Taste of the Week. Gubbeen Ribs in Marinade

Taste of the Week.

Gubbeen Ribs in Marinade

No restaurant take-out last weekend. We did have a terrific take-home though: Gubbeen Ribs in Marinade. And the cost for four came to the huge sum of 10 euro! There's also a smaller size for just over a fiver.

Our Taste of the Week, very highly recommended by the way, came from the Gubbeen Stall at last Thursday's Farmers Market in Mahon. They are mildly spiced and may be slow-roasted in the oven for 2.5 hours or you can also do a 1.5 hour cook at a higher temperature. Also suitable for the BBQ.

We did the 1.5 hour and, accompanied by a simple salad (mostly from the back-garden, they were perfect, a perfect Taste of the Week.

Gubbeen 

Taste of the Week. Stone Valley Coffee

 Taste of the Week

 Stone Valley Coffee

You get music notes with your coffee notes when you buy from Stone Valley Coffee Roasters. 

I've a preference for Central and South American coffees so when I saw the selection at their stall in Mahon Farmers Market, I bought a pack of their "Some Day You'll Return", the name of their coffee from Peru, the pack illustrated with a guitar, the well-known (?) 1937 14-fret National Style "O" Resonator. 

Well, I might be able to tell one end of a guitar from another - just! So that pic didn't impress me much but the coffee, with notes of Caramel, Orange and Castillo certainly did and it quickly became our Taste of the Week.

Stone Valley have a shop in Clonakilty so you can get your fix there. They'll talk to you about music and coffee - anything it seems except decaf! By the way, I didn't remember (or maybe never knew) that Some Day You'll Return is a Dire Straits tune.

Don't know either who did One Last Drag or if it was even a song but hey do have a whole choir mentioned on the pack. The coffee though is as they say "something special" with all the "classic Ethiopian flavours but without too much of the floral notes" (which suits me very well indeed). This would do equally well as Taste of the Week.

So just take your pick! And do check out their full range  - they (John and Tom) have even snuck in a decaf! They also do wholesale and a subscription service.

They say: We roast small batches of high quality single origin coffees in our micro-roastery in West Cork. We focus on sourcing the highest quality beans and through every step of the process we focus on flavour, traceability and sustainability.

Stone Valley Roasters

35 Ashe St, Clonakilty

Co. Cork P85 N286

info@stonevalleyroasters

Taste of the Week. Woodside Farm Pork

 Taste of the Week. 

Woodside Farm Pork

We've missed out on the Farmers Markets over the past few months before a quick visit to the one at Mahon Point (Cork) recently.

A few days later, at the weekend, we realised what we had been missing when the slow-cooked pork shoulder landed on the table. The pork, raised free-range by Woodside Farm in East Cork, is incomparable. Packed with amazing flavour, juicy and tender, it is Taste of the Week.

The Woodside pigs live outdoors all of their lives where they root and forage. They sleep in movable arks on straw bedding."We don't feed our pigs commercial ration, instead they are fed mainly rolled wheat and we also grow Kale and Swede Turnip.They are rotated onto fresh pasture regularly."

Woodside Farm

Oldcourt

Ballincurrig

Leamlara

Co. Cork

Taste of the Week from Kilbrack Farm. Buy local, fresh and fair.

Taste of the Week

from Kilbrack Farm

I found my current Taste of the Week in the superb kale on sale at the Kilbrack Farm stall in the Coal Quay Farmers Market last Saturday. They have other amazing organic vegetables, as does Caroline Robinson a few stalls away. It doesn't have to be just at the Coal Quay. Midleton or Douglas Markets may be more convenient for you. I plan to go to Killavullen next Saturday morning. If Saturday doesn't suit, head to Mahon Point on Thursday. There's a couple of excellent farmers stalls there and don't tell me the markets are expensive. Last week, I got five or six superb carrots in Mahon for one euro!

After the Coal Quay last Saturday, I called to the English Market. Eoin O'Mahony had a lovely piece of porchetta* to go with the kale. There was bread from ABC and paté from On the Pig's Back. As you know, there's lots of other stalls in both markets so no shortage of choice. The point I'm making is support local, buy fresh and fair and you'll end up with a taste of the week that suits your tastes and your budget and, more than likely, your health. The longer my food's journey, the less I trust in it (anyone been watching Rotten on Netflix?). So buy local and from a trusted source. The more we pull together, the further we will go.

* Speaking of pork, we got a delicious shoulder from Woodside Farm at Mahon Thursday; cooked low and slow with seasonal root vegetables, it gave us a very satisfactory dinner on Sunday, as it regularly does.

Taste of the Week. Izz Café Labneh

Taste of the Week

Izz Café Labneh

Labneh, with zaatar and olive oil

Labneh is a cheese made from salted strained yoghurt. Then Cafe Izz get to work on it, roll it in a spice mix and pack it into a container with olive oil. The spice used in my jar (it comes in a proper Kilner jar) was zaatar (tarty, herby, citrusy).   The zaatar certainly livens up the Labneh and our Taste of the Week was a refreshing addition to a salad, indeed the main player. Do try and get some flatbread as well.

Izz Cafe is a project that aims to provide genuine Palestinian foods and drinks in Ireland. “We have a unique approach of serving and satisfying our customers. At this stage, we are selling a selection of our foods in Douglas and Mahon Point farmers markets… ” They have lots of other interesting foods on their stalls; don’t be afraid to try. And, since last week, they have a café on George's Quay - will visit soon.

Izz Cafe Facebook Page 

Tel: 0851495625

Taste of the Week. Gubbeen Hot Smoked Ham

Taste of the Week

Gubbeen Hot Smoked Ham

This is another gem from Fingal Ferguson at Gubbeen Smokehouse and our Taste of the Week. Hot smoked ham, “a marriage of traditional methods and modern flavours”, is a superb product and very versatile also.

Try it in a salad, as we did. Use what leaves you have in the garden. Add a fruity couscous, maybe an Asian Noodle salad, maybe both.

And don’t forget the classic Ploughman’s and try enhancing that with a dollop or two of Derry Clarke’s Ploughman’s Relish. Lots of other uses too, so over to you.

We got ours at the Gubbeen stall in Mahon Point Farmers Market. Do check the website below for stockists.

Gubben Smokehouse Products 

Gubbeen

Schull

Co. Cork

00 353 (0)28 27824

Taste of the Week. Claire’s Homemade Seville Marmalade

Taste of the Week

Claire’s Homemade Seville Marmalade

This is going to be short as I have very little information on Claire Trihy, the producer of our Taste of the Week, an outstanding Seville Orange Marmalade.

I was in Mahon Farmers Market the week before last and realised I was running out of marmalade when I saw this pot on a stand - can't even remember which stand! 

But I bought it straightaway. When I opened it up a few days later and tried it on some Arbutus sourdough, I just had to stop and savour the magnificent tangy flavour - lots of peel in here! It is one of the very best Seville marmalades I've ever come across and just had to make it Taste of the Week!

The small label attached to the jar gives the ingredients and little else. The address though is there: Whitfield, Butlerstown, Waterford. Might be easier to find the marmalade in Mahon next Thursday.

Taste of the Week. Gubbeen Marinated Pork Ribs

Taste of the Week

Gubbeen Marinated Pork Ribs

The Gubbeen stall at the Thursday Mahon Point Farmers Market is always worth a call. Recently, we got a wheel of their delicious cheese, an Irish classic. Fingal Ferguson’s smokehouse and charcuterie in general is always there in abundance and we spotted these ribs there, now our Taste of the Week.

We got enough for three, maybe four, for a tenner. And advice on how to cook them: low and slow, with a tray of water underneath to keep them moist during the process.

The Blog Chef followed the instructions, added a simple salad, and it proved to be a delicious flavoursome main course. Thank you Fingal and company!

And, of course, we had some of the cheese later on.

Gubbeen

Gubbeen House,
Schull, Co. Cork.
Ireland.

Cheese Telephone:
00 353 (0)28 28231
Smokehouse Telephone:
00 353 (0)28 27824

Cork City by The Lee. Stay. Eat. Shop. See!

Cork City by The Lee. 
Stay. Eat. Shop. See!

Music city

The Firkin Crane in Shandon,
once the butter capital of the world

See: The Queen made it her number one stop in Cork so you’ve just got to see the English Market, an institution in the city since 1788. Nearby, you’ll see the spires of historic St Fin Barre’s Cathedral.

St Anne’s Church in Shandon is another landmark. Visit and don’t forget to ring the bells.  Cork was once the butter capital of the world and the Butter Museum is in the shadow of Shandon.

Staying north of the river, why not pay a call to the storied cells of the City Gaol. The Glucksman is a lovely art gallery in the leafy grounds of the university while the well established Crawford Gallery is easily accessible in the city centre, next door to the Opera House. And don't forget Elizabeth Fort and the newly opened Nano Nagle Place. Always something interesting on at The Triskel, an arts venue in a converted church.

Shop: While in the English Market why not do a bit of shopping and check out local delicacies such as buttered eggs and spiced beef. The compact city centre boasts a few top notch shopping centres: Merchants Quay, Opera Lane and the new Capitol area. North Main Street has Bradley’s, founded in 1850, and famous for its wall of craft beers.

For a different experience head to Mahon Point Farmer’s Market every Thursday where you’ll find fantastic local cheese and meat and much more, including wild mushrooms, all within a few yards of the large shopping centre.

No shortage of farm to fork restaurants in Cork

Eat: No shortage of eating places including Greene's, Jacques, LesGourmandises and Isaac's while lively lunchtime venues include the Farmgate and Nash 19. Mad on meat? Try Son of a Bun, Holy Smoke, SpitJack, and many more. Exceptional Japanese at Miyazaki (just six stools though!) No meat? Then the amazing Cafe Paradiso is the one, Iyers is another. Idaho is the city centre cafe while coffee stops abound.  For a fuller list of restaurants and cafes, city and county, see my regularly updated list here. Also check the Whazon Cork listings.

A city of bridges

Drink: For something a little different try L’Atitude Wine Café close to the City Hall. The emphasis here is on quality wines and tasty local snacks with a continental touch. Electric, with its downstairs bar and upstairs fish bar, has taken the South Mall by storm since it opened in 2010.  SoHo and the Bodega are other modern bars with restaurants attached.

For something more traditional, including the music, there are quite a few with The Oliver Plunket being very central indeed. And, if you prefer craft beers then the Franciscan Well on the North Mall is the place to go as they have a micro brewery right behind the counter. Other pubs with micro-breweries include Rising Sons (Cornmarket Street), Elbow Lane (Oliver Plunket Street, excellent food here also) and Cotton Ball (Mayfield).

Stay: With excellent food in the building and efficient and friendly service, the River Lee is a lovely place to stay in Cork. If you need something more central, the Clayton is for you. A short distance from the centre, you'll find the Ambassador and the Montenotte, each with great views over the city. 

Fitzgerald's Park

If you are caught for time, stay at the Metropole and explore the amazing McCurtain Street, its pubs, theatre, cafes and restaurants.

Something on the traditional side? Why not the Imperial where you’ll be wined and dined and never be short of company as the locals come and go. Like it leafy? Then the Hayfield Manor and the Maryborough near Douglas are recommended as is the Radisson in Little Island.

Making a quick getaway? The Cork International Airport Hotel is excellent. Heading north or west? Check the Commons Inn.

Walk: Cork is very compact and great for walks. Call to the tourist office and pick up the maps and info for some city centre strolls.

Like to try something more energetic? Then start at the North Mall and take a brisk riverside stroll through the Mardyke, into Fitzgerald’s Park, past the UCC Grounds and then onto the Lee Fields. Just remember you have to come back!

There is a very popular walk by the harbour starting at Blackrock Castle, another great place to visit with an excellent restaurant, the Castle Cafe. For something shorter but still interesting, do the circular walk around the Lough, a suburban lake full of swans and ducks and other wildfowl.

Ballycotton cliff walk, just east of the city

Get Out: No shortage of things to see and do on the eastern side of the city. Take a trip to Fota House and its famous gardens and arboretum. If you have kids, then the Fota Wildlife Park is at hand. Much to do in Cobh also, including a trip by boat to Spike Island, a former prison with history galore. 

Spike Island

To the south then and a highlight in Crosshaven is the coastal artillery fort of Camden with a wealth of history and great views. Another fort, this also being restored, is Charlesfort in Kinsale, a historic town rich in excellent eating places and with a must visit Wine Museum in Desmond Castle. Blarney is just north of the city. The castle, and its famous stone, is a busy spot. Eat at The Square Table.

Strike off to the west and take in the impressive ruins of the abbey at Timoleague . WestCork boasts magnificent beaches and good food producers whose products you may sample in restaurants such as the Pilgrim's (Rosscarbery),  Richy’s Bistro (Clonakilty), and Bastion (Kinsale).

For more detailed guides to the county, check out my East Cork and North Cork recommendations.

Jazz time

Listen: There is almost always a music festival on in Cork and surrounds and the big one is the Jazz, always on the final weekend of October. There is a Folk Festival at the end of September and film buffs are in town in force in November. Check them all out here.

The Choral festival dominates in the spring and summer sings with the Midsummer Festival, followed by the International Folk Dancing Festival. Music in the Marquee  is a big highlight. Night after summer night, the Marquee hosts top names. Bryan Adams, Cliff Richard and Elton John played this summer (2017).

Avoid: The usual big city security precautions apply. Avoid leaving anything visible in your car and so on. Not much else to avoid. Maybe the rainy days. But even those can be fun. Never know who you’ll find singing at the local bar, even on the street. It is a fun city. So enjoy!

Taste of the Week. Coffee & Walnut Cake

Taste of the Week

Coffee & Walnut Cake

I’m a reasonably regular caller to Mahon Point Farmers Market and there are three particular stalls, more or less together, that I call to (call to quite a few others too!) when I'm there on a Thursday morning. The Woodside Farm and their free range pig products is one; Lennie and his boxes of granola and dried fruits is another. Sandwiched in between is Clare and Gan Gluten.

Clare, whose sisters run the Farmgates (in the city and in Midleton), sells her cakes, breads and savouries here every Thursday and also sells to restaurants, cafes and delis. Why not check out her stall tomorrow? I might meet you there!

Sometimes, I buy one of her savoury pieces, usually for a convenient and very tasty lunch. Sometimes, I feel like sweet. That was the case recently and we went off home with a large tranche of her Coffee and Walnut Cake.

It didn't last too long. It was moist and delicious, full of all the flavours you’d expect from an expert producer and proved to be our unanimous Taste of the Week. A rather short lived one, though! Short and sweet.

Gan Gluten

Gluten and Wheat Free Tarts, Cakes and Savouries

Unit 9, Riverside Grove, Riverstick, Cork.

Tel: 086 2339519

Taste of the Week. Ballyhoura Apple Farm Milk Chocolate

Taste of the Week

Ballyhoura Apple Farm Milk Chocolate

Lots of chocolate tasted over the past few weeks - it’s that time of year. But very hard to beat this Milk Chocolate or Seacláid Bhainne. Hard too to get us Irish to turn our backs on that bainne as milk has been part of our lives for ever. 

The package emphasises that link with the words: A taste of bygone days. Well maybe the days are gone but the lovely flavours of milk remains. It is alive and delicious in this bar, that I bought from the Ballyhoura Apple stall in Mahon Point Farmers Market. Made for them  “by a local lady”, it is full of flavour with a pleasing texture and is our Taste of the Week. Well worth a try!

For more on Ballyhoura Apple Farm, check their website here.

Taste of the Week. Cookies of Character.

Taste of the Week

Hazelnut & White Chocolate Cookies

I’ve never really held cookies in high regard, especially those chocolate chips ones. But West Cork’s Cookies of Character have changed my mind and my favourite (current!) is their Hazelnut & White Chocolate version. Rich and luxurious, these cookies are packed with toasted hazelnuts and creamy milk chocolate and made using vegetable oil in place of butter and are our Taste of the Week!

These delicious handmade cookies are made by Richard and Jane Graham-Leigh at their Regale bakery near Dunmanway. They started making the cookies by hand through necessity, then realized how much better they were made that way, rather than on a machine.

And the other good news is that they are widely available in Cork and also in several outlets in Dublin along with a  scattering of stockists in Galway, Louth, Meath and Waterford. And if you visit Mahon Point Farmers Market any Thursday (10.00am to 3.00pm), you’ll find their stall there and quite a selection to choose from. Check stockists here

Taste of the Week. Santa Isabel Coffee

Taste of the Week

Santa Isabel Coffee

via the Golden Bean

I recently bought a pack of new crop Santa Isabel Coffee beans from Golden Bean at the Mahon Point Farmers Market and have been enjoying cup after delicious cup. It is nearly finished now, unfortunately.

The beans come from the region of Coban (around the city of the same name) in Guatemala and are grown at a height of 1400 to 1600 metres. The Valdes family have put the emphasis on quality in recent decades and the result has been two placings in Guatemala’s Cup of Excellence.

This current coffee is full of flavour with a bright acidity and is our Taste of the Week.

For tips on making the perfect cup of coffee, check out the Robert Roberts website. For me, the best way to enjoy the full flavour is to take the Espresso route. In addition, I always stir the cup as I think the flavours concentrate in the bottom otherwise - probably no scientific basis for this, but it works for me!

Taste of the Week from Woodside Farm

Taste of the Week

from Woodside Farm

Low and slow was the advice from Martin Conroy of Woodside Farm as we put our Shoulder of Pork into the bag at Mahon Point Farmers Market the other day. Have you tasted his super pork in a bun at the markets? This guy knows what he is talking about and so we took serious heed of the cooking hints.

The pork went into the oven around lunch-time on Sunday and was perfect when dinner-time rolled around. So too were the root vegetables that had been cooked with it. We were expecting something special but it went far beyond that.

The meat was so tender, so full of flavour, so absolutely tasty that nothing was left. Don't think the begging mutt got his usual scrap.

Woodside only sell meat from their own pigs and don't buy in any meat and pass it off as their own. When you buy their products you can be sure you are getting a Truly Free Range Product. They do not use antibiotics, growth promoters or copper nor do they feed their pigs commercial ration or pre-medicated feed. 

This is a Taste of the Week with a delicious difference. Highly Recommended and well worth a try! They also do the markets in Wilton, Midleton and Douglas.