DRINK OF THE WEEK Cider Mill Ciderkin Harvest Session. "amongst the finest drinks produced in Ireland"

DRINK OF THE WEEK

"...ciders of exceptional quality and character.”

Cider Mill Ciderkin Harvest Session, 4% ABV, 500 ml bottle, Dunnes

“Mr Jenkinson’s Revival Series are amongst the finest drinks produced in Ireland.”

It may be best as a summer or harvest-time drink but we enjoyed this Ciderkin on a dull mid-winter evening. The aromas are not as delicate as some reviewers write; they are expressive, undoubtedly so, and hint strongly enough too of the orchard (more or less what you'd expect).

The liquid itself is clear and is well populated with microbubbles rising to the top. On the palate, it’s light, crisp, and refreshing.  Full of tangy apple and tropical fruit flavours, with a slight sweetness though the balance is spot-on. And, at 4% ABV, it is ideal for a pleasant session.

Mark Jenkinson is by now well known for using time-honoured methods (if you haven’t already done so, you must try his “keeving” bottles). Ciderkin Harvest Session is an age-old style made from the second pressing of bittersweet and sharp Irish apples. 

These Ciderkins were used for centuries as part-payment for farm labourers' wages.  This practice was outlawed in 1887 but persisted for many years afterwards.

Check our Beer of the Week Index

for 2024 here

The Cider Mill says the series is a celebration of Irish Cider Heritage …. “We are dedicated to reviving Ireland’s lost cider-making traditions.. creating ciders of exceptional quality and character.”

Brief reviews on a few of his ciders:

His Cockagee Irish Keeved Cider here 

Check out his Cockagee Perry here 

His Windvane cider here 

Jenkinson’s Cider Mill describes cider as “A refreshing alcoholic beverage made from 100 % apple juice, fermented and made in the same way as wine and often called apple wine in other countries. An excellent alternative to wine as a food accompaniment that deserves more exploration…”

* “Mr Jenkinson’s Revival Series – Ciderkin; Windvane and Lamhog – are amongst the finest drinks produced in Ireland.” - McKenna’s Guides 2017.

Velo is the first coffee roastery in Ireland to obtain the prestigious B Corp status

Velo is the first coffee roastery in Ireland to obtain the prestigious B Corp status

Velo Coffee Roasters' General Manager Suzanne Casey with Marketing Coordinator Madyson Savner Picture: Clare Keogh

 

Cork-based Velo Coffee Roasters is the first coffee roastery in Ireland to obtain the prestigious B Corp Certification, marking a significant milestone in the company's commitment to social and environmental responsibility.

B Corp status is bestowed upon businesses dedicated to upholding the highest standards of positive impact on society and the environment. It evaluates a company's holistic social and environmental impact across five key areas: governance, workers, community, environment, and customers. Just over 30 businesses headquartered in Ireland hold this certification.

 

Suzanne Casey, General Manager of Velo Coffee Roasters said: “We are thrilled to achieve this gold standard of sustainability, and to be the first coffee roastery in Ireland to have done so. Our decision to pursue B-Corp certification stemmed from our genuine commitment to transparency — we want to adhere to comparable standards that will drive tangible change. The process involved a comprehensive evaluation of every part of our operations — from packaging choices to policies to sustainability targets. While the accreditation system was rigorous, it compelled us to be even better and optimise our operations for the betterment of the planet, which ultimately will foster trust among suppliers and customers alike.”

 

As part of its social and environmental responsibility, Velo, which is stocked in Dunnes Stores, Tesco, and premium SuperValu stores along with Aldi stores nationwide and in the UK, sources speciality coffee beans in collaboration with their partner Covoya. This ensures full traceability to the farm and fosters sustainable partnerships with farmers. The company, which employs 15, has just announced it’s on track to invest over €7,000 this year into local community projects where it works, with a total of almost €20,000 invested in the past five years.

The company’s efforts include impactful initiatives such as supporting agricultural and social projects at origin, such as the Finca las Mercedes farm in El Salvador. By paying a premium on their coffee beans, Velo allows for funds to be directed back into the communities to support specific projects — including a new access bridge for a local school to shorten commutes and organising STEM education initiatives.

 

Two local employees sorting coffee cherries in the Finca las Mercedes farm in El Salvador. Velo Coffee have worked with this producer from the outset, and are now working together on a project in the local school in San Salvador.

Already recognised as an Origin Green Gold company, the B Corp certification is the next progression in Velo’s journey toward social and environmental responsibility. With a commitment to continuous improvement and transparent reporting, Velo has also led the industry in sustainable packaging commitments, introducing completely recyclable packaging to their retail coffee in 2021.

 

Suzanne added: “At Velo, our primary objective is to make a meaningful impact on communities. From our team members and loyal customers to our inspiring suppliers and local communities, we view Velo as a cohesive community. Coffee has the power to bring people together, and we aim to leverage that power through responsible sourcing and production.”

A quick bite when time is tight? Lunch on the run? A quick bite when time is tight? Lunch on the run? Solutions include one of the world's oldest streetfoods

A quick bite when time is tight? Lunch on the run? Solutions include one of the world's oldest streetfoods.

Ham packed roll at Higgins Mayfield

Get a filling roll from Higgins Supervalu or a rocking Jianbing from Lao Dao

Braised Pork Jianbing from Lao Dao

Sometimes, when it comes to food, you just can't wait. Those pesky peckish temptations won't go away and neither will that schedule that you've sometimes had little say in.

Don't panic though! There's always a solution. I got into that kind of bind twice last week in Cork and each time found the answer close at hand. In Mayfield, Higgins SuperValu did the business and, on the second day, the relief was provided by Lao Dao in Daunts Square.

The Higgins name has only recently become associated with the local SuperValu and improvements in layout and service immediately followed.

So it was with some confidence that I walked in last week. And that increased as I checked out what was on offer. There was a selection of inviting salad plates (enough for a decent lunch for €4.50) and offerings for a more substantial dinner plate too.

But I needed something like fast food and headed for the salad bar, a couple of dozen tubs behind glass packed with all kinds of fillings for your roll. Chicken, ham, vegetables including onions and peppers, lettuce, coleslaw, you name they had it. The meats for the rolls are Bord Bia approved.

Chicken roll

I based my roll on the ham and, on request they added lettuce and tomato and I handed over €4.50. While I was picking out a couple of excellent craft beers (Sullivan's Black MarbleStout and 9 White Deer's Kolsch), CL was getting her chicken-based roll filled.

Off home then and, with a pot of tea at hand - no beer by the way - we enjoyed an excellent lunch and were soon up and running again.

Lao Dao price included
apple juice or bottle of water

The following day we were in the city and under a tight timeline. I had often meant to call to Lao Dao to try their Chinese Crepes, one of the oldest street foods in the world (going back over 2,000 years it is said). 

The tiny restaurant - a few seats outside, none inside - provides "the best fresh food daily. We aim to provide top-quality hot dishes for our customers. The ingredients that we use to prepare our dishes are the freshest and highest quality. We use locally sourced Irish beef, chicken, and fresh fish and seafood, all of which are carefully prepared daily by our expert Chef. "

These crepes are called "Jianbing" and the basic one, The Original North Chinese Style Jianbing, is perfect for beginners so we ordered one of those. It is made here with Millet, Mung Bean flour, Wheat Flour and Free-Range Egg and the pancake is filled with  Coriander, Spring Onion, Black Sesame, Special Soybean Sauce and Crispy Crumbled Wonton Skins.

A "Traditional Ham Salad", with egg, featured in Supervalu's salad offerings

The basic one costs €7.45. As the price moves up, you get more for your buck. The basic Jianbing gets different fillings and our Braised Pork, with Mushrooms and Onion (Fried) costs €9.95. They also have chicken, ham and roast duck versions. The price includes a free drink (bottle of water or carton of apple juice).

The more expensive versions are quite a dish, very flavoursome and filling. Even the basic one will replenish your energy for the afternoon! No wonder they are one of the most popular street breakfasts in China. 

By the way, like all Chinese food outlets, the Lao Dao menu is quite extensive and includes noodle and fried rice dishes and they also do a range of bubble teas and smoothies and if you are unable to call Deliveroo will do their thing. 

If you do need to eat on a wall or seat in the city, your food comes in a carton with a wooden knife and fork and also a plastic glove to hold your crepe as you eat!

Metropole Hotel’s annual pancake race held this morning! Not just a race - check out the recipes too!

FLIPPING FUN FOR CORK TRADERS AS METROPOLE HOTEL HOSTS ANNUAL PANCAKE RACE

The race is on. (Pic: Brian Lougheed)

Not just a race - recipes too!

Traders from the VQ area of Cork City put on a flipping good performance this morning for the Metropole Hotel’s annual pancake race.

James Healy of the Shelbourne Bar beat off stiff competition to claim the winning title, which he had taken two years ago.

The pancake race was a Shrove Tuesday tradition when Thompsons Bakery was open on the street dating back to 1826.

Team members from the Metropole Hotel joined representatives from businesses including Nathan Trust, Acet Active Centre for English Training and the Shelbourne Bar as they ran along MacCurtain St while flipping pancakes.  The Metropole Hotel has been organising the event since 2018 and it brings lots of fun and laughter to the area every year.

Roger Russell, General Manager at the Metropole Hotel said: “The pancake race is a very old tradition that we resurrected and it’s been going from strength to strength.  It means an awful lot to the local community as it brings us all together for a bit of banter and a bit of fun.  We’re all friends on the street but ultimately we’re all very competitive and the bragging rights are fantastic. The VQ is a very close knit community and we are more than happy to organise anything that can help to support and promote the area.”

Speaking about his win James Healy said; “I was really looking forward to today as I won the race two years ago so I wanted to reclaim the title.  It was all down to luck on the day though and I’m delighted to have the crown back.”

Alex Petit is Group Executive Chef of Trigon Hotels, which include the Metropole Hotel and Cork International Hotel.  He’s created a delicious sweet and a savoury pancake recipe for people to try at home.

THE CINNAMON ROLL  

American style cinnamon pancake, mixed berry compote, whipped vanilla cream, toasted seeds.

 

Ingredients 

 

American style pancake recipe:

 

250 g self raising flour

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

50g caster sugar

2 large free range eggs

150 ml Buttermilk

 

For the garnish:

150g frozen berries

50g sugar

100 ml fresh cream

25g icing sugar

Vanilla essence

Mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame……)

 

Method

 

For the pancake:

Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl

Add the wet ingredients and mix vigorously until smooth

Rest the batter for 45 minutes prior to cooking

Heat up a large frying pan with vegetable oil to medium/high heat

Cook your pancakes until golden brown on both sides

Those should rise and bubble as you cook them

 

For the garnish:

 

In a medium saucepan, add the mixed berries and caster sugar

Cook over medium heat until the water has mostly evaporated (20 minutes)
The mixture should be syrupy and shiny

 

In a large mixing bowl, pour the fresh cream

Whisk the cream until thick, add the icing sugar and few drops of vanilla essence

Reserve in the fridge until needed

 

In a preheated oven at 170 degrees, toast the mixed seeds until golden

Remove from the oven and Cool down at room temperature

 

To plate, stack 3 pancakes on top of each other

Add a generous amount of berry compote

Top with a large dollop of fresh cream and finish with toasted seeds.

 

 

THE CRÊPE MADAME 

French style thin crêpes garnished with home cooked gammon and Carrigaline cheddar topped with a fried egg.

 

Ingredients

 

French Style crêpe

 

250g plain flour

500ml whole milk

4 eggs

1 pinch alt

50g melted butter

2 tablespoon caster sugar

 

Garnish:

4 eggs

8 slices cooked gammon

200g Carrigaline cheddar

1 bunch fresh chives

 

Optional

 

Mix leaves

Elderflower & extra virgin olive oil dressing

1 red onions finely sliced

 

Method

 

For the crêpe:

Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl

Add the wet ingredients except the butter and mix vigorously until smooth

While whisking, add the melted butter gradually

Rest the batter for 45 minutes prior to cooking

Cook the crêpes one by one and rest onto a plate

 

For the garnish:

 

In a non stick pan, fry the egg sunny side up with little oil

Season with salt and pepper and place the cooked eggs onto a side dish

In a large frying pan on medium heat, add a knob of butter and place a crêpe on it

Place 2 slices of gammon side by side and sprinkle with a generous amount of grated cheddar

Place a fried egg on top and fold the 4 sides of the crepe to form a square

Keep cooking the crêpe until the cheese has fully melted

Plate the crêpe and sprinkle with freshly chopped chives

This can be served with a fresh salad dressed with an elderflower vinaigrette and finely shaved red onions

 

Taste of the Week. Homemade Rosewater Marshmallows by Ballymaloe Cookery School

Taste of the Week

Homemade Rosewater Marshmallows 

by Ballymaloe Cookery School

Got to visit Midleton Farmers Market last Saturday morning to do a little shopping there and in the town. And it was at the Ballymaloe Cookery School stand that I found my taste of the week, these absolutely delicious Rosewater Marshmallows. The delicate flavour, well-known to fans of Hadji Beys Turkish Delight, is irresistible and makes for a gorgeous treat!

Rosewater is used to flavour many foods, including drinks, around the world, especially in Asian countries. Did you know that 90% of it comes from Iran where they hold a major Rosewater festival every spring? It is a by-product of the production of rose oil for use in perfume. 

So, it is used to enhance aromas and flavours.  Look out for this excellent example at Midleton Farmers Market every Saturday where it is well priced at four euro. 

Irish teams win double bronze at Culinary Olympics

Irish teams win double bronze at Culinary Olympics

The Seniors

 

Both Senior and Junior Irish national culinary teams scored bronze medals at the Culinary Olympics 2024 held in Stuttgart Germany from 3-7 February. The demanding international contest took place over four days featuring more than 1,200 participants from 55 nations and over 7,000 menus. The teams cooked under challenging conditions in glass-walled kitchens so visitors and judges could see every move.

 

“We are extremely proud of all our chefs on both senior and junior teams. Our teams put in a massive effort over many months travelling the country to train together and I am thrilled at the standards they achieved”, said Alan Fitzmaurice, head chef at the Glasshouse Hotel in Sligo, President of the Panel of Chefs of Ireland, and Senior Team Captain for the Culinary Olympics, “It’s an honour to represent our country and to participate at this level under such intense scrutiny”.

 

The Culinary Olympics was held alongside Intergastra which is Germany's premier trade fair for the hospitality and gastronomy industry and took place at the prestigious Messe Stuttgart. With 1,500 exhibitors, the trade fair is Germany's largest event for the industry, attracting nearly 100,000 trade visitors.

Junior team members

 

“The IKA/Culinary Olympics is a culinary competition of superlatives and the 26th edition of this event with a long tradition was a great success,” said VKD President Daniel Schade. “The atmosphere was captivating and special from start to finish. “All of the participants put fantastic performances on the plates and showed what true culinary artistry looks like.”

 

The senior team members were: Alan Fitzmaurice (The Glasshouse Hotel & O’Hehirs/OH Bakery), Will King (Limerick & Clare ETB), Gordon Carrberry (Sodexo Ireland), Garret Carberry (Inchydoney Lodge & Spa), Cathy Ruth (The Washer Woman, Dublin), Jason Brean, (Gather&Gather RDS), Carol Dollery (Limerick & Clare ETB), Aaron Ruth (The Legal Eagle, Dublin), Michael Egan (Aramark Ireland), Ahmad Afig Azam (Monart Hotel & Spa) and Sylvester Dolan (Elements of Chocolate, Leitrim).

 

The junior team members were: Az Ostman (Monart Hotel & Spa), Chris Leech (Sodexo Ireland Dublin/Culinary Arts at Technological University Dublin), Callum Priest (The Cliff Café/Culinary Arts at Southeast Technological University Waterford), Jessica Beckley (Whitford House Hotel Wexford/Culinary Arts at Southeast Technological University Waterford), Nayara Borges da Costa (Strand Hotel Limerick/Training Hospitality Campus Limerick (LCETB) ), Anthony Rebote (Armada Hotel Clare/Training Hospitality Campus Limerick (LCETB) ), Freddie Cullen (Dunraven Arms Hotel Limerick/Training Hospitality Campus Limerick (LCETB) ), Liam Martin (Sheen Falls Hotel Kenmare/TUS Athlone) and Evan Duane (Tullamore Court Hotel Offaly/Training Hospitality Campus Limerick (LCETB) ).

 

https://www.olympiade-der-koeche.com/en/

 

press release

BEER OF THE WEEK: 9 White Deer Stag Stout

BEER OF THE WEEK

9 White Deer Stag Stout, 4.2% ABV, 500 ml bottle, O’Donovan’s

This gluten-free Stag Stout, from Ballyvourney’s 9 White Deer, weighs in at 4.2% ABV. It is a glossy black colour with a soft tan head. 

Aromas are rich and rammed with chocolate promise, which is fully delivered in the mouth. Here the chocolate and Madagascan vanilla play quite the most pleasing duet as the rich and smooth beer finds its way around. The chocolate is never over the top though and the stout is distinctive and delicious. Smooth and creamy, all without any nitro! And it is also gluten-free.

Very Highly Recommended. Beer of the Week

They say: Stag Stout is a medium-bodied traditional dry Irish stout at 4.2 % ABV. It is designed to appeal primarily to traditional stout drinkers, who remember how creamy the pints used to be. The complex recipe we developed brings back to life characteristics that are long forgotten. However this stout is like no other, Stag Stout also happens to be gluten-free, the first of its kind anywhere in the world.

I first came across this black beauty in Blairs Inn (near Blarney) in the winter of 2017. Richard Blair, one of two brothers then running the gastro pub, told me of a satisfied customer of a few days earlier. A coeliac, the man hadn’t drunk stout, his favourite tipple, for twenty years but, having sampled the Stag, left Blair's Inn with tears of gratitude.

Then Richard’s mother Anne guideed us to our fireside table. We began with some stout-infused brown bread! Delicious stuff and, of course, the Stag is one of the ingredients. Then I got to enjoy a pint with my Venison Casserole and it proved a great match for the rich dish of Wicklow venison. That ritual would be repeated in some form or other almost every winter thereafter.

The combination of the medium body, low carbonation and low hop bitterness makes Stag Stout a dangerously drinkable stout that tastes every bit as gorgeous as it looks. The promise from 9 White Deer is that as you enjoy a pint of Stag Stout you will agree with them in their assertion that it is the “Smoothest Stout in Ireland”.  It certainly is a good one!

This is a double chocolate and Madagascan vanilla stout, with cocoa and vanilla in the ingredients list, as well as green barley and oats.