Why Not Take the Dungarvan Brewery Tour!

Why Not Take the Dungarvan Brewery Tour!

Tours to the Dungarvan Brewing Company started last Friday, with Claire and Cormac doing the honours.  It is the first of what is billed as a summer series and you can get further info here.

It is well worth it. The tour caters both for the person with a casual interest in the process and for those with more technical interests. Cormac, who learned the “trade” through his home brewing, is the man for the technical stuff.

He took us through the various malts and hops that they use. Malted barley, for instance, is nothing more or less than barley "soaked in warm water". That is your basic ingredient but then there are various degrees of malting, right up to “roasted”, essentially burnt. This latter has a coffee taste and aroma - you do get to touch and taste it - and is used in their stouts, concluding my favourite Coffee and Oatmeal, a winter stout.

He explained the use of hops. Hops used early in the process is mainly for bitterness while it increases flavour when added in the later stages. Challenger is their basic hops but they also use the well known (and much in demand) Cascade with its more concentrated flavours (which means you use less of it).

The glamour side of the drinks business, demonstrated by brewer Cormac

Claire, one of two accredited Beer Sommeliers at the brewery (husband Tom is the other), then introduced us to the company's beers. What a great line-up they have!

Pale Ale fans are well catered for and Claire started with the Comeragh Challenger, a seasonal English Pale Ale. “Floral, light… easy-drinking..” she said. And so it proved.

The Cascade hops are used in Helvick Gold, a regular in the portfolio. This popular Irish Pale Ale is full bodied, generously hopped and “good with seafood”.

Next up was an American Pale Ale style called Mine Head, also featuring the Cascade hops. It has citrusy flavours and is not as bitter as an IPA and is great with food.

Perhaps the best known of the Dungarvan beers in restaurants is their Copper Coast Irish Red Ale. This will tell you that it is an excellent food beer. And Claire had the perfect match, producing the lovely organic Brewer’s Gold Cheese by the Little Milk Company. This locally produced cheese is washed a few times during production with Copper Coast!

Then on to the Blackrock Stout, a favourite since Dungarvan was founded four years back. Here the roasted malt was prominent and it went very well indeed with the dark chocolate that was handed around and quickly scoffed.

All the beers are traditionally brewed and bottled on-site in Dungarvan, and made using only four ingredients – barley, hops, yeast and water. No chemicals are added to the beers, they are unfiltered, unpasteurised and vegan-friendly. The core range consists of three beers – Black Rock Irish Stout, Copper Coast Irish Red Ale and Helvick Gold Irish Blonde Ale – which are complemented with a selection of seasonal and festival beers throughout the year.

It has been a terrific four years for the brewery and production has been boosted recently, a major factor being the pre-Christmas installation of a mechanical bottling plant (previously, it had all been done by hand!). Now that capacity has increased, so too can the volume and the export market is being explored with sales to Italy, the UK, Scandinavia, Germany and even further afield on the horizon.

The Brewery was the final stop in a "foodie" mini-tour to the east from Cork City. See a short account of the other stops here.

Cascade hops

Satellite Merlot

Satellite Merlot. Lussac Saint-Emilion

Chateau Haut-Jamard 2011, 12.5%, €8.00.

Chateau Busquet 2008, 13%, €13.35.

Chateau Lucas, Grand Cuvée de Lucas Cuvée Prestige 2010, 14%, €12.35.

You like Merlot in a Bordeaux blend? But how much of it?

If you buy a bottle in Lussac, one of the four satellite towns of St Emilion, you’ll have a choice. Take the three bottles above, for instance. All are from Lussac and all have Merlot but the amount in the blend ranges from 50% in the last to 80% in the first!

Generally you won't know from the bottle. In a conversation with a French wine worker in the Dordogne a few years back, it was suggested that France had lost out in world markets because it didn't have the variety on the label. The man, a Serb who had settled locally, was fed up with such suggestions. “Around here we can use up to 13 varieties. How are we going to get all of them on the label?” A not unreasonable reaction.

But things could be changing. Chateau Lucas had the blend on the label and it was fifty fifty Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Jamard is 80 Merlot, 15 Cab Sauv and 5 Cab Franc while Busquet is 60 Merlot, 30 Cab Franc and 10 Cab Sauv. Quite a difference between the three.

Must say I preferred the Lucas and not just because of its motto: Sans Ceres et Bacchus, Venus est de glace. My translation: Without Ceres (food) and Bacchus (wine), Venus (love) is ice. We need a little of all three. In any event, I would be disposed to a wine in which Merlot and Cab Franc are major constituents.

And some love has already been expended on this wine as it comes with three silver medals to its credit. Harvesting is manual and they've come up with a near perfect blend, full and balanced and generous of flavour, with a lovely long finish.

Who's for the washing up?

The Haut-Jamard is the youngest of the three and quite a pleasant wine. On the palate it is round, tannins present but quite soft and again the finish is long.

All three are aromatic, the Busquet perhaps a bit more pronounced. This is smooth and mildly spicy, really well balanced, the tannins present but almost unnoticeable.

All three were bought last month in the Maison des Vins in St Emilion itself. While the blend info does not generally appear on the bottles, they had mini-info cards mounted alongside each bottle that gave the breakdown and other info such as the appellation and the soil type.

The other three satellites of St Emilion are Montagne, Puisseguin and St Georges. “At their best, the wines from these areas are every bit as good as a Saint-Emilion grand cru. At their worst, they are attenuated and rustic.” I quote from the Wines of Bordeaux by Clive Coates. This was published in 2004.

Rustic is often used when speaking of lesser known appellations, often applied to the likes of Listrac and Moulis as well. But times have changed as Coates noticed in 2004 “the last few years have seen an encouraging increase in quality”.

Indeed, he also had good things to say about the Lucas wines. And the prices are attractive. Three bottles from the satellites cost me €33.70 while three from main AOC came to €64.75, not a very scientific comparison admittedly. But do watch out for quality good value wines from Lussac in places like Mitchell’s, Curious Wines, Tindals and Le Caveau.

* By the way, I have updated the 2014 list of favourite wines here.

Taste of the Week: Joe's Farm Crisps

Joe's Farm Crisps

Joe's Farm Crisp: Beetroot, Parsnip and Carrot.

If you are a regular market goer,  you'll probably know of Ballycurraginny Farm from Killeagh. They sell their locally grown vegetables at Mahon Point (Thursdays) and Midleton (Saturdays).                                

In recent weeks, a brown paper bag has appeared among the potatoes and the cabbages. Its humble appearance hides a tasty gem, dozens of them. I missed out once or twice before getting my hands on a bag of Joe's Farm Crisps, grown and cooked on the farm by Sandra Burns.

Must admit I did't know quite what to expect and was delighted with them, very flavoursome crisps indeed. Made from beetroot, parsnip and carrot, they are delicious and our Taste of the Week! Check them out at the markets or contact the farm at 087-6329334 or by email at sandra@joesfarmcrisps.ie

Clodagh’s Homemade. A Book for All Seasons

Clodagh’s Homemade. A Book for All Seasons.

Homemade! Not much good having a great cookbook unless you put it to good use. CL couldn't wait to try Clodagh's Baked Ricotta Cake on page 92. And not just any ricotta. The cheese for this came from Friday's visit to the remarkable Toons Bridge Dairy near Macroom. The few raspberries were salvaged after the raids of the greedy back garden blackbirds. Clodagh says this cake lasts for ten days. Wanna bet? Yum!

Top chef Clodagh McKenna presented a full meal of dishes from her recipe book Homemade at a packed Crawford Gallery Cafe last Thursday evening. From the delightful opening dips to a sweet tooth satisfying dessert, the meal was gorgeous. Great company and great food. What more would you want? Well, maybe a copy of the book. No problem, as that was included in the fee.

In these well illustrated pages, you’ll find everything from the everyday snack to the special occasion meal. Here too you’ll discover a great variety of styles drawn from Clodagh’s experiences from living, cooking and eating in Italy, France, New York, Cork and Dublin.

Originally from Kerry Pike (County Cork), she is now of the leading Irish chefs (two restaurants of her own), and also one of the leading food writers (four books of her own, guest editor and columnist in prestigious magazines). In addition, she enhanced her burgeoning reputation recently by revamping the Aer Lingus food offering, designing all their menus.

Pesto Ricotta Tart at The Crawford

The very pleasant evening started with three dips, the spicy Egyptian Dukkah, the Moroccan Zaalouk (aubergine based) and my favourite the Tuscan influenced White Bean Dip (Cannellini beans).

Moved on then to the Pesto Ricotta Tart, beautifully presented. She learned this in Italy. This is “also great for lunch or as a starter served with a green salad. Seasonal too as you can use different vegetables in the autumn”. By the way, many of you can now get your hands on that delightful buffalo ricotta by Toons Bridge Dairy and yes Clodagh has quite a few ricotta recipes included in the book!

Next course was her Spicy Crab Linguine. Looked innocent enough but it did pack a good punch of flavour, the spice provided by red chilli. “It’s fantastic if you can get fresh crab, but there are also great companies selling vacuum-packed cooked crab.”

Dessert at The Crawford Gallery Cafe

The Apple stuffed loin of pork also went down well and then it was time for the eye-catching dessert of Rose Water and Raspberry Jellies. Conversation were getting livelier all the time as the enjoyable evening drew to a close with a cup of excellent Golden Bean Coffee.

Just time then for some book signing by Clodagh. It is quite a comprehensive book and includes a section devoted to the Divine Dinner Party. But there is also a Simple Everyday section that includes how to make a homemade ketchup, jams, and tips for your lunch-box. The main section covers Food for Family and Friends with everything from a Relaxed Sunday Lunch to a Cosy Fireside Supper covered. Lots of tips too on buying food, this practical book costs €19.99. Read all about it here.

Well done Clodagh. And well down too to Sinead and her team at the Crawford Gallery Cafe. If you're in town and looking for a snack or lunch, why not check them out.

Clodagh, Yours Truly and CL

Amuse Bouche

As Best drove through Manchester, he would find himself tailgated by drivers and could escape them only by breaking a succession of red lights. Wherever he went he was hassled for his signature. He couldn’t eat a restaurant meal without interruption. It reached a stage where Best wouldn’t bother to have a starter… He’d choose a main course and hope he’d finish it before being bothered. To eat three courses, Best would have had to order in three different places and run from one to the other.

from Immortal (The Approved Biography of George Best) by Duncan Hamilton.

Tapas, Musica, Vino in the City

Tapas, Musica, Vino in the City

Last Sunday, we joined the Campo Viejo Tapas Trail in Cork and soon we saw why this now annual event has enjoyed such remarkable success, the events sold out (and with long waiting lists) in both Cork and Dublin. First you have the wine, the Campo Viejo 2008 Reserva, also specially commissioned art in each venue, then you have the excellent food at the restaurants and invariably good company and a guide, like our Paul, who pulls it all together with good grace and good humour.

Sunday’s “gang” (there is also a Wednesday trail) joined up at the remarkable Arthur Maynes Wine Bar in the city and the ice was broken with a welcome glass of cava by Campo Viejo. Paul introduced himself and soon each of us had a glass of the Reserva in hand.

Then came the tapas, a selection of three: bruschettas and dips, a lovely chorizo stew and a very popular dish of rustic patatas. This set the pattern for our first three visits; the fourth would be for dessert. There are four groups on the trail, each starting and finishing at a different restaurant. Had we finished at Arthur Maynes, we would have been been treated to Lemon Posset and Fresh Strawberries.

Great platter at Oysters

There were a few on- street stops as well, not for food but for a little local history from our guide. Perhaps his most interesting story was that of Cork born Dr James Miranda Barry. She was born Margaret Ann Bulkley, at the end of the 18th century, before going on to have a remarkable career as a male doctor with the British army. An amazing story. Check the Wikipedia version here.

A big welcome awaited us at Oysters and a classy platter of Savoury Tapas. Loved those pickled fennel and carrot but perhaps the highlights were the Sea Trout (with dill mayonnaise), the spicy Crab, and the American Style Meatloaf. Another group would enjoy their dessert menu: Cafe Gourmand and three miniatures of Chocolate Fondant, Champagne Sorbet and "Flambe" Pineapple.

Paul then illustrated the rise and rise of street art, reminding us that the original artists were fined for their efforts and now they are being paid. How times change. Soon we were in Electric and their three tapas were Tre Arancini Formaggi, Panko Crab Cakes and Moroccan Lamb Meatballs.

Arthur Maynes (left) and Electric

Paul had some vocal competition in Cornmarket Street but got his story told and then there was a musical welcome (by Treble Clef) at the Cornstore where Mags O’Connor greeted us and showed us to our seats and our deserts of Chocolate Negusse, Lemon Roulade and Vanilla & White Chocolate Cheesecake. Had we started here, we would have enjoyed Vietnamese Beef Brochette, Wild Mushroom Risotto Beignet, Smoked Mackerel Feuillett.

The wine throughout was the Campo Viejo Reserva, mainly Tempranillo but with some Graciano and Mazuelo in the blend. Smooth and fruity and with a long finish, and also very versatile as we discovered at the various venues on Sunday, it is widely available in all the major supermarkets, O’Brien’s (where it is currently on offer) and off licences nationwide. RRP is €14.31.

The art on this year’s trail is by renowned illustrator Steve Simpson. His stunning piece, evocative of the sun and the colours of Spain, is in four quadrants and each restaurant had one quadrant and the titles were Musica, Hola, Fiesta and Tapas. See the full art story and read more about the Tapas trails here.

Sweet things at the Cornstore

Food Award for Ballineen's Wildberry Bakery

Press release:

Food Award for Wildberry Bakery

Minister for Agriculture, Marine and Food, Simon Coveney T.D. last week presented Wildberry Glutenfree Products with the inaugural Food Sensory Experience Award sponsored by Sensory Research Ltd (SRL).

The award, which was presented at the Cork and Kerry Food Forum and includes a €500 bursary with SRL consultancy, pushed the boundaries of the food sensory experience and tested products incorporating as all five senses of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch.

“At Sensory Research Ltd, we specialise in product understanding through the application of sensory and consumer research, providing industry with business and technical solutions for confident decision-making. Our judges have many years’ experience in food tasting and have gained a vast store of knowledge assessing food products for both national and international clients,” said Margaret Shine, Founder and Managing Director of SRL Research.

“This award will assure consumers that they have found something exceptionally delicious with Wildberry Glutenfree Products, which delivers great quality and value, an overall ‘Excellent Food Sensory Experience’,” she added

Yawl Bay Cooked Irish Crab Claws and Harty’s Preserves were also presented with certificates for food excellence.

“The Cork and Kerry Food Forum, in partner with SRL Consultancy,  awarded the first ever Food Sensory Experience Award in Ireland to Wildberry Glutenfree Products, which is something that we are very proud of. These awards celebrate the kind of food we all love to eat: interesting, authentic, great quality and value, and above all delicious. I would like to thank SRL for their professional consultation and help in this endeavour,” said Joe Burke, LEO South Cork.

“We are delighted to have been awarded the Food Sensory Experience Award and are looking forward to working with SRL to develop our brand further,” said Susan Robbins-Fehily, Wildberry Bakery.

The Cork and Kerry Food Forum –the largest artisan farmers market in the region- was attended by four thousand people on 30 June in City Hall, Cork where more than 60 artisan producers from across Cork and Kerry showcased their produce.

International Wine and Food Society On Tour

International Wine and Food Society On Tour

Joined fellow members of the Munster Branch of the IWFS on tour last Friday and we headed west for a trip that included two cheese stops, one brewery call and a terrific meal in Heather, the new Gap of Dunloe restaurant.

Did someone say cheese?

Remarkable Toons Bridge Dairy

First port of call was to the Toons Bridge Dairy near Macroom. Here we heard how a pub conversation, between Toby Simmonds of the Real Olive Company and farmer Johnny Lynch, led to the acquisition of a herd of Water Buffalo. A few years later, they are gradually getting the herd numbers up to an amount that will enable them manage an even supply of the remarkable cheeses, including the freshest Mozzarella you’ll ever taste, Halloumi, Ricotta and, wait for it, Buffalo Blue.

We had a gorgeous caprese salad here, followed by a plateful of cheese and charcuterie and there was even dessert. Must say I love the organisers’ idea of a “light lunch”. A tour of the dairy followed and then farmer Johnny Lynch took us to see the herd. The big placid animals wowed the visitors but Johnny kept the best 'til last and there were uncountable oohs and aahs as the "little" calves, one just four days old, were revealed in their stalls.

Some of the IWFS group

Coolea wheels in brine

 Coolea Country

Soon we were even deeper into the countryside as the next stop was at Coolea Cheese up in the hills above Ballyvourney. Here our host was Dicky Willems, who told us how, in the late 70s, his parents moved to Ireland and eventually to Coolea. Dicky, then a ten year old, joined in with the local community and was soon fluent in English and Irish, Irish that has not gone rusty as the kids now keep him up to date.

The cheese venture came about because the Willems couldn't find any cheese here other than cheddar and his  mother started on a very small family scale with a little pot. But now Coolea is a big name and much of the output is sold at the famous Neal's Yard in London while in Ireland Sheridan’s are the major customer.

The cheese was to be called Milleens after the local townland but that was knocked on the head as the Steeles, further west on the Beara peninsula and living in a townland of the same name, had just started making a cheese called Milleens. And so the Coolea brand was born.

It is a lovely cheese and we enjoyed the tasting. I preferred the 18 month mature one but quite a few loved the creamier seven month version.

Tasting time!

Brewer Gordon turns tour guide.

The saint, the deer, and a brand new beer

St Gobnait is the local saint in Ballyvourney and, like St Vincent in wine, may yet become the patron saint of craft brewers. Certainly, the infant brewery set up by Don and Gordon, has hopes of help from on high and their name, the Nine White Deer, is based on a Gobnait story which had her traipsing around Ireland to find a place with nine white deer and, you've guessed it, that place was Ballyvourney, long a land of song and legend.

Legends aside, the new brewery is very very impressive, loads of space and state of the art equipment, including a streamlined efficient brewing line and also an on site bottling and labeling facility.

Already, their gorgeous ale is gaining fans locally and gained a few more on Friday when the visitors tasted Stag Ban. We’ll be on the lookout for the bottles further afield and also for their other beers in the future; a stout (with oatmeal from Macroom Mills) is among those planned. Soon, they’ll have a shop at the brewery, another excuse to stop on the Cork-Killarney Road. Maybe, like Gobnait, you’ll linger a while.

Don tells the 9 White Deer story

Smoked mackerel starter in Heather

 Wined and Dined in Heather at The Gap

Denis Pio and his wife Ailish welcomed us to Heather, the new restaurant at Moriarty’s in the Gap of Dunloe. The chefs had put together an exciting tasting menu to “show off the best of our seasonal and local produce” and Donie O’Brien of Eno Wines had carefully selected wines to match.

I was at Heather a few weeks back and was delighted with the visit and food as you can here. They don’t normally do evening meals but Friday’s special showed that the Heather team is more than capable. Already, they have added a Sunday brunch to their options and customers can expect evening specials from time to time. And all will be based on terrific local produce coming from producers in both Kerry and Cork and indeed from their own polytunnel.

I don't want to bother you with too much detail of the meal but can genuinely say that it was top class from start to finish and well done too to Donie O’Brien for his choice of wines. All the dishes were superb. The hake was class but perhaps my favourite was the rather unusual lamb dish, the unusual cut and the yoghurt marinade a delight.

The Menu

Quinlan’s Smoked Mackerel with homemade Rhubarb chutney and Brown Soda Bread.

Leitz Riesling.

Pan Fried Atlantic Hake with Fennel, Roasted peppers and Salsa Verde.

Huber Gruner Veltliner.

Ring of Kerry Lamb steak marinated with Valentia Dairy Yoghurt and served with homemade Wild Sorrel tabbouleh

Baron de Ley Rioja Reserva.

Gubbeen Charcuterie and Knockatee Cheese platter

Terra Noble Carmenere Gran Reserva

Classic Lemon Tart served with fresh Farranfore strawberries

Santa Sofia Recioto della Valpolicella Classico 2007.

Hake at Heather

The Wine and Food Society are planning their next outing and if you would like to become a member then contact Aoife (treasurer) mccanaoife@gmail.com. Other officers are Richie Scott (assistant treasurer), Beverley Matthews (secretary) and Greg Canty (chairman).

Top Food and Drink Posts

Top Food and Drink Posts

(12 months to end of June 2014)

Schull Country Market, new to the list.

1 Happy Gaggle of Wine Geese

2 Happy New Beer at The Cotton Ball

3 Electric. Easy to book. Hard to leave.

4 The Square Table - Great Addition to Blarney

5 Dining Al Fresco at Cobh’s Titanic Bar

6 Tapas at The Greenroom

7 The Chapel Steps Celebrates

8 Pride of Ireland Awards 2013/14

9 Dining in Style at Pier 26

10  Jack McCarthy Butchers. An Afternoon in Kanturk.

11 Schull Country Market

Art, Craft and Food Naturally at Ballymaloe

Art, Craft and Food Naturally at Ballymaloe

Palais de Poulets

Ballymaloe is a working farm, producing magic by the moment. I went through the looking glass last Wednesday and, in a few short hours, sampled this incredible place.

With Colm McCan as our guide, we passed the Palais des Poulets and stepped into a one acre bubble where all kinds of vegetables grow organically under the warm shelter. And so too do a selection of vines, though even the enthusiastic Colm knows that more magic will be needed if the fruit of these East Cork plants is to be turned into wine.

A fertile Allen imagination is at work in the calm warm place. One segment of the shelter has a newly laid carpet, of grass. Here later in the month, one hundred people will sit down for the Long Table Dinner, a night of fine food and conviviality.

Under cover clockwise from bottom left:
tomatoes, passionfruit flower, Colm with grapes,
and borage in the herb garden

Many tales illustrate the 30 year old story of Darina Allen’s Cookery School and we mingle with the students for lunch. The starter is pea soup. Sounds mundane enough. But it was excellent and the main course, with the Belly Bacon an outstanding feature, was incredibly delicious.

And the magic was sweetly evident on the dessert plate, emphasized by that natural cream from the Jersey cows, a memory of good times past but very much part of the present reality here in Ballymaloe, provided by six Jerseys that yield the milk for the table and for the students to make their butter, cheese and yoghurts.

Man does not live by bread alone, though I could think of a worse diet than that emanating from the Ballymaloe ovens. Colm now directed us to the gardens, starting with the herb garden, based on the legendary gardens of Villandry. May not have quite the scope of the Loire chateau but Ballymaloe has its surprises, including that unforgettable After Eight Mint (one of many varieties, including Banana and Orange).

Dinner. Check out that Jersey cream on the dessert plate!

Soon we were into the herbaceous border, a magnificent example of the type, and heading for the  Shell House, hardly a house, just a very small building but unforgettable. Here, some 20,000 shells have been artistically arranged (by Blott Kerr Wilson in 1995). You'll never look at mussel shells or scallop shells in the same way again. The gardens and shell house are open to the public and there is a charge.

Back in the main house, built around the remains of a 15th century Fitzgerald castle, part of which still stands, we went down to the wine cellar in the rock on which the buildings stand. Here lay treasure! Colm handled some of the great wines of the world with care and, like a good Corkman, I just looked, eyes and mouth open!

Time now for a reviving cup of coffee and where else would you go but to the tig beag, the roasting house of Mark and Golden Bean, right next to the well known wine and entertainment venue, the Grain Store. Mark was roasting a few kilograms of Ethiopian beans so we waited for the crack and soon we were sampling, via his AeroPress, the freshest coffee we had ever tasted. Mark, by the way, has a new outlet for his excellent coffee and soon you'll be able to buy and drink it at the Princes’ Street store, just opened (02/07/14), by The Rocket Man.

Mussel shells in small sample from Shell House

Now for a little cultural exercise, in the environs of the house and the field outfront. Colm introduced us to Richie Scott, the exhibition's coordinator. Richie would be our knowledgeable guide on the sculpture trail which features a walk into the middle of the cornfield to see some of the exhibits.

Richie first assembled FORM for Mount Juliet last year and now this revised version will be in Ballymaloe until September 28th. There is something for everyone here: some humorous pieces, some severe, large scale pieces and small, abstract and figurative. You may not like every piece but do bring the kids and let them loose; take your time as you walk around and let your eye wander and allow the magic in.

My favourite, in this first walkabout, was perhaps Holger Lonze, especially The Large Seabird. Enjoyed too the quirky pieces, mainly in Kilkenny Limestone, by Eileen McDonagh. And what about that stranded surfboard, high and dry at the base of the big tree? Go see for yourself. No charge.

Almost ready. Mark checks a roast.

After quite a packed few hours it was time to say goodbye. But we’ll soon be back. Already the first date is confirmed. On Thursday, 24th July, at 7.00pm, a Krug Champagne tasting with Nicole Burke, Krug USA Brand Ambassador, will be held in the Ballymaloe Cookery School (note venue). Contact colm@ballymaloe.ie for further details and bookings.

And all that magic? Probably the usual formula: 5% inspiration, 95% perspiration.

Some upcoming Ballymaloe events

Ballymaloe Garden Festival, August 30th and 31st. www.ballymaloe.ie

Feel Good Food: Let’s Cook, one day course with Chef and Nutritionist Debbie Shaw at the Cookery School, Monday July 21st. www.cookingisfun.ie

Master It with Rory O’Connell, Two Day Course which sees Rory teaching a slection from his book. Wednesday Jul;y 30th to Friday Augist 1st.  www.cookingisfun.ie

On the FORM trail.