Sunday Lunch at Ballymaloe House is one to experience time and again

Sunday Lunch at Ballymaloe House is one to experience time and again. 

Sweet Spots!

Amuse

“This is not cheap food, it is food that has been loved and cared for by knowledgeable producers.  We think that it is Ireland's best.” Myrtle Allen. 

Sunday’s lunch in Ballymaloe House showed how well loved the local food produce is by the kitchen staff and by us, the customers. The food on the plate speaks for itself. It is indeed all on plates (no flowerpots), no nitro show, no foams, no coloured dots.

Beetroot starter

Still, the food here is very well presented. It looks appetising. And it is. That is soon confirmed. The experience - and even without the dots, the flowerpots, the nitro and the foams - this is quite the experience, aided in no small way by the culture of calm courtesy and quiet efficiency of the reception and serving staff.

So we are seated in one of the high-ceilinged rooms, not the only such room in use on the day. We have ordered. Soon, our server is back with an offering of delicious cheese croquettes (not mentioned on the menu!) which we enjoy while we wait for our starters.

Fritto Misto

And that’s when it began to get serious, seriously enjoyable. For this is a comfortable experience (not just the chair) - you won’t be left wondering what you have on your plate, nothing is deconstructed here.

My starter is Sesame Crusted Fritto Misto di Mare with Roast Garlic Aioli and Parsley oil while CL has the Ruby Beetroot Fritters with Preserved Lemon Salsa and Farm Yogurt. 

Cod

The fish (soft and white) on my plate are squid and ray wing, the aioli and oil a key part of a deftly crusted dish that you don’t come across everyday, really really excellent. And as is often the case it is the little things on the plate that can make the difference, that Salsa and Yogurt lifting the local beetroot to a different level.

Lamb

Other starters available included Cannellini Bean & Chorizo Broth; Spinach Gnocchi with Roast Cherry Tomatoes; and Pâté Maison.

Virtually everything is local here, much of it ultra-local as it comes from their own walled garden and farm. 

Dessert!

They don’t have their own wine but they are trying! There is a quite a list presented to us and we pick the delicious Picpoul de Pinet, Château Petit Roubié,  one of the house whites, at €8.50 a glass or €30.00 a bottle, and one that we know and love from the Mary Pawle portfolio.While this list is quite large, there is also the fuller list, one that you may need to start studying before you travel! 

I did notice quite a few local drinks on the house drinks list, including their own gin, beers from the Cotton Ball and Blacks of Kinsale. As the designated driver, I was very happy to see the Stonewell Non Alcoholic available (€5.00 a bottle), one of the best of its type in the country and one that I enjoyed again.

Time now for the main event and soon CL was tucking into the Pan-seared Ballycotton Cod and Scallop with Bretonne Sauce and Braised Florence Fennel. A superb piece of well cooked fish, well teamed with the fennel and the Bretonne. Perfection on the plate.

I was every bit as pleased with the Roast East Cork Leg of Lamb with salsa verde and crushed Swede Turnips. Another highlight, again not mentioned on the menu, was the redcurrant jelly (that came in the most attractive spouted mini serving boat) and the jelly made the already toothsome lamb even more so. Our main courses were served with Scallion champ along with seasonal Roast Carrots and Parsnips.

Other choices on the day were Clancy’s free-range chicken with Tarragon stuffing, Kilmacahill Beef Cheeks Braised with shallots and Marsala jus, and Gently spiced aubergine, St Tola Cheese. 

Ballymaloe in January 2022

Over the decades, Ballymaloe has become loved for its ultra tempting Sweet Trolley, a tradition within the tradition of the house hospitality. Between us, we came close to getting a little bit of everything including individual Blackberry and Apple tarts, Raspberry Compote (perhaps my favourite), a power-packed Tiramisu, and other melt-in-the-mouth treats.

And still we weren’t finished. Ballymaloe Fudge, more melt-in-the-mouth, was served with Golden Bean Coffee (roasted just across the road that runs between the old house and Grainstore). Tea lovers had the pick of Herb Tea or Barry’s Tea.

A little “ramble”, past a few busy dining rooms, took us to the desk to pay up and, as is often the case here, another friendly chat. Never a rush in Ballymaloe House. After all, you are made to feel “at home” in this comfortable place with its engaging staff and magnificent food.

WEST WATERFORD FESTIVAL OF FOOD TO RETURN IN JUNE

 WEST WATERFORD FESTIVAL OF FOOD TO RETURN IN JUNE

 

The 13^th annual West Waterford Festival of Food is to take place from 10-12 June 2022. Typically an April event, the new date for 2022 is to allow time following the upheaval over the past two years for West Waterford’s producers, chefs, suppliers, growers and brewers to prepare for one of Ireland’s biggest foodie festivals. Full details of the programme will be announced in the coming weeks.

 

West Waterford Festival of Food CEO Maeve Quill said: “We are delighted to announce that West Waterford Festival of Food will return in 2022, having been sadly missed from our calendars over the past two years. This three-day foodie paradise is incredibly close to the hearts of all those involved, the local West Waterford area, and of course the wider foodie community. To ensure we put on a Festival that is a real showcase event, we wanted to allow all those involved the time to prepare following a turbulent two years. For visitors, June will be a better and safer time of the year for dining events, as it allows us more outside dining opportunities and for our amazing suppliers and other stakeholders, the new date will allow them time and space to resolve any staffing or business issues that they may have.

 

“Waterford has a strong culinary reputation, having been named the winner of Foodie Destinations back in 2019. It is incredible news that we can once again shine a spotlight on the food from West Waterford, and the amazing culinary talent that we have.”

 

The 2022 West Waterford Festival of Food is supported by Waterford City and County Council, Waterford Local Enterprise Office and LEADER Partnership.

 

“Through our funders, sponsors, producers, chefs, makers, supporters, venue hosts, friends, volunteers, and of course, the visitors, West Waterford Festival of Food is made possible,” added Maeve. “We can’t wait to launch this year’s programme, which will be full of free and ticketed events and invite everyone to visit us from 10-12 June to indulge in the region’s best food, drink and live entertainment.”

 

For up-to-date information, visit www.westwaterfordfestivaloffood.com or follow:

• Facebook: @WaterfordFoodFestival
• Twitter: @WdFoodFestival

• Instagram: @westwaterfordfestivaloffood

A Treviso Pinot Grigio Stands Out. As Does Our Delicious Saint Chinian Red

A Treviso Pinot Grigio Stands Out. 

 

As Does Our Delicious Saint Chinian Red 

GIOL Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie (DOC) 2020, 12.5%

RRP: €13.90-€14  Stockists: Urru, Bandon/ The Little Green Grocer, Kilkenny/ Taste, Castletownbere / The Olive Branch, Clonakilty, The Quay Co-Op, Cork and Mary Pawle

This Pinot Grigio from the Treviso based winery has a straw (even a hint of copper) colour, darker than most. Aromas of ripe peach and apricot plus dry hay, are delicate yet promising. Flavour and texture make an immediate impressive impact on the palate. The flavours follow the aromas right through to a refreshing lip-smacking finish. A crisp and balanced Pinot Grigio that stands out from the crowd and Highly Recommended.

Back to the texture. The wine is kept on the fine lees and has more contact with the skin than usual. You’ll note the words “Skin ferment” on the front label. It is akin to an orange wine, also known as skin-contact white wine, skin-fermented white wine, or amber wine, and is a type of wine made from white wine grapes where the grape skins are not removed, as in typical white wine production, and stay in contact with the juice for days or even months.

You’ll also see the word “ramato” on the label. According to Decanter (Oct 2019), Ramato is for the wine lover who wants more from their Pinot Grigio. “When Pinot Grigio grapes are crushed and the skins are allowed to spend time with the juice, a teasing, tactile texture and coppery hue results in a distinct wine style called ramato. It comes from the word ‘rame’ which means ‘copper’ in Italian.”

The vineyard say it is excellent with vegetable hors d’oeuvres, soups and starters, grilled fish with sauces, Parma ham and melon, and soufflés. Serving temperature: 10-12° C. 

They say: For nearly 600 years, our winery has placed an emphasis on nature, quality and beauty. Our family’s long experience is apparent in our esteemed wines. Since 1987, we have been producing wine from grapes grown in our historic vineyards using organic farming methods, respecting both the environment and the raw ingredient. 

* We’ve recently reviewed another of GIOL wines on the site, a Cabernet Sauvignon, here . 

Chateau Bousquette Pruneyrac St Chinian (2017), 14%

€17.75. Quay Co-Op, Cork/  Scally’s Supervalu, Clonakilty/ Morton’s of Galway / The Grainey, Scarriff, Co. Clare., Mary Pawle

This organic wine has an intense red robe, close to purple. Aromas are expressive, spice, pepper, wild berries and the local garrigue. Believe it or not, I stayed once in a gite near Narbonne (about half an hour away from St Chinian) and the owner was Madame Garrigue.

Madame and myself got on quite well, very well indeed, and this is how my relationship with this wine is going. The palate ups it another notch, dense and silky, tannins smooth as can be. Flavours are delicious, red and darker fruits at its centre and sweet notes of spice in the long finish. Very Highly Recommended. Great price too by the way.

Pruneyrac is from Saint-Chinian, an appellation in the large southern France region of Languedoc-Roussillon. It is made from two local grape varieties: Mourvèdre (predominately) and Grenache noir. This cuvée takes the name of an ancient family from the region who made wine here at the beginning of the previous century as evidenced by old bottles found in the cellars.

The current winemakers suggest this wine will be perfect with a leg of lamb with prunes. Serve at 17 degrees and, if you wish, keep for about 5 years.

Also in wine:

Château la Claymore is a 33 hectare estate owned by the Dubard family, located in Lussac-Saint-Émilion, one of the best Saint-Émilion satellite appellations. The property craft good value Merlot-based wines. 

O'Briens have this reduced from €29.95 to €16.95 (while stocks last or until end of January.)

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February 14th Valentines Day is soon approaching and Wines of the World have a celebrity mix of white, rose and red wines- 2 bottles of each- 6 bottles in total delivered right to your door and we recommend the perfect cheese to pair with each wine!  Get all the details of this Valentine's Virtual Tasting here.

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Jean Smullen (right) tells us, via her ever popular Wine Diary, that New Zealand Wine have been reviewing what to do regarding the Dublin Annual Trade Tasting on the 7th March. It is a difficult decision as hoped to go ahead with Covid precautions in place, but the safety and well-being of visitors, exhibitors and staff is paramount. They also want to ensure the tasting a success for everyone involved and are concerned that attendance could be affected given the current infection rates, which would not do the event justice given your investment in it. Having looked at the Irish trade diary, they have decided to postpone to the event to Monday 9th May 2022. The Radisson Blu Hotel venue remains unchanged.

Bunzl. The One Stop Shop For Foodservice Needs

 Bunzl. The One Stop Shop

 For Foodservice Needs

“Whether you’re starting from scratch, renewing or upgrading. Whether you’re big or small, a corner café or a multiple, talk to us.”

That’s the message from Derek Mellerick who is Business Development Manager with Bunzl Irish Merchants. I’ve known Derek for decades through football, first in his playing days with Ballyvolane and later chatting to him on the touchline when he took over as manager. Nowadays, he is involved at Lakewood AFC in Ovens. 

Along with Bunzl of course, clocking up the  miles as he covers Cork, Waterford and Tipperary. Over a catch-up cup of coffee recently he tells me that Bunzl are a one stop shop. “Everything from filling your Retail/Foodservice needs, Sanitisation, PPE, to Chemicals and Janitorial.”

The company operates out of a huge warehouse near Dublin Airport and deliver either through couriers or by using their own vehicles. You may have seen their sparkling showrooms in MacCurtain Street but that is set up for the hospitality (mainly hotel) industry.

Derek had been out that morning on a typical drive around the East Cork area. And he was in good form, having confirmed a large order at a supermarket that has successfully ventured into food service. Beside, another customer was keen to talk about upgrading his janitorial side, papers and soaps and more for the toilets from a range that includes mop buckets, mops, brushes, dustpans, trolleys, scouring pads and cloths, gloves and window cleaning products.

Mellerick has spent some 30 years in this business, not all of them with Bunzl, and says Takeaway is huge at the moment, driven by Covid. He affirms that the traditional takeaway sector is a really large one in any case. Now though the pubs, cafes and restaurants are driving it further, and are all looking for containers (big and small), papers for your breakfast roll, sandwich packing solutions, right down to those mini-sachets of salt and they can get them all at the one stop shop that is Bunzl.

We’re all familiar now with sanitisation. Even if the Omicron version of Covid 19 appears to be slowing down, the emphasis on sanitisation is not going to go away. I expect it to continue and that’s a good thing. Sanitisation stations will remain in communal areas and where food is being prepared and served. Sanitisers, hand cleansers, dispensers and paper towels and napkins will be needed. Hopefully the need for PPE (well, at least the all-over cover bit) will wane but there’s always be a need for aprons, gloves, hair covers and so on.

Bunzl Irish Merchants “are proud to be the market leader in the supply of catering disposables to every sector throughout Ireland, from healthcare to food service, and hospitality to retail. … Our goal is to drive sustainable change through innovation and collaboration….. Many of our products are made from recycled materials and are widely recyclable or certified as compostable.Our wooden cutlery is high-quality, durable, and totally sustainable. No plastic here, just sustainably grown wood forks, wood spoons, wood knives and more! Bonus, we have both wrapped and unwrapped options available!”

Those in the food industry, wishing to be more sustainable, could well check out two of the Bunzl brands. Sustain (cups, bowls, cutlery etc) are made from plants and break down to grow more plants – the circle of life. Revive (including containers), on the other hand are new recyclable packaging, made from old recyclable packaging. For instance, their Revive range in plastic bottles is made from plastic bottles – simple!

Contacts:

Looking for something for your food business? See the Bunzl brochure here.

Chat with Derek: dmellerick@irishmerchants.com or 086 412 4630

National Enquiries: 01 816 4800

A Quart of Ale± #88 Craft journey with Whiplash, Brehon, Porterhouse and Journeyman. + Brewery News

 A Quart of Ale± #88

On the craft journey with a session of Whiplash, Brehon, Porterhouse and Journeyman

Whiplash Dry the Rain Double Decoction Dunkel 5.2%, 440ml can Whiplash Online

“Dry The Rain sees us lightly decoct a more complex grain bill to produce our first Dunkel Lager.” Maybe not my favourite Whiplash lager but a good one.

Highlight here is the beautifully balanced bitterness towards the end.

At first glance, it is black but look longer and closer and there is an amber in there (from the Munich Malt) with a short-lived tan head. The aromas are modest, a sweet caramel and bread. And there’s more caramel on the palate, right through to the finish.

They say: We .. incorporate a traditional double stage decoction to produce a natural melanoiden that lends a rich dry and mellow caramel flavour throughout and binds this beautiful wort together. Hopped in kettle exclusively with German Magnum for a soft and unobtrusive bitter balance; this wort is cast off to meet our house German Lager yeast WLP833 in tank and is lovingly cold matured for over a month before packing - and your enjoyment.

Geek Bits

ABV 5.7%

440ml Cans

Artwork by @izzyrosegrange

Malts: MUNICH MALT; CARA BOHEMIAN

Hops: MAGNUm

Yeast: WLP833

Brehon Brewhouse Red Right Hand Barley Wine Beer 11%, 500ml bottle Bradleys

The Red Right Hand, a bourbon-aged barley wine, has a dark red, close to black, colour and is crowned with a coffee coloured soft head. Despite the high abv, it is rather gentle and easy to drink, clean, mellow and smooth. 

Really good but this bourbon-aged beer, earthy and sweet, good and all as it is, isn’t quite at the same level that their Oak & Mirrors Cask Aged Imperial Porter reaches, perhaps because the bourbon influence is very very subtle here.

Brehon have made a name for themselves with barrel-aged beers, beginning with their Crann Beatha barrel-aged stout. This one is well up to standard and, by the way, is a terrific match with Christmas pudding, with the Dunnes Stores Simply Better 12 month matured in particular. Yum on the double.

They say: The red right hand is symbolic of the historic clans of Ulster. It embodies strength, unity and character just like our Bourbon Barrel Aged Barley Wine. 

Porterhouse Renegade New England IPA 5.3%, 440ml can O’Briens Wine

Lots of hops here in the Porterhouse’s take of a New England IPA. So no shortage of flavours such as passionfruit, mango and peach, plus hints of resin. Still, in the end it is not very hoppy at all, underlined by an IBU count of 10.

It is a light orange colour, a fairly dense hazy one, with a soft white head that sinks slowly enough. Aromas are modest, citrus notes showing. It feels quite soft on the palate. The straightforward fruit flavours are pleasant enough as is the finish. Very drinkable, even more so if you’re not too pushed about the lack of hop bitterness towards the end (and that could apply to quite a lot of us).

They say: Renegade is our take on a NEIPA. With an extended whirlpool at lower temperature for a smooth soft finish. Unfiltered and heavily dry hopped with Amarillo, Galaxy & Mosaic…  This NEIPA is fermented on traditional East Coast yeast.

Journeyman India Pale Lager 5.2%, 500ml bottle, X-Mas present

I like the amber colour of this hybrid and the bubbly head that hangs around for a bit. Aromas break out with citrus, a hint of pine too. Citrus also plus tropical flavours feature on the palate where the hybrid features show themselves, the refreshing lager crispness and the punch of the new world hops. The lip-smacking lager style refreshment is the welcome quality here.

Journeyman is one of the beers made by the Pearse Lyons Brewery in Dundalk. The brewery is known as the Station Works and is one of the largest in the country. It produces beers under different brand names - Foxes Rock is another one - for various supermarkets.

Geek Bits

Malts: Ale, Oats, Cara, Wheat

Hops: Magnum, Galaxy (passionfruit, peach, citrus), Mosaic (tropical, berry, stone), Amarillo (grapefruit, peach, resinous)

IBU 10

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Brewery News

1 

Franciscan Well Bar

John and Phill....delighted to be back at the bar counter!

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The Cotton Ball

We are delighted with tonight's announcement. We are all looking forward to getting back to normal .

Keep an eye on our social media for our entertainment schedule .Don't miss out , book your party early

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12 Acres Brewing Company

A fresh batch of Pale Ale kegged and ready to pour! After a very tough time for the hospitality trade the kegs are moving again, great to see normal bar service resume.