Lidl Kickstart 2025. Promising Producers Highlighted.

Lidl Kickstart 2025. Promising Producers Highlighted. 

Worth Checking Out!

Amazing treats from Carrigaline's Second Street Bakeshop.

The annual Lidl Kickstart is underway. I made a call to the Ballyvolane store
the other day and purchased a few to try. The gluten free Gourmet Toffee
Popcorn was the star of the show as far as I am concerned. These addictive
little mouthfuls, made with all-natural ingredients, including Irish
butter and Achill sea salt, are produced by Second Street Bakeshop in Carrigaline.

We've previously highlighted some of their products that were

bought in Bradley's, North Main Street, Cork. Ideal for a Netflix night.

Go on, treat yourself

Slim's Healthy Kitchen began with their 2013 Belfast restaurant and they introduced a range of retail convenience meals tailored to the health-conscious consumer. This Jerk Chicken with Rice is one You get the chicken plus fire-roasted sriracha peppers, sweetcorn, garden peas and basmati rice. We shared one for lunch and it was a treat, a delicious mix of textures and flavours and judiciously spiced.

A big thumbs up also for this 100% Irish Gluten Free Porridge.
The oats are grown, milled and packed on the Cotter family farm in
Castletownroche, Co. Cork

Looking for a good well priced coffee? Then consider this American blend.
Coffee beans from Brazil, Guatemala and Honduras are in the mix. Quite a story
behind this rapidly expanding small firm, started when they needed coffee for their own café.
Read more about Galway Roast as you sip one of their coffees.

Having a cuppa? Feel like a wee treat with it? Northern Ireland's New Found Joy bakery 
have you covered. Their Caramel Squares and Rocky Road were featured in the pack. And, yes,
 featured, rather than feature - they are all gone! It is a gluten free bakery.

Just a small selection from what is available at Lidl Kickstart 2025.

Hide and seek at Grow with Aldi

With no dedicated signage in the store, in contrast to Lidl, it was very difficult to find the products that are being highlighted in the 2025 Grow with Aldi promotion. But I did know where to find the delicious ice creams produced in Novohal by the Good Dairy. By coincidence, the one beer that I bought (not part of the current promotion) was a success story from a previous Grow with Aldi. Wicklow’s O Brother did go on to produce a number of beers for the supermarket, including this stout.

Taste of the Week. Smoked Haddock Lasagne by Seafood Suppers

Taste of the Week. 

Smoked Haddock Lasagne by Seafood Suppers 

I mentioned this last week in a short

Small Producers Kick On With Lidl. My Kickstart Selection

Small Producers Kick On With Lidl.

My Kickstart Selection

Kickstart your day with this Strangford coffee  from County Down (€5.49).
It makes a good Espresso!

I called to the local Lidl the other day in search of more of that gorgeous

Good Dairy Ice Cream: A Creamy Delight. Taste of the Week

Good Dairy Ice Cream: A Creamy Delight

Indulge in Farm-Fresh Goodness With Our Taste of the Week!

Lidl's Kickstart initiative has introduced us to a delicious gem: Good Dairy ice cream. Crafted with passion and precision by Catherine Good, this ice cream is a testament to the quality of Irish dairy products.

From Farm to Freezer in a Flash

Made with fresh milk and cream from the Good Dairy farm's Pedigree Friesian cows, this ice cream is a true farm-to-table delight. The process is remarkably efficient, ensuring that the ice cream is as fresh as possible.

A Trio of Temptations

Lidl's shelves boast three irresistible flavours from Good Dairy:

• 

  Over 40 producers
  feature in Kickstart.
  Catherine is bottom left.
  
  

  Chocolate Cow's Lick: A creamy and decadent chocolate ice cream with a subtle hint of salt.
• Salted Caramoo: Indulge in the rich caramel flavour with a touch of saltiness for a perfect balance.
• Udderly Vanilla: A classic flavour elevated by the use of high-quality Madagascan vanilla.

A Taste of Perfection

Each of the three tubs is a testament to Catherine's skill and dedication. The ice cream is remarkably smooth, creamy, and full of flavour. The use of fresh, high-quality ingredients shines through in every spoonful.

Don't Miss Out

Head to your local Lidl and treat yourself to a scoop (or two!) of Good Dairy ice cream. You won't be disappointed! Unless I get there before you!

* Lidl's Kickstart began on Thursday (19th September) and continues.

* More on Kickstart soon.

Beer Of The Week. Connemara Irish Lager. "consistently high-quality beers are what we’re all about"

 Beer Of The Week  

Connemara Irish Lager, 4.5% ABV, 330 ml can (€2.99) Lidl Kickstart

consistently high-quality beers are what we’re all about

Connemara Brewing is very proud of this lager. “Our signature product is a refreshing, clean and robust lager. It features a pleasingly spicy and floral bitterness from our Žatecký (Saaz*) hops, backed up with a slight maltiness from a blend of Irish and continental grains, and a crisp, clean finish from our specially selected yeast and open fermentation process”.

There is no argument with that brewery assessment. Packed with delicious flavour and with that spicy bitterness shining through, this high-quality beer, with its clean and refreshing finish, deserves a place in the Very Highly Recommended selection BEER OF THE WEEK. 

They say: Our focus is on making a small number of beers really well—consistently high-quality beers are what we’re all about. Connemara is blessed with some of the highest-quality water in the world, which, combined with the highest-quality raw materials and crafted by the know-how of our world-class brewers, results in consistently high-quality beers.

The soft Connemara water is a big help in brewing lager, and brewer Aine O’Hora makes the best of it and the other ingredients. Aine moved home to Galway following a phenomenally successful and diverse career in brewing. She has been brewing continuously since finishing her science degree almost 20 years ago (further complemented by a Master's in Brewing and distilling). She has both started and run start-up craft and large breweries.

The brewer used the open fermentation process, which is still relatively common in the UK, Germany, and Belgium, even though many craft and most large brewers do not use it. Check it out here.

I unexpectedly came across this can (and those of a few other breweries) at the Kickstart promotion in the local Lidl, where dozens of Irish producers get a chance to make an impact. Kickstart began on September 19th and will continue for a limited time or while stocks last.

 

If you are in Connemara, why not try a guided tour of the brewery, followed by a tasting of some of their beers? All tours must be pre-booked. Get all the details at info@connemarabrewery.com

• This hop is generally used for Bohemian-style lagers and pilsners

MIXED BAG AT LIDL

A COUPLE OF LIDL WHITES

Vermentino di Sardegna DOC 2010, 12%, €6.95 at Lidl.

Colour is a pale honey with an aromatic nose. There is an immediate high impact dry tingle on the palate but lively fruit there also, all leading to a rounded wine with a decent finish. Very good value indeed.

Vermentino, the grape, is grown all over the island of Sardinia. It is the same as the grape known as Rolle and grown widely in Provence where it is made into some lovely wines (eg Chateau Miraval). For more info on Vermentino in Sardinia click here. 

Frascati Superiore Secco 2010, 12.5%, €5.95 at Lidl.

I wasn't as happy with the Frascati. Colour is very pale and it does have an aromatic nose. On the palate, citrus dominates and the refreshing hello fades under its domination. Just too much acidity.

Made with the traditional grapes of Trebbiani and Malvasia, Frascati is the wine of Rome and its tourists (picture). Perhaps there are better examples and you can find out more about the wines of Rome and Lazio (the area around it) here.