Taste of the Week
And it's not just the sweet things. I got a beautiful seeded loaf here that is an absolute knockout - I especially enjoyed it with some of the Carraignamuc cheese (Tomme style) that I got via Neighbourfood. They also do savoury including Croque Monsieur, Le Parisien and O'Flynns Gourmet Sausage Roll.
More info, click Cameron
Cameron at Parnell Place
Taste of the Week.
Attyflin Estate Irish Apple & Elderflower Infusion
This Irish Apple & Elderflower Infusion, summer in a bottle at any time, from the Attyflin Estate in County Limerick is our delicious Taste of the Week. Not too surprising as the estate's apple drinks regularly feature in national and international awards lists.
This little gem is made using their estate grown apples, pressed with the addition of Irish elderflower extract to give it a floral sweetness. Strikingly delicious and refreshing.
And they have a suggestion, if you are over 18: serve in a wine glass full of ice, add gin and pressed mint leaves for something a little more intriguing. Must try that next time!
I'm always looking for really good Irish products for this weekly Taste of the Week blog feature. And you are certainly supporting Irish with Attyflin juices: the fruit is grown on the estate, no air miles, and also no added sugar, no added colourings, no added flavourings.
Where to buy? Check here for a list of stockists.
Taste of the Week
Valentia Island “Ór” Vermouth, 17%
Widely available in Kerry (including local SuperValus). Other stockists include in Cork at Bradleys and in Dublin at Celtic Whiskey. RRP €35.00. Updates on their Facebook here.
I haven’t seen the botanicals listed but stockists Celtic Whiskey say that “Wormwood, nutmeg, yarrow, and orris root are just some of the 21 different botanicals that are blended with carefully selected Spanish white wine…”
That was the neat taste. Now…with tonic and ice..
Everything, both in the aromas and on the palate, is smoother, except perhaps for that Campari ghost in the background. Quite a pleasant drop though whether you’re sipping it on a sunny day on the lovely Kerry island (the Bray Head is one of my favourite walks anywhere) or even on a dull day in a warm room in a city suburb.
Tasted this first in Nash 19 where they added a slice of orange. Their usual serve is with tonic and that orange, and that is one of the producers’ suggestions as well. Vermouth is also a key part of the Negroni. This is my favourite cocktail - the ingredients are easy to remember! - one part vermouth, one part Campari and one part gin. While Valentia supplied the botanicals, the vermouth is based on a Verdejo wine from the Rueda region of Spain.
Taste of the Week
Sage Lentil Dhal Hot Pot
The chef quickly shifted focus from the restaurant to the retail side and soon had many restaurant quality products available and on sale in food shelves all over the city and county.
I quickly cottoned on to his hot pots and pies and found quite a few gems including his Pork Pot (slow-cooked pork, stroganoff style with Lemon and Sage) and the Vegan Pot (red dhal with lentils, chickpeas, potatoes, cumin and coriander).
I hit the jackpot again this week with his Lentil Dhal Hot Pot (pulses, grains, veggies, herbs, slow-cooked in rich stock of tomatoes and spices with coconut, red chilli and lime leaves). By the way, you'll know all the high quality ingredients, no unpronounceable ingredients or strange numbers.
It is very versatile. Delicious on its own, with boiled rice and flatbread, great with grilled halloumi or salmon. We added the salmon on this occasion and it turned out great, a smashing Taste of the Week.
Taste of the Week
Brona Salty Caramel Chocolate
A recent visit to the Farm Shop at Aillwee Cave in County Clare revealed to me a treasure trove of Irish produce and among them this delicious chocolate bar by Brona.
It is a very creamy chocolate (89%) with a nicely judged amount of sea salt. It is a combined inter-county effort, the salt is Beara Sea Salt, it is produced in Listowel and sold in Ballyvaughan (and in many outlets from Baltimore to Bundoran to Brittas Bay).
Brona say: Brona Chocolate is produced on the banks of the river Feale in North Kerry which is in the beautiful south-west corner of Ireland. We are a family-run artisan chocolate producer dedicated to producing the highest quality chocolate products from the best available ingredients. My wife Noreen and our three highly skilled team of tasters Tadhg, Harry and Brona, after whom the business is named, all help out. We use as much local produce and as many local suppliers as possible.
And by the way, Brona have perfected twenty-four different flavour combinations so far. So, if you don’t fancy the Salty Caramel, they’ll have something for you.
Taste of the Week
Lucy’s Granola
Back in the middle of the summer, I was staying in Glenbeigh and called into the attractive Emilie’s, a deli cum bakery and more, in the village. I never go shopping without a bag and one of the items I spotted was Lucy’s Granola.
I’ve been enjoying this Taste of the Week since. I know a person who visits Glenbeigh regularly and tops up my supply and, in any event, it is also available online from the producers O’Donnell’s Bakery in Killorglin.
Lucy’s Granola is packed with delicious Irish oats, nuts, fruit, seeds and locally produced honey. Every small batch is hand blended and packed to keep it fresh and full of goodness. Next on my list is Molly’s Muesli!
Taste of the Week.
Ardsallagh Goats Cheese
Ardsallagh cheese keeps popping up on restaurant menus and not just in Cork. It is one of the most popular and one of the very best goats cheeses in the country. It is widely stocked in shops and supermarkets, various farmers markets and in delis such as On the Pig's Back. I got this particular piece via On the Pig's Back on Neighbourfood.
Ardsallagh soft goats cheese is a white cheese with a creamy texture. This cheese has a gentle flavour as it is made daily from fresh goats milk. It is delicious and very handy these warm days as a lunchtime treat. I just added some beetroot from the garden (not a great crop this year), a few juicy cherry tomatoes, also via Neighbourfood, and a few leaves of basil.
* Luke was one of her toddlers with the eczema and he is now the Dairy Manager at Ardsallagh.
Read all about Ardsallagh Goats Cheese.
Taste of the Week.
Clafoutis, with plums from the Apple Farm
Clafoutis, that easy and classic French dessert, is usually made with cherries. We missed out on the recent cherry harvest at The Apple Farm.
But we weren't going to miss out on their plums. Con Traas and his team grow Opal plums and you can now get them at their farm shop on the road between Cahir and Clonmel. We called up last week and packed our bags with fruits and juices and included plenty of those plums of course.
So what do you do with a lot of plums aside from popping them into your mouth one at a time? Clafoutis, of course. You'll find many recipes on the internet. Ours turned out very well indeed, a superb Taste of the Week.
Time for a trip to Tipp?
All the details (directions, opening times) here at The Apple Farm
Taste of the Week.
St Tola's Goats Cheese Ash Log
The St Tola Ash Log is a premium product so no wonder that it features in our Taste of the Week every now and then. It is in the spotlight again this week with a bit of enhancement from other local products.
I bought my cheese at Iago in Princes Street last Saturday morning. A few minutes later, in the English Market, I purchased a bunch of pears from Margo Ann of Roughty Foodie, having no idea at all that both would end up together on the same plate.
The coming together happened on Tuesday evening, following a day trip to Tipperary where I bought a bottle of the Highbank Organic Orchard (Apple) Syrup (the 3rd leg of the amalgamation) at the Apple Farm.
Back from Tipp, and after a satisfying lunch in Mikey Ryan's, we weren't exactly hungry in the early evening but were thinking of a little snack. Say no more. Sliced one of those delicious pears very thinly, sliced the cheese (not very easy to do, it's very crumbly) and layered them in a not very precise way. Then, gently squeezed on a few drops of the syrup and, bingo, we had a superlative Taste of the Week.
The three parts are easy to obtain around Cork city. You can get the Highbank syrup in both Roughty and Bradley's and probably in quite a few other outlets. Just realised there as I was typing that Sean Calder-Potts of Iago is a brother of Rod from Highbank! Small world, but a tasty one!
St Tola Goats Greek Style Cheese
To give it its full title our Taste of the Week is St Tola Gold with Newgrange Chili and Garlic Rapeseed oil. They also add peppers and dried thyme. This delicious new product is, like all their cheeses, produced from the pasteurised milk of their renowned herd of goats looked after on their Inagh farm in County Clare.
I spotted it on the extensive cheese offering from On The Pig's Back as detailed on the Neighbourfood site and got it in last week's delivery. So what would I do with it? Just thought of checking their website and they had a few answers: Great as a pizza topping, in salad or just straight from the jar!
As it turned out, pizza was on the menu. We made up the dough from the regular Gozney recipe and the first addition was the outstanding pizza sauce from the West Cork Food Company. Some Kalamata olives and semi sun-dried tomatoes were then added before the chunks of the St Tola were generously scattered around.
A few minutes later, we were tucking into a couple of superb pizzas, our Taste of the Week playing a starring role. We haven't made that many yet on the Gozney but, as novices, we were extremely happy with this one, with its combination of outstanding flavours, and the recipe will be repeated!
As it happened, there was still some left in theSt Tol jar and that went down well with a salad on the following day.
Taste of the Week.
West Cork Food Company Pizza Sauce.
Did a bit of a supermarket blitz on a recent morning, on the hunt for semi-sundried tomatoes but not a packet nor a jar to be had in the local SuperValu or Aldi. But what I did spot (in Aldi) was this jar of West Cork Food Company Pizza Sauce and that turned out to be a winner later that evening. No bother in nominating this as Taste of the Week.
We used it on a pizza made on the Gozney, using the Gozney dough recipe, adding this sauce, some of Johnny Lynch's Macroom Mozzarella, olives (Kalamata from Olives West Cork via Neighbourfood), a few dabs of the Ballyhoura Mushrooms Garlic Scapes Pesto along with (instead of the sundried version) some tomatoes to which we had added oregano and a few drops of Balsamic vinegar. One of best yet and that sauce was key!
They say: At the West Cork Food Company we believe that what makes our food unique is the people and land the produce it. Our classic pizza sauce is made of tomatoes with a pinch of herbs and a hint of onion, that's it! Enjoy on your favourite pizza or add to pasta to create an authentic Italian Neapolitan dish.
Can't find any internet presence for West Cork Food Company, aside from one post (a blank map of West Cork on Instagram).
The address on the jar is:
Unit 15 Údarás Industrial Estate
Ballymakeera, Macroom, Co. Cork.
Taste of the Week.
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| Samphire |
Ballyhoura Mountain Mushrooms' Irish Marsh Samphire
Always worth taking a punt on Ballyhoura Mountain Mushrooms, even when it's not a mushroom on offer. These two terrific recent examples are very highly recommended indeed.
First up is their seasonal Garlic Scape Pesto produced with "Ireland's finest garlic scapes" that they source from @westcorkgarlic. The scape is the long flower stem from bulb garlic. We bought a little jar through Neighbourfood and the flavour packed in there is amazing, really gets those taste buds up and running. We tried it in a ham and salad sandwich on the local Arbutus sourdough. Leaves and onions from the garden, the ham from Supervalu's signature range plus this superb pesto.
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| Garlic scapes. WikimediaImages via Pixabay |
Look out for the pesto on your local Neighbourfood or at markets where Ballyhoura trade such as the Milk Market and Mahon Point. They are very happy with it themselves: "a Garlic Pesto more akin to a tapenade made with Ireland's Finest Garlic Scapes".
Tried it with a nice piece of salmon and new potatoes, butter and not a whole pile more. Superb. There's certainly a salty tang from it but there is something clean and fresh about it, not as sharp as your normal salt. Another local product well worth a try!
Taste of the Week
Black Castle Irish Craft Soda
During last week's trip to Clare, I picked up a bottle of this delicious dry and refreshing Irish soda in Hugo's in Lahinch (around the corner from the beach carpark). Just polished it off there now and the jury here makes it our current Taste of the Week.
Hand-made in Wicklow, it is a well balanced fruity melange of Blackberries and Stinging Nettles. A really excellent soft drink. Recommended best serve is over ice and with a slice of lemon.
Can't tell you how much my 330ml bottle costs. I bought a bunch of stuff and didn't pick up the receipt. They also do a Ginger Beer version. They are stocked pretty widely including in SuperValu, Ardkeen QFS, JJ O'Driscoll's Cork, Baggot Street Wines and 64 Wines. Full list here.
A refreshing mix of fragrant Blackberries and stinging Nettle using Demerara sugar to create a fruity and sophisticated sparkling soft drink that'll bring you back to early autumn walks down country lanes.
Hand-made in Co. Wicklow
Non-Alcoholic
Allergen Free
Best served over ice with a slice of lemon!
Taste of the Week
Malay Kitchen Spring Rolls
Ballymaloe Cider.
Ballymaloe Cider 2020, 5.2%, available at Ballymaloe
Did you know that cider is made in Ballymaloe? It's a beauty, delicious and refreshing with unique flavours, and our Taste of the Week. I got mine recently at the Saturday afternoon pop-up wine shop at the Grainstore in Ballymaloe; opens at 2.00pm. Lots of wine of course and also the Ballymaloe Garden Gin.
They make the cider with apples grown on the farm, including Dabinett, Crimson Bromley, Santana, Topas, Delles Bell and Dellinquo. Other old varieties are grown across the farm, in the walled garden, and beside the aptly named Orchard Cottage. This is an unusual blend of apples that gives the cider its rich and refreshing flavour.
Taste of the Week.
A Local Salad, Boy
The sun may not be as constant as we would like, but these are certainly salad days. And it so easy to put a good one together, just like this very local combination, our Taste of the Week.
The main player here is perhaps the Ardsallagh Goats Cheese, a renowned East Cork product that is readily available. Also in there is a terrific Spiced Apple and Carrot Chutney from On The Pig's Back. And those tasty little red salad onions come from Kilbrack Farm in North Cork. The leaves and radishes from the back garden!
As you know, I'm a big fan of Neighbourfood and virtually everything (cheese, onions, chutney, tomatoes) above came through my delivery so that made it even easier for me!
Enjoy and continue to support local.
Taste of the Week
On The Pig's Back Couscous Salad
Couscous has become very well-known here over the past few decades. You can use it as an accompaniment to meat dishes. Tagine is a regular example.Or you may enjoy it as a standalone salad.
Either way, you'll find it hard to top the fresh and spicy Couscous salad with carrots, peppers, raisins and almonds, and Moroccan spices that On The Pig's Back produce. It is our current Taste of the Week.
We ordered it (€5.50) via Neighbourfood and paired it with those very tasty Skeaghanore duck confit legs (widely available, including via Neighbourfood). A superb result!
Taste of the Week.
Golden Bean's Capim Branco
Lots of new coffee roasters on the block these days but our current Taste of the Week comes from one of the longest standing, the Golden Bean who are based at Ballymaloe.
Bought a bag of the beans from Bradleys (North Main Street) last week and was immediately struck by the excellent quality of this relatively sweet and fruity Brazilian variety Yellow Catuai (not that I know much at all about the different varieties).
But I can rely on the judgement of Golden Bean owner/roaster Marc Kingston whose "goal has always been to source, roast and supply the most ethically produced beans from around the world". Well worth a try!
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| Pic via Golden Bean. |
For the Geek!
Varietal: 100% Yellow Catuai
Processing: Natural and dried on Patios
Owner: Andrade Brothers (Ismael & Eduardo Andrade)
Altitude: 1,100 metres above sea level
Town / City: Carmo do Paranaiba
Region: Cerrado Mineiro
Taste of the Week.
The Big Cork Salad.
Salad with Jack McCarthy, ORSO, Olives West Cork, Purple Squirrel, On the Pig's Back, Neighbourfood.
How many hands does it take to make a lively tasty salad at the start of spring. Quite a few as it turned out last weekend. But it turned out very well indeed. Quite a Taste of the Week!
The leaves, a lovely mix, came from Purple Squirrel Farm. There was Sweet Pickled Onion from ORSO, adding a delicious kick. From Olives West Cork came Freshly Marinated Koroneiki Olives (big plump and superb) and Semi Sundried Tomatoes (big juicy Sicilians that had to be cut down to size with a scissors).
The main star of the dish was Jack McCarthy's Pastrami (left), all the way from Kanturk, and supplied to Neighbourfood via On the Pig's Back. Indeed all the ingredients came via Neighbourfood, illustrating once again how this organisation is helping small producers and at the same time giving customers the chance to taste the very best around.
As always, I'm very happy to support local!
Cork
Tel: 0899532807
