Randall’s Court. A Star in Killarney.

Randall’s Court. A Star in Killarney.

National Park

Randall’s Court was my base for a recent two night stay in Killarney. Must say I was really impressed with this four star venue. Not just with its location but with the room, the staff, and the service all the way from check-in to check-out. There is some parking up by the hotel but there is an ample under-ground car park just off the road

Heavy duty curtain

 The room was top notch and so too were the well heated public spaces, no shortage of comfortable chairs and lounges. The dining room, split in two, is marvellous, really eye catching. And all over the hotel, there are paintings (even a mural in one part of the dining-room) and objects of old furniture that also catch the eye.

Hotel Terrace and view

Smoked salmon breakfast

Killarney is well situated to do the Ring of Kerry and is not too far away (75 minutes) from the fantastic Dingle peninsula. The hotel, just a few minutes’ walk from the town centre, is quite close to the National Park and its many lovely walks.

Comfort

 Didn’t get to eat dinner here but did enjoy a terrific meal in the Dromhall, the sister hotel next door. Breakfast though gave a good indication that quality and service are high here. You had everything needed for an excellent breakfast, hot or cold, even a mixture, and no shortage of friendly smiling people to help you ease in to the day.

Just in case!

Amuse Bouche

.....a Corkman’s testimony to the Irish Folklore Commission declared that even after the Great Hunger ended, “Old people said it was God’s will to have the famine come. They abused fine food when they had it aplenty.”

And if it were not God’s will, then it was the work of God’s dark opposite. It was said that an old woman of Rossport in County Mayo, returning home, saw her potatoes rotting and cried, “Oh, the Devil polluted all the potatoes last night. There is not a stalk standing.”

From Three Famines by Thomas Keneally.

Food and Drink Spotting

Food and Drink Spotting

Taste of the Week!
Mozzarella salad at Toons Bridge Cafe

Another Euro Beer goes stateside!

Duvel, the classic Belgian beer, is gone stateside. And old world aficionados, remembering what happened to the original bud, will be worried. Should they be? Read on.

“Last month, after years of wrangling and pleading, Belgian Duvel finally decided to unveil its long-secret recipe for the brewery’s premier golden ale. Duvel shipped the recipe to Ommegang, and the upstate New York brewer (now owned by Duvel) recast the golden ale recipe, which, despite its famous secrecy, is a pretty simple concoction.”

Devil in the Details: Ommegang’s New World Take on a Belgian Beer Classic 

Waterford’s Winterval

The Winterval Festival in the medieval city of Waterford is keeping with a tradition established back in medieval times when end-of-year markets sprung up as social gatherings where people could enjoy a little excess before the onset of bitter weather.

A festive ‘Winterval Market’ will take over the heart of the medieval city where 60 beautifully decorated traditional log cabins will host an offering of the very best quality and range of goods in food, craft, wooden traditional toys and decorations throughout the Winterval festival, from November 30 to December 23, full details can be found here 

Market opening hours

Winterval Market at Cathedral Square

 

Fri. Nov. 30th to Sun. Dec. 2nd

Friday: 11am-9pm, Saturday: 10am-9pm, Sunday: 12.30pm - 8pm

Thurs. Dec. 6th to Sun Dec. 9th

Thursday & Friday: 11am-9pm, Saturday: 10am-9pm, Sunday: 12.30pm - 8pm

Thurs. Dec. 13th to Sun Dec. 23rd

Monday to Friday: 11am-9pm, Saturday: 10am-9pm, Sunday: 12.30pm - 8pm

 

 

Ardkeen Artisan Food Experience at Winterval

At Greyfriars Gallery

Fri. Nov. 30th to Sun. Dec. 2nd inclusive

 Thurs. Dec. 6th to Sun. Dec. 9th inclusive

 Thurs. Dec. 13th to Sun. Dec. 23rd inclusive

 

Dinner with a French wine maker

Gary Gubbins of Red Nose Wine has been in touch about Friday’s dinner in Fethard: 

“We are delighted to welcome Florent Chave over from the Irish owned, organic vineyard in Provence, Domaine des Anges. Tickets are only €40 and that includes all of the food and the wines. We will be matching their great wines to some fine foods. There is a strong rumour that there will be music in the bar afterwards as well, so bring a song. This sold out last year, so buy tickets online, in the shop or at McCarthy’s itself.”

Shorts

Ummera at Christmas

Christmas Orders for Smoked Organic Salmon..Find your local stockist..Keep in touch....all the latest from Ummera right here 

Scallops with Pastis!

French restaurant Cafe Portebleue for  the Charente are among my latest followers on Twitter.  ‏@cafe_portebleue. They have some promising recipes on the site and this one caught my eye. Seared scallops with pan fried lardons flambéed in pastis. Try it and love it!  

Fermoy

The lucky folks in the Fermoy area will soon have a Gastro-pub in which to enjoy the very best of local ingredients served up to a very high standard indeed. Watch this space!

Mercy Fenton Demo for Charity

Deirdre of ‏@DeesWholefoods tells me that Chef Mercy Fenton will be doing a cookery demo at the Cork City Indoor Night Market this Friday (23rd) as part of a fundraising night for Marymount. More info here. 

Mille Feuille at El Urogallo in Madrid

Irresistible, via my Foodspotting friend Coronaburg. “Layers and layers of crispy pastry puff all joined by a luscious pastry cream side and gooey rich whipped cream. This is their signature dessert, I have tried all of their desserts and this is their very best one!!!! CCC, since you came looking for dessert earlier today this is dedicated just for you!!! Lol!!!” http://www.foodspotting.com/coronaburg/reviews

Glenilen Farm

“We have slightly changed our cheesecakes, they are still the same recipe as when we started all those years ago but they are now a little smaller and for a smaller price. They also have some new packaging which we hope you like, so let us know what you think!! Visit www.glenilenfarm.com for more details!”

Christmas Recipes

No shortage of ideas for Christmas food here, especially baking.  

Champagne Dinner at Greene’s

Champagne Dinner at Greene’s

Bruno Paillard comes to town

A dinner with a difference at Greene’s of McCurtain Street this week. Not alone was champagne served with each course but it was also used as an ingredient in each.

This marriage of the wine-making skills at Bruno Paillard and the cooking skills of Green’s French chef Frederic Desormeaux meant we enjoyed a super evening.

Scallop

François Colas of Bruno Paillard, who kept us informed on the wines, was loud in his praise of Fred afterwards: “He was able to read the wines, especially with the dessert.”

Fred was much too modest to take all the praise for himself and introduced us to his sous chef Veronica and also to Nicky, the man responsible for the excellent dessert.

Turbo

The evening got off to a terrific  start with a warm greeting from Sylvia and Collette of Greene’s and a glass of bubbly poured by Searson’s Damien Archer-Good (the man who covers Waterford, Cork and Kerry for the company). Not just any bubbly, mind you. This was the Brut Premier Cuvée, full bodied, well flavoured and balanced, all elegance in the glass and on the palate.

The starter was Pan-Fried King’s Scallops on Julienne of Leeks and Carrots, “Blanc de Blancs” Beurre Nantais. Under “directions” from Francois, we had a sip of the second wine, before we took a bite and the Blanc de Blancs Réserve Privée did seem a little on the austere side.

But all that changed when we had a bite of the scallop and another sip. Now it had a different personality and we could endorse the opinion of a certain Robert Parker: “A fresh, bright sparkler, it will be found particularly successful if paired with food.”

Choucroute de la Mer

Two fish courses followed and gave us the opportunity to sample the first two wines again and, more importantly, to appreciate the different qualities of each. The Blanc de Blanc is 100% Chardonnay while the Brut is 22% Pinot Meunier, 33% Chardonnay and 22% Pinot Noir.

The first fish course was Grilled Turbot served with baby carrots, baby fennel, baby courgette, baby leeks gratinated with “Rosé Premiere Cuvée” Hollandaise. Superb.

The second, which provided a stiffer challenge for the champagne, was Choucroute de la Mer: Monkfish, Natural Smoked Haddock, Mussels, Langoustine, Sauerkraut cabbage, Baby Turned potatoes, finished with Cream “Blanc de Blancs”. Some strong flavours there, especially from the haddock and the lovely sauerkraut, but the champagne was well up to it.

Dessert

Fred and Veronica

 And then for that desert: Winter Berries and “Rose Premiere Cuvee” Jelly, topped with raspberries Sorbet, Tuile. An absolute gorgeous desert and it went so well with the Rosé Premiere Cuvée, “a very hard wine to get consistent” according to Francois.

It is produced from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay “in secret proportions” and a rather difficult technical process gives its “unique fruity flavour and gorgeous copper-gold hue”. It has inviting red fruit aromas; even if blindfolded, you’ll know you have a rosé in your hand! And the palate is fruity and fresh. It is dry of course and hence the need to avoid serving it with sweet desserts. Fred and Nicky read that info correctly to come up with the perfect match!

Bruno Gaillard, who sold his car (a big one) to start making champagne in 1989, is a “baby” in the history of the famous wine but a baby who has made a major impact. Read more of the fascinating story here 

Kayne’s Bistro at the Dromhall Hotel

Kayne’s Bistro at the Dromhall Hotel

 Called into Kayne’s Bistro at the Dromhall Hotel recently and enjoyed an excellent evening meal there. Was staying at the adjacent Randle’s Court and strolled over on a Saturday for a 7.00pm reservation and got a warm welcome. Soon we were comfortably seated and enjoying the rapport with a very friendly and helpful staff.

Started off with their €7.95 Signature Salad ((described as Fresh herb salad, sun blushed tomatoes, pine nuts (missing), crisp croutons (missing), roasted peppers)) with a Balsamic dressing and Char-grilled chicken added. Very enjoyable indeed, also quite substantial, and didn’t really notice the absence of the pine nuts and crisp croutons.

 Then onto to the Plat Principal, the Grilled Irish Prime Beef fillet (€26.95) served with champ potato, garlic butter, and crisp onion rings, and sautéed mushrooms. Not to mention a side dish of gorgeous seasonal vegetables. The steak was excellent, done to perfection and to order.

 Dessert? Well why not? Hung for a sheep as... Each cost €6.95 and the one I picked was the Lemon Tart (a lemon flavoured chilled crème anglaise on a sweet pastry base). Just the sweet job, delicious.

Had been sipping a bottle of a pleasant South African Merlot (Libertas 2010 €24.50) all the way through and finished off with a pot of green tea before heading downstairs to the bar and the music. Enjoyable evening all round in a highly recommended venue.

Fabulous Fleming’s

Fabulous Fleming’s

Foie Gras

Enjoyed the most perfect dinner in Fleming’s  last week. Game, as you know, is now in season and featured on the menu. But there was so much more besides.

Eileen and husband Michael, now an Award Winning Chef Patron with vast experience, took over the Georgian building in Tivoli in 1989 and gradually set about restoring it while at the same time building up a restaurant. Eileen took us to our table in one of the two comfortable rooms that combine to make a lovely dining space.

From quite a range of tempting starters, CL choose the Foie Gras, served hot with Timoleague Black pudding, glazed apple and Pineau de Charente Sauce. Ate a lot of Foie Gras in the Dordogne a few years back but nothing to match this!

Rabbit

I too enjoyed a very special starter: Roast stuffed saddle of rabbit with a plum compote and a light grain mustard sauce. Rabbit, tender and tasty, never tasted like this before.

Sorbet

We were up and running to a very high standard. Shouldn’t have been surprised. Michael: “I’m not media –focused. I’m kitchen –focused.” But he is highly regarded by his fellow chefs and you may read a bit about him here.

While waiting for the mains, we were treated to a couple of surprises. One was a Cappuccino of Wild Mushroom and the other an eye catching Champagne Sorbet with passion fruit and a sweet balsamic.

Venison

Now we were ready for the Plat de résistance, not that there was any resistance. I went for the Roast Loin of Venison, poached pear, venison sausage and a port sauce. Just perfect. The Loin was medium as requested and spot on, so tender and falvoursome, while the sausage provided a contrasting texture, all enhanced by the pear and gorgeous sauce, not to mention a glass of the smoothest Tempranillo from Navarre.

CL too enjoyed contrasting textures with her Roast Duck Breast and Duck Leg Confit, compote of fresh orange and a Grand Marnier jus. What a brilliant combination, every element cooked to perfection. Another prefect dish!

Duck

Sabyonne

 After all that, CL was thinking she’d have a light dessert, perhaps the first one that featured fresh fruit. Quelle surprise! We just weren’t prepared for the stunning plate that came to the table as the Sabyonne des Fruits was presented. It is an Italian dessert of Fresh Fruits with a glazed Sabyonne, sweet Sauterne wine and Grand Marnier. Gorgeous even if the egg yolk made the mix a little more filling than anticipated!

Mine, if anything, was somewhat lighter than expected but I wasn’t complaining as I spooned in my Warm Rich Soft Centered Chocolate Fondant with Crème Anglaise and Vanilla Ice Cream, all the while sipping a little Champagne as did my partner in crime!

 And so a fantastic evening in a fantastic place came to a lovely end. With Eileen heading the team, service was friendly and so well timed all through. It is a lovely space with comfortable chairs and heavy linen on the tables and with, the fantastic cooking of Michael and his team, you won’t be disappointed. If you want the best in town, this is the place to go!

* See earlier post on Christmas specials at Flemings here.

Get Declassified!

Get Declassified!

Declassified.

The folks at From Vineyards Direct (FVYD) always bring a strong line-up to their pre-Christmas party in Cork and this week’s selection at the Crawford Art Gallery was no exception, with some terrific wines, mainly from Europe, to taste.

The highlight of the evening, for me, was the selection of declassified wines on view. Declassified wines are the excess production from famous château, somewhere between the Grand Vins and the second wine.

Left to right: Paul Kiernan, Michael Logan with FVYD's Stuart Smith.
The guy at the rear is not Usain Bolt.

With FDYD, you buy by the case but it can be a mixed case and a mixed case of these beauties comes in at €300. For that, you get Pessac-Leognan (2), Graves Blanc (2), Saint-Emilion (2), St Julien (2), Pauillac (2), Margaux (1) and Haut-Charmes (1). Tasted the Pessac and the Pauillac at the Crawford and they are very good indeed. Check the site for other mixed cases.

France was represented very strongly at the tasting and another one that I thought excellent was the Chateauneuf du Pape, Dom de St Paul 2008. Rich and spicy and quite a complete wine at this stage even though they say it will age well. Good value either way.

If you like your reds really really dry then the Chateau de Trillol 2008, Corbieres Cucugnan, is for you. This Languedoc comes with good fruit and a spicy finish and it’s a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Carignan.

For something smoother and at a very reasonable price you might fancy a red from Bergerac, Bordeaux's under-rated next door neighbour. The organic Château de La Jaubertie 2009 is a smooth and medium bodied (Merlot 60%) with lots of fruit.

An Italian corner.

Not too much from Spain but did enjoy a well made reasonably priced award winning Rioja. The Lacrimus Crianza 2008 starts promisingly and delivers all along the way to a long spicy finish.

Not that many whites on show by comparison. I can rarely pass the Burgundy table and this was no exception. It featured Macon Lugny Les Beaubery 2010, St Veran Merloix 2009 Pierre Janny and the Rully 1er Cru Les Gresigny 2010 J-F Protheau.

All three were very much to my liking with the Premier Cru the standout as you might expect.

So thanks to FVYD (and Stuart and his team) for the opportunity to taste some of their excellent range. Think I may be spending some time on the site.

Amuse Bouche

Amuse Bouche

Charles tells me that when they were younger, they used to drain some of the blood from the cows to mix with mursik, a fermented milk drink. They would make a tiny hole in the cow’s neck to get the blood out and then seal it back up afterwards, leaving the cow to run off unharmed.
“It made us strong,” he says. The mixture of blood and mursik is often cited by runners as the Kelenjin secret, even though it is rarely drunk nowadays. Mixed with charcoal, it is an unpalatable but potent tonic.
From Running with the Kenyans by Adharanand Finn.

Down and Dirty in the Cidery

Down and Dirty in the Cidery

2012 Apple Crop: the Elstar (normal size but scarce); Dabinett (plentiful enough but smaller than usual).

How do you know a real craft cider-maker?

Wait until September or October (or November, as I did) and check his hands. Has he got what looks like a false tan on the digits? If he has, that is the confirmation you need that he has handled tons of apples, the “tan” created by the tannins in the fruit.

And tannins weren’t the only link between cider and wine, as Stonewell’s Daniel Emerson explained to me in his base in Carrigaline this week. The press he uses is a wine press on hire from a French wine-maker who uses it for just two weeks each year whereas Stonewell use it for six months.

Stonewell have just moved much of the operation from the family home in nearby Nohoval. “The scale is very different here,” said Daniel as he surveyed his expensively assembled “production line”: the forklift, the wash tank, the mill, the maceration tank, the press and the four huge tanks where the cider is finished off.

New base for Daniel Emerson and his Stonewell cidery.

 It has been a year of progress for Daniel and Stonewell. “We sold more than we expected in 2012 and as a result our stocks of the 2011 are low.”

But it wasn’t the best of years for the apple crop of 2012, quite the reverse in fact. The eating apples (used mainly in the medium dry cider) blossomed abundantly in March only to be hammered by the frosts in April. That made them very scarce and expensive.

In the wash.

The bad summer led to a lack of pollination for the cider apples (varieties here are Michelin and Dabinett) and growth was slow. The supply is pretty good though and with the firm also securing a supply of Elstar eating apples, it is full steam ahead in Carrigaline.

There were some yellow Elstar in the system during my visit. They are first washed and then hand sorted before going through the mill and maceration stages. Next the mix, now known as a pomace, visits the presser where the juice is extracted and is then directed to the tanks.

 At the moment, Stonewell makes two types of cider: a medium dry and a dry. If the dry is too dry, they use apple juice rather than sugar to sweeten it. Both are for sale in many counties. Here is a list of stockists.



By the way, with the exception of the glass bottles, everything in a Stonewell cider is Irish – apples, labels, cartons, elbow grease, Atlantic sea air and all! “We don’t use any artificial sweeteners and we definitely don’t add any chemical additives to tweak the natural flavour of our cider.”

Considering the amazing impact the Nohoval cider has had in its short life, I was quite surprised to find such a small team sharing the workload: Daniel himself, his wife Geraldine, Ralph and Eamon, all dedicated to getting the very best out of those precious apples. The small Nohoval facility is not being abandoned and will be used to tweak the juices, both creative and fruit, to come up with a different cider. Watch this space.

For the third time in five days, it has been my privilege to meet people who are willing to take a chance on and in this country, to get down and get their hands dirty, to invest their time and money in giving us better food and better drink. Support them by buying local and buying Irish.

Christmas at Flemings. Special Place. Special Evenings.

Christmas at Flemings

Enjoyed the most perfect dinner in Fleming’s  last. Game, as you know, is now in season and I absolutely relished my starter of rabbit and main course of venison and so much more besides, all as the flames rose and fell in the fireplace.

Great to meet up again with Eileen Fleming, the ideal hostess. She was telling me about their two special Christmas events and I just had to agree that the beautifully decorated Georgian dining rooms, open fires and flickering candlelight are “the perfect backdrop for a Magical Christmas”.

Husband Michael, an Award Winning Chef Patron, recently proclaimed the Best Chef in Munster by the Good Eating Guide, “always creates something truly special. A choice of many classical Christmas dishes, seasonal game, partridge, venison and of course our boozy Christmas Pudding complete a menu that is truly exceptional.” Sounds good to me.

And while you are enjoying some of the best food in Cork, you can take in a special musical show, featuring Roos Demi and Olivia O’Connell.

Two Special Party Dates
 Saturday 24th November Thursday 13th December
An original evening of music, song and fine dining,
with a definite Christmas theme:
"Un Histoire D'amour a Noel"
performed by the new music duo
Roos Demi and Olivia O’Connell
(think Edith Piaf and Jacques Brel)
Unique to Flemings.
Early booking advised. €55.
 Ring 021 4821621    
Or email via info@flemingsrestaurant.ie

Of course, there is much more going on at Fleming’s in the lovely building they purchased in 1989 and set about restoring. Great meals every night and don’t forget the Christmas lunches, gift vouchers, the goodies in their Christmas shop and, maybe it is a bit soon to be mentioning it, their New Year’s Eve special. Check it all out here

Food and Drink Spotting

Food and Drink Spotting

Mitchelstown Cafe in Final

Looking for Christmas Cake fruit?

Those of you making your own Christmas cakes and puddings will now be on the hunt for fruit and I’m told there is a fantastic selection in O’Callaghan’s Deli and Restaurant in Mitchelstown.

And while you are there, why not treat yourself to breakfast, maybe a coffee and pastry or even lunch. Great quality here and the cafe, in the centre of the town, is on the shortlist for the Good Food Ireland Café of the Year Award 2012. Taoiseach Enda Kenny will attend the prize-giving in the Shelbourne next week and best of luck to the contestants.

Pat and Mary O’Callaghan have been at the helm for twenty two years now – and between them have enough experience under their belts to know exactly what their clientele wants, and, helped nowadays by young Head Chef Paddy O’Callaghan, they know how to provide it.

They started with a small deli and cafe, just thirty two seats. Several years ago, they expanded through to the shop next door. Now the café accommodates over a hundred diners in very cosy surroundings – complete with roaring fire in the dining room area. The O’Callaghan ethos though has remained the same throughout all the years – to make everything in house and use as much local produce as possible.  

Check it all out here 

Café Femenino

Never heard of Café Femenino until the November coffee of the Robert Roberts Coffee Connoisseur Club arrived the other day. It is the delicious Rwandan Abakunda Kawa Rushashi Coffee. This coffee comes from a cooperative in the northern mountainous region of Gakenke in Rwanda. It is part of the Café Femenino which is a social programme for women coffee producers in rural communities around the world. If you would like to know more about the programme click here. 

The coffee is beautifully smooth and balanced. Gareth Scully of Robert Roberts says that Rwandan coffees have an absolutely unique bold quality. “They are fantastic looking beans with incredible balance and smoothness and of course, those ever subtle citrus notes. It always amazes me how that even at a higher roast they can really come through. What surprised me the most though was an ever so slight spiciness in its taste. Along with citrus notes, you can normally only find this taste in some of the finest and best Kenyans but Café Femenino came up trumps.”

Truly Irish opens online shop for Christmas Hams

“It’s the centre-piece of everyone’s Christmas Day celebrations and probably the most important part of the festive season so it’s vital you get the perfect Christmas Ham.” I think that is called hyperbole ! But still, getting a good ham is important in most households and  Truly Irish Country Foods offers a 100% Irish, locally produced, DNA traceable Christmas Ham for all the family to enjoy and you will be helping to support over 8,000 Irish jobs. Ordering your ham couldn’t be easier; just go to www.trulyirish.ie and click on the link.

Shorts

Follain jams spreads the good news with expansion plans. 

Dee's Wholefoods ‏@DeesWholefoods

@CorkBilly Chef Mercy Fenton cookery demo #cork city indoor night market  Friday 23rd. Music & fundraising for Marymount.  Market also on this Friday.

Ring of Cork ‏@RingofCork

Competition for a Sunday Lunch for 2 at Rosie's Bar & The Pepperstack Bistro. Like and share to enter. http://fb.me/1QF78fSgl

Brewing it up in Ballyferriter

Brewing it up in Ballyferriter

The English tourist could hardly believe his eyes as he drove through Ballyferriter. Bric’s Brew Pub, the sign said. He jammed on the brakes and spent a few happy hours sipping the products of the West Kerry Brewery (Beoir Chorca Dhuibhne). 

My arrival there last weekend was nowhere near as dramatic. I had been looking for the pub, Tigh Bhric, and already knew of its top notch products.

We had met proprietors Paul and Adrienne at the Munster Tweet-up in Blair’s and had already sampled some of their porter which, like the other drinks, is available in Bradley’s, North Main Street.

The summer season is a busy one here in beautiful Ballyferriter and then the crowds start to taper off so it was quite slack on the second Saturday of November. Paul started up the fire and we had a chat and a drink, choosing to go for the Béal Bán, available on draught.

I had already tasted this in Blair’s. It is light and refreshing golden ale with a slight malty sweetness and a bitter finish, imparted by a generous helping of hops. Indeed, one could see why the English aficionado would feel at home here.

Paul was soon joined by Adrienne, the brewer, and they told us that they use water from their own well to brew the beers, both cask and bottled. The Malt is predominantly Irish and the beers are brewed naturally, with no additives or preservatives.

Carraig Dubh is perhaps the best known of the three main beers and one that I certainly enjoy. It is a traditional porter, rich and dark in flavour with plenty of roasted malt giving hints of coffee, vanilla and dark chocolate. A really rich and smooth drink, well worth a try.

Must admit to a liking also for the Béal Bán but I must yet sample the Dark Red Ale, the Cúl Dorcha. This, according to the brewery tasting notes, which are very accurate as regards the other two, is soft and mellow on the palate with a fruitiness suggesting forest berries.

Might have to stay overnight the next time and do a proper tasting of all the beers. And that would be no hardship either as Tig Bhric provides visitors and locals alike with a wide range of services. “From select accommodation to fine food, traditional and contemporary music, and a unique bar with an emphasis on the arts, we offer our customers a service in an authentic setting.” 

“Situated in the middle of some of the most spectacular scenery in Ireland, visitors are afforded the opportunity to experience both the landscape, local culture and the numerous activities available within a short distance of our establishment.”

The West Kerry Brewery  itself is a partnership between two pubs with a history of friendship. About four years ago, Tigh Bhric and Tigh Uí Catháin recognised the need to provide their customers with a local brew. They now know that it goes down a treat also with the many visitors to the lovely area. Including this one!

Rural Cafe serves Europe on a Plate

Rural Cafe serves Europe on a Plate
Mozarella to Manzanilla

There is a little red shop and cafe in the countryside on the R584, a fascinating winding road  between Macroom and Bantry. Nothing special here, you might think. You’d be a long ways wrong. For in this little treasure house, you may buy Olives, Olive Oil, Sundried Tomatoes, Dried Fruit and other Mediterranean goodies.

And you will also see Mozzarella and Ricotta on sale here. More from the Med? No, because these gorgeous cheeses are made with milk from the local buffalo, introduced here a couple of years ago by Toby Simmonds (of the Real Olive Co) and local farmer Johnny Lynch.

Was on my way to Killarney last week and decided to make a detour to the shop which is just past the famous Gearagh and on the right immediately after crossing the Toon River. As it turned out, Toby and Jenny Rose were in the café. Delighted to see them.

Toby said they had been “blown away” by the reaction to the recent opening of the cafe, thrilled with the huge local support. Already there are plans for expansion and the Toons Bridge Dairy Shop/Cafe could become a must call stop on the way west. Maybe a full stop!

Jenny Rose: "We sell our buffalo milk produce (mozzarella, ricotta, butter, raw milk, aged cheese, cream cheese and yoghourt) and our Mediterranean foods (olives, oils, Iberico meats etc.). We also provide an outlet for other local artisan producers (De Roiste puddings, Coola cheese, jams etc.). Attached to the old creamery there is a pretty garden, where we grow lots of the herbs and edible flowers used on the olive stalls."

In the cafe, they serve simple food made from the abundant ingredients on site as well as good coffee, organic wine and sherry and scrumptious homemade desserts. We didn’t time it all that well. Would have loved to have had a bigger meal but settled for a small one.

But that small one was unbelievable: mozzarella (so so fresh), tomato and basil. Best ever! And CL was also thrilled with her Toasted Sandwich of Mozzarella, Tomatoes, and a basil pesto, served with a tomato relish. Top class and so too was the coffee. Sadly, we had to leave the collection of cakes and desserts behind us but I’m sure they found good homes.

Jenny Rose and Toby then took time out to show us around the adjoining dairy where the cheese is made, soft cheese and hard cheese. Sean Ferry is the cheesemaker, an experienced operator, previously involved with Gabriel cheese. 

While there is a quick turnaround for the soft cheese, the hard cheese (both buffalo and cow) has to be held for much longer, about eight months for the buffalo and maybe up to three times that for the cow. Sean then took us to the Cheese room where the big rounds mature under ideal conditions.

Back out into the yard then where the vans come and go to the English Market and to the many farmer’s markets that this little dairy serves. 

Time to say goodbye and thanks to Sean and head down a nearby side road to see the buffalo in the fields. Directions were precise and we found them without a bother, thinking all the time that the few people behind this thriving enterprise deserve fantastic credit for the way they have put it all together. And there is more to come! Watch this space.

For us though, the focus was now on the road. Toby obviously loves the countryside around here and strongly recommended we take the route. And it was well worthwhile, even if there was grass growing in the middle. Loved the autumn colours and the views as we headed up through Reenaree and then down into the back of Ballyvourney. 

Hard cheese, buffalo (on top) and cow.

Beer Tasting (and tips!) at The Kiln

Beer Tasting at The Kiln

The man in the bar had a wine glass in his hand. But that wasn't wine in the glass. He covered the opening with his hand and shook the glass. Taking away his hand, he asked me to smell. As I do so, he said “Toffee Bar”. I agreed. Then he said: “Beamish”. And it was the old Cork favourite, the toffee bar aromas enhanced by the agitation and the shape of the glass.

The man was Marc Stroobadnt, a renowned beer expert from Belgium, sometimes called a beer sommelier, sometimes a cicerone, nowadays working out of London and a regular visitor to Ireland. He was at the Kiln fronting an event called “Beer. It’s only natural”, organised by ThisisBeer.ie

Cheese and Crème Caramel. No bother to Affligem!

Part of the purpose of the entertaining evening was to show that beer can go well with food. Just a few minutes earlier he had demonstrated exactly that with Affligem, a Belgian abbey beer. First he matched it with cheese and then with a Crème Caramel. Amazing, the beer seemed to adapt and proved a match with each.

In fairness though, the food matching theme was there from the start, with regular beers such as Heineken (Holland), Tiger (Singapore), Żywiec (Poland) and Paulaner (Germany). I like my wheat beers so I enjoyed the Paulaner but I think the one most popular at our table was the Affligem and not only because it was the strongest!

There was a big emphasis too on the fact that all these beers are made from just four ingredients: barley, hops, water and yeast. Then how are they so different? Marc: “Well, you give four ingredients to a team of chefs and ask them to make soup and you’ll see many differences too, as they’ll cook them differently, using different proportions.”

True enough and fair enough. The four ingredients were all on show but Marc and his team were keeping a special eye on the yeast. Someone asked what would happen if she concealed a little to take home and start her own beer. “You wouldn’t get past the door,” said the Belgian. Don’t think he was joking.

Yours Truly with Marc (right)

So well done to the organisers. No shortage of beer and lots of info on it. Well done to the kitchens at Heineken who came up with many tasty bits for the matching. Very enjoyable overall.

By the way, that website is well worth a visit. It is a hub for beer enthusiasts and those who enjoy an occasional beer and will help you get the best of it. It includes video blogs, beer tasting notes, food matching tips and information on those four ingredients. Check it out here.  

Next week, they host the event in Dublin. The venue is 4 Dame Lane and the three dates are 12th, 13th and 14th November. Info and tickets here.