JUNK MAIL HITS TARGET

JUNK MAIL HITS TARGET

This morning’s leaflet drop was more interesting than usual; three in all, two food and one wine. Targeted advertising?

Really interested in the Mabel Crawford’s, Cork’s newest restaurant. This is in the Vienna Woods Hotel, where I once worked but such a long long time ago.

This new bistro, at least the room, could well have been there then as it is in a newly discovered room in the old part of the Glanmire Hotel.

An extensive menu covered the back part of the flier. About 14 starters, ranging from €4.50 (soup) to €9.50 (duck confit, haricot beans and beetroot chips).

Just as many main courses. The prices here range from €14.95 (Home made Angus Burger) to €27.95 (Angus fillet steak). There are about eight desserts, priced between six and seven euro.

Must call down sometime.

The other food leaflet was from Eastern Tandoori in Emmet Place, highlighting some current offers including an Early Bird for €15.95. Later, if you spend €35.00, you can get two bottles of Indian lager free. There are a whole lot of dishes here, including some Tandoori which I do like.

Fine Wines from Blackpool were also included in the drop and they say they have 16 new wines just in, all at half-price which is just €3.99. Other cuts have Petit Chablis down from €10.99 to €7.99, Macon Lugny down by the same with St Emilion chopped by a fiver and now costing €11.99.

They also do beers and spirits. Haven’t been there before. Have you? 

Clodagh McKenna opens BLARNEY FARMERS MARKET

BLARNEY FARMERS MARKET 

Clodagh McKenna did the honours this morning as the Blarney Farmers Market, in the grounds of the Blarney Woollen Mills Hotel, was officially opened.

It was a pleasant, if low key affair, the attendance down because of the icy state of the side roads in the area. That didn't stop the stall holders though and there was a fine turn-out, including regulars such as Tom’s Bakery, Manning’s Emporium, Kiwi Hot Coffees, Mealagulla Orchard (selling a welcome mulled apple juice with secret ingredients!) and the fishy pair Mary and Sheila, two of the nicest fishmongers you’ll ever meet.

Clodagh joined in with the carol singers and no doubt there’ll be a demand for the photographs and she also toured the various stalls, shaking hands and having a chat.

Meanwhile, I was doing a bit of shopping and went off home happy with, among other things,  some lovely Durrus cheese from Manning’s, apples from Mealagulla (cookers and eating), a Country Baguette from Tom’s (one of my all time favourites) and, last but not least, a gurnard, courtesy of Sheila and Mary.

Hopefully the weather will be better next Sunday when a special edition of the market will be held (10.00am to 6.00pm). A fun filled day is promised with Kid’s Crafts and demonstrations and a live crib.

LIBERTY GRILL

LIBERTY FOR ALL

Had an early evening reservation for Washington Street’s Liberty Grill yesterday and walked in to find the place full. As I left, about 8.00pm, the second “shift” of customers was arriving. Not bad for a Wednesday evening.

They keep coming to the Liberty because here you get good food, good value and good friendly service, not to mention a decent degree of comfort and the all important “buzz”.

Dishes are not necessarily high end but that doesn't prevent them from being top class. Take my starter for instance: a spiced beef salad with chestnuts. Excellent, innovative. It cost me €8.95 and is also available as a main course.

The Spiced Beef is part of the seasonal specials for December. Liberty, a member of Good Food Ireland, has an extensive menu and it uses these seasonal specials to increase the variety. They are usually worth checking out!

As long as I’ve been coming here, I’ve never had one of their burgers and it is for burgers, and the sheer variety of them, that Liberty is so well known and loved.

I tried the Lamb Burger, served with lettuce, cucumber, tomato and a bowl of fries plus a dip. It was a splendid piece of locally sourced meat, (from Carrigaline, I think). Happy food but good food and all for €13.50.

You have to wait 25 minutes for the lamb burger, 20 for the others. But if you’re having a starter, as I did, you won’t notice the wait and in any case, it is worth it.

WOODSIDE FARM: HOME OF THE PIG

WOODSIDE FARM

Just got to tell you one more thing arising from Thursday’s visit to Mahon Point Farmers Market.

If you want bacon and cabbage like your mother, like your granny, used to make it, then do this. Get on down to Mahon on a Thursday and go to Conroy’s Woodside Farm stall. Buy yourself an appropriate piece of the Dry Cured Ham. And don't forget to get a head of Savoy cabbage, of course.

This cured ham is not cheap but it is unbelievably good. Colour is brighter, taste is fantastic and the meat itself is crunchier (not in the least bit tough!), just like the old days. And you don't have to worry about soaking out the salt overnight.

Conroys run a small family farm in East Cork’s Ballincurrig and here they raise their Pedigree Saddleback and Pedigree Gloucester Old Spot pigs. They, the animals that is, not the Conroys, live outdoor all their lives, eating grass, home grown turnip and kale and locally grown wheat and barley.

The results will be on your plate, simply the best ham and cabbage ever.

This, I promise, is my last post on Mahon for a spell.  (Subject to the never say never factor...) I will be in Blarney this Thursday (11.00am) for the official opening, by Clodagh McKenna, of the local Farmers Market in the grounds of Blarney Woollen Mills.

WILD VENISON BURGERS

Last week's post on Gubbeen's Wild Venison Burgers got some people's attention and there were a number of queries as to stockists.

We checked with Fingal Ferguson of Gubbeen: "We largely only sell the wild venison burgers from our own stall at farmers markets . We do supply a large selection of our products to shops delis and farmers markets around the country. My list is a bit out of date at the moment but the main ones are here http://www.gubbeen.com/cured_meats_avail.htm "

Gubbeen's Whey fed Pork was also on sale at Mahon last week and that too was top class. Check it out here

BORDEAUX v BERGERAC

THE NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOURS: BERGERAC v BORDEAUX

Chateau Laulerie

Over the years Bergerac winemakers have been overshadowed by those of neighbour Bordeaux. When talking up an underdog, it does no harm if you have a couple of heavyweights in your corner. I have.

Hugh Johnson: Bergerac is a good value Bordeaux lookalike.

Robert Joseph: The second class status of Bergerac today owes more to the efforts of Bordeaux merchants to discriminate against it than to the quality of its wines.

Maybe then we should look at Bergerac wines more often and, in fairness, quite a few of our independent wine importers do their bit but are up against the long standing big names of Bordeaux and as we know the big names are usually the big sellers.

As you may guess, I like my Bergeracs, including local stars such as Pecharmant reds and the high class desserts wines of Monbazillac and Saussignac. But there is an opening in the ordinary entry level wines from Bergerac as often your basic Bergerac is better than the basic Bordeaux. Certainly as good.

I enjoyed a couple recently.

Chateau Laulerie, Bergerac 2006 (Merlot-Malbec-Cabernet Franc) 12.5%, 12 months in oak, including six in new oak. Deep red in colour and a promising fruity nose. On the palate it is fruity enough (plums) and reasonably well balanced; it is medium bodied with discreet tannins and a longish finish. PR: 85.

Chateau La Sabatiere Bergerac 2007 (Merlot – Cabernet) Louis Roche Collection bottled at Chateau Monbazillac, 12%. Ruby coloured with red fruit on the nose. It is juicy and slightly spicy, medium bodied and smooth with soft rich tannins and a reasonably long finish. PR: 82

A few days earlier, I tasted a 2006 Claret and a Superieur from the same year and then a 2004 Superieur (from Chateu Meaume, Reserve du Chateau), all Bordeaux. The first two were reasonable wines and the third had more to offer and was possibly on a par with the Bergerac Laulerie.


So if these entry level wines are of much the same standard, what is the incentive for the consumer to switch to Bergerac? The answer to that should be lower prices as Bergerac doesn't command the same level as Bordeaux. So watch out for Bergerac reds (and the whites also) and you should save yourself a few euro without sacrificing quality.

Got my Chateau Laulerie on Brittany Ferries on the way home from the Bergerac area where I had purchased the La Sabatiere (in the boutique at Chateau Monbazillac, a recommended visit if you are in the area). I don’t have a full list of local stockists but know that Karwig Wines and Red Nose Wines carry some Bergerac  wines.

MAHON MARKET DINNER

DINNER FROM MAHON 

Felt good after Saturday night’s dinner, assembled at Thursday’s Mahon Point Farmer’s Market. Felt even better when I read this tweet from Martin Conroy of Woodside Farm : London's New Economics Foundation found £10 spent at local business is worth £25 locally, compared with just £14 when spent in supermarkets.

Well, I reckon I spent about a hundred euro in Mahon. Money makes the world go round so let’s starts the revolution locally. My tenner (I don’t always spend a 100!) and yours goes a long way.

The dinner? Great start with a Roasted Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup, put together on Wednesday night by Flynn's Kitchen. Well suited to the current weather, indeed gorgeous in any weather. Cost: 3 euro for one, five for two. Great soup, great value.

Main Dish was Whey Fed Pork from Gubbeen, along with roasted parsnips and carrots from Ballycurraginny Farm. Great feeling to be able to wash the East Cork soil off the veg, rather than have them sweating when you slit open a plastic bag.

The pork was absolutely fantastic, perhaps the best I’ve tasted in years and went so well with the veg and the potato cakes. The meat, delicious in flavour and so moist, had a ring of fat around it and some of that went to feed the birds Sunday morning, the first “customer” being our regular wren, followed by blackbird, robin, sparrow, finch and the lively tit (who never lingers for long in any one spot).

No dessert as such but enjoyed finishing off the Tipperary Brie, another Mahon purchase. And still there are some bits and pieces left, not least an inviting chunk of bacon from Woodside Farm!

Shop local and eat well. And make the world go round
Another version of this post here at Ireland Online

RED NOSE WINE WARMER

RED NOSE WINE WARMER

Beat the weather and beat the budget too. That’s the message from Gary Gubbins of Red Rose Wine. Gary has arranged the company’s “first proper portfolio tasting” on December 9th at Hickeys Cafe at the historic Westgate in Clonmel.

“We are holding it the week of the budget and we will open a large selection of wines in a social atmosphere. We will have food to match the wonderful wines and maybe even some music. There is no need to sit and listen to me or someone else waffle about wine. This is less talky more drinky.”

“The wines will be open and we are encouraging a social atmosphere on the night. We will update this list on Facebook and Twitter as we add wines to the list. We will take recommendations as well, so let us know and we’ll try to accommodate you.”

The wines to taste include … (the list will evolve as the date arrives)

Brad and Angies Wines (they have been making them since the Romans were there)
Chateau Miraval Clara Lua White
Chateau Miraval Red
Chateau Miraval Rose

Also some Italian Wines

Mirabello Pinot Grigio
Alpha Zeta Corvina 
Borgo Selene Rosso
Villa Tonino Red
Borgo Magredo Frizzante Prosecco
PoggioBello Pinot Grigio
Da Vinci Chianti
Borgo Magredo Prosecco 
Franz Haas Pinot Grigio
Capezzana Barco Reale
Pieropan Soave
Allegrini La Grola
Felluga Pinot Grigio 
Alpha Zeta Amarone

More wines to follow ….

THE WEEKEND CATCH

This is real snow! In the Alps

A bumper Weekend Catch, fresh from the Net.

THE WEEKEND CATCH

Eating out, Eating in 

Restaurant Wine & Food Scene

via Twitter & Facebook

Control and click to follow the links and find out more.

Electric

Electric Sunday Lunch Menu

Electric Sunday Brunch Menu

thinktank_ ThinkTank Consulting by FreckledPast Hotel puts heart and sole into fish shop http://ow.ly/3iL6D <- via @EoinBearla great idea to reach more customers RT @ann_donnelly

Jacobs Onthemall Well ho ho holy God our Classic menu is such good value! Check out www.jacobsonthemall.com for more details on our Christmas Lunch and Evening menus. Get booking, it looks like December is gonna be a busy one! 

Manning's Emporium A Christmas Tasting Saturday, December 4, 2010 at 3:00pm Manning's Emporium

Nash19Cork Nash19 Ho Ho Ho. Open Saturday 27th November and all the following Saturday till Christmas. 8.30 am to 4.30pm Food Shop till 5pm

Augustine's Restaurant Augustine's will be open for Christmas Lunch from 14 Decto 24 Dec inclusive. Book in for a lovely lunch after shopping in town and enjoy a really special time with your mum, your sisters, your family and friends or your business colleagues and partners.
From 12:30-2:30, and for just €27 for 5 divine courses, it'll be the best money ..

Nautilus restaurant Need some comfort on those cold windy nights? Why not visit us for a Savoyarde cheese fondue? the perfect winter food.

The Ambassador Restaurant Folks, the Christmas Lights are on in town and the shops have fantasic gifts galore! If you feel hungry after the browsing and the festive air.....why not call in for nice dinner to end the evening.......we open everyday including Sunday at 5.30pm.

Food Safety Authority of Ireland What do you think of our website? If you’ve got 3 minutes to spare and you’d like to help us improve it, just click here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/273DKYS

 Brook Inn Gift Cards now availlable for the perfect Christmas Present at The Brook Inn... and we're giving one away....just tell us 2 of the main courses on Christmas Party Night Menu (hint check out www.thebrookinn.ie Post your comment here and you will be entered in a draw where the winner will be picked at random. Closing date 6th Dec at 1pm.

THE BOARDWALK BAR & GRILL CORK. LATE BAR & LIVE MUSIC...Every Friday and Saturday till Christmas. Warm welcome of mulled wine awaits you. Enjoy our wonderful Christmas spirit with friends and family. See you here this Friday and Saturday with The Roaring 40's!!!

Wagamama Ireland have you checked out our positive eating menu lately?

side, main and dessert all for €16.95 fresh, nutritious and positively good value for money!

Hayfield Manor Hotel Come visit us this Friday & Saturday in Brown Thomas (Patrick St., Cork). We will have brownies & mince pies to sample and will be selling Hayfield Manor vouchers.... to pre-book a voucher please email: pauloconnell@hayfieldmanor.ie 

- See you there!!

Opening for Irish Apple Companies? SUGARLESS SEVILLE ORANGE MARMALADE

RESTAURANTS AND FOOD IN CORK: SUGARLESS SEVILLE ORANGE MARMALADE

www.corkbilly.com

1046 Christmas recipes - http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipes/christmas-recipes.aspx

Pat_Whelan Pat Whelan I uploaded a YouTube video -- Knife Sharpening http://youtu.be/r0rl0Yl3CJM?a

No.5 Fenns Quay Restaurant Fenns quay christmas puddings €20 why not try before you buy with custard & make your own review !!

Nash 19 Nash 19 Plum Pudding got 9 out of 10 in todays Irish Examiner review.

Thanks Roz we always knew they were special now the whole of Ireland knows too.
Available in store or they can also be delivered next day any where in Ireland. 1 bl €13.50, 2 lb €24.50

Pandora Bell Confectionary Pandora Bell LOVING the Merrion Hotel in Dublin, all the sweet people at Image Magazine and the other inspirational ladies at the Image Businesswoman of the Year Awards x Image www.image.ie

 Control and click to follow the links and find out more.

We search the net, via Twitter and Facebook, each Thursday evening and early Friday morning, for the latest from the Cork restaurant and bar scene. If you don't have either of the above, reach us at cork.billy@gmail.com. Deadline 9.00am Friday.

MAHON POINT FARMERS MARKET

Click on image to enlarge

MAHON POINT FARMERS MARKET

Got a little shock when I looked down on the normal site of the Mahon Point Farmers Market  and saw nothing. Then the iced-up brain crawled into action and a look inside the ground floor of the car park indicated that all was well and that the weather had not beaten the market as there was a goodly supply of stalls and customers doing business away from the slippery surfaces outside.

First business was a hot mouthful and that was a delicious mulled apple juice from Ballyhoura Apple Farm. Impressed and bought myself a couple of bottles.

A bit of a delay then at next stall: McNamara’s Ballycotton Fresh Fish. Quite a few customers here and most were ordering bagfuls. Patience was rewarded and off we went with some enticing fresh hake.

The Gubbeen stall was close at hand and choices here included a chunk of whey fed pork and a pack of venison burgers. A bit of banter and some cooking instructions were also thrown in.

Ballycurraginny Farm is a mustn’t miss stall, both in Midleton and Mahon, and here they had their veg laid out, loads of frosty dirt still clinging to it. Five parsnips for a euro, ten carrots for two. Beat that for goodness and value.

Marks Cheese is another regular call and after a couple of tastings, I picked a brie from Tipperary.

Buttevant’s Old Millbank Smokehouse is a class act and, with the season in mind, we bought a pack of their smoked salmon. It has an early January date but may well be gone before then, may well be gone before Christmas.

Woodside Farm specialises in the pig and gives you loads of info on the product and how to get the best out of it. We lingered a while here before heading off with some of their flavoured sausages and a big piece of bacon.

Man does not live by bread alone but you gotta have some and Arbutus provided an inviting round sourdough. This producer never disappoints.

Hot stuff is the order of the day as the cold tightens its grip and so it was an easy decision to buy a couple of soups from the award winning Flynn's Kitchen. Of course, they do much more than soup and that leaves us with an excuse to go back again. Not that I ever need much of an excuse to visit Mahon Point Farmer’s Market.

SUGARLESS SEVILLE ORANGE MARMALADE (2)

Tipperary apple grower Cornelius Traas of Tipp's Apple Farm has been in touch after our recent article where apple juice concentrate was used in the making of marmalade instead of sugar. (read original post (a short one) here)

Cornelius wrote: "We now have one apple grower (Calderpotts Highbank Farm and Orchard near Kilkenny) making an apple juice concentrate that could be used as a sugar substitute like you suggest Billy. However, the low cost of Chinese concentrate (which is probably what Meridian are using) compared to the high cost of growing the apples and making the concentrate here would probably push that jar up by about 4 euros, almost trebling the price to the consumer. At the moment I use the Highbank apple syrup in Glenilen natural yoghurt. Beautiful, and a great way to get small kids to eat natural yoghurt." 


Reply: Thanks for that. Can't beat inside knowledge. I was just highlighting it in case there was an opportunity. 

Cornelius: "And I would not rule it out in the future Billy. Things change over time, and we may become more competitive as our costs fall and their costs rise. It's good to be considering things all the time." 


Just in case you don't know, Cornelius makes what I consider one of the best Irish artisan products. It is a Sparkling Apple Juice. Do yourself a favour and try it out.

CRAFT (and GOOD FOOD) AT RDS

Good Food Ireland has 30 members businesses selling their own artisan food produce at the Craft Fair in the RDS which started yesterday and runs till Sunday. With the extreme weather conditions I am asking if you could spread the word to anyone living in the local area and it is safe for them to travel to the RDS to please go and support and meet these amazing local food heroes, the people behind these indigenous food businesses.

They have travelled from the four corners of Ireland from as far away as Lisdoonvarna, Kanturk and  Enniskillen and selling at this show which would normally be a huge sales platform and key calendar event, is integral to their continued survival in this current environment.

The Craft Fair is the sharpest, hippest and most wonderful event in Irish gift shopping. Customers will feast their eyes on a huge range of local Irish produce, the perfect Christmas shopping. Of course not only is the show about Good Food Ireland businesses there are fabulous Craft producers there too so overall it is really well worth the trip.

FIFTY FINEST FROM AUSTRALIA

Good company for me: Maurice O'Mahony (centre) and Darren Calnan (right)

OZ TOUR DE FIFTY AT SCHOOL OF MUSIC

Cork’s School of Music, one of the city’s newest gems, played hosts to the wines of New World producer Australia last night as local wine scribe Blake Creedon orchestrated a tasting of Australia’s fifty finest.

Blake (who hosted the event with Wine Australia’s Johnny McDonnell), delighted to be dispensing actual wine instead of advice (as he does in his Examiner column and in his blog, admitted that the fifty was  a bit of a misnomer as he had been “forced”, to our advantage, to include some sixty five.

Well, 65 of the top Australian wines, some tasty bites provided by the in-house cooks, live piano music in the background and the chatting and sipping among pleasant company all made for a lovely evening. And a special word too for the people from O’Donovan’s wines, who staffed the stands; they were knowledgeable, helpful, courteous and friendly.

Started off with a taste of “an accomplished sparkler that single-handedly introduced the world to enjoyable fizz at approachable prices”: NV Jacobs Creek Chardonnay Pinot Noir Brut Cuvee.

Then concentrated on a series of Rieslings, eight in all. My top two were: 2009 Knappstein 8;8;18, Clare Valley and the 2006 Pikes, Clare Valley. And just behind were 2008 Penfolds Bin 51, South Aus, along with the 2008 Pewsey Vale, Eden Valley.

As Johnny McDonnell had mentioned at the opening, the Australian Chardonnay has come a long long way from the big aromatic in your face types that gave the grape a bad name a decade or so ago. And his point was well illustrated by Blake’s selection here, about eight excellent examples.

Not a dud amongst them, all fairly closely matched. If I had to, I’d go for these four: 20054 Stonier; 2008 Xanadu Next of Kin; 2004 Brown Brothers and the 2007 Lindemans Bin 65.

The first of the red tables kept the best until the last. The 2008 Heartland Dolcetto Lagrein (Langhorne Creek) was at the end of the line and it was well worth the wait, though the 2006 Pikes Loccio Sangiovese wasn’t half bad either.

I keep getting drawn back to the Margaret River and this time the one that grabbed my undivided attention was the 2003 Clairault Estate Cabernet Merlot, “a glossy sensuous Bordeaux blend”.

Blake is strong on Shiraz and this was reflected in the selection of quite a few, some blended with Viognier. Not too easy to pick from the eight or nine on offer. I would settle for any of these four: 2007 Penfolds Bin 128; 2007 Langmeil Hanging Snakes (Shiraz/Viognier), 2007 Tim Adams and the 2006 Jim Barry Lodge Hill.

It wouldn’t be an Australian night without a sticky end and I finished with a “heady flourish of candied citrus fruits, honey and marmalade”. Not sure if it is all true but I couldn't have put it better myself if I had to describe the fantastic 2007 Tamar Ridge Kayena Vineyard Botrytis Riesling from Tasmania. What a sweet sweet devil!