SOUPerb Awards 2024. Cully & Sully and McKenna Guides Launch Quest For Ireland's Best Bowl of Chowder

 SOUPerb Awards 2024 

Cully & Sully and McKenna Guides Launch Quest 

to Find Ireland's Best Bowl of Chowder

(L-R) Sally McKenna of McKenna’s Guides, Seán O'Driscoll, local fisherman, John McKenna of McKenna’s Guides, and Cullen Allen of Cully & Sully, at Schull Pier, West Cork, for the launch 

Cully & Sully, renowned soup enthusiasts, have joined forces with John and Sally McKenna of McKenna Guides to unveil the highly anticipated SOUPerb Awards 2024. This exciting initiative aims to discover and honour the establishment that serves Ireland's most

Taste of the Week. Hederman's Smoked Haddock Chowder

 Taste of the Week

 Hederman's Smoked Haddock Chowder

with Garam Masala & Black pepper

The stallholders of English Market in Cork are well-known for their ability to chat and Frank Hederman (the ace of fish-smokers) is one of them. So no surprise that his chowder has quite the title: Hederman's Smoked Haddock Chowder with Garam Masala & Black pepper. It is also our Taste of the Week.

The Hederman kitchen has long known that curry spices work really well with smoked haddock (in dishes such as Kedigree) and so the Garam Masala and Black pepper were added. And the combination worked superbly. The chowder is packed full of texture and flavour and a treat on a cold day. Totally delicious.

It comes in a 400gr pot and the contents make a main dish for one or two (large) cups for two. Well worth checking out. You may get it at The English Market or, as I did, via Neighbourfood.

Frank Hederman
Belvelly Smokehouse

Belvelly

Cobh

Co. Cork
 

Kinsale Bay Food Company. Big Range of Gluten Free Products

Kinsale Bay Food Company

Big Range of Gluten Free Products

Kinsale Bay

I visited the Kinsale Bay Food Company’s premises last week. With a name that includes Kinsale, you'd expect some fish products. And you won't be disappointed. But there are also lots of soups, chowders, patés, even Shepherd’s Pie and Cottage Pie. And all are Gluten Free.

GF is a growing market, and not just for coeliacs! According to a very recent report by Bord Bia, one in five Irish people are regular gluten free shoppers, though if you look at the accompanying infographic you’ll see that it is one in five shoppers. Even so, it is a massive number considering only 1% of the Irish population have been medically diagnosed with coeliac disease.

The Bord Bia insight centre has three tips for producers:

1 Gluten Free brands need to challenge mainstream.

2 Product should not feel like a compromise

3 Emphasise health credentials.

Thanks to Aoife Barry (Market and Area Manager, South-West), I visited the Kinsale Bay facility at Little Island and have been sampling the produce since and it seems to be that they didn't need to be tipped - they are already up to speed.

General Manager Tommy Doyle emphasised freshness. “We worked with local suppliers to get the freshest daily supply of quality ingredients… we don’t store here..by the end of the working day, there may be a half bucket left…Everything we sell is produced here.” Suppliers include Matt O’Connell Seafood, Keohane’s Seafood, Daly's Seafood while fruit and vegetables come from Allfresh Wholesale.

Some of the Kinsale Bay staff in Little Island.

Then it is over to the chefs in the Kinsale Bay kitchens, who work in really modern facilities, streamlined from start to finish. There has been a lot of investment over the three years.

And they have developed recipes that are bursting with flavour and texture, which makes eating a gluten free diet an enjoyable dining experience. No artificial preservatives and additives are used thus ensuring the highest quality and wholesome taste. No compromise here.

Eleanor Downes, the Quality Manager, gave me a tour. Precautions are strict here but, booted and suited up, wristwatch off, nothing loose allowed, we started and there would be more changing and hand-washing as we moved from one unit to another.

Your paté comes with its own relish. Cool!

Hygiene is paramount, lots of checks during and after production. “With the highest standard of diligence we ensure that no gluten containing products are on the production site, to eliminate risk of cross contamination.” And, while checking the ingredients, I was delighted to see no big confusing words in the lists! No mono-this or poly-that!

And so we moved through the various processes: soup production, chowder filling, regeneration process, blast chilling process, X-Ray (that’s why I left my watch and mobile in reception) and packaging, packing and storage and then dispatch. 

The company, then called Blue Haven, started in 2008 selling in a small way at the Kinsale town market. Then they spread their wings, and awards (Great Taste and Blas na hEireann) came their way. About three years back, there was a change of ownership and Kinsale Bay Food Company emerged.

So, what will we start with? A soup perhaps. Quite a choice: Vegetable, Tomato and Basil (might be my favourite!), Carrot and Coriander, Mushroom, Potato and Leek. And the Chowder is excellent too.

Then move on to a paté. Can't wait to try the Smoked salmon. The Chicken liver comes three ways, all smooth, one is just chicken liver, the second with Red Pepper Relish, the third with onion marmalade.  By the way, the “jam” is pumped into the small container first, the paté added later; so no need to go and buy a separate relish as it’s included. Very convenient. Very tasty too.

And now lets finish with the Kinsale Fish Pie, a dual award winning recipe based on fresh salmon, white fish, and smoked haddock chunks. Lots of good stuff there and they have recently added Shepherd's  Pie and Cottage Pie. New packaging and a new website on the way too so its all happening for Kinsale Bay.

Lunch, even a song, at the Cornstore

Lunch, even a song, at the Cornstore

Pork Rillettes

They go the extra yard for customers at Cork’s Cornstore. Dropped in there this week for a late-ish lunch as part of CL’s birthday celebrations. We were just starting on our coffees when the singing surprised us. Our waiter had started into Happy Birthday! And then backed it up with some gorgeous chocolate cake and a candle. Thanks a million, Cornstore.

We enjoyed the terrific lunch. Started off with their massive Atlantic Seafood Chowder. No shortage of fish in this well presented chowder, served with homemade brown bread. A pretty full bowl by the way and packed with flavours and textures of the sea.

CL’s Pork Rillettes was a continental style delight, not often seen in this part of the world. This was served with a matching chutney (plum, grape etc), salad and toasts. Her completely delicious mains was the Pan Seared Salmon with roast potatoes, pea puree, roast tomatoes and a bourride sauce.

The popular restaurant is well known for its aged beef so I couldn't resist going for the Aged Rib Eye Steak on onions with home cut chips and salad. The steak was moist and tender and one hundred per cent scrumptious, as always.

Our late lunch had turned into an early dinner.No room for dessert but we did manage to finish off that surprise chocolate cake before leaving with large smiles on our faces.

About the Cornstore

The Cornstore Restaurant offers delicious award-winning menus over 2 floors in a lively, Manhattan style surrounding. We specialise in premium Steaks & quality Seafood, award winning cocktails, new world beers & a vast wine selection.

Location

40a Cornmarket Street , Cork

Phone	(021) 427 4777
Email	cork@cornstore.com
Website	http://www.cornstore.com

Punters line-up at Pam's Perry Street Cafe

Perry Street Market Cafe

Good news gets around Cork City quickly if the lunch-time line of customers at the recently opened Perry Street Market Cafe is anything to go by. But Chef Pam Kelly and her team are well prepared for the rush and the line moves quickly and soon you are at your table with your food.

And there is much to choose from. You’ll see the big daily board as you enter the light airy and spacious place and, as you progress up the line, you’ll be further tempted by the well presented food in the display cabinets. And, if you just want a sandwich, well they have a big list of those as well. And they look massive and tempting.

But we were in for a big lunch and boy did we get it and what made it even more satisfying was the fact that the local input is huge here. Names like Ummera, O’Connell’s Fish, Jack McCarthy, G’s Jams and so on feature either on the menu or in the food shop or in both!

I do like my chowder so I picked the O’Connell Seafood Chowder, chock full of chunky bits of fish enhanced by a lovely creamy soup and a gorgeous brown bread. CL was also delighted with her starter: the Creamy Celeriac Soup with Crispy Sage.

She changed her mind in the queue and picked the Quiche for here mains once she saw that it was packed with that fabulous Ummera Smoked Chicken with lots of other good things. It was a great choice. Not that I was disappointed with mine. On the contrary, I was delighted with the Fillet Beef Stroganoff and red rice. The beef was absolutely top notch and besides I also got a brilliant side-salad (that wasn't listed on the board).

Prices are pretty good here, €12.95 for the Stroganoff, €12.50 for the quiche. Service is friendly and excellent. They’ll help you find a seat and indeed it all works very well indeed.

There is a lot of space in the former furniture store and there are a few pop-up shops around the margins (including a Best of Buds outlet) and more to come. Perry Street may be a strange name to many but it’s just at the back of the Savoy so is really city centre. The location is not a problem as the numbers of customers there for lunch on Tuesday underlined.