Fenn’s Quay Celtic Cook-off Celebration Dinner

Fenn’s Quay Celtic Cook-off Celebration Dinner

Kate Lawlor, with Sally and John McKenna

West Cork’s well established Celtic Cook-off came to the city last Friday night to celebrate. A team of Scotch chefs visited last week and Fenn’s Quay’s Kate Lawlor, a contestant in last year’s Skibbereen showpiece, decided to join forces with the visitors and host a dinner In Celebration of the Celtic Cook-off. And weren't we lucky that she did. Great too that the West Cork Hotel and Braehead Foods came on board and joined in the fun on the night.

It was a magical meal. A terrific mix of company and a stream of fantastic food from the little kitchen at the back of the well loved restaurant on Cork’s oldest terrace. The weather outside wasn't the best but we soon warmed up with a wee dram of Scotch thanks to Neil Grant and the West Cork Hotel and a taste of Avril Allshire-Howes’ renowned black pudding bread. And then we were up and running, the chefs on song and front of house also playing a blinder.

Salsify & sauce!

Amuse Bouche

Crispy Salsify with West Cork wild Alexander dipping sauce and bacon dust (Fenn’s Quay). The high standard was set here. When the Salsify was finished, people used all kind of tools and methods to get the rest of Alexander sauce out of the bottom of the little jar!

Starter

Seared Highland venison, roasted beetroot, piccalilli dressing (Joe Queen and Jim Hood, Braehead Foods) This came on a shared plate; the venison, sliced thin and enhanced by the beetroot and dressing, was a delight.

Fish Course

West Coast scallop baked in shell with Iasc Irish Shellfish Butter (Alan, Loch Fyne) A big shell that, once opened, revealed a memorable combined flavour of fish and that delicious butter.

Beef Course

Fillet of Scotch beef, truffle parfait, cured ham, stovie fondant tattie, medley of seasonal vegetables, Madeira, shallot and Arran Mustard Essence (Joe Queen and Jim Hood, Braehead Foods) This, the biggest plate of the evening,was also a highlight. The mouth-watering hunk of top notch beef came with a whole ensemble of supporting flavours, even the humble tattie more than holding its own.

The Beef

Dessert

Carrageen moss with blood orange and Brecon Gin Sorbet and poached rhubarb (Fenn’s Quay). Sometimes a big meal is followed by a big dessert, a step too much for many. But not here. This was light delight, a superb Carrigeen the highlight.

Petit Fours

Mella’s Fudge (award-winning West Cork fudge). I have long been a fan of Mella’s West Cork fudge and I reckon she made a few more friends last night. Maybe, in some cases a day or two later, as quite a few pieces of the fudge ended up in handbags along with the whiskey miniatures. All the better to relive the memory of a lovely night in Fenn’s Quay when we were all winners as Ireland and Scotland played out a friendly in the kitchen.

My take on the Celtic Cook-off

 

Clockwise from top left: John McKenna (MC), Stephane Delourme,  Jack Stein,  Tony Singh,
Ian Bennett ,   Butch Buttery,  Garry O'Hanlon  

The Celtic chefs: their dishes and their thoughts

My take on the Celtic Cook-off

It looks as if all six Celtic Cook-off chefs enjoyed this week’s visit to West Cork and hopes are high that some of them will be back again, following the example of Roy Brett the 2011 champion.

Roy, whose restaurant is the Ondine in Edinburgh, was guest chef at the West Cork Hotel on Tuesday night where he displayed his talents with a fantastic meal called A Taste of Ondine, one of the highlights for the week.

But a highlight for Roy and he said as much at the Cook-off on Wednesday was the Secondary Schools Cookery Competition. “This was one of the best moments. We can learn from the children, the food is part of their blood. The winners, the Mercy Heights, were outstanding, the food was incredible. The kids here have a great knowledge of food.”

It was a sentiment echoed by Jack Stein who served up a dish of Monkfish Cheeks as his meal in the Cook-off. “Food, culture, music, all the same thing,” he said, echoing the words I heard not too long ago from Kay Harte of Cork’s Farmgate.

Interview by MC John McKenna, Stein went on to emphasise the part that these elements, food in particular, can play in improving local life and keeping the kids at home. “Good restaurants draw people in and extend the holiday season”. A point emphasised by the fact that the Stein organisation in Cornwall employs some 450 people!

Stephane Delourme (from Brittany) also works with the Stein company, at the Seafood Restaurant in Padstow. Before that he worked in Dublin and was a regular visitor to Baltimore which he loved. He has noticed a huge improvement in Irish food over the last 13 or 14 years. He served up a dish of Dover Sole with local mussels, vegetables and beans from Brittany.

There was a big welcome for Wales representative Ian Bennett (of the Welcome to Town Restaurant) and he spoke of a fairly similar food scene in his native country where his fisherman rings him from the boat and tells him what he has. “You can’t get fresher than that!” Not surprisingly, fish featured in his dish: Union Hall Turbot with mussels, parsnips and Stonewell cider. By the way, we weren't supplied with a list of ingredients for the dishes so my lists are not complete!

Garry O’Hanlon of the Viewmount House in Longford won the Cook-off with his Hill Lamb (loin), a current dish in the restaurant. Local vegetables and fried bone marrow featured in the dish as did the newish West Cork Garlic, treated with a little local honey. I liked Garry’s modus operandi: “Find the ingredients, then bounce from there.”

Tony Singh, the man who “brought cocktails to Edinburgh” is co-founder of that city’s acclaimed restaurant Oloroso. He said we had fantastic produce here and used lamb and langoustines, spicy potato and a minted herb salsa verde. MC John McKenna praised Tony for using the spices “with sympathy and knowledge”.

Baltimore seafood featured heavily in Butch Buttery’s dish. Among many other roles, Butch is chef and recipe consultant for the Manx Organic Network and Island Seafoods. Langoustines, lobster, prawns, mussels and monkfish, even Sally Barnes’ fabulous smoked haddock, not forgetting his Isle of Man scallops (each chef was allowed an ingredient from home) were all added to the Bisque type mix.

It looked well too with the langoustines attempting to escape the bowl. Butch though said that this wasn't a “dish to worship, get it in and get it down.”

‘It’s a tribute to the quality of our award-winning West Cork producers that top chefs are so willing to come to West Cork and cook with our world class food,’ said Neil Grant, manager of the West Cork Hotel. ‘All of this year’s competitors have been truly impressed by the produce available to us here and these are chefs at the top of their game, they don’t mince their words!’

“It is great festival, unbelievable the amount of voluntary work that goes into it. A massive thanks to the suppliers, sponsors, judges, to the chefs and to Roy Brett who has been a brilliant ambassador for us. Must also mention Fáilte Ireland, great backers and here in force this evening.”

Neil had praise for Clare Gallagher, chairperson of the organising committee, for Avril Allshire, and Sally Barnes and Stephen Sage, his colleagues on the Working Group. It was a very enjoyable evening, though I thought the visual delivery to the 200 plus audience in the ballroom lacked a bit but I’m told they are working on that for next year.

So onwards and upwards with the Celtic Cook-off. The more we pull together the further we will go!

Garry O'Hanlon Tops In West Cork Test

Garry O'Hanlon Tops In West Cork Test


Donegal man Garry O’Hanlon came out in top in the Celtic Cook-off at a packed ballroom in the West Cork Hotel (Skibbereen) last night. MC John McKenna said that all six chefs were winners but Garry got the nod in a very tight contest.

Representatives from the other five Celtic territories included Jack Stein (Cornwall) son of restaurateur, chef and TV presenter Rick Stein, Ian Bennett, The Welcome to Town (Wales), Stephane Delourme, The Seafood Restaurant, Cornwall (representing Brittany), Tony Singh, who owned Oloroso Bar and restaurant for over 10 years (Scotland), and Butch Buttery, formerly of Tanroagan (Isle of Man).

The ‘Ready Steady Cook’ style cook off style event saw the master chefs split in to two groups where they each had just thirty minutes to impress the judges using West Cork artisan produce and one ingredient from their home turf. They were also assisted by three young aspiring chefs to help them with preparation and serving.

O’Hanlon’s dish of Loin of Hill Lamb, with bone marrow and wild artichoke, etc, and enhanced by, among other things, West Cork Garlic with honey, just won the favour of the judges who commended Garry on his use of Irish and local ingredients.

Speaking of the event, Neil Grant, General Manager, West Cork Hotel said “We were thrilled to host such a successful night again this year. The Celtic Cook Off has become a landmark food event for the Celtic regions of Northern Europe since its inception last year and we at The West Cork Hotel are proud to play host to the region’s finest chefs."

He continued, “The Celtic Cook Off opens new doors to local producers and extends the export potential of their products. They also have the chance to promote their fare to top international chefs and be recognised as the “go to people” for the best artisan produce in the world”.


A Taste of West Cork Food festival continues until this Sunday with a number of highlight events still to come including an intimate concert with Declan O’Rourke on Saturday night, many free cookery demonstrations throughout Skibbereen and the finale event of the harvest country fair on Sunday with more than 100 local producers exhibiting their artisan products.
• We’ll have more on the event in the next few days!

Tickets Now Available for Celtic Cook Off 2012

Tickets Now Available for Celtic Cook Off 2012

The Battle has already begun!

Tickets for the 2012 Celtic Cook Off are now on sale and enquiries have been coming in fast. There has even been interest from as far afield as Victoria, BC in Canada!

The Celtic Cook Off is held as part of the A Taste of West Cork Food Festival and has proved very popular with the paying public, the local food producers, Fáilte Ireland, the media and all the Chefs involved.

So much so that four of last year’s Chefs are returning to be involved in the Festival this year – Arty Williams of Cornwall, Roy Brett from Scotland, John Dixon from the Isle of Man and our own Martin Shanahan.

The basis of the Cook Off is to create a fun and informative Cooking Show that showcases the best of West Cork produce cooked simply yet with each Chef’s own interpretation and ideas.The 2012 event has attracted another galaxy of top chefs from the Celtic regions to take part in what is becoming one of the landmark culinary events of the year:

Scotland: Edinburgh born, Tony Singh has established himself as a leading force on the Scottish restaurant scene as co-founder of Oloroso, the highly acclaimed bar and restaurant in the heart of Scotland’s dynamic capital city.

Brittany: Stephane Delourme has worked at The Seafood Restaurant in Padstow for over a decade. He joined Rick and Jill Stein as head chef at their flagship establishment when he moved to Cornwall in 1998.

Isle of Man: Butch Buttery, one-time owner of Tanroagan now has a business installing restaurant kitchens; he also cooks for exhibitions and private functions as well as being chef and recipe consultant for the Manx Organic Network and Island Seafoods.

Ireland: Gary O’Hanlon set up VM @ Viewmount House in Co. Longford in 2008. A beautiful Georgian Manor house once owned by Lord Longford with the Restaurant in the converted stables. Awards since then include Georgina Campbell’s "Sunday Lunch of the Year" 2012

Wales: Ian Bennett of The Welcome to Town Restaurant on the rugged and beautiful Gower Peninsula.  Ian gathers in a cornucopia of local produce from seafood to salt marsh lamb to pork & beef executing his dishes simply with a contemporary touch!

Cornwall: Jack Stein of The Seafood Restaurant, one-time sous chef at the restaurant now has a tournant role across the whole company and is currently the Head of Development, leading the introduction of a development kitchen for the business, where new recipes and ingredients will be tested.

Tickets for 2012 Celtic Cook Off available from The West Cork Hotel, call:             +353 28 21277    

€15 each including glass of wine at the end to toast the winner, but please note, tickets from 10 September will be €20.

Seating limited so book early to avoid disappointment!

West Cork Cook-off: Breton chef announced

The Celtic Cook-off in West Cork is going to be quite a food event....we get the latest from Stephen Sage, editor@westcorkfood.com:

Stephane Delourme, Head Chef at The Seafood Restaurant, Padstow,
to Represent Brittany in 2012 Celtic Cook Off in West Cork

The Celtic Cook Off  in West Cork continues to build on the success of the inaugural event in September 2011 by attracting top chefs from the Celtic regions to take part in what is becoming one of the landmark culinary events of the year.

The 2011 Celtic Cook Off was held as part of the A Taste of West Cork Festival that proved very popular with the paying public, the local food producers, Fáilte Ireland, the media and all the Chefs involved. The basis of the Celtic Cook Off was to create a fun and informative Cooking Show that showcases the best of West Cork produce cooked simply with each Chef’s own interpretation and ideas.

Stephane Delourme has worked at The Seafood Restaurant in Padstow for over a decade. He joined Rick and Jill Stein as head chef at their flagship establishment when he moved to Cornwall in 1998.

Born in Paris, Stephane spent his early years learning to cook traditional French dishes by his mother’s side in Brittany, near Quiberon where all his family come from, before embarking upon a career in the culinary arts. He resided in Paris working for Sully D’Auteuil, one of the city’s finest establishments with two Michelin Stars, before moving on to Au Vieux Berlin, specialising in game.

Stephane’s talent and ability led him to England in 1983, where he worked in London’s Roof Restaurant at the Hilton on Park Lane. Stephane was also instrumental in the opening of some of London’s most distinguished restaurants, working alongside leading chefs including Michael Croft at Mirabelle and Martin Webb at Quaglino’s.

In 1995, Stephane returned to France where he worked at Michelin-starred restaurant Prunier in Paris for two years. His career has taken him around the globe on the world’s most famous cruise liner, the QE2, as well as to Dublin where he worked with Patrick Guilbaud his self-named two Michelin-star restaurant, before returning to the UK once more.

It was in the late nineties that Stephane finally fulfilled his childhood dream to live near the coast and work with high quality seafood. He moved to Cornwall in 1998 and joined The Seafood Restaurant as head chef, which has since won ‘Best Seafood Restaurant Award’ on five occasions.

Other chefs taking part in the Celtic Cook Off 2012 and its related activities during the Taste of West Cork Food Festival include Shaun Hill (Wales), Jack Stein (Cornwall), Paul Flynn (Ireland), Roy Brett the 2011 Celtic Cook Off Winner and Tim Anderson, 2011 MasterChef Winner.
Date of Celtic Cook Off:                      Wednesday 12 September 2012, 7.30 PM
Location/Venue:                              The West Cork Hotel, Skibbereen, Co. Cork, Ireland.

Winner of BBC MasterChef 2011 is Celtic Cook Off Guest

Winner of BBC MasterChef 2011 is Celtic Cook Off Guest of Honour
Tim Anderson will participate over two days in 2012 Celtic Cook Off in West Cork

The Celtic Cook Off in West Cork continues to build on the success of the inaugural event in September 2011 by attracting top chefs to take part in what is becoming one of the culinary events of the year.

The 2011 Celtic Cook Off was held as part of the A Taste of West Cork Festival that proved very popular with the paying public, the local food producers, Fáilte Ireland, the media and all the Chefs involved. The basis of the Celtic Cook Off was to create a fun and informative Cooking Show that showcases the best of West Cork produce cooked simply with each Chef’s own interpretation and ideas.

Tim Anderson, BBC MasterChef Winner 2011, is attending the September 2012 event as Guest of Honour. During two days he will meet local artisan food producers and have a chance to both sample and cook with their produce. He will also meet the competing chefs from the Celtic regions, including Sean Hill for Wales and Jack Stein for Cornwall, before acting as one of the six judges for the Celtic Cook Off itself along with Roy Brett from Scotland and Martin Shanahan from Ireland.

Tim Anderson was born in Wisconsin, USA and raised on a balanced diet of cheeseburgers, pizza, Danish pastries, and root beer. At age 18 he relocated to Los Angeles, where he quickly became a connoisseur of regional Japanese noodles, American craft beer, and tacos sold out of trucks.


Upon graduating from college, Tim moved to Japan to indulge in the country's many hot springs and diverse local foods – in particular the unexpectedly pork-intensive and indelicate dishes of Kyushu, Japan's southernmost island. It was there that Tim fell in love with a British woman, and so he once again displaced himself, this time to London, where he developed a love for British ale, cheese, curry, game, and seafood. Along the way, he has travelled to France, Mexico, Italy, Hong Kong, Thailand, Taiwan, Burma, and Denmark, accruing new and diverse culinary influences at every opportunity.

In 2011 he wove those influences into a colourful tapestry of flavour to win the hit BBC series MasterChef at age 26, making him the youngest champion ever. He currently works as a mercenary chef, food writer, and sommelier of beer.


Date of Celtic Cook Off: Wednesday 12 September 2012, 7.30 PM
Location/Venue: The West Cork Hotel, Skibbereen, Co. Cork, Ireland.