Taste of the Week. Keogh’s Atlantic Sea Salt & Irish Cider Vinegar Crisps

Taste of the Week

Keogh’s Atlantic Sea Salt & Irish Cider Vinegar Crisps

Our Taste of the Week is quite a mouthful, a lot of words up there. But it is a tasty mouthful and quite a delightful surprise to me.

Salt and Vinegar was never my favourite combination. When I got the two samples from Keogh’s, I thought it was odds on that the Cheese and Onion would be my winner. And it is a good one too. Tasted that first and had my opinion confirmed.

Onto the Atlantic Sea Salt and Irish Cider Vinegar then and what a pleasant ambush on the palate. The combination is flavoursome, so well balanced, the best combination of salt and vinegar I’ve ever come across. A nod from the other half confirmed the tasty surprise and our Taste of the Week was unanimous! Two thirty-somethings were later recruited and again both came down on the Salt and Cider Vinegar side.

The two varieties are now available in Multipacks, just in time for picnic season. Each contains 6 individual bags. The new multipacks are available alongside the Farm Favourites Multipack which was introduced last year and includes 2 x Dubliner Cheese and Onion, 2 x Atlantic Sea Salt and Irish Cider Vinegar and 2 x Roast Beef and Irish Stout.

Commenting on recent survey results, that showed some 22% of Irish workers eat lunch at their desk on any given weekday, Tom Keogh, Keogh’s Farm, said: “Much of my working life has been spent outdoors on the farm so it’s hard to imagine spending all my lunch breaks cooped up at a desk but unfortunately this is the reality for many people. The weather can sometimes be off-putting but with the summer sun now shining, the Irish public should make the most of it by taking their lunch to a local park or eating dinner in the back garden. Any excuse for some fresh air and an impromptu picnic!

This year, we’re proud to have our three multipack varieties in store just in time for picnic season. The multipacks are lightweight, easy to carry and perfect for sharing and as always, they are made fresh on the farm using only the finest Irish ingredients.”

The newly launched Keogh’s Atlantic Sea Salt & Irish Cider Vinegar Multipack and Dubliner Irish Cheese & Onion Multipack and the Keogh’s Farm Favourites Multipacks and entire Keogh’s Crisps range are available now in stores nationwide, RRP €3.99.

For further information on the Keogh’s #PerfectPicnic campaign and Keogh’s Multipacks, please visit www.keoghs.ie.

O’Dowd’s Seafood Bar & Restaurant. Fish And Forage And On Your Plate

O’Dowd’s Seafood Bar & Restaurant

Dessert

Fish And Forage And On Your Plate

Once upon a time, fish was tolerated once a week, a kind of religious penance, and full of bones. Recent decades though have seen our fish shine on many a home and restaurant table. And our chefs are not stopping at that. Now they’re out foraging, checking the shore for a long overlooked bonanza.

I was recently in O’Dowd’s Seafood Bar & Restaurant alongside the harbour in Roundstone. This long established Connemara venue is one of 32 pubs, north and south, listed in the Michelin ‘Eating out in Pubs’ Guide 2016.

Salmon

No shortage of meat dishes here, curries and pastas too and vegetarian of course, but fish is king.  The results of the foraging can be seen in their starter of Seafood Hummus, a mains of Savoury Rice with Sea Veg, and a sweet of Carrageen Moss Pudding with Plum Compòte and cream.

Three years ago, I was in Connemara and found it quite difficult to get a craft beer. No bother this time. And they have a superb choice in O’Dowd’s with a full menu page detailing mainly local beers including beers by Independent, Galway Hooker, Corrib Brewing, Black Donkey Brewing and Spiddal River Brewing. They had the Galway Hooker Pale Ale on draught and that was my pick.

Turbot

I started with that Seaweed Hummus, featuring locally harvested Dillisk and served with Olive Oil and Nori Bread. Looked great and tasted even better! Delighted with that and across the table CL was making her way through a plate of Stuffed Cashel Bay mussels, grilled and stuffed with garlic butter, breadcrumbs and herbs. Not bad but she knew she was second best at this stage!

Just like the two starters, our two mains came from the Specials Board. Mine were the Pan Fried fillets of Turbot served with the pub’s own (very tasty) Tartare sauce. CL’s pick was the Sweet and Spicy Baked Salmon. We had the usual vegetable choices: Chips and Salad or Mash and Veg. Happy punters at the end of that lot.

Hummus and Nori Bread

Indeed, there were quite a few happy punters around as both the bar and the two-roomed restaurant, while not totally full, was quite busy and with a good turnover between early and later diners, also a good mix of locals and visitors, quite the Bar of Babel.

Dessert, as sometimes happens, was shared. It was that delightful Carrageen Moss Pudding with Plum Compòte and cream, a smooth ending to a very good meal indeed. It is Michelin listed but prices are reasonable enough. For example, the Hummus cost €6.95, the turbot €21.59, the salmon €16.95, the dessert €4.95 and the Hooker was €4.70 a pint.

See also: A 2014 holiday in Connemara

O’Dowd’s Seafood Bar & Restaurant

Roundstone, Connemara, Galway

(095) 35809

info@odowdsseafoodbar.com

Web: www.odowdseafoodbar.com

Hours

Mon-Sat:

10:00 am - 12:00 am

Sun:

12:00 pm - 11:00 am

See also: A 2014 holiday in Connemara
Screebe House. A Connemara Gem 2016
Sunny Days in Connemara 2016

LANDMARK FRENCH DEAL FOR CRAFT IRISH CIDER PRODUCER STONEWELL

LANDMARK FRENCH DEAL FOR CRAFT IRISH CIDER PRODUCER STONEWELL

Daniel Emerson (right) of Finnbarra Cider/Nohoval Drinks Company
 and Arthur Lenormand, Marketing Director of House of Beer (France)

·         Cork’s Nohoval Drinks Company secures 5 year contract for supply ofFinnbarra Irish Craft Cider to ‘House of Beer’ (France)

·         Finnbarra Irish Craft Cider (aka Stonewell Cider) to be distributed and sold nationwide across France.

·         Order for first 3 years alone equivalent to the entire 2015 output of Finnbarra/Stonewell Cider.

·         House of Beer identifies Finnbarra Irish Craft Cider’s 100% pure apple juice composition as key factor for selection as it targets market dominated by mass-produced cider brands.

Nohoval, County Cork, Ireland & Boulogne Billancourt, Paris, France –: Carlsberg subsidiary, House of Beer (France) and the Nohoval Drinks Company (owned and run by husband and wife team, Daniel and Geraldine Emerson, since 2010), have agreed a five year contract for the supply of Nohoval Drinks’ premium Finnbarra Dry Irish Craft Cider to France. House of Beer, which specialises in premium international, craft and world beers, will sell and distributeFinnbarra Cider (known as Stonewell Cider in Ireland) nationally in France. The total volume ordered by House of Beer in the first three years of the deal alone equates to the entire 2015 output ofFinnbarra by the West Cork-based, family business. Finnbarra Dry Irish Craft Cider will be sold across France in both bottle and draught formats. 

House of Beer has identified a growing demand for natural craft cider in a market currently dominated by mass-produced cider brands. The Emerson’s Finnbarra Dry Irish Craft Cider is made from 100% pure apple juice. The result is both an improved taste profile and a healthier drink that is lower in calories, devoid of any sugar or preservatives and both coeliac and vegan friendly.

Finnbarra Irish Craft Cider will be distributed nationally in France to both on and off-trade outlets by House of Beer across the company’s eight operational regions. In the early phase of the five year contract, demand for Finnbarra Irish Craft Cider is expected to come from the core summer holiday market and also the many Irish-themed on-trade premises throughout France. Demand is expected to broaden beyond these core markets over time.

Finnbarra Irish Craft Cider becomes the first cider to be added to the House of Beer portfolio which includes premium beer brands such as Amarcord (Italy), La Bête (French), Brooklyn (US), Guinness Project Beers (Ireland), Kilkenny (Ireland), Mythos (Greece), Moussy (Switzerland), Poretti (Italy), San Miguel (Spain), Smithwicks (Ireland), Staropramen (Czech Republic) and Tuborg (Denmark).

Commenting on the announcement Arthur Lenormand, House of Beer’s Marketing Director said:

“The French market is cornered between Brittany farmhouse and overseas industrial ciders.  As with the micro beer sector, wherein lies our established expertise, we are convinced that there is a latent demand amongst French consumers for a new taste experience which will change their patterns of consumption. As a result we are delighted to be able to introduce Finnbarra to them. To enlighten and delight the French consumer with a different style of cider is an exciting challenge and we’re aiming to achieve that with a product of outstanding quality”

The contract is the largest to date for the Nohoval Drinks Company, which was founded by Daniel and Geraldine Emerson at their Nohoval home in West-Cork in 2010. Commenting on the contract, Daniel Emerson said: “This is a landmark deal for us on several levels. A large five year contract for a six year old company allows us to plan our business with greater confidence. That this contract is for a market of 63 million people and with a subsidiary of Carlsberg is a significant endorsement of both our business and our cider.”

Press release

Dao. Burgundy. Lodi. A Trio of Reds

Dao. Burgundy. Lodi.

A Trio of Reds

Casa de Mouraz 2011 (DAO), 13.5%, €17.50 Mary Pawle

The grapes for this excellent red come from several vineyards of Casa de Mouraz “some of which are mentioned in documents from the 16th century”. They were no doubt organic then and are organic now.

The wine has been matured in fine Nevers oak for 8 months and is a blend of local grapes: Touriga Nacional, Tinto Roriz, Alfrocheiro, Jaen and the almost unknown Agua Santa.

It is an intense red colour with violet hue and the legs are in no hurry to clear. You’ll find ripe rich fruits in the aromas. It is smooth, spicy, with a lovely mineral streak, and a lasting finish. A serious drop indeed and Highly Recommended.

Ambroise Lettre d’Eloïse Coteaux Bourguignons 2013, 13%, €17.85 Le Caveau

The wines of Maison Ambroise, certified organic since 2013, are regarded as classic Burgundy “with distinct terroir influenced personalities”. This, new to the Le Caveau range, is 100 per cent Pinot Noir and has been aged in 400l barrels, two to five year old, for ten months. No fining or filtration has been applied so be sure to decant. 

By the way, did you know that synonyms for Pinot Noir include Pinot Nero, Pinot Negro, Spatburgunder, Blauburgunder.

Colour here is a pale ruby; red fruits in the aromas, most noticeably cherry. It is wonderfully fresh, the lively fruit flavours well matched by the acidity, a perfect balance, plus an excellent finish.  Highly Recommended.

Saw a few matching suggestions and the one that made most sense was Roasted duck breast with plum sauce. One from BBC Food here.

Jewel Collection Old Vine Zinfandel 2012 (Lodi, California), 14%, €16.90 Karwig Wines

Interestingly, this was “tested” on a Friday, then the Vacuvin was applied. The bottle was finished off on the following Wednesday and a small improvement was noted! The vine is made by a cooperative of growers from “gnarled 40 year old vines”.

Ruby is the colour, tending towards violet. And there are rich jammy aromas, plus vanilla. All that rich fruit appears too on the warm palate but nicely balanced by the acidity, some spice too, vanilla again, plus a decent finish. Pair with hearty dishes of beef, pork, fowl and various game. Recommended.

Amuse Bouche

...the Moncadistas were permitted to receive regular visitors and had plenty of opportunities for exercise, and even to enhance their culinary skills (steak with guava jelly, spaghetti and omelettes were some of Castro’s specialities). With a regular supply of books, food, and, crucially, cigars - the floor of his cell was, Castro confessed, ‘strewn with butts’ - life could certainly have been a lot worse.

From 1956 (The World in Revolt) by Simon Hall (2016)

Screebe House. A Connemara Gem

Screebe House

A Connemara Gem

Scallops

Screebe House, spectacularly situated over Camus Bay in Connemara, has a dining room with quite a view and, to go with the view, some spectacular food by Limerick chef Damien Ring. We stayed there early in the week and enjoyed a gorgeous dinner as we watched the swans come and go on the waters outside, the sun too adding its magic to the mix.

A bottle of champagne was part of the deal that we picked up through the Rewarding Times scheme (via the Irish Times) and that was on ice for us at dinner but the hotel also stocks local beers and I enjoyed a taste (or two) of Cascade by Independent Brewing before the night was out.

Screebe House

The offering on the night was a four course set menu - it is a small hotel, just ten rooms - so no huge multi-choice menu. And the starter was a delicious Sweet Corn Soup with Basil Oil. Next up was Scallops with black pudding, pear and hazelnut. A pretty picture on the plate and good to eat as well; rarely indeed have I eaten scallops cooked to such a pitch of perfection.

The main course was also simply described: Chicken, asparagus, mushroom and egg. Seldom you see the chicken and the egg together but the combination of all the ingredients was amazing, the crisped skin of the chicken a standout.

Chicken & Egg

 We had Creme Brûlée for dessert. No big surprise here, just to say that it was top notch as we'd come to expect as the courses followed each other.

Service too was excellent and very chatty and friendly and it was much the same at morning for breakfast. You will see longer menus but this covered all bases: from Full Irish to Omelettes. I enjoyed local smoked salmon with scrambled egg on the first morning and the Mini-Irish on the second. For Mini, you can read large! We could also help ourselves to yogurts, fruits, and juices. Cold meats and cheese were also available and no shortage of bread and toasts either and one or two pastries as well. No danger of going hungry!

Later!

The rooms, most of them in the house and a few incorporated into the new Spa Lodge (alongside the indoor swimming pool - you may also swim from the private pier), are very good, the beds so comfortable with pillows that you’ll sink into. Some rooms, like ours, have views onto the sea outside. Indeed, the tidal waters outside look more like a calm lake as they in far enough in from the ocean. Great back-drop for wedding photos and yes they do weddings here too!

There are woods on the estate and you can even book a dawn stalk of some of their 500 deers. More serious hunting, with guides, is also available along with top class fishing. And Screebe is well located for touring beautiful Connemara, quite close also to departure points (air and sea) for the Aran Islands. 

And, at the end of the day, you'll be glad to come back to the restaurant and enjoy a meal by chef Damien. And maybe a well earned drop of their very own whiskey!

Screebe's own picture

See also: A 2014 holiday in Connemara
O'Dowd's Seafood Bar & Restaurant (Roundstone)2016
Sunny Days in Connemara 2016

Screebe House

Camus - Rosmuck

Co. Galway.

+353 91 574110

booking@screebe.com

http://screebe.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/screebehouse

Twitter: @screebehouse

Mixing Spirits. Three Sisters

Mixing Spirits. Three Sisters

Vodka - Gin - Tonic

Our three featured bottles come from neighbouring counties: Kilkenny, Waterford and Wexford, the three sisters.

Highbank Orchards Organic Kilkenny Apple Vodka, 40%, €30.50 (35cl)

If you’re used to vodka with little more than 40% abv going for it, you’re going to be surprised by this with its aromas and flavours of the autumnal orchard, an organic one at that.

The base spirit is made from their own apples and the vodka itself “lends a wonderful apple flavor to cocktails”. Use this in cocktails instead of your regular vodka and wait for the accolades.

This is 100% organic, single estate (grown, distilled and bottled at Highbank) and, yes, it is normal strength at 40%. Haven't got to the cocktail stage yet - waiting for a recipe specific to the product! - but I certainly enjoyed mixing it with Poacher’s Tonic, an excellent new Irish product.

The Highbank vodka comes in two sizes: 35cl at €30.50 and 50cl at €55.00.

Blackwater No. 5 Small Batch Irish Gin, 41.5%, €30.00 (50cl) Bradley’s

In quite a short time, Peter Mulryan Blackwater Gin No. 5 has become one of the most popular of the small batch gins now available in ireland. This London Dry Gin is not the only one that Blackwater produce and their latest, a strawberry one, was launched at the recent Wexford Food Festival.

Twelve botanicals are used in the process, including Coriander which goes “citrus-y” in the mix. Considering that citrus (dried skins) and bitter orange (also dried skins) are also used you could see why he advised against using a lemon in your gin. Lime would be a better choice. Juniper (the oil is extracted and used) is perhaps the best known element, having been traditionally used to make gin, and indeed provides the dominant flavour.

The No. 5 quickly gained loyal fans and Peter, from Conna in East Cork, was on his way. The gin is crisp and elegant with great flavour. They say “ it’s year round summer in a glass” and “liquid sunshine for the soul”. Add in quinine (via your tonic) and you have a most pleasant way of taking your medicine. Well the G & T was one method the British used to counter malaria!

Poacher’s Premium Irish Tonic Water, 20cl, Bradley’s

Now that we’ve highlighted two brilliant Irish spirits (from two producers who have even more on their lists), we’d better guide you in the direction of a good tonic. And just in time, comes this excellent Poacher’s from County Wexford. It is based on a “rich spring water: that has “been pilfered and poached since 1825”.

Taste it on its own and you'll immediately see the concentrated quality. Put it up against a 39 cent can, Freeway Indian Tonic Water from Lidl, and you’ll know why you will pay more for Poacher’s which is in a different class entirely.

Mixing cheaper tonic with premium products is a waste of time, a waste of good Irish gin and vodka and a waste of money. I mixed myself two gins, one of each. As an amateur it took me a while to spot the difference but you certainly notice it on the finish. With Poacher's, the finish (when you swallow) lingers and lingers but the other one kills it there and then. The longer the flavour lasts is a sign of quality in both food and drink. Much longer, much better with Poacher’s. Go for it!

The full list of ingredients for Poacher’s is: Carbonated irish spring water, sugar beets, Irish rosemary, Florida orange, natural flavours and natural quinine.

The full list of ingredients for Freeway is: Carbonated water, sugar. Acid: Citric Acid; Natural Flavouring, Flavouring (Quinine).

Taste of the Week. Woodcock Smokery Tuna

Taste of the Week

Woodcock Smokery Tuna

On a recent visit to the Woodcock Smokery in Castletownsend, smoker Sally Barnes gave me a piece of her Albacore Tuna to bring home.

It is really amazing; looks as if Tuna is meant to be smoked. Maybe, meant to be smoked by Sally. “It is hot smoked. Our tuna are guaranteed line-caught and are certified by Friends of the Sea.This is a tuna unlike any you have ever tasted. It's a succulent meaty bite with subtle smoke and ocean tastes”

I think that last sentence really sums up our Taste of the Week. We used it in a version of a Salad Niçoise and it was delicious. By the way, if you are looking for Anchovies, you can get very reasonably priced tins in O Português  in McCurtain Street.

Sally uses only wild fish, quite a variety of them, and her products are much sought after by top chefs. And you may read all about her operation here.

Woodcock Smokery

Gortbrack

Castletownshend

Skibbereen

County Cork

Ireland

Telephone: 028 36232 (Ireland)

00 353 28 36232 (International)

You may order online from Sally. Check the products and the prices here.

Cheesemaking Buzz at Toons Bridge. Café And Shop. And A Pizza Oven

Cheesemaking Buzz at Toons Bridge

Café And Shop. And A Pizza Oven

Franco, the maestro, ready to rock 'n roll

It is around noon on Friday and Franco gives the signal. No big noise then but you can feel the creative buzz as the three-man crew swing into action making Mozzarella in the gleaming Toons Bridge Dairy. Amazing to see the trio work from the big floppy cubes of curd.

First the cubes are mechanically diced, then Franco gets his hands on it - the skilled hands of a fourth generation Italian cheesemaker who’s been making cheese since he was eleven - manipulating the curd in a steaming vat (hot water is being piped in), stretching it to almost unimaginable elastic proportions, then after a little draining off, he hands it on and soon from the little machine opposite emerge those gorgeous little balls.

Awaiting their turn to get to market - Cacio Cavallo mainly.

We are offered a taste. We chew the sample; it is like a milky “meat”! No salt yet. Brineing, a strong one for a short spell (an hour or so), and then it goes into its “transport brine”, the one you’ll see in the stalls the very next day. Toons Bridge Mozzarella is the freshest in Ireland,” says our guide Ronan. “Made today, on sale tomorrow.” Indeed, if you call to their cafe next door, you could well be eating your freshest ever! Some of the whey, by the way, is retained in the dairy and used as a starter for the next batch

We’ll get to the café soon but first there’s much more cheese to be seen and tasted. With no fresh buffalo milk available to them anymore, Toons Bridge have creatively filled the gap by adding a string of gorgeous Italian style cheeses to their range.

Cacio Cavallo

Recently, we featured their Cacio Cavallo as Taste of the Week. They actually make four versions of this cow's milk cheese. Cacio Cavallo can age marvellously, turning the soft, rubbery paste hard and flinty that it needs to be broken in shards. The flavours can be huge, as they harness all of the various raw milk bacteria to ripen the curd.

Franco tolds me that they use a kid rennet (in a paste form) for the Piccante version and also in their Pecorino (we’ll get to that later). He reckons it enhances the fermentation, leading to better flavours. They also do a Mesophilic version. No starter culture at all is used, just a natural slow fermentation of the milk. The result is reminiscent of traditional English cheese such as Caerphilly or Cheshire.

The curd, before it is diced into much smaller pieces

Lots of new words to be learned around here. Another is Scamorza which is a simple stretched curd cheese that is hung (you can see the mark of the string) for a short period of time to air dry. It is similar to mozzarella and melts well. It is sweet and delicate. They do both smoked and unsmoked versions and I must say I enjoy the smoked one (great when stuffing those big flat mushrooms). Pier 26 in Ballycotton have it on their cheese plate.

They also do Halloumi and Ricotta (try with Highbank Orchard Syrup). And then there’s the Pecorino Vincenzo.  Pecorino is the general name for sheep’s cheese in Italy. This pecorino is made in Toons Bridge by Vincenzo to a family recipe from his native Marche region.  Vincenzo has a small flock of sheep nearby and they make this gorgeous Pecorino right here. Another must try from this rural hub of creativity. If you want more details on the cheeses, please click here.

Pecorino

 Time now for lunch in the sun. After all the cheese tasting, we decided on something different.  Most of the staff were getting their pizzas, topped with Toons Bridge cheese of course! Friday is a nice relaxing day here.  Both of us started with a Hummus Plate (two types of hummus, with basil pesto, olives and flat breads from the pizza oven). Substantial and delicious.

The counter was lined with attractive colourful salads (quite a few in the shop for takeaway as well) including Pearled barley, harissa, carrot and dill; pesto, potato and pea; beetroot, quinoa and chickpea, with balsamic dressing; two potato and mint. You could pick any three plus salad leaves for nine euro. We each did just that and enjoyed them in the sun in the garden. Meat Boards and Tapas Plates were also available as were of course the pizzas. Lots of soft drinks too, including my Elderflower cordial, wines by the glass and local beers.

The old stumps - there are 100s-
in The Gearagh

It was a delightful interlude, the lunch well earned we thought! Earlier, after the short drive down from the city we took the familiar R584. This is quite a road if you have time on your hands. Even in a short space, you can call to the Prince August Toy Soldier Factory (a must if you have kids), The Gearagh and Toons Bridge.

Our first stop was at the nearby Gearagh, the only ancient post glacial alluvial forest in Western Europe, a beautiful spot, great for a walk through bushes and trees and wild-flowers and the stump-strewn waters on both sides of your path. Click here for the Discover Ireland listing and a short paragraph of info on this remarkable place.

Looking into the cafe, from our table in the garden;
we were early, the place would soon be full.

 If you want to continue on the R584, there are many more stops to make (including Gougane Barra, Keimaneigh, and Carrigass Castle) before you get to Ballylicky and a stop for refreshments at Manning’s Emporium. For more on the R584, check my post The Many Attractions of Driving the R584

But last Friday, we settled for The Gearagh and Toons Bridge Dairy and Cafe. Well educated and well fed, we headed for home and a sunny afternoon in the back garden!

Hummus

Three salads

The Gearagh

Walk through The Gearagh

Take a break!