Showing posts with label General. Show all posts
Showing posts with label General. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

twebt4 What???

Sunday April 25th – 9.00pm is the date and the time for twebt4 to cork off. The Twitter wine event, a blind tasting, was started by a bunch of Cork enthusiasts but has spread throughout the land and O’Brien’s are the official supplier for the fun event on Sunday week.


You may buy the mystery bottle from their site  or in their shops in Beacon South Quarter, Donnybrook, Limerick and Galway or you can even contact them and buy it in one of their other shops! If you can't make the shops, the bottle will, as usual, be available to order and the delivery charge is just €4.00.

If you’re not familiar with twebt, you can read lots more about it on Brian Clayton's blog Brian was one of the original twebters: “We’ve been listening to your feedback, so this time it’ll be a white wine. I hope you can join us! We’re planning something special for this twebt, but it’s still a secret. Watch this space.” 

Thursday, April 8, 2010

IN THE NET TODAY

IN THE NET TODAY

Do you want to grow your own but don't know how to get started? Come to this workshop and learn how to sow, grow and harvest your own fruit and veg with minimal input. With both theory and practical aspects catered for you'll have the growing bug in no time! This workshop is being presented by Sinead from Dromcollogher Organic College. The workshop will include a practical element so please wear suitable clothing. €30 which includes course material, refreshments and a light lunch (please specify if you have any dietary requirements)
Growing Your Own Vegetables Organically
When:Saturday 11th April 2010 10-2.00pm
Where:The Secret Garden (centre)
Aghaneenagh, Newmarket, Co. Cork, Ireland

Today Nash 19 are getting a delivery of local, organic Rhubarb from Waterfall farms, and some free range eggs from Kinsale.


Kevin At Fenns Quay was talking to an American customer about beef stroganoff. “Interestingly it's usually served with noodles in the states, not rice.”  Best stroganoff I’ve ever had was on the shores of Lake Wolfgang in Austria, alongside the famous White Horse Inn. It was the main course in my Sunday lunch and, in 2004, cost me six euro and, yes, it was served with rice.


Curious Wines
 in Bandon’s April Contest is still on - become a fan of their Facebook page and you're in to win http://tinyurl.com/yl7b7mz

Donal Skehan may be on the piste but still found time for you. He has posted an Irish Seafood Chowder recipe up on the blog! http://ow.ly/1vUaA

Friday, April 2, 2010

SPRING CHOICE

FEBRUARY/MARCH FAVOURITES 
All visited in last two months

Highly Recommended: Aherne’s (Youghal), Fenn’s Quay, Liberty Grill, Nash 19, Over the Moon (Skibbereen) and The Continental.

Recommended: Boardwalk Bar & Grill, Bramley Lodge, Crawford Gallery Cafe, Farmgate (English Market), Gilbert’s (Cobh), Hardwood and La Jolie Brise (Baltimore).

Really Good Food Shops: Bramley Lodge, Nash 19, Le Gourmet (Youghal) and O’Keeffe’s (St Luke’s).

Best Food Producer: Just Food (Cobh).

Coffee/Tea and Scones: Cafe Gusto, Greene’s, Hawthorn on the Lough, Nash 19 and Wholy Grain.

Top Farmers Market: Skibbereen (Saturdays)

Top Cheeses: Kilmichael Soft Cheese from the Sunview Goats; St Gall (Fermoy); Milleens.


Top Marmalades: 1 - Bramley Lodge 2 - Follains

Thursday, March 25, 2010

EASTER RUSHING IN



THE CHOC OF IT   

Easter is coming fast and if you’ve been fasting – even if you haven’t -  then you have some good things coming, thanks to our chocolate makers.

My sweet hit of the year so far has been the real shell eggs that the imaginative Nicola of Pandora Bell has come up with. Yeah. Real  hens shells (see pic) filled with top class chocolate. Available in Cork at Bramley Lodge, O’Keeffe’s (St Luke's) and Nash 19.

Nash 19 is also the place to go for Benoit Lorge's handmade Easter Eggs. MairĂ©ad O’Brien: “He makes them in Kenmare and is a member of Good Food Ireland too. Pop into the shop to see the full range. Prices to suit all pockets.”

Easter came up during a French class during the week and Francis says her favourites come from Eve's Chocolates and her gorgeous stuff is available from the factory/shop on the Magazine Road, close to Dennehy’s Cross.

Worth a detour as they say in the best guides and, by the way, all three appear in the Bridgestone Irish Food Guide (2010). And so do O’Connaill’s of Carrigaline. You can study their range and have a hot choc at the same time in their shop in city centre French Church Street.

And the English Market’s Chocolate Shop is yet another Bridgestone entry. Most of those in the queue won't be bothered about guides – they know there’s good stuff here and they won't be waiting until Easter Saturday to stock up. Neither should you!

No time for the shops? Then try this competition, courtesy of Tweeter @dailyspud. It is for a hamper full of wines and chocolate, a win wine situation, and details are available at Daily Spud
Prefer to make your own? Looking for ideas. Well, the Daily Spud (above) has a few and so too do the folks at All Recipes
Editor Diana Moutsopoulo tells me they
 have quite a few recipes including one for Easter Bunny Cakes   - pictured above

Thursday, March 18, 2010

RIPP'Ss BRATWURST in Cork

FOOD PARADE

Barry’s Tea, the market sponsors, were serving up mugs of tea as we reached the Grand Parade Outdoor Market after the Cork St Patrick’s Day Parade had passed.

It wasn't the only food stall with a queue. Indeed, every food stand, and there were dozens, was busy. In the end, settled for Ripp’s German Bratwurst. It was a welcome bite for four euro.

The sausage and spices along with the onions were excellent though the bread bit wasn't the greatest. Still, it went down well, despite the fact that I couldn't face another queue for the tea!

For all my parade pics see http://corkandabout.blogspot.com


Don’t forget, this weekend, 18th -20th of March, Cafe Gusto are launching BYO to all their Facebook fans and Twitter followers. This is the promise: “If you visit with your favourite bottle of wine to accompany our delicious mezze, antipasti and tapas dishes, we will NOT charge our usual €4 corkage if you mention facebook or twitter on ordering.” Now you know!


Check out my review of RIPP's BRATWURST - I am cork - on Qype

Sunday, March 7, 2010

CORK COASTAL FOOD TRAIL


Photos: Millennium Hall (right) and Clarion Hotel (below)


CORK FOOD TRAIL

Now that Cork has been included on the Lonely Planet’s and Yahoo China’s top ten cities for 2010, I decided to get in before the crowds.


The Millennium Hall (pictured) was my destination last Saturday. It is the lesser known of the two halls within the Cork City Hall complex, all of us more familiar with the big Concert Hall. The new Millennium is about quarter of the size of its neighbour and can take 340 Standing/Reception or 200/250 Seated.

Both were busy last weekend. There was a big festival in the Concert Hall while the Millennium hosted the Re-Discover Cork tourism showcase. I paid a visit there, along with many others, to see the many attractions in the city and county ranging from the town of Youghal in the East to Castletownbere in the West.


Picked up a bagful of leaflets and brochures and a few money-off offers here and there and, as a direct result, am off to Youghal next weekend to sample the culinary expertise available at the famous Aherne’s Restaurant.



Aherne's is one of the places mentioned in a very handy brochure that I picked up on Saturday: Cork's Coastal Food Trails. It is an attractive booklet and manages to mention quite a few, though by no means all, of the eateries along the extensive Cork coast. It is a Failte Ireland publication and available form their Office in Aras Failte, Grand Parade, Cork or check out the website at www.discoverireland.ie/Cork

Friday, March 5, 2010

SPELT OUT

SPELT SPELLED OUT!

Sometimes groups of specialists, including foodies, use buzz words and expect everyone else to know what they mean. Spelt is one I’ve come across recently. What is is?

Found it well explained at Cathy's Spelt for Health 
It is a member of the same grain family as oats and wheat but is a different species. Spelt breads are low in gluten, high in protein and are easily digested which makes them a very good option for people who are wheat intolerant.”

Now you know and, if you want to see the real thing then, i
f you are around Cork on Friday 12 of March, call in to Nash 19 and meet Cathy who supplies them with her fantastic Spelt for Health Mix. She will be in the Food Shop from 11 am to tell more about her products and to give out samples of her bread and flap jacks.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

MID-WEEK UPDATES

 Twebt Mystery Bottle
Have you got your hands on the mystery bottle for the Twitter wine event (#twebt) on Sunday March 7th

Time is running out if you want it delivered to your house for the fun event which apparently trended in Ireland last month; 12 noon tomorrow Wednesday is deadline for ordering by post. All the details are at here while the wine (€19.00, inc. delivery) can only be ordered from Karwigs

Cafe Gusto are introducing BYO (Bring your own bottle) to allow you to accompany their delicious range of mezze, antipasti and tapas dishes.

Sister establishment, the Liberty Grill, has announced a bunch of specials for March. You’ve got stateside specials like Sweet Potato Gumbo and the one I’ll be looking out for is the Dromoland Estate Rabbit with Napa Valley garnish (cooked in Zinfandel red wine). 

Saturday, February 27, 2010

CURRENT FAVOURITES

UPDATE


Top five from recently visited restaurants in Cork:

Fenns Quay, Nash 19, Bramley Lodge, Liberty Grill and Continental.

Next five:

Boardwalk, Boqueria, The Brick Oven, Rising Tide, Farm Gate (Cork).

You’d expect the Farm Gate to be in the top rank but it is too bloody cold up there these days. I don't fancy eating lunch, no matter how good, in my overcoat.
Twebt Mystery Bottle


Have you got your hands on the mystery bottle for the Twitter wine event (#twebt) on Sunday March 7th? Time is running out if you want it delivered to your house for the fun event which apparently trended in Ireland last month. All the details are here while the wine (€19.00, inc. delivery) can only be ordered from Karwig Wines

Friday, February 19, 2010

FOODISTA

Foodista.com, the online cooking encyclopedia that everyone can edit, is looking for recipes to feature in an upcoming Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook.

Melissa, the Editor and Community Developer, has been in touch: "If you would like the chance to have your recipes published in a cookbook, enter them into the Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook competition. But hurry, the deadline is February 28th, 2010!" 


"Check it out at  http://www.foodista.com/blogbook?src=bo_3 
Please let me know if you have any questions, I'm happy to help. I look forward to seeing you soon in the Foodista kitchen!"

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

GOOD FOOD WEEK CORK OPENING

GOOD FOOD IRELAND CORK WEEK


The English Market was the appropriate venue as the Good Food Ireland Cork Week was launched by the organisation’s MD and founder Margaret Jeffares last evening.

Over 250 guests turned up and the venue was packed, no one turning down the invite to sample the delights of the south.

Wine and other drinks, along with tempting bites, were available downstairs by the fountain but the main action was upstairs along the U shaped floor of the Farm Gate Cafe which had been divided into a number of stands.

There was so much to taste - no wonder the queue moved slowly. But, with so many good things on offer, the humour was excellent.

Started off on a high standard with Fishy Fishy from Kinsale and then, a blast from the past, a bite of pig’s cheek from Ballymaloe. Took the opportunity to have a quick word with Denis O’Mullane of Liberty Grill where the Lord Mayor Darragh Murphy and his wife Tanya also lingered.

Mairead O’Brien, who had earlier introduced me to her boss Claire Nash of Nash 19, was at their stand as was their talented head chef Pamela. At that stage, my plate was getting packed but I still couldn't resist picking up a few other bits before moving downstairs to eat.

Great to meet so many people involved in putting good things on our plates in their restaurants and via their shops and stalls. O’Keeffe’s of St Luke’s is a brilliant food shop and they were represented by Anne and Donal.

And then there were producers with whom I hadn’t yet crossed paths. Frank Shinnick of the Fermoy Natural Cheese Company is one such and then there was a smiling twosome from the Apple Farm in Cahir whose sparkling apple juice was one of the highlights of the evening. We’ll be following those two producers in the future along with many more on the comprehensive list proved by Good Food Ireland.

Well, that was Monday night and now we have the rest of the week to sample the €15.00 plateful and included glass of wine in the participating establishments! More info at http://www.goodfoodireland.ie

Friday, February 5, 2010

BOOK OF LOVE

BY THE BOOK
Isabel Allende’s book Aphrodite has been described as “a marvellous concoction, for dipping into or for digesting in great chunks.” Cooking in the nude, The spell of aromas, With the tip of the tongue, are among the chapter headings. Is it a food book? Yes and more: food and love.

The book, by one of my favourite South American novelists, was first published in 1998 and the edition I have, a Flamingo paperback, in 1999, so you may find it difficult to get your hands on it.

One of the reviews in my edition, by Rosita Boland, sums it up well: Aphrodite is a magical cauldron of recipes and stories, written to make readers lick lips and each other. The Wall Street Journal said: A light-hearted blend of memories, recipes and research on aphrodisiacs, Aphrodite is a celebration of the senses.”

Widower’s Figs, Salome Sauce, Madame Bovary, Caribbean Bomb and Venus Mousse are among the recipes which also include, in case you may need it later, a Reconciliation Soup.

I have added a play, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, to this week’s list. Not much about food here but they do have a way (should that be a wee?) with porridge! Cork run at the Everyman ends on the 13th but then the production is off to Listowel, Athlone, Castlebar, Monaghan, Virginia, Ballybofey, Lisburn, Newtownabbey, Enniskillen, Sligo, Waterford and Dun Laoghaire

Sunday, January 31, 2010

CURRENT RECOMMENDATIONS (JAN 31st 2010)



CURRENT RECOMMENDATIONS (31-01-10)

Les Gourmandises and Fenns Quay for great dinners, for sure.

Nash 19 for classy snacks and lunches; Cafe Gusto for the smaller bright bites.

Market Lane and the nearby Continental for excellent meals. 

Fishy Fishy in Kinsale for ..work it out!

Kudos (in the Clarion) for Asian at a great price.

The Brick Oven for Pizza and more.

Boqueria for tapas..

Find yourself east of the city? Then try the Rising Tide Bistro in Glounthaune; further east, go to the Woodside on the Midleton-Whitegate Road.#

To the southwest, you have Kinsale, of course, and further along, there is the original Brick Oven in Bantry.

Haven’t visited or recently visited places such as Jacques, The Silk Purse, Isaac’s, The Farm-Gate, Star Anise, Green’s, Cafe Paradiso and the Liberty Grill but all are well established, well regarded and the only problem you’ll have is getting a table.

Friday, January 29, 2010

BRIDGESTONE FOOD GUIDE - GOOD BUT NOT BIBLE



THE BRIDGESTONE IRISH FOOD GUIDE
Picked up the Bridgestone Irish Food Guide the other day and am enjoying flicking through the information packed pages. It is an excellent reference and I’ll be using it for market trips, for day trips and weekend trips.
It is good but would have been better without the strident editorial, especially the bit that deems it “a traitorous action” to buy imported food in a foreign-owned supermarket. Passion is admirable but this “tackle” would earn a card on the football field. It is a bit over the top, especially considering that the book itself was printed in Spain. What do the excellent local printers think about that?
Sauce for the goose... If I have to watch my back in the supermarket, must I also be wary if I call to the listed and praised On the Pigs Back for some Bayonne Ham or Boudin Noir? Come on lads, get real. The good food movement is both local and international and if Brittany Ferries hadn’t taken so many of us to the continent in the 70s and 80s, the taste for it here would have much slower to develop.
No doubt huge strides have been made in the quality and variety of food available here in recent years, much of the movement sparked by “imported” innovators from abroad, notably, in the Cork area anyhow, by English, Dutch, French and Spanish artisans. The international element again!
Add these to those Irish who kept the good food faith when it wasn’t really fashionable and there is now a decent base for the future.
There are still huge challenges to be met, huge opportunities to exploit. Take fish of example. Cork is poorly served here, just three stalls plus a small Hederman’s smoked counter in the English Market and nothing else in the city centre! You’d get as much choice in a weekly market in a small French town.
This lack of choice can lead to lack of competition on price. At least O'Driscoll’s Fresh Fish from Schull came to the Mahon Farmers Market, not just with fresh fish but with fresh pricing (a bag of fish for a fiver) as well and that is why they draw the queues, even though Ballycotton are now matching them nearby for choice and price though not yet the queue!
There is no lack of opportunities for fish and markets. Just look at the North East of Cork City, an area including St Luke’s, Dillon’s Cross, Ballyvolane, Barnavara, Mayfield (pictured), Silverheights, Tivoli, Murmount and Montenotte. The population here is in the tens of thousands, bigger than most Irish cities and towns. Yet it hasn’t as much as one fish stall, not even a fish van calling, and no Farmers Market whatsoever.

So come on, all you current and potential good food producers out there. Do your bit. Put out the quality where the people can see it and you won't have to wrap it in green white and gold for me to buy it. Quality and availability will do the trick.
The guide is bigger than ever, over 600 pages, more food places included. But some notable absentees. On the restaurant side, there is no mention of Fenns Quay (who do get a recommendation from Michelin this year) and Market Lane (who are a delicious example of using local produce), both places that I have enjoyed recently.
Augustine’s, which had just moved to the Clarion, fails to make the listings but Boqueria, which has undergone both renovations and a change of ownership, maintains its status, though with a caveat.
At some point soon, they’ll probably have to impose a limit on entries. Maybe some of the artisans will upscale to, God forbid, factory size. Maybe that is why big outfits such as Flahavan’s (Oats and Oatmeal) are not included, though Barry’s Tea are. Then again, I didn't see any mention of East Cork’s small outfit, the Magpie Dairy who do excellent goats cheese products.
The guide is extensive but it is not the whole story. Consult it to be sure but also use your own initiative. I am having fun doing so. Take a chance on a new taste. You never know where it might lead you. 

Monday, January 25, 2010

WINE MYSTERY

SUNDAY NIGHT WORK-OUT
On your own, maybe not, next Sunday? Why not liven it up with the second Irish Twitter-based blind tasting? You get your wine from Curious Wines but there will be no information on the bottle: no country, no producer, no grape variety.
 From 8.00pm onwards, you and all the other twitters that join in will have some fun getting in touch and working out exactly what you are drinking. Have some fun and make friends at the same time – this is the second such event. Bubble Brothers were the first supplier.
The wine costs 19 euro and is available (to anywhere in Ireland) from Curious Blind Tasting where you'll also see full details of the event, including the twitter links to follow.

Friday, January 22, 2010

CHANGING TASTES




THE MASTER’S DOUGHNUTS
For a while, in the 80s, I used to call every weekend to a shop in Shandon Street, close to the top on the left side as you go up.

There, for a sweet sweet while, a German master-baker used make the best doughnuts I have ever tasted, so sweet you could eat the brown bag in which they were packed!

The whole family looked forward to that weekly calorie filled treat.

You won't get those doughnuts there now – the German has long since ceased that particular business – but the international dimension of food here has expanded hugely.

For those of you who haven’t been in the area for a while, Shandon Street is both an eye-opener and mouth-opener! There are food outlets galore, from the traditional chippers to shops selling Hungarian, African, Asian food – truly multi-national.


For more on the street and the area, see http://www.qype.co.uk/place/1215640-Shandon-Walk-Cork or http://corkandabout.blogspot.com/ (loads of photos)

MENU DESCRIPTION

Clonakilty Black Pudding is one of the songs on the Jimmy Crowley collection in our music choice (above) this week and here is the chorus.


Clonakilty Blackpudding! Ses me daza, full of pep!
To put the lead back in your pencil and the spring back in your step
Heaven knows what herbs and spices are inside the saucy skin
But it brings a smile to Erin's Isle Agus fĂ¡gfaimid mar sin. 


Haven't seen this description on any menu - yet!

Thursday, January 21, 2010

FOOD LOVERS WEEK




FOOD FOR LOVE
Maybe not as sexy as Isabel Allende’s cook book "Aphrodite" but the good local food on offer at attractive prices during the Good Food Ireland Week in Cork could well put you in the mood for Valentine’s Day.

The event runs from Monday 8th to Friday 12th February and you may enjoy a Good Food Ireland Local Food Plate and a Glass of Wine for just €15.00. There is also an accommodation offer: 3 nights for the price of 2.


For Further Information visit www.goodfoodireland.ie
or Telephone 053 9158693