A Simply Better Continental Cheese Selection.

Continental Cheese Selection

From Simply Better By Dunnes Stores

Gorgonzola Piccanta

A Christmas present of cheese put me thinking of a Swiss holiday and an excursion to the town of Gruyères, and aliens! There were fabulous views, a church, a chateau, and the famous cheese!

There was also a strange museum – based on the film Alien. The HG Giger Museum is based on the work of the graphic artist of the same name, who did the special effects for the film and others (such as Poltergeist 11).

This way for cheese!

A similarly themed bar is adjacent and it was here that we had coffee and minuscule meringues made with Gruyère. Then a short drive downhill to an “industrial” cheese manufacturer where a robot is usefully employed turning, watering and replacing big wheels of cheese in the racks.

Gruyère was included in Continental Cheese Selection by Simply Better Dunnes Stores at Christmas and it was quite a pleasant and tasty surprise, not least because some were “new” to me, as the vast majority of the cheese eaten here in this house over the past few years has been Irish. 

Babies in the bar.
G'us a drink, now!

So it was nice to see and taste what is going on the continent. And there was a good bit of variety in the selection. There were two fairly familiar cheeses, the Gruyère and the Gorgonzola. The other two were completely new to me, the soft rind Langres from Champagne and the L’Edel de Cleron from Franche-Comte. Also included was a little jar of Fig and Macadamia Nut Chutney from Girona in Spain; the nuts from Australia the all-spice from Jamaica.

One day last week, we made a fruitless run to try out the Cork Marina Market again but the large car park was full and lots of pedestrians coming in as well, plenty of  families around with schools still on hols. Quite a gang already eating out on benches under the full sun. We had to beat a retreat. 

What now for lunch? I thought of this selection and we opened the L’Edel de Cleron produced by Jean Perrin. I was reading about it and saw that Perrin makes it with milk from Jura Mountain Montbéliarde cows, the same milk used for Mont D’Or (both are wrapped in spruce bark). 

In the belly of the beast! Inside the pub in Gruyeres

So we heated up the cheese in its little round box and, when warm and soft, scooped it out with fingers of toast. Very delicious indeed, lusciously creamy and it vanished very quickly. Just the job though for lunch and I drizzled some of local honey (Leamlara) onto the last few scoops and that added to the pleasure.

Langres Cathedral

Langres is named after a little town in Champagne and is distinguished by a wee hollow on top of its small drum shape designed to hold a tiny pool of brine while maturing. Our producer, Fromagier Schertonleib,  went a spirited step beyond and this is matured with Marc de Champagne!  A touch of class.

It is a cows milk cheese with an edible orange coloured rind. It is creamy and smooth and melts on the palate. There is a delicate pungent aroma while the flavour is light, though the intensity of aroma and flavour can change as it matures. It is excellent on its own or when used in cooking.

By the way, we did use the multi-national chutney with all the cheeses (plus some Hegarty’s Cheddar that we had in the fridge) and it was excellent. The versatile Spiced Plum and Port Jam (by The Big Red Kitchen) also saw plenty of use and really starred with the Gorgonzola, as did the lovely Toro Albalá Marqués de Poley Oloroso (from O'Briens Wine).

Gorgonzola (via Pixabay)

Speaking of Gorgonzola, this Piccante Gorgonzola (AOP) was produced by the Arrigoni family in Lombardy, a region where nowadays the famous blue is made mostly in commercial plants. It traditionally has a white moist paste with green/blue veining and a sharp lactic smell.

The chateau at Gruyeres

Our Piccante has a beautiful smooth texture and a rich spicy flavour - so little bits are best! The rind is inedible. There are two types of this cheese, Piccante (savoury) and Dolce (sweet), with the latter (less blue-veined with a more delicate taste) representing some 90% of the production (ref: The Oxford Companion to Cheese).

French Onion soup with Gruyère (at Market Lane)

And the Gruyère? Characteristics of this famous Swiss cheese are its dry, firm and chewy texture and a moderately tangy flavour and with a nutty sweet finish - no need for any chutney here. A good one for the cheeseboard and a superb cooking cheese. The rind by the way is inedible.

Ours, a 15-month cave aged cheese, is made in traditional copper vats by the Margot family in the heart of the Jura Mountains and it is slowly matured in caves. The texture is firm and smooth and the flavour is rich and intense. 

Hegarty's copper vat

Gruyère is made mainly from Holstein milk and its long-time cross-mountain rival Comté (or Gruyère de Comté) from Montbeliarde. Just a few miles north of my house in Cork lies Whitechurch where Hegarty’s make a superb Templegall that can rival the Swiss and French; they use milk from their Freisians and, yes, they make it in a beautiful copper vat (over 60 years old).

Susan’s Award-winning ‘Jewelled Christmas Cake’ Is A Festival Gem

Susan’s Award-winning

 ‘Jewelled Christmas Cake’ Is A Festival Gem

Great excitement for Susan Robbins Fehilly when her Christmas cake was declared the overall winner at the recent Irish Quality Food & Drink Awards. I could say it was the icing on the cake but there’s no icing on this champion, just a crown of preserved fruits and nuts. 

The “Jewelled Christmas Cake” is indeed a winner as I found out when I sampled it last weekend. I spoke to Susan who recalled the night of triumph: “What a fantastic night it was at the Irish Quality Food Awards 2019! Winning not only the Christmas cakes and pudding category, but also the overall Christmas Q award. Of course, not forgetting our Chocolate and Raspberry cake which won the Good Choice cakes and biscuit category!”  Wildberry is a regular award winner but this was something special.

And that cake is something special. Once I got it home, a small slice was extracted and I sat down in anticipation with an Americano at hand. It is absolutely delicious. The fruit cake itself is superb, wonderful textures and flavours and the fruit and nuts from the crown add an extra individual flavour as you take a nibble from the top of your slice every now and then. Easy to see why the judges went for this one, Wildberry’s first attempt at the Christmas Cake market.

The Wildberry bakery is located in the village of Ballineen, West Cork. It has both a Gluten Free & a Floury unit. Their complete focus is on taste and quality. All cakes are handmade to taste perfection using only the best ingredients. For instance, Clonakilty free range eggs and Bandon butter are used in the Christmas cake, no preservatives, no additives. Susan’s ethos is to create great flavours and textures, particularly in her Gluten Free Range. Her influences are French but her passion is for Irish ingredients and the excellence of Irish food.

It also looks stunning, with that necklace of preserved fruits and nuts on top instead of traditional icing. And a little tip. All you need here is a small slice, such is the concentration of flavour. It’s a bit like sipping a very fine wine as against a run of the mill bottle -  a little goes on long way. At an rrp of €15 for an 800g cake, this would be a welcome gift in any home, especially your own!

It is available in in the following Dunnes stores, at the ABC Bread concessions: Cornelscourt, Rathmines, Naas, Bishopscourt [ Bandon Rd ] Cork, Jetland [ Limerick].

The 800g [€15] and the 1600g [ €25] are also available at ABC in the English Market.

Ireland’s Top Cheesemakers and Producers Announced at 2019 CÁIS Irish Cheese Awards

Ireland’s Top Cheesemakers and Producers Announced at 2019 CÁIS Irish Cheese Awards

Complete list of winners below

Supreme Champions - Marion Roeleveld (left) and Sinead Egan of Killeen Farmhouse Cheese

A huge selection of Ireland’s farmhouse cheesemakers and producers gathered this evening (Thursday 7^th November) at Cork’s Metropole Hotel, eager to learn who had struck gold – and silver and bronze – during the 2019 CÁIS Irish Cheese Awards. The list of worthy winners incorporated the finest cheesemakers currently operating in Ireland with 30 industry movers and shakers from all across the country walking away with a coveted award.

Hosted by MC and presenter of RTÉ’s Ear to the Ground Helen Carroll, the prestigious biennial event featured speeches from key CÁIS figures including Chairman Louis Grubb, Chairman of Bord Bia Dan MacSweeney and members of the trade, as well as one of the expert judges John McKenna. Guests were treated to a sumptuous 5-course meal prepared by the Metropole’s Head Chef Stuart Dardis during which 22 award winners – including the Public Vote Award, CÁIS Appreciation Award, Supreme Champion and gold medal winners – were announced. Thursday’s ceremony saw members of CÁIS; key supporters such as Bord Bia, Pallas Foods, Ornua, Horgan’s and Traditional Cheese; judges; cheesemakers; members of the public and trade representatives congregate in celebration of the abundant, diverse and exquisite range of Irish farmhouse cheeses produced on home soil.

The Munster region saw an abundance of gold medal winners, while silver and bronze medalists covered ground from Co. Wicklow to the Aran Islands, with many stops in between. Some of Ireland’s most well-known cheesemakers, such as Coolea Farmhouse Cheese, Durrus Cheese, Bandon Vale and Ardsallagh Farmhouse Cheese were awarded across multiple categories, as were the Tipperary-based Cashel Farmhouse Cheesemakers, Waterford-based Knockanore, Galway-based Killeen and Dozio’s of Mayo from the West of Ireland.

Guests at the gala event were particularly eager to hear the results of three of the biggest awards of the night. The first of these to be revealed was the winner of the Public Vote; a category that was introduced for the first time in 2019 and received more than 1,000 votes from members of the public. Macroom-based producer Coolea Farmhouse Cheese was announced as the clear winner, with the Willelm family delighted to accept the award. The CÁIS Appreciation Award was next to be announced and was presented to 2019 judge Dr Kieran Jordan by Chairman of CÁIS Louis Grubb. The final and most anticipated award-winner of the night – Supreme Champion – was announced as Marion Roeleveld for her 5-month matured Killeen Goats Cheese for the Simply Better at Dunnes Stores range, who received rapturous applause from attendees as they made their way to the stage.    

Congrats all round for Supreme Champion (centre front)

Since the previous awards ceremony, which took place in 2017, a range of new cheeses and cheesemakers were also introduced and commended on the night. The winners of the ‘New Cheese (available in last 2 years)’ category hailed from all corners of the country, with Dozio’s of Mayo’s Barr Rua Alpine Style cheese (gold medalist), Knockanore Farmhouse Cheese’s Allenwood Smoked (silver medalist) and Kilnalahan produced by Galway’s Kylemore Farmhouse Cheese (bronze medalist) all scooping awards. Cheesemakers new to the market since 2016 were also rightly showcased and welcomed into the fold, with the brains behind Bó Rua Farm Original Farmhouse Cheddar (Bó Rua Farm) and Sheep's Milk Halloumi (Ballyhubbock Farm) winning silver and bronze medals respectively, while Michael Finegan of Boyne Valley Bán (Boyne Valley Farmhouse Cheeses) walked away with gold.

This year’s selection of judges included a number of well-known personalities such as Catherine Fulvio, TV chef, award-winning food writer, author and proprietor of Ballyknocken House & Cookery School; Ross Lewis, Michelin Starred Head Chef at Chapter One Restaurant in Dublin; and food writers/bloggers Patrick Hanlon and Russell Alford, collectively known as The Gastrogays. The elite judging panel also includes Patrick Clement, Head of Culinary at Pallas Foods; Dr Matthew O’Callaghan OBE, member of UK Protected Food Names Association and Artisan Cheese Fair organiser; Catherine Mead OBE, Chairperson of Specialist Cheesemakers Association (UK) and cheesemaker/owner at Lynher Dairies; Aoife Carrigy, freelance food writer and editor; Dr John McKenna, food writer; Enda Howley, Cheese Grading Expert with Ornua; Monica Murphy, cheese  and wine expert; Rory Mellis, Wholesale Director of Mellis Cheese LTD; Dr Kieran Jordan of Teagasc; Diarmuid Murphy, Simply Better Brand Manager for Dunnes Stores; and John Leverrier, Quality Manager of Sheridans Cheesemongers.

Commenting ahead of the awards ceremony, Padraig O’Farrell of CÁIS said: “The Irish Cheese Awards provide those involved in the industry with a wonderful platform to showcase their work and to transform their brands into household names within Ireland and beyond. The event itself also offers an opportunity for producers, both on a large and small scale, to network and build community links.”

Also speaking ahead of the event, Dan MacSweeney, Bord Bia’s Chairman, said: “While these awards recognise individual excellence, all 68 farmhouse cheesemakers can take an equal share of the credit for the outstanding contribution that the sector, valued at €12 million, has made to the Irish dairy industry, our culinary culture and to local communities.”

For more information on CÁIS and the Irish Cheese Awards 2019 and to view the full list of winners online, visit www.irishcheese.ie. For social media updates, follow CAISIreland on Facebook and @caisireland on Twitter or follow the conversation using #IrishCheeseAwards.

Complete List of 2019 Irish Cheese Awards Gold Medal Winners:

• Class 1: Creamery mild cheddar up to 6 months – Aldi Irish Mild White Cheddar produced by Glanbia
• Class 2: Creamery mature cheddar over 6 months – SuperValu Signature Taste Vintage Red Cheddar (counter product) produced by Newmarket Creamery
• Class 3: Retailer Class (soft, semisoft, flavour added) – SuperValu Signature Tastes Gortnamona produced by Cooleeney Farmhouse Cheese
• Class 4: Retailer Class (hard cheese) – Dunnes Stores Simply Better 5-Month Matured Killeen Goats Cheese produced by Killeen Farmhouse Cheese
• Class 5: Soft/Fresh Cheese (all milks) – Bluebell Falls Cream Cheese produced by Bluebell Falls
• Class 6: Goats Cheese under 2 months – Gurteen Baun Button produced by Galway Goat Farm
• Class 7: Goats Cheese over 2 months – Killeen Goat Mature produced by Killeen Farmhouse Cheese
• Class 8: Sheep's Cheese – Shepherd's Store produced by Cashel Farmhouse Cheesemakers
• Class 9: Bloomy Rind Cheese – NO GOLD WINNER
• Class 10: Washed Rind Cheese – Gubbeen produced by Gubbeen Farmhouse Products
• Class 11: Blue Cheese – Crozier Blue produced by Cashel Farmhouse Cheesemakers
• Class 12: Semi hard cheese aged under 6 months – Dunmanus produced by Durrus Cheese
• Class 13: Semi hard to hard cheese aged over 6 months – Coolea Mature produced by Coolea Farmhouse Cheese
• Class 14: Soft Cheese - Flavour Added – Zing with Apricot & Almond produced by Dozio's of Mayo
• Class 15 - Hard Cheese - Flavour added – Coolea Mature Cumin produced by Coolea Farmhouse Cheese
• Class 16: Smoked Cheese – Knockanore Oakwood Smoked Cheddar produced by Knockanore Farmhouse Cheese
• Class 17: New Cheese (last 2 years) – Barr Rua Alpine Style produced by Dozios of Mayo
• Class 18: Best Raw Milk Cheese – Templegall produced by Hegarty Cheese
• Class 19: New Cheesemaker since 2016 - Boyne Valley Bán produced by Boyne Valley Farmhouse Cheese
• Class 20: Public Vote Winner – Coolea Farmhouse Cheese
• CAIS Appreaciation Award – Dr Kieran Jordan, Teagasc (retired)  
• Surpreme Champion – Marion Roeleveld, Killeen Farmhouse Cheese
  
   
  
  Complete List of 2019 Irish Cheese Awards Silver and Bronze Medal Winners:
• Class 1: Creamery mild cheddar up to 6 months
• Silver: Dunnes Stores My Family Favourites Irish Mild White Cheddar 500g produced by Bandon Vale for Dunnes Stores
• Bronze: Tesco Mild Red Cheddar produced by Wexford Glanbia
• Class 2: Creamery mature cheddar over 6 months
• Silver: Tesco Extra Mature Irish White Cheddar produced by Carbery Foods Ltd.
• Bronze: Dunnes Stores Single Batch Selection Grader's Choice Cheddar 200g produced by Bandon Vale for Dunnes Stores
• Class 3: Retailer Class (soft, semisoft, flavour added)
• Silver: Simply Better Ripe Cooleeney produced by Cooleeney Farmhouse Cheese / Traditional Cheese Company
• Bronze: Simply Better Ardsallagh Goats Cheese produced by Ardsallagh Farmhouse Cheese / Traditional Cheese Company
• Class 4: Retailer Class (hard cheese)
• Silver: Dunnes Stores Gubbeen Cheese produced by Gubbeen Farmhouse
• Bronze: Dunnes Stores Single Batch Selection Grader's Choice Cheddar 200g produced by Bandon Vale for Dunnes Stores
• Class 5: Soft/Fresh Cheese (all milks)
• Silver: Ardsallagh Soft Goat's Cheese produced by Ardsallagh Farmhouse Cheese
• Bronze: Galway Goat Farm Fresh Goats Cheese produced by Galway Goat Farm
• Class 6: Goats Cheese under 2 months
• Silver: Aran Island Soft Pearls produced by Aran Islands Goat's Cheese
• Bronze: Boyne Valley Bán produced by Boyne Valley Farmhouse Cheese
• Class 7: Goats Cheese over 2 months
• Silver: Clonmore Goat's Cheese produced by Clonmore Cheese
• Bronze: Aran Island Hard Goat's Cheese produced by Aran Islands Goat's Cheese
• Class 8: Sheep's Cheese
• Silver: Cais Na Tire Gouda produced by Cais Na Tire Cheese
• Bronze: Cais na Tire produced by Cais Na Tire Cheese
• Class 9: Bloomy Rind Cheese
• Silver: Wicklow Baun produced by Wicklow Farmhouse Cheese
• NO BRONZE WINNER
• Class 10: Washed Rind Cheese
• Silver: Milleens Dote produced by Milleens Cheese Ltd.
• Bronze: Durrus produced by Durrus Cheese
• Class 11: Blue Cheese
• Silver: Cashel Blue produced by Cashel Farmhouse Cheesemakers
• Bronze: Kerry Blue produced by Knockatee Natural Dairy
• Class 12: Semi hard cheese aged under 6 months
• Silver: Carrig Bru matured by Sheridan’s Cheesemongers
• Bronze: Ella – Irish Furmagella produced by Dozio's of Mayo
• Class 13: Semi hard to hard cheese aged over 6 months
• Silver: Mount Leinster Clothbound produced by Coolattin Cheddar
• Bronze: Mossfield Organic Mature Cheese produced by Mossfield Organic Farm
• Class 14: Soft Cheese - Flavour Added
• Silver: Bally Goats Cheese- Garlic & Thyme produced by Bally Goats Cheese
• Bronze: Ardsallagh Cranberry Roulade produced by Ardsallagh
• Class 15 - Hard Cheese - Flavour added
• Silver: Castlefarm Fenugreek produced by Carlow Farmhouse Cheese for Castlefarm
• Bronze: Killeen Goat Fenugreek produced by Killeen
• Class 16: Smoked Cheese
• Silver: Wicklow Gold Beechwood Smoked produced by Wicklow Farmhouse Cheese
• Bronze: Durrus Smoked produced by Durrus Cheese
• Class 17: New Cheese (last 2 years)
• Silver: Allenwood Smoked produced by Knockanore Farmhouse Cheese
• Bronze: Kilnalahan produced by Kylemore Farmhouse Cheese
• Class 18: Best Raw Milk Cheese
• Silver: Kilmichael Soft Goat's Cheese produced by Sunview Goats
• Bronze: St. Tola Ash Log produced by Inagh Farmhouse Cheese
• Class 19: New Cheesemaker since 2016
• Silver: Bó Rua Farm Original Farmhouse Cheddar produced by Bó Rua Farm
• Bronze: Sheep's Milk Halloumi produced by Ballyhubbock Farm

press release on behalf of CAIS

Taste of the Week. Clogherhead Sea Salt & White Wine Vinegar Crisps

Taste of the Week

Clogherhead Sea Salt & White Wine Vinegar Crisps

This Taste of the Week comes from Glens of Antrim Potatoes with no little help from Oriel Sea Salt in County Louth. I got a tip off on this one from a friend in Clogherhead and he was spot-on.

The Antrim company have been making crisps since 2015, cooking the thickly cut, skin-on slices in small batches for maximum flavour. And that Louth salt is seen to great effect here, its hit pure and precise. Add in the lasting tang of the White Wine Vinegar and you have a melange of texture and flavours from first bite until last.

Our Taste of the Week is one of four flavours available in the series, exclusive to Simply Better at Dunnes Stores. Also available are Clogherhead Sea Salt and Sweet Potato; Spiracha Chili; and Vintage Irish Cheddar and Red Onion, all available in 125 gram bags.

Lost in Muscadet Vineyard in Nantes. And a Simply Better Surprise.

Lost in Muscadet Vineyard in Nantes. 

And a Simply Better Surprise.

Lost in Nantes? Encore?

Domaine de la Fessardière  “L’Air Innocent” Muscadet Sevre et Maine (AOC) Sur Lie 2015, €18.65 Mary Pawle

Brittany Ferries opened the Cork-Roscoff route in 1978 and, for quite a few years afterwards, virtually every Cork driver visiting France got lost in Nantes. Happened to myself once and I ended up in the vineyards to the south-east of the city (not the worst of outcomes, quite recoverable). French roads have improved a lot since then and now most major cities, including Nantes, have either a rocade or a périphérique.

Like most early ferry travellers, we didn’t go too far in the first year or two, mainly to the south of Brittany around Concarneau, Guerande and Carnac. The supermarché (even the odd hyper) were the main attractions for the first (and last) few days of the hols with the male eyes concentrating on the bottom shelves and the bottles of Muscadet for less than punt! Got a lot of it then (also Gros Plant, even cheaper) and that cheap stuff put many off the fruit of the Melon de Bourgogne grape for years.

Bit by bit though we began to realise that two very important words on the bottle were Sur Lie, though only a year or two back the somm in a five star hotel in Kerry didn’t seem to know them. Glad to say that this bottle is Sur Lie (raised on lees) and is a splendid offering via Mary Pawle Wines.

It has indeed been kept on its lees for six months. Besides there is no added sulphur and the fruit has been hand-harvested.The grape variety is the normal Melon de Bourgogne and the vineyard follows organic methods. 

Mary says it is round and unctuous in the mouth and a good match with seafood or a semi-soft cheese.  In addition, the producers recommend “fish in sauce, poultry with the cream, cooked cheese like the county (Comté, I presume) or Cantal.”

The name of this round, fresh and fruity wine, “L’Air Innocent”, emphasises this closeness to nature. Colour is a very light straw, bright and healthy looking. The aromas, delicate and appealing, are of white fruit (apple). Apple flavours are somewhat stronger than the scents and there’s a touch of citrus too, also a refreshing acidity, a tingle of minerality as well, and it also has a pleasant long finish. Highly Recommended.

Principesco Pinot Grigio Terre Siciliane (IGT) 2017, 12%, €12.50 Dunnes Stores

First sip and a pleasant surprise. Yellow fruit flavours lead to a very pleasing palate. Nice bit of acidity too and all combine in a lovely finalé. The colour is a pale straw. Aromas of peach and apple hint of good things to come. A decent wine at a decent price from a surprising source as I wouldn’t have thought of Sicily as a hotbed of Pinot Grigio.

This wine has been exclusively selected for Dunnes Stores Simply Better. It is produced by Casa Fondata on the sunny island off the toe of Italy. Dunnes recommend it as a “perfect accompaniment to our Roasted Cod with Cherry Tomatoes, Basil & Mozzarella”. 

Taste of the Week. Mella’s All Butter Rum & Raisin Fudge

Taste of the Week

Mella’s All Butter Rum & Raisin Fudge

No fudging about: I love Mella. I also love Miena but that’s a-nougat story. They can’t get away from me. They always hangout at the Simply Better section in Dunnes Stores.

And that’s exactly where I bought my little “bag” of All Butter Rum & Raisin Fudge, handmade with loads of Irish butter and tons of Mella magic in her kitchen in West Cork.

That potent amalgam of texture and flavour remains intact until you place a piece on your tongue. Then the melt-down begins. Everything else stops as the deliciousness spreads across the palate and spreads to other regions. A moment of paradise.

Sure it dissolves all too soon but the good news is that there is no less than one hundred and sixty grams of this superb mix of butter, raisins and Jamaican rum in the Simply Better pack. Put it on your resolution list for 2019!

Taste of the Week. Miena’s Handmade Nougat

Taste of the Week

Miena’s Handmade Nougat

Miena Facebook photo

Haven’t given Miena’s Handmade Nougat a shoutout since 2014 when I first came across the delicious bars in Bradley’s of Cork. And it was in the same shop that I got my latest selection, including the Almond and Pistachio, my Taste of the Week!

Made in small batches with locally sourced fresh ingredients, Miena has developed a recipe different from those used elsewhere. The result is a unique and uncompromising soft Irish Nougat.

There is a whole list of tempting nougat flavours coming from County Wicklow these days. You may have Almonds and Coconut, Almonds and Fig, Almonds and Mixed Berries, Roasted Almonds (I have one here as I write!), Chocolate Hazlenut and Cranberry, plus various selection boxes and tins. Christmas sorted!

And there’s more good news - these scrumptious prize-winning nougats are widely available, including in Dunnes Stores Simply Better and at Miena’s own online shop. For a list of stockists, please click here. 

Taste of the Week. Burren Smokehouse Oak Smoked Organic Irish Salmon with Honey and Dill

Taste of the Week

Burren Smokehouse Oak Smoked Organic Irish Salmon with Honey and Dill

Our Taste of the Week comes from the Burren Smokehouse via the Simply Better section of Dunnes Stores. You’ll find it difficult to find the Burren Smokehouse on the label (back). I really don't know why supermarkets don’t sell local products with the producer’s proper name highlighted on the front. Would make shopping a lot easier.

But, in this case, it is well worth it. Birgitta Curtin is the smokehouse owner and her smoking technique plus the addition of the dill and honey makes for a gorgeous rich texture and flavour, a flavour that is both deep and long.

You need very little else. Indeed, it's probably best to follow the simple serving suggestion on the back label: separate the slices of salmon 20 minutes before serving to allow it reach room temperature and then simply serve, with lemon wedges, on some fresh brown bread (preferably homemade, as was the case here, thanks to the official blog chef!).

If you want something a bit more complex, then get your hands on the current edition of Simply Better with Neven Maguire; he has a tempting recipe there for Eggs Benedict using Birgitta’s salmon.