Taste of the Week
Mella's Butter Fudge Irish Cream Liqueur
Mella's Butter Fudge with Irish Cream Liqueur.
Music and Food and Good Humour abound
as Culture Night takes over in the City.
L'Atitude Beverley and Simone in the open-air kitchen. Their burger,
from the best of local ingredients, was amazing, out of this world!
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| The Goldie Angel, in the evening, (from the walls of Elizabeth Fort) |
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| Spic and span modern buildings, the northside in the distance, from a viewpoint on the walls of the 17th-century fort. |
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| Shandon, with its Goldie Fish, and the tower of the North Cathedral (left) |
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| Ukranians (part of a large choir) sing Danny Boy (and much more) at City Hall. |
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| Mayfield Men's Shed Choir at Cork City Library, Grand Parade. |
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| Mayfield men in full voice! |
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| Lots going on in the English Market with quite a few traders pulling out all the stops, food and entertainment in all the aisles. Found it hard though to get past the Roughty Foodie stall where a varied menu and singer Amanda Neary proved a major draw. While Margo Ann welcomed the visitors out front, Gerry stayed cool, calm and collected in the background. |
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| Heading home after a superb evening in the city. |
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| Margaret Jeffares, Founder and Managing Director of Good Food Ireland, and Simon Coveney T.D., Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment at launch of highly-coveted Good Food Ireland Awards. |
Good Food Ireland® is delighted to announce the shortlisted finalists for its highly-regarded awards. County Cork was revealed to have an impressive 14 finalists shortlisted – the most of any county in Ireland.
The winners are due to be revealed at a high-profile business lunch taking place on Monday 17th April at The K Club, County Kildare.
The awards are unique in their cross-sector approach and core criteria around commitment to local Irish produce and the organisers are delighted to have them back after the Covid enforced gap. They aim to enhance linkages between agriculture and tourism and present significant opportunities for stimulating local production, retaining tourism earnings in the local area, and improving the distribution of economic benefits of tourism to the four corners of the island.
An independent panel of Irish and International leaders including Founder and Managing Director of Good Food Ireland® Margaret Jeffares, journalists John Wilson and Amii McKeever, IFAC Consultant Stephanie Walsh and Executive Chairman and Owner of Odyssey International Kevin Shannon, shortlisted the nominees from those businesses approved by Good Food Ireland®, subject to meeting strict criteria through onsite inspection. The expert panel will select the overall winner following mystery inspections and assessments.
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| The winners are due to be revealed at a high-profile business lunch taking place on Monday 17th April at The K Club (above), County Kildare. |
Featuring across 10 different categories, the County Cork businesses who made the shortlist are:
Hotel Of The Year – Hayfield Manor and Celtic Ross Hotel
Culinary Haven Of The Year – Ballymaloe House Hotel
Restaurant Of The Year – Fishy Fishy
Pub Of The Year – The Lifeboat Inn
Shop Of The Year – The Roughty Foodie
Food Truck Of The Year – The Garden Cafe Truck at Ballymaloe Cookery School and CRAFT West Cork at The Celtic Ross Hotel
Excellence In Food Tourism Award – Ballymaloe Cookery School Organic Farm & Gardens
Producer Of The Year (Fish & Seafood) – Ummera Smoked Products and "K'O'Connell Fish Merchants”
Producer Of The Year (Bakery & Chocolate) – Koko Kinsale and Praline
Producer Of The Year (Drinks) – Five Farms Irish Cream Liqueur
The public also has the opportunity to cast their votes for their favourite places across the island of Ireland in the Food Lovers Choice Award. The shortlist will be drawn from the finalists in all other categories. Online voting will commence on Tuesday 7th March and remain open until Monday 20th March.
Other awards of recognition will include Outstanding Contribution to Food Production, Outstanding Contribution to Irish Food/Drink Internationally and Lifetime Achievement Award.
Returning for the first time since pre-Covid, the awards – proudly sponsored by Kerrygold, Irish Farmers Association, Bord Bia, Tourism Ireland and National Dairy Council – will be opened by guest of honour, Simon Coveney T.D., Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, and attended by some 300 guests including business owners, Irish and international chefs, buyers, food and drink writers, media and industry leaders. Anita Mendiratta, Special Advisor to the Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, will deliver the afternoon’s Key Note speech.
Margaret Jeffares, Founder and Managing Director of Good Food Ireland® says: "There is great excitement around the return of The Good Food Ireland® Awards this year to celebrate the successful collaboration of cross-sector businesses working together for inclusive economic growth.
“All of those wonderful businesses who have made the shortlist are a committed collection of passionate and driven people who genuinely capture the essence of Ireland's food and drink, setting it in a cultural context to inspire travellers, international consumers and locals to seek out real authenticity and Irish provenance. All the judges would like to extend our congratulations to them all and wish everyone the best of luck for the 17th April."
See the full shortlist of finalists below. For full details on the individual awards, tickets to the event, and general information about Good Food Ireland® visit goodfoodireland.ie
About the Awards:
The 2023 Good Food Ireland® Awards are proudly sponsored by Kerrygold, Irish Farmers Association, Tourism Ireland, Bord Bia, IFAC and National Dairy Council.
All businesses approved by Good Food Ireland, subject to meeting strict criteria through onsite inspection, are eligible for the awards. An independent panel of industry experts will create a shortlist of finalists in each of the award categories. Following further onsite mystery inspection and assessment the winners will be selected. The public will also have an opportunity to vote from a shortlist of finalists for their Favourite Place to Eat, Favourite Food or Drink Producer or Favourite Place to Shop in each of the tourism regions across the island of Ireland.
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| Norma Kelly of Mitchelstown's Praline displays some of her delicious sweet things! |
FULL 2023 GOOD FOOD IRELAND® AWARDS FINALISTS
Hotel Of The Year
Grand Central Hotel Belfast
Hayfield Manor, Cork
Celtic Ross Hotel, Cork
Anantara The Marker Dublin Hotel, Dublin
The Merrion, Dublin
The Europe Hotel & Resort, Kerry
The K Club, Kildare
The Dunraven Adare, Limerick
Culinary Haven Of The Year
The Bushmills Inn, Co Antrim
Killeavy Castle Estate, Armagh
Ballymaloe House Hotel, Cork
BrookLodge & Macreddin Village, Wicklow
Killeen House Hotel & Rozzers Restaurant, Kerry
Cashel House Hotel, Galway
Rathmullan House, Donegal
Ghan House, Louth
Restaurant Of The Year
Fish City, Antrim
An Port Mor, Mayo
Prime 74, Tipperary
The Lemon Tree Restaurant, Donegal
Potager Restaurant, Dublin
Woodruff Restaurant, Dublin
Aniar, Galway
Fishy Fishy, Cork
Hugo's, Dublin
Pub Of The Year
The King's Head, Galway
The Glyde Inn, Louth
The Tavern Bar & Restaurant, Mayo
Harte's of Kildare, Kildare
Mikey Ryan's Bar & Kitchen, Tipperary
The Lifeboat Inn, Cork
The Oarsman, Leitrim
Rusty Mackerel, Donegal
Café Of The Year
Sweet n Green, Clare
Kelly's Kitchen Café, Newport
Farmhouse Café & Bakery, Dublin
GROW HQ, Waterford
Fennelly's of Callan, Kilkenny
The Hungry Bear Café, Wexford
Barrons Bakery & Coffee House, Waterford
Kelly's Café, Wexford
Shop Of The Year
The Roughty Foodie, Cork
Country Choice, Tipperary
Buddy's Farmers Market, Dublin
Brogan's Butchers, Meath
Cavistons Seafood Restaurant & Food Emporium, Dublin
Leaf & Larder Delicatessen & Bakery, Kerry
Firecastle, Kildare
Food Truck Of The Year
The Garden Cafe Truck at Ballymaloe Cookery School, Cork
CRAFT West Cork at The Celtic Ross Hotel, Cork
Koha Street Kitchen, Sligo
SEABISCUIT at The Strand Cahore, Wexford
Sustainability Award
GROW HQ, Waterford
BrookLodge & Macreddin Village, Wicklow
Connemara Smokehouse, Galway
Oriel Sea Salt, Louth
Fish City, Antrim
Atlantis of Kilmore Quay, Wexford
O' Shea Farms, Kilkenny
Excellence In Food Tourism Award
Long Meadow Cider, Armagh
Burren Smokehouse & Visitor Centre, Clare
Ballymaloe Cookery School Organic Farm & Gardens, Cork
Wilde Irish Chocolates, Clare
Vintage Tea Trips, Dublin
The Glyde Inn, Louth
Coppenagh House Farm, Carlow
Producer Of The Year – Fruit & Vegetables
"Garryhinch Wood Exotic Mushrooms", Offaly
The Apple Farm, Tipperary
O'Shea Farms, Waterford
Kearns Fruit Farm, Wexford
Producer Of The Year - Meat
Coppenagh House Farm, Carlow
Market House Ennistymon, Clare
Calvey's Achill Mountain Lamb, Mayo
Jane Russell's Original Irish Sausages, Kildare
Kelly's of Newport, Mayo
Donabate Dexter, Dublin
Producer Of The Year - Fish & Seafood
Burren Smokehouse, Clare
Ummera Smoked Products, Cork
"K'O'Connell Fish Merchants ", Cork
Realt na Mara Shellfish, Kerry
Atlantis of Kilmore Quay, Wexford
Producer Of The Year – Bakery & Chocolate
Koko Kinsale, Cork
Praline, Cork
Jinny's Bakery & Tea Rooms, Leitrim
Walshe's Bakehouse, Waterford
Ditty's Bakery, Derry
Producer Of The Year - Drinks
Armagh Cider Company, Armagh
Jackford Irish Gin, Wexford
Western Herd Brewing Company, Clare
Five Farms Irish Cream Liqueur, Cork
Dew Drop Inn & Brewhouse, Kildare
Producer Of The Year - Dairy
Glastry Farm Ice Cream, Down
The Village Dairy, Carlow
Freezin Friesian, Waterford
Killowen Farm, Wexford
Boyne Valley Farmhouse Cheese, Meath
Producer Of The Year - Jams & Savoury
Wexford Home Preserves, Wexford
Leahy Beekeeping, Galway
Achill Island Sea Salt, Mayo
Wild Irish Foragers & Preservers, Offaly
Harnett's Oils, Down
Keogh's Crisps, Dublin
Producer of the Year
Supreme Award
Outstanding Contribution to Food Production
Outstanding Contribution to Irish Food and Drink Internationally
Lifetime Achievement Award
It's a Cork thing.
I wanted bagels on a Saturday morning! Not any old bagels but the Jerusalem Bagels (with their pomegranate molasses and sesame topping) by Bread & Roses of Ballincollig. Knew they'd be at their stall in the Coal Quay Farmers Market and headed down. On the way, I picked up a pack of coffee at Roughty Foodie in the English Market. A few more bits and pieces as well of course.
Back home, I unpacked the bagels. Pulled a jar of Paul's Honey from the cupboard and slathered it on to the bagels, nothing else whatsoever. Coffee, called the Morning Growler, by Cork Coffee Roasters, was ready. Put the three together and I had a very satisfactory Taste of the Week indeed.
Not all from Cork of course but that coffee is roasted locally by John Gowan down the Marina. The honey was bought at O'Keeffe's in St Lukes and is produced at sustainable apiaries in Cork city and county and packaged by beekeeper Paul Collins who operates in the northside of the city.
Bread and Roses here
Cork Coffee Roasters here
Paul's Honey 085 283 1540
The Ardsallagh Goats Cheese Phantom Pyramid, inspired by the French 'Pyramide de Pouligny', is made with Pasteurised Milk in East Cork. It is a most delicious semi-soft cheese with an irresistible creamy texture inside and lightly ash-ed on the outside which develops a white bloomy rind. It is our Taste of the Week, bought from On The Pigs Back via Neighbourfood.
It is very versatile indeed, so you won't have to confine yourself to the usual beetroot combinations but don't neglect them either as the two are a classic combination and available in many restaurants. You could, for a change, try an Oven Roasted Beetroot Salad with Candied Walnuts, and Rocket leaves with this cheese.
It can be the main piece of many a salad and you'll see it served with thinly sliced pears. We tried it with those very pleasing Medjool dates (chopped) and it worked a treat, especially with Marques De Poley Oloroso Montilla-Moriles (O'Briens Wine).
Here's another simple one: the cheese, tomatoes thinly sliced, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle this, or indeed similar salads, with the Big Red Kitchen's Spiced Plum & Port Jam (I got mine from Roughty Fruity in English Market but it is widely available).
And another: the cheese, chopped Medjools, some sliced grapes, and add as much as you like of the Ballymaloe Cranberry and Mór Wild Berry Gin Sauce. Delicious, especially so with a glass of Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2021 (at O'Briens Wine).
Spice 'n Sweet and Sixties Beats
The Glass Curtain Rocks the Kitchen
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| Three hotties: Corn Salsa(left), Pico de Gallo (bottom right), and Chipotle Aioli |
We had a little Latino-Irish Fiesta on the table at the weekend, thanks to the talented crew in The Glass Curtain. While the popular MacCurtain Street restaurant itself is out of action for a few weeks (you know the culprit), they are offering an At Home with different meals available on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. (Keep an eye on their social media for updates as things keep changing. Just heard, they'll be doing at home for the next two weeks. Updated menus will appear here).
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| Viva Mexico. (via Pixabay) |
Instructions come with the box which you collect at a specified time. There is a little work but there is also The Glass Curtain playlist. Check it out on Spotify and your cooking will be lifted even higher with Jackie Wilson. The likes of me though may have to Knock on Wood (more than once).
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| Patatas Bravas |
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| Getting messy! |
Anyhow, music or no music, the At Home work takes about 15 minutes, the time it takes the Patatas Bravas to heat and crisp up in the oven. In the meantime, the Tortilla dough has been rolled out and cooked in a dry pan. And the cod goujons (or Sweet Potato and Halloumi if you’re on on the veggie option) take 4-5 minutes.
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| Dessert |
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| Chilli & Lime White Corn Tortilla Chips |
Portions are generous here and a “gap” was organised before dessert was tackled. The churros has to be heated (a couple of minutes) and coated in the chilli sugar before they met the delicious chocolate custard and the even more delicious Blood Orange Jelly. The remarkable sweetness added to the already feel good factor and I just got more and more comfortable in the soft chair. Time to switch up the recliner.
Menus Available Last Weekend
Panko breaded cod, pico de gallo, sweetcorn salsa, shredded cabbage, flour tortillas, bravas potatoes with lime chipotle aioli,
Chocolate custard, blood orange jelly, spiced churro pieces
BBQ brisket, house slaw, jalapeño cornbread, mac n’cheese
Chocolate chip cookies salted caramel sauce
18oz dry aged Angus striploin, home fries, whiskey pepper sauce, chargrilled baby leeks, roasted cauliflower
Classic tiramisu
Panko breaded halloumi and sweet potatoes, pico de gallo, sweetcorn salsa, shredded cabbage, flour tortillas, bravas potatoes with lime chipotle aioli
Served with desert of the evening
Festival Food & Drink Favourites 2021
Eight Degrees and Bakestone in Happy Holiday Pairing
What were your food and drink favourites over the Christmas and New Year?
I’d say one of mine came at the end of the Christmas Day Dinner when we matched the Bakestone Pudding with a shared can of Eight Degrees Irish Oak-aged Barleywine. At 12.2% abv, this is a heavy hitter and needs respect. Pour a little into a wine glass and sip and enjoy. It went perfectly with the pudding from East Cork (you’ll find Bakestone at Cobh Cross - they’ve been there for years and, as well as a popular café, have a magnificent pantry of top notch Irish produce).
The Eight Degrees’ aromatic and multi-flavoured seasonal special was aged in especially rare Irish whiskey barrels that have been made from native Irish oak. Not alone did it pair with the rich and dark pudding but it also went well with the light and delicious Christmas cake from Barnabrow House (bought at Roughty Foodie) and also with the cheese course, notably with the Crozier Blue (via On The Pig’s Back).
Bubbles are usually associated with the festivities at this time of year and I was lucky to have a couple of delicious bottles of Prosecco on hand, each by Bottega. The Gold Prosecco Brut impressed for sure but it was the Bottega Rose Gold that really caught my attention. It is a terrific Spumante Brut rose, made from Pinot Noir grapes grown throughout the Veneto.
The hand painted bottles are not only eye-catching but "reflect the quality and care put into producing this wine”. Bottega do not use chemical-based products for their metallised bottles; this means the solvent for the varnish is water-based, instead of being oil or alcohol-based like more traditional varnishes.
It wasn’t just Prosecco of course. There was wine. We won’t go into too much detail just to say that we had an impressive pair via Liberty Wine for dinner on the big day. From South Africa came the Western Cape Momento, the country’s only Grenache Gris. And we made it a lovely Grenache double with the red, a Willunga 100 from the McLaren Vale in Australia.
You always need something extra to bring the best out of all the good stuff on the table at Christmas and two jars in particular were in regular use here. One was the Big Red Kitchen’s Spiced Plum and Port Jam and the other was the seasonal Ballymaloe Foods Cranberry and Mór Wild Berry Gin Sauce.
The Spiced Plum and Port Jam is very versatile, a match with paté, cheese and duck and we find it outstanding with Skeaghanore smoked duck breast and gives the Skeaghanore Confit Leg sweet hint of Asia. This year it also impressed with the Bakestone pudding. Nicola of the Red Kitchen combines ripe plums with a hint of warming cinnamon and port in this excellent seasonal preserve which is also wonderful with scones and bread. It won’t go to waste around here.
And neither did the Ballymaloe Foods Cranberry and Mór Wild Berry Gin Sauce. It certainly did what it says on the jar and enhanced the turkey (and the other meats) no end and also impressed when used with the cheese board. This blend of cranberries and the Irish gin proved indispensable over the week.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Cork Christmas without a helping of spiced beef on the table. No shortage here thankfully and, supplied (like the turkey and ham) by local craft butcher Chris Davidson, it was once again a highlight. Turkey and ham was pretty good too!
Another highlight was our order from Ummera Smokehouse in Timoleague, a box packed with chicken, duck, salmon (two ways), even rashers, all smoked and all delicious as always. Good use was made of this package over the holidays. Nothing like a bit of variety over the hols.
We did indeed use the Ummera smoked chicken on New Year’s Eve and later there were more holiday bubbles. It was now the turn of a super Beaumont des Crayères Vintage 2013 Fleur Blanche Blanc de Blancs Brut (via O’Briens Wines) to shine. Intense and exciting from the engaging first sip, with fountains of micro-bubbles powering upwards, with biscuity aromas and flavours and floral notes too, this is one of the better ones for sure. It is made from 100% Chardonnay and obviously 2013 was a very good year.
Let us hope that 2022 will also be a good one. Happy New Year to you all and fingers crossed that it will be better for all of us.
