their Christmas Group Festive menus are now available, so you may want to check these out. As you know, the large restaurant is ideal for groups.

The Cornstore 

Cornmarket Street

Cork

4274777

Bayview Lunch Brings Out The Sun!

Bayview Lunch Brings Out The Sun!

Red Mullet

Fancied some good fish last Friday so we headed off to Ballycotton’s marvellously situated Bayview Hotel, a hotel where head chef Ciaran Scully has an unrivalled reputation when its comes to fish. But, as we turned right at Shanagarry, we could see the fog straight ahead and it stayed with us, not quite blocking out the view of the pier as we parked but certainly most of the bay was out of sight.

But the mood and the weather improved as we tucked into our excellent lunch and, before the dessert, we were able to see right across the large bay to the Garryvoe Hotel, a “sister” of the Bayview. It turned out to be a lovely afternoon. Would have been a good one to take the cliff walk but, well, we were pretty full at that point so a stroll down to the shore was a much as we managed.

Terrine

There’s an amazing menu here, packed with a huge choice of good things, not all from the sea. We were thinking of trying Roscoff Onion & Rebel Red Broth topped with Sourdough Croutes & Melted Hegarty’s Cheddar, just one of the soups on offer.  A Salad of Macroom Mozzarella, Leamlara Farm Leaves, Heritage Tomatoes, Basil Pesto, Balsamic, Sourdough also caught the eye.

Grilled Inch House Black pudding with Beetroot Ketchup, Young Buck Blue Cheese, Onion Mousse featured prominently in our short-list of starters. But our pick - we shared it - was the Pig’s Head Brawn Terrine, Plum and Pedro Jiménez Puree, Bayview Piccalilli. This was perfect, the tasty meat flavours improved no end by that purée and even more so by the selection of pickled vegetables. These guys know how to pimp your terrine! 

There were Steak, Duck leg, Lambs Liver on the mains. But fish of course is the specialty here and the Fish Board of Smoked Mackerel Pate, Dublin Bay Prawns, Little Darling Pickled Herrings, Ballycotton Smoked Salmon Salad & Sourdough Baguette beckoned but will have to wait for another visit!

They always have a selection of simply pan-fried fish here, served with side salad and chunky chips (really chunky!), usually priced around the €22.00 euro mark. We know the plaice around here is always top class so that was CL’s pick while I went for the Red Mullet. 

The plaice was perfection itself, no batter to take from its delicious flavour. And I can honestly say the same about the more “meaty” mullet, a fish you don’t see that often on local menus. Hopefully that will change as it really is a beauty.

The choices continue at the end. There’s an Irish Farmhouse Cheese selection, Ice-cream variations, plus Sorbets. The Bayview uses lots of Irish produce and Tipperary Farm Boulaban is their ice-cream supplier. And we finished off with the Bayview Affogato: Boulaban Vanilla Ice Cream drowned In Freshly Made Double Espresso Black Barrel Syrup. Nice!

The four-star Bayview has a cliff-top nest in Ballycotton, overlooking both the pier and bay, a great place to dine and stay.

Bayview Hotel 

Ballycotton

Co. Cork

Ireland

Farmgate Café 25 Years On. Still Going Strong

Farmgate Café 25 Years On

Still Going Strong

Old Millbank salmon

When the Farmgate Café advertise for staff, they stress “it's a busy fast paced environment”. And it is. I saw for myself last Wednesday week (Aug 7th). No shortage of spaces when we arrived at 12.30pm but it was such a different story thirty minutes later. By then, the Dining Room was full and there was a queue for the Balcony, even a little queue to exit! Twenty five years after its founding, the English Market restaurant's food is as much in demand as ever.

We got a table in the glassed off Dining Room and were soon studying the menu and the specials on the board (which included plaice and corn beef). Service is friendly and efficient here and water was quickly delivered to the table along with some of their complimentary breads (delicious, as always) and Glenilen Butter.

Chicken Livers

Something on the lighter side was our target, so we passed on the mains of fish, the beef, the free-range chicken and the Irish Lamb Stew, all tempting and most sourced from the English Market below.

We could have nibbled on olives and on the addictive House Spiced Nuts (we had those during the Walk the Long Table stop here). In the end, I picked the Seared Chicken Livers with Marsala on sourdough toast (8.50). There was a well-dressed salad on the plate as well and it was a superb combination of flavour, texture, even colour.

You can get Irish beers here and European wines but I regularly go for their sparkling elderflower drink and we shared a carafe (4.50). There’s a great loyalty between the Farmgate and their suppliers so it was no surprise to see the Old Millbank Organic Irish Smoked Salmon (12.50) on the menu here and CL gave that a run and confirmed the offering was as good as ever.

One of the advantages of the smaller plates was that dessert could be accommodated!  There was a Pannacotta Special with strawberries up on the board but it was the regular Champagne and Elderflower Sorbet with West Cork Strawberries that tempted me. Must say I hit dessert jackpot with that one, so delicious I was half inclined to lift the bowl to my lips and drain the last drop of the melting sorbet!

Champion Sorbet!

Actually, there is a quite a long dessert menu here. Our other one was also cool and colourful: Lemon Tart and Raspberry Sorbet.  Did a bit of sharing there and that too was excellent but I still gave mine the nod as the best! Each cost  €5.90.

You may reserve a table in the Dining Room (table service) but not in the Balcony (counter service). The menu available in the Dining Room is mostly available too across the way and, in addition, you’ll be able to choose from soups, salads, toasted and open sandwiches, and a daily roast or two.

Farmgate Café  

English Market

Princes Street

Cork

T12NC8Y

Ireland

local: 021 427 8134

international: 00 353 21 427 8134 

e: info@farmgatecork.ie (general enquiries)

Local Producers Shine as Cask Introduces Weekend Brunch

Local Producers Shine as Cask Introduces Weekend Brunch

French Toast

When Cork’s Cask recently introduced its weekend Brunch, there was no doubt that it would be local and seasonal. Head Chef Bryan McCarthy emphasised it in the notice: “For the brunch menu at Cask we wanted to keep it simple, offering no-frills brunch favourites with the focus firmly on the quality of the ingredients which we’ve sourced from some wonderful local producers. We’re delighted with how it has turned out and we think people are going to love it.”

I tried it out this weekend, enjoyed it and delighted too that Killahora Orchards, a producer just about five miles east of the city, figured so much in my choice. I should say choices as there was a cocktail involved as well! Well, it was a late brunch.

The menu is short, with favourites, such as Eggs Benedict featuring. Seated by the window, we ignored the busy street scene outside and studied the options. My choice was the French Toast with the Killahora Apple Syrup and Strawberries (bananas were an alternative).

So what cocktail? You have to smile at the names here but there is something a little more serious behind the one I picked: Bee Positive. Ketel One vodka, Killahora Rare Apple Iced Wine, Suze, Borage and local honey are the ingredients. And it comes with a packet of wildflower seeds to throw and grow! Aside from the needed nod to the bees, the drink itself is delicious, nectar springs to mind! 

In any event, the drink and the superb French Toast went very well together, I’m glad to report. CL meantime was enjoying her substantial plate of Avocado, Bacon, Tomato, Rocket, and Poached Egg on toast. That too was delicious, quite a feed. I know, as we swapped halfway through.

Like an increasing number of places, Cask offer a non alcoholic cocktail. Their Shrub consists of Ceders Non Alcoholic Spirit, Seasonal Shrub, and Poachers Ginger Ale. Tonic and soda are listed as alternatives but Dan, who was looking after us, hinted that the Poachers Ginger ale was just the job and he was talking to the converted as CL had recently enjoyed a cocktail with ginger ale in Kerry. This didn’t look all that spectacular, just the one flowerhead, providing colour, but it tasted very well indeed.

Cheers to the bees

Andy Ferreira, Cask bar manager and chief mixologist. “In recent years brunch as a concept has really taken off so we were excited to introduce it to Cask, but making sure to put our own unique spin on things. We’ve combined delicious food and a fun and intriguing drinks menu with the great craic that we’ve become known for - a killer combination!”

Having been asked to put it to the test, we can endorse that! Also on the menu are Eggs Benedict on Toasted Honey Spelt Bread; Potato, Black Pudding and Beef Hash with Baked Eggs. Lighter dining options include Granola with Natural Yogurt and Berry Compote, and Smoked Salmon with Scrambled Eggs and Chives.

Brunch is available here from 10:00am - 3:00pm every Saturday and Sunday. Cask is also open daily for lunch and dinner from 12:30pm - 10:00pm. 

Cask

48 MacCurtain Street

Cork

Tel:  (021) 450 0011

Springboard into Summer at the Kingsley Hotel

Springboard into Summer at the Kingsley Hotel

Pork Belly

Springboard, the relaxed bistro in the Kingsley Hotel, the one with the large windows that look out at the River Lee, has quite a lovely summertime menu as I enjoyably discovered last week. 

We arrived just as the only shower of the day finished up; three courses later we were singing the praises of the restaurant, named for a prominent part of the old Lee Baths that once stood here, the only downside being the fact that the sun never re-appeared to enhance the view of the river, the strollers, the runners and the kayakers.

View. Wine. Prosciutto & Ricotta starter

And it wasn’t just the food that was good. So too was the comfort here and, more importantly, the service: smooth, friendly, helpful, without ever being overly attentive. The menu is quite extensive, takes a bit of reading! Starters include everything from Olives to Chowder to a grilled mojo chicken Cobb salad, about a dozen items in all.  The mains is even more expansive, featuring beef, chicken, and pork dishes, a Thai curry, vegetarian options, even a Pizza list.

No shortage of desserts either and there’s also an Irish Farmhouse Cheeseboard. Plenty of wines to choose from as well; our pick was the aromatic and crisp Markus Huber Grüner Veltliner. And, of course, there are lots of whiskies and gins and other spirits and, if you’re driving, they can offer you a choice of non-alcoholic cocktails. Good to see the local Cotton Ball beers also well represented on the list.

Fish Cakes special

So, with the wine sorted and the breads enjoyed, we made a start, an excellent one. Lots of local produce here and CL’s salad included Toonsbridge Ricotta, with Prosciutto, fig and honey crostini and baby leaves. She enjoyed that. My soya glazed pork belly with black pudding bon bon, cos leaves, mango relish was another beauty. Both, by the way, were quite substantial yet two empty plates went back.

You don’t get trout out that often so I was delighted to try the Pan-seared fillet of sea-trout with smoked haddock, pea and saffron risotto, pine nut pesto, delighted that I did as it was a superb combination, appetising on the plate and totally pleasing on the palate.

CL had spotted the special and, with some encouragement from our server, choose the Pan-fried Fish Cakes with dressed summer salad, sweet potato fries, garlic and saffron aioli, lemon mayo. All the salads here by the way were well dressed. Again the dish was superb, full of flavour and textures. Another clean plate, another vote of confidence in the kitchen team.

Trout

The dessert menu was laced with temptation and we were pointed in the direction of the Glazed chocolate and caramel dome. But, after two excellent courses, space was limited and we opted for the lighter Lemon meringue éclair (choux pastry éclair, lemon curd filling, Italian meringue, mango sorbet) to share. It was served in the “neutral territory” on the table and provided a very pleasant end to a very pleasant evening as guests of the restaurant. 

Dessert

Check out the full Springboard menu here. 

The Springboard details   

OPENING TIMES

• Monday - Friday 17.00 - 21.00
• Saturday & Sunday 12.30 - 21.00 (Sunday lunch from 12.30 - 17.00)

CONTACT INFORMATION

• T: +(0818) 277 458
• E: info@thekingsley.ie

Taste of the Week. Award-winning Longueville House Cider

Taste of the Week
Award-winning Longueville House Cider

Longueville House Cider 5.5%, widely available in 500ml bottle

The big thing you notice, aside from the golden colour of this medium-dry cider and the rich aromas of the autumn in the 24-year old orchard, is that the flavour is long and deep, like the mighty Blackwater that flows by the Longueville Estate near Mallow, Co. Cork. 

The balance, between the estate grown fruit (25 acres) and the acidity, is remarkable, hinting that the production process is precise. But this is not measured, not weighed, at least not in any industrial sense. Remember this is all comes together in an old bare-walled farm shed, using “machinery”, for the apple brandy in particular, that is just as likely to be seen in a folk museum or come across in a secondhand sale.

Two varieties of apple, Michelin and Dabinett, are grown in Longueville. The amount of each variety is not measured. They are gathered up together and go into the old oak press together. Nothing is added. Irish Distillers ace cooper Ger Buckley told me recently that, when reassembling a barrel, he judges everything by eye. Cider making in Longueville is something similar: by eye, by smell, by touch, by intuition, the basic tools of an artisan honed by years of experience.

Put them all together as they have in this North Cork estate (a proud member of the Old Butter Roads Food Trails) and the result is this superb cider, yours to savour, the pleasing sensation of the orchard fruit, long and deep on the palate and its refeeshing finalé. With no artificial sweeteners, additives, colourings, preservatives or added sulphites, this is a true craft cider. 

Do not spoil the effort of the land and the human hand with ice. Longueville’s Rubert Atkinson (pictured above) advises: “No ice! It waters down the flavours and kills the carbon. Enjoy this like a wine, in a wine glass.” Chill it well and pair with fish, meat (especially pork), cheese, charcuterie or simply on its own.

* Back in the mists of time, these Longueville lands were owned by a Daniel O’Callaghan but, after the collapse of the 1641 rebellion, O’Callaghan’s lands went to Cromwell. Amazingly, the wheel came full circle in 1938 when the present owner’s grandfather Senator William O’Callaghan bought the property, restoring it to the same family clan of O’Callaghans. You may read all about the centuries in between in a leaflet they hand out at the house and, on the back, is a map of the many and varied walks on the estate! Info also on the website here.

See Unusual Fish on the Celtic Explorer at Seafest

See Unusual Fish on the Celtic Explorer at Seafest

Full programme here

This is an Orange Roughy, a deep water fish that is now more popular with consumers since he got a change of name.
Previous name was Slimehead! It is a bottom living species.

This Bearfish, pictured also with the Roughy above, is common in the
Eastern Atlantic. Normal length is about 13cm.

This is a Ray. Fishmonger Pat O'Connell: Ray wing is a really economical fish choice and delivers a good quantity of meat which is easily accessed. 

The red mullet is common in the Eastern Atlantic, including around Ireland.

Look at the teeth on this fellow. No wonder it is called the Rabbit fish. The teeth and the big eyes (below) help its survival
in the dark deep ocean. The proper name is Chimaera and it is found in the north eastern Atlantic at anything
 from 40 metres down to over 1,600.

This is the Red Gurnard. There are two types; the Tub Gurnard is pictured below.

Open wide. The Gurnard is well equipped to sweep in anything nutritious in the vicinity.

Didn't note the name of this one!

This is a small Black Shark, another bottom dweller, again with big eyes and sharp teeth. Many of these deepsea fish
have sharp "spikes" to deter predators. This shark also has a tough skin, tough enough to use as sandpaper!

The fish room is just one of the attractions - a highlight for me - on the Celtic Explorer which does fascinating work in the oceans around our coast. The crew here are also very helpful and it is a very highly recommended visit.