Community Spirit in Cork continues to Triumph as Local People Donate to Support Each Other

Press release

Community Spirit in Cork continues to Triumph as Local People Donate to Support Each Other

The Actimel campaign to “Give Communities Their Best Shot” has got off to a hugely successful start.  With 339,080 Actimel bottles already donated to Fareshare and Foodcloud in the UK and Ireland, it’s clear that the willingness to help local people is still very much alive in lockdown 3. 

Munster is smashing it as 5,540 bottles have already been donated to the Cork distribution centre. FoodCloud, who are helping to distribute the bottles into the local community throughout their network of charities, foodbanks and community groups, is calling to people to dig deep and help more, saying “there is still more that people can do!”

 

Speaking about the campaign, Cormac Byrne, Danone’s Head of Sales said, “We are delighted to partner with FoodCloud to donate Actimel, our mighty shots! As a BCorp, we believe we all have a role to play in supporting each other. We’ve seen inspiring examples of communities coming together over the last year, and we want to encourage this community spirit to continue. Every time you buy and scan a pack of Actimel, we will donate one to charity, simply log on to Actimel.ie.”

Small but mighty: Each shot of Actimel is packed with 10 billion L. casei cultures along with 1/3 of the recommended daily intake in vitamin D, as well as vitamin B6 which support the normal function of the immune system. Just one shot a day and you can take on whatever the day throws at you. 

press release

Check out this Rhone Double!

Check out this Rhone Double!

When you enjoy a glass of Côtes Du Rhône, either in a sunny back-garden or a warm sitting room, you'll hardly be thinking of a frosty night. But frost has had a major influence on the wine story in the area. In 1956, the famous Mistral Wind (still an influence here), battered the region for three weeks, reaching a velocity of over one hundred kilometres per hour and dropping to a temperature of minus 15 degrees centigrade.

The majority of the region's olive trees suffered serious frost damage but the vines resisted so well that the majority of the local farmers decided to turn over primarily to vine cultivation.

Domaine Chaume-Arnaud Vinsobres (AC) 2016, 14.5%

€24.80  64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny

Dark ruby is the colour of this Vinsobres. But it is the aromas that make the first big impression. “Rich and profound” according to importers Le Caveau. Rich for sure. “Takes your breath away” is the verdict of a taster here. But nothing alien in the mix, just lots of dark fruit (plum, cherry).

And the palate is also a winner. No shortage of that fruit, hints too of liquorice plus a good wash of spice as well. Full-bodied and juicy while the finish is fresh and elegant with supple tannins. This very drinkable and vivid biodynamic wine is Very Highly Recommended.

The blend is 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, 10% Cinsault. Until 1956, olive trees outnumbered vines in the towns of Vinsobres and St Maurice, but one night in February of that year, all the olive trees perished by frost. After that, vines came to dominate and the area’s previous diversification began to wane. Chaume-Arnaud though are working their way back to the old model and so you’ll see olive trees, cereals and tomatoes keeping the vines company on the estate, run now by Valérie Chaume-Arnaud and her husband Phillipe and their son Thibault

The altitude, between 200 to 450m, and the cool wind from the nearby Alps (the Pontias) keeps the temperature lower than the neighbouring villages and contributes to the natural freshness and complexity of the wines. 

Vinsobres wines owe their richness to the assembly of the qualities of richly varied, complementary terroirs. The appellation's soil here is very stony, red to brown in colour, and their warmth allows the vines to flourish early with a high concentration of grapes. Made mainly of Grenache and Syrah, they produce dark red wines with a complex, harmonious nose with spiced flavours that are suitable for ageing. 

Vinsobres is one of nine cru villages in the Southern Rhone of which Chateauneuf du Pape is the most famous; others include Gigondas and Vacqueyras, Tavel (for rosé) and Beaume de Venise (for Vin Doux Naturel).

Domaine Chaume-Arnaud Côtes Du Rhône (AOC) 2018, 14.5%

€19.95 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny

This Côtes Du Rhône has a dark ruby colour. Aromas are rather intense, dark fruit prominent. On the palate it is fruity and juicy, excellent acidity too. A very friendly wine, one you really want to carry on with. A very good example of the AOC and Highly Recommended.

The fruit for Côtes Du Rhône (CDR) comes from a much wider area, spreading over 170 communes. By contrast the CDR Villages area covers about 100 communes. The exclusive Crus, including the Vinsorbes above, number 19, Cairanne the most recent to be elevated.

The grapes for this Chaume-Arnaud are Grenache (60%), Syrah (20%), Cinsault (20%), and are harvested by hand having been grown on stony ground. Grenache offers fruitiness, warmth and body. Syrah donates a hint of spice as well as depth of colour. Cinsault brings finesse to the party and is ideal for making young fruity wines.

The family have eschewed the use of all chemical and synthetic products, respecting instead the rhythms of nature to intensify the life of the soil and maintain a harmonious equilibrium. And it shows in this very drinkable, very digestible wine.

Serving temp recommended is about 14 degrees. Try with venison and wild boar. You won’t find these everywhere but do check out Ballinwillin Farm in North Cork - they also have an online shop.

BALLYMALOE FOODS TEAMS UP WITH COQBULL RESTAURANT TO LAUNCH LIMITED-EDITION BURGER

BALLYMALOE FOODS TEAMS UP WITH COQBULL RESTAURANT TO LAUNCH LIMITED-EDITION BURGER 

Irish businesses join forces to celebrate the best of Irish ingredients

Ballymaloe Foods has teamed up with award-winning restaurant CoqBull to create a limited-edition burger. The burger will be available in CoqBull restaurants in Cork and Limerick. 

A team of chefs at CoqBull has produced a rotisserie pulled chicken and beef burger topped with Ballymaloe Fiery Relish, Dubliner Cheddar Cheese, crispy tobacco onions, mayo, lettuce, tomato and onion. 

Sarah Collins, Marketing Manager for Ballymaloe Foods: “Supporting local is key for us at Ballymaloe Foods. We take great pride in sourcing good-quality Irish ingredients and we love to see our products being used in creative ways by other local businesses. The last year has been extremely tough for the restaurant and foodservice industry, however we have seen the resilience of Irish companies and we’re looking to the future with more hope.”

Mags O’Connor from CoqBull says, “CoqBull are delighted to partner with Ballymaloe Foods and use their delicious Fiery Relish in our new ‘Ballymaloe Fiery CoqBull Burger’. We always look to source locally where possible and to support other Irish businesses. It’s very tough times with the current restrictions which is why it’s more important than ever to support local.”

The Ballymaloe Fiery CoqBull burger is now available. You can order at the door, by phone, or click and collect at www.coqbull.com 

CoqBull Cork is a chicken and burger concept located at French Church Street, Cork City, Limerick City and Castletroy. 

press release

Taste of the Week. Irish Pie's Smoked Bacon and Colcannon Pie

Taste of the Week 

Irish Pies Smoked Bacon and Colcannon Pie

 

Up to a few weeks back, I'd never heard of the company called Irish Pies. But then they, like many more excellent producers, popped up on the NeighbourFood offerings. I ordered the Smoked Bacon and Colcannon Pie.

They described it as "A delicious creamy pie filled with smoked bacon, cabbage, leeks and cheddar cheese". Quite an accurate account as it turned out and we enjoyed our new Taste of the Week no end. Every last bite, including those delicious bacon chunks, vanished. Now I need to look up the other choices which include Chicken & Mushroom Pie, Beef & Stout Pie and Vegetable Pie. Each, aside from Veggie (7.00), costs eight euro. Well worth it!

Irish pies are a Cork based food company. "We dedicate ourselves to producing artisan savoury pies for food markets in the Munster area. Our focus is on Irish cookery and we use recipes that date back generations to produce a home cooked pie just like mammy would make. All our pies can be frozen. This is a large meal for one person and very satisfying! Our ingredients are kept local, just like our pies."

As always, I'm very happy to support local!

Irish Pies

Cork

Tel: 0899532807

Brewers Chat About Hops and IPA on Beoirfest

Brewers Chat About Hops and IPA on Beoirfest

Cris (left) and Will

Ronan Russell of Blacks Kinsale, Cris Gasporoti of Hopfully and Brian Kelly of Wicklow Brewery had a great chat, moderated by host Brian O’Connell, on a recent Beoirfest edition where the subject was IPA and hops. And a further distinctive flavour was added to the conversation when hop expert Will Avery joined in as guest.

Will: “I don’t claim to be an expert but I like hops and have acquired a lot of knowledge over 15 years in the business. There is a historical conundrum in that a secondary aspect of hops, its disinfectant properties, brought it fame. But there has to be something to balance the sweetness in beer and hops did the trick, before that there were herbs. That the alpha acid of hops was a deterrent to various bugs was an extra bonus.”

Ronan Russell took on a request from host Brian to explain IPA, a task getting more difficult by the day with so much variation around. “The term has been expanded away from the original meaning over the past 10 to 15 years. IPAs are not what they used to be and now there are many sub-categories not focused on the bitterness. But IPA should be a juicy smooth ale that lets the hops shine through the malt, more than is the case in stout for example. You can write IPA on virtually any can or bottle these days, some do it so the punter will pick it off the shelf.”

Home on the range. Ronan relaxes (for a mo) in Blacks. Pic by Blacks

Cris said there are different styles such as West Coast and New England and craft drinkers know what to expect. “There are lots of choices but it is good to be aware of the styles.. and the label should mean something.”

Ronan agreed that the label should be accurate, “should point you in a certain direction. The front of the can just wants to grab you but there should be a few hints on the back.” He grew up in Belgian - “lots of sweet beer there”. Now he likes the hazy beers, which Kinsale do well. “Lots of malted wheat and oats.. a richer mouthfeel…juicy and full-bodied… aromatic including floral.”

Hops

Not too sure Will would fully agree! Later in the discussion, he said he was tired of drinking beers with Citrus and Mosaic “…. A lot of New England IPA are just sweet,.,. start well but finish flat… You gotta have contrast (Amarillo or Comet). If all you get is juice, you don’t really appreciate it, you gotta have contrast to lift it!”

And there is no shortage of hops. Will said there are dozens of well-known ones but hundreds of others “you’ve never heard of”. Like Comet (which Cris uses well in his beers, eg Quicksand and Shinebright); this is an old-school hop that can provide a lot of flavour and can complement the likes of Citra.

Cris agreed but there is much to understand, the amount of oils and what they do in the brew. “I have done a lot of pilots but there is a bundle of complex stuff that is important to understand.. a lot to learn ...”

Will emphasised that farmers “will plant what they can sell” and will quickly shift to what is in demand. And that could mean certain old-school hops, even more recent ones, could fall out of favour (for instance, you get 8 bales an acre from Citra, 13 to 16 from Cascade or Centennial). Prices could rise for the popular ones and the less popular ones would be even harder to get. And so he underlined the importance of brewers continuing to use a range of hops.

Ronan confirmed the trend towards newer hops.”New varieties, eg Strata, are very popular and it is hard to look past them.” But he agreed that “old” varieties must not be neglected. And Cris nodded: “our job is to use old-school hops.” Hopfully, by the way, have all their beers produced by Waterford’s Metalman. They earn great praise (I’ve enjoyed them here in the Quart of Ale series), not least from fellow panel-members at BeoirFest.

After messing up the home kitchen more than once, Brian Kelly  “jumped at the chance” when the opportunity came up to work in Wicklow Brewery in early 2016. “I quit my job and, I have never been more excited to clean floors in my life. Eventually I began brewing and my passion became a job. In May 2017 I became Head Brewer and I oversee all operations from grain to glass.”

Brian was comparing making beers with fruit additions with the others brewers with Will warning that “doing Mango is not for the faint-hearted!”

Wicklow make a full range including a WB-40 Dank IPA that sounds more or less West Coast to me. Don’t think I’ve had one of their beers since a visit to Brooklodge in 2015!  Haven’t seen their bottles in this neck of the woods, must keep an eye out.

The next Beoirfest presentation is down for 3.00pm on April 3rd and will feature Craft Cider with Stonewell, Tempted and Legacy providing the speakers. Put that in your diary!

Dining NOW Guide. This Week's Choices In Cork. Update #2

Dining NOW Guide. This Week's Choices In Cork

(Contact me before 1.00pm Wed with a sentence or two, a pic and a link to menu, plan to update regularly)

Click and Collect. At Home. Takeout. Takeaway.  Edition w/e 28032021 Updates during the week! Update #2

Greenes Menus Now Online...

Visit http://greenesrestaurant.com/menus

 Da Mirco  Click & Collect

As many of you may know the area of Valtellina where Mirco comes from is famous for its unique cheeses and cured meats! Over the last few weeks we had a few enquiries from customers about making these products available to buy on our online shop, so that’s exactly what we’ve decided to do!

You will find all these products plus wines, and our weekly menu on this link in our deli shop section.

                            Da Mirco  Click & Collect

In other news don't forget to check our 🇮🇹 ITALIAN FEAST 🇮🇹 This weeks menu is live! available to order for 26th - 27th March Three courses for two, €50 and is gluten free!!!!!

Dockland back rocking this weekend!

At your gaff, of course.

This weeks menu!

We are open this week for collections on Saturday only.

Orders been taken from 24th March from 12pm until 7pm on Friday 26th of March. Collection time from 2pm until 7pm Saturday the 27th.

To order please email us docklandcork@gmail.com or call us on 021-4273987.

Thank you + please do share this post!

Sharing is caring

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Bosca Na Farraige #3

Click & Collect this Friday and Saturday

www.goldie.ie

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Burger in the USA as O'Mahony's Look West This Weekend

Our next trip around global cuisine makes a stop in The U.S.A. - home of great comfort fast food.

On our Saturday night takeout menu this weekend we will have a Free range East Ferry buttermilk fried chicken sandwich, Hegarty's Mac & cheese, Gubeen chorizo baked beans, pickles, slaw & Popcorn salted caramel cheesecake.

Booking open now on 086-8316879. All in/ set menu, €30. Veggie options and delivery available.

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Market Lane's Easter Weekend Menu.

We are celebrating Easter Weekend with a set menu that features home-made goodies and great local suppliers.
 
You can pick up the meal from the restaurant on Easter Saturday or Easter Sunday and we have themed two cocktails for that can be ordered in addition to the food.

Check out the menu and order online now.

Thanks for all of your support so far at this difficult time. Hope you enjoy this meal!

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Jacques are back. Easter Heat at Home. Plus Competition!!!

Competition Alert~

We are back Easter Weekend serving up some tasty Heat At Home dishes. To celebrate we are running a competition, dinner for 2 and a bottle of wine.
To win, Like, Share & Comment on the post, Tagging who you will be enjoying the meal with. (Be sure that both are following us!)
The winner will be picked early next week!
Our full menu will be live on Monday March 29th.
Good Luck 🤞

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L'Atitude bring Austria to Cork. And now to Kinsale!

This week’s wine “OUT” is a blend of Blaufrankisch & Zweigelt and is a great example of how Austrian wines can have both finesse and drinkability- it is bright, poised and juicy with lots of strawberry, black cherry, plum and raspberry and ending with spicy notes. It is super more-ish!
We have chosen a selection of our favourite tastes from the region for this week's box to bring out the flavours in this delicious wine. Email info@latitude51.ie by midday Thursday if you’d like to join our adventure. €50 box for 2 people. Collection Friday 26 Mar from 5 -6.30
We are delighted to be hooking up with our friends in St Francis Provisions Kinsale this week to assist customers who are outside the 5km limit who want to avail of L’Atitude-at-Home boxes but haven’t been able to do so. Our boxes will be available for collection on Friday evening in SFP Kinsale, Orders through L'Atitude as normal.

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On the Pig's Back

Weekend takeaway menu, specially selected and cooked by our Head Chef Paul, in On The Pig's Back. The 3-course "Heat at Home" Menu is available to order from Monday - Thursday for pick up on Saturdays in Douglas. €30 for 3 courses. Order online or by phone @ 021-4617832. "It's a Saturday Night takeaway. We release a new menu every Saturday for the weekend ahead!"

This week's menu below

B.B.Q Prawns with Creamed Corn and Kale 

Spiced Chicken Salad with Crisp Leaves, Cherry tomato, Red Onion, Ranch Dressing and Croutons 

Herb Crusted Pan-fried Hake, Corn Succotash, Baked Sweet Potato Wedges and Caper Brown Butter 

Broiled Marinated Pork Chop, Buttered Savoy Cabbage, Fondant Potatoes with Mild Mustard Sauce 

Baked Raspberry Cheese Cake 

Mississippi Mud Pie 

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Fancy Afternoon Tea? From Vienna Woods.

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LIBERTY GRILL HOME DINING

3 Courses

Fri 26th / Sat 27th March €30 per person - FREE delivery in the great Cork city area

Pre Order online https://my.flipdish.com/fd8064/order#/delivery

Simple as.. We deliver on the day, when ready turn on your oven to 180 or 160 fan, Pop hot appetiser in for 8 mins, While you enjoy these, pop in your mains & sides, they will be ready as soon as you've finished your appetiser!

We offer a selection of wines at off-licence prices which we can deliver with your meal. Click here for meal details and choices

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Ferrit & Lee offers a weekend ready to eat a la carte menu, operating from Friday to Sunday, you can place orders on their click and collect service or phone in orders from Thursday onwards. The new menu is posted every Monday night on their social media outlets and websites, it's regularly sold out, so book early to avoid disappointment.

This weekend's menu now live https://ferrit-lee.clickandcollection.com/

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Take this Asparagus home. Not just meal kits from Paradiso!

Asparagus season is bursting through out on Gortnanain Farm and, as well as featuring on our meal kits later in the week, we will have occasional small quantities of freshly picked bunches for sale over the coming weeks. Starting this Tuesday, the 23rd. You can buy it now from www.paradisoathome.com and collect on Tuesday, any time between 11am and 4pm. It comes as a 500g bunch for €10, with the option to also pick up a little pot of our paradiso romesco, a perfect dipping sauce for fresh asparagus.

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Have you heard of the Grazing Box from The Tiny Turnip?

Details and order form here

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The Glass Curtain Reveal!

• Friday 50 Euro for 2 sharing

Halibut en croute, sprouting broccoli, herb buttered baby potatoes, yuzu beurre blanc

Classic tiramisu

• Saturday 50 Euro for 2 sharing

18oz dry aged Angus striploin, home fries, whiskey pepper sauce, chargrilled baby leeks, green salad

Chocolate chip cookies, salted caramel

• Sunday 40 Euro for 2 sharing

Roast rack of Pork, crispy crackling, white bean cassoulet, salsa verde, chargrilled spring cabbage

Passionfruit and white chocolate macaron

• Veggie option all weekend 35 Euro for 2 sharing

Green pea agnolotti, spring vegetables, mint lemon butter, smoked gouda, pangratatto crumb

Served with dessert of the evening

• Optional Starter add on: Scallop crudo, chargrilled asparagus, scallop roe XO, yuzu dressing (15 Euro for Two People Sharing)

Orders are live from 12pm tomorrow Monday - you may order here -

The Glass Curtain At Home

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Cush Dining at Home

We’re overwhelmed with the support of our #CushDiningatHome on our first week! Thank you all for supporting us... Cush Dining at Home available for collection on Fridays and Saturdays between 3pm - 7pm. Please place your order by emailing reception@cush.ie

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