FOLLÁIN RELISHES

FOLLÁIN RELISHES

Many of you will know that West Cork company Folláin make a range of gorgeous jams. Their blackcurrant and raspberry are particularly good and their blackberry is a gem while the marmalade is a regular on our table.

But did you know they also make some excellent relishes? Tomato, Exotic Fruit, Fire Roasted Pepper feature in the range and I got a chance to sample the Exotic Fruit recently with two other top class West Cork products.

It was something of a supper meal over the weekend and we put the relish together with that excellent smoked duck from Ummera and a salad. Absolutely gorgeous, really tasty and quite filling.

The relish stayed on the table for the next course, basically some crackers and the top-drawer cheese from Gubbeen. Once again, we enjoyed a well balanced combination.

If you want to check out some recommended recipes why not visit the Folláin site here

With that kind of food at hand, wine was called for and I selected a Côtes du Rhone from the dwindling haul we brought back from Provence this summer. You may read all about the Plan de Dieu in the next post.

FOLLÁIN: MO GRÁ MÓR

FOLLÁIN: MO GRÁ MÓR

August in a sunny field picking blackberries. Boys and girls all around. Loads of mature briars growing, lots of black berries. Bees and wasps whizzing. Jar in hands as we push into the briars. A big can standing on the margins, probably the same can that is used to bring the milk from the farmer every evening.

Just a little reverie. Brought on after tasting the magical Blackberry jam made by Folláin in West Cork. It is the real thing. Gorgeous. Just like homemade. The only problem is that it could lead to eating too much bread.

And then I move on to the Blackcurrant in the sample box. That reminded me of the fields of blackcurrants and the gangs of us picking them at Dring’s Farm. And also all the more exotic fruit  in the high walled garden.

Looking forward to eating more of the quality Folláin jams! Perhaps the strawberry will remind me of days at the Rathcooney Fruit Farm. The raspberry of visits to Carriganarra.

By the way, where have all the fruit farms gone? Are there any left in Cork? Well, at least we have Folláin and their marvellous range.

Folláin, the Irish for wholesome, was started close on thirty years ago by Peadar and Máirín O'Lionáird in Cuil Aodha. Didn't realise they have been around since 1983. But they have, and their products, widely available, have won many awards.

They have a smashing website at http://www.follain.ie. It is well worth a visit. It even contains a whole bunch of recipes with loads of ideas of how to use their jams, preserves and relishes.

TOP IRISH CHEESES

HAPPY NEW CHEESE

So many Irish cheeses around these days, you could buy a different one for each and every day of 2011.

Started on the local track, not that I ever strayed too far off it, at our New