HAPPY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR

Got a sentimental card here for you

THE WEEKEND CATCH

Don't forget the birds!

A bumper Weekend Catch, fresh from the Net  

THE WEEKEND CATCH

Restaurant Wine & Food Scene

via Twitter & Facebook

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

Nash19Cork Nash19 

Back in stock, Green Saffron Mulled wine spice blend. One packet and

UMMERA GOLD

UMMERA SMOKED PRODUCTS

If I had to make a short list of the top ten artisan foods, then Ummera’s Smoked  products would be up there, probably in the top five. Luckily I don’t have to make any such list which would also include the Sparkling Apple Juice of Tipperary’s Apple Farm, the Venison Burgers of Gubbeen, the Country Baguette made by Tom’s Bakery in Kinsale and the most recent arrival Iain Flynn’s Cannelloni Spinach and Ricotta.

Just wandering through the

BALLYMALOE WINE EVENTS 2011

Can't get out and about to buy your presents. Don't worry. Here is one solution. Ballymaloe have gift vouchers for their 2011 wine events:

Upcoming wine events at Ballymaloe House

Gift vouchers available – the ideal gift for the wine lover

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Winemaker Dinner with Tom Portet, from Penfolds Wines, Australia

Thursday 24^th February 2011

Famous for its award-winning wines, Penfolds wines have won numerous national and international awards.  Join with winemaker, Tom Portet, as he leads us through a range of Penfolds wines, with a  matching dinner menu to his wines. Special Dinner, including specially chosen Penfolds wines. 8.00pm reception, followed by dinner with wines €75

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Ballymaloe Wine Weekend Courses Introduction to Wine Appreciation with

THE WEEKEND CATCH

A bumper Weekend Catch, fresh from the Net.

THE WEEKEND CATCH

Restaurant Wine & Food Scene

via Twitter & Facebook

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

market1788 Paul @CorkBilly St. Lukes Choir in English Market @ 5.30 Saturday Spiced beef tastings for punters - proceeds Marymount Hospice

Nash19Cork Nash19 Back in

MARKET GALLOP

Mahon today, before the rain came

MARKET GALLOP 

Made a flying visit to the Mahon Point Farmers Market  this morning. Thanks to the

LEESIDE TO HELP SIMON COMMUNITY

Padraig O'Sullivan of Leeside AFC has been in touch: “We are

KARWIG FOR DESSERT WINES (even Olive Oil)

KARWIG FOR DESSERT

Looking for something to drink with your festival dessert? Then, I suggest you call down to Karwig Wines  in Carrigaline as they have quite a large selection, featuring wines from Germany, Hungary, France, Australia....

I was there for that very purpose this morning and got a warm welcome and advice, not to mention a tasting or two, from busy Emily and later met Joe Karwig himself and wife Betty, always in great form. Must say though the first friendly greeting was from the family dog!

My to-get list included a German Eiswein and that box was ticked with the purchase of a Dexheimer Sonnenberg Scheurebe Eiswein 2004, ABV 9.5%. The grape variety here is the Scheurebe and the wine has a golden colour, showing layers of apricot, pineapple and passion fruit. The sweetness and fruit is beautifully balanced by crisp acidity. An ideal companion for fine desserts and blue cheeses or simply on its own.

This Eiswein, much lower in alcohol, is nowhere near as heavy or as “sticky” as your Sauternes or Tokaji. It has its own admirable lighter qualities and indeed may be better with the dessert than some of the “stickies” which can sometimes overpower the dessert and are often best drunk on their own, maybe just after the pudding!

We did get to taste one of

MAHON POINT FARMERS MARKET

CHARITY TO BENEFIT AS MAHON POINT FARMERS MARKET LINKS ON LINE WITH LOCAL MARKETS.IE

Food connoisseurs of Cork now have access to Ireland's best Farmers Market 24 hours a day, 7 days a week thanks to www.localmarkets.ie.  

For foodies with a passion ­ the website even has links providing up to date information about the news and events taking place at the market. 

To mark the launch of the

SUPERB SOUP

  Colum O'Regan, Horizon Organic Farm, Supplier to Just Food

BLESSED BE THE SOUPMAKERS 

Three cheers for our artisan soupmakers. They make us full. They make us warm. Especially these cold days.

I’m thinking of three in particular: Just Food , Flynn's Kitchen and Cully & Sully. And they don't stop at soup. They also make other delicious products – just click on their sites to check it out.

I recently picked up a

BUYING IRISH

BUYING IRISH

NEED TO BE AWARE & AWAKE

Must admit I don't always have the green flag wrapped around me when I’m shopping, even for food. But If the Irish product has the quality and is price competitive, then I’ll

FIRST SWEET STEPS

Never know what you'll see in an Austrian field!

FIRST SWEET STEPS    

Unless you can get yourself to a tasting, you’ll have to fund your first steps into sweet or dessert wine. And quite a few of these can be

NASH 19

NASH 19

Always a pleasure to visit Nash 19 and yesterday’s lunch time date with two colleagues was no exception as a warm welcome was followed by some top notch food and service, including a drop or two of mulled wine.

Quite a few of you will have seen Tipperary’s Crowe's Farm  featured in RTE’s Ear to the Ground earlier in the week. And their bacon was the main feature of my lunch. It was served with, among other things, an apricot chutney, and the combination was first class.

Will be watching out for