Sunny Days In Connemara

Sunny Days In Connemara

On the Connemara Loop, near Tully Mountain

Maybe it wasn't sunshine all the way but it felt like it as we enjoyed a couple of days in beautiful Connemara recently. There was that thundery shower as we arrived but the sun came out as we drove from Moycullen over the hills, past a wind-farm, to Spiddal.

A visit to the Craft Centre there is always worthwhile. Revived by a cup of coffee in Builín Blasta, we strolled up the village itself, taking a look at the stained glass in the church before going down to the rocks and the sea and the beaches, all very pleasant in the warm sunshine.

Beaches of Spiddal

We drove along the coast road then, passing TG4 headquarters, close too to the airfield for the Aran Islands, before checking in at Screebe House, our superb base for the next two nights. We had a very warm welcome indeed. The house, renovated a few years back, is situated within yards of the waters and our room had a wonderful view. You may read more about our hotel experience here.

Good views again as we drove over to Kilkieran and the well known Coyne Bar. Great to see a line-up of craft beer taps on the counter and great to sit outside and sip a little of the Cascade by the local Independent Brewing as two young ladies at a nearby table chatted fluently in Irish. More of the same beer after an excellent dinner at Screebe House.

Old graveyard in Spiddal

Day Two found us on the scenic way - a couple of sets of roadworks too! - to Letterfrack and a trip around the bay on a glass bottomed boat. Letterfrack Bay Water Tours give you the chance to see the fish that live on the floor of the bay. The boat has eight glass panels. Despite the best efforts of our skipper, we didn't get to see as much as both he and we had hoped.

But still, there were crabs on the bottom, including a couple of spider crabs scampering away together and lots of starfish who grow quite large around here. The Thornback Ray is common here but hard to find on the day and indeed we were lucky to see the one that did appear!

Pint of Independent's Cascade in Coyne's of Kilkieran

On board, they have lots of examples of the shells of scallops, whelks and so on. Apparently, those scallops can really move when need be. 

The big surprise though was when the skipper reached out the back of the boat and pulled a starfish from an enclosure that we didn’t know about. Had a good look and feel - didn't realise they are so big! By the way, the boat trip gives some lovely views of the surrounding land, including Diamond Hill and the Twelve Bins.

The tour takes an hour and after it (or before it, in our case) you can tour their little museum and modest aquarium nearby (all included in your ticket). This gives you a feel for the maritime history of the area, the shipwrecks (including some from the Spanish Armada), the advances in boats and equipment, how the people lived - there is a butter making churn and an very old Pye radio there. And your tour ticket also entitles you to a cup of tea or coffee and biscuits.

Craft village in Spiddal

You also get some friendly tips. And one such set us off on a beautiful local trip around the area of Tully mountain that yielded some spectacular coastal views before eventually bringing us back to Letterfrack. Here, we called to the National Park, not for a walk up Diamond Hill, but for a cup of coffee in the cafe.

By the way, admission to the Park is free and many, Irish and visitors, were taking advantage. I find it hard to understand why there isn't at least a parking charge. I don't think anyone would begrudge paying a few euro towards the upkeep of these lovely places. We came across another, Coole Park near Gort, on the following day.

Sky Road, near Clifden

 From Letterfrack, we headed in the direction of Clifden, all the while looking out for the famous Sky Road. We found that and some more spectacular views on the approach to the well known town. Then we saw signs pointing in the direction of the monument to Clifden founder John D’Arcy. We climbed up there - a short climb but stiff enough - and were rewarded with a great view of the town below and the mountains beyond.

On the road out of Clifden (the N59), there is a spectacular view to your left, a well known one that you’ll see in many photographs and it includes the mountains, the Twelve Bens, large lakes and a stand of evergreens. Think I’ve stopped here at least once on every visit to Connemara.

Clifden, from a nearby hill

A glass of Galway Hooker
in O'Dowd's, Roundstone

Dinner that evening was in the lovely old (1840) pub called O’Dowds in Roundstone, just alongside the harbour from where you have a gorgeous view of the Twelve Bens. Dinner was gorgeous too as you may read below.

A 2014 holiday in Connemara
O'Dowd's Seafood Bar & Restaurant (Roundstone)

Taste of the Week. Irish Piedmontese Beef

Taste of the Week

Irish Piedmontese Beef

A tasty Piedmontese steak that I enjoyed in the Fairways Bar and
Orchard Restaurant near Nenagh last year.

Enjoyed watching the cattle going through their make-up routine for the various competitions at the Cork Summer Show. Later on though, thoughts turned to dinner. Lots of ready to eat food on sale at the show but it was in the Irish Piedmontese stand that I found what I was looking for. Indeed, I knew I would get a couple of delicious steaks here as I’ve often done before in various food festivals around Munster.

So even before heading for home, I knew I had my Taste of the Week. These steaks are succulent and juicy and, washed down with a bottle of Beaujolais (Clos les Charmes, Moulin-a-Vent), they tasted even better. And apparently, they are quite healthy, lower in fat than chicken or fish. Check it all out, including recipes, here.

The meat comes from two herds, one in Tipperary, the other in Laois, and they were also selling ready to eat offerings at the show. But I had my eye on their fridge and that also contained burgers and minced beef. You can find the friendly Irish Piedmontese guys at many shows. But if you can’t get to one, be sure and try the online shop (delivery is free for orders over 70 euro).

Two Ports And A Tinto. A Taste of the Douro

Two Ports And A Tinto

A Taste of the Douro

Porto, on the Douro and the second biggest city in Portugal, is the home of Port. It is also known as Oporto. The long established wine-growing area is a World Heritage site and a gorgeous place to visit.

The modern style of Port can be traced back to 1678, when the Abbot of Lamego was adding brandy to the wine before it had finished fermenting. By arresting fermentation, he could retain the natural sweetness of the ultra-ripe Port-grape varieties and create a fortified wine capable of improving with age.

Read much more on the subject by wine-searchers.com here.

Taylor’s Fine White Port (Portugal), 20%, €19.99 Bradley’s

First you notice that lovely gold colour - sunset on the Douro, I wish!; and then the tears that are extra slow to clear. Then the rich aromas, mellow fruit. And it is full bodied, velvety on the palate and a great finish. Very Highly Recommended.

Taylor’s Fine White Port is a blend of wines produced from white grapes grown mainly on the upper slopes of the Douro Valley.  The grapes used include the Arinto, Boal (Semillon), Codega, Esgana Cão, Folgasão, Gouveio, Viosinho and Rabigato varieties.

The individual wines are aged in oak vats for about three years, where they acquire mellowness and character.  They are blended to produce a rich white port in the traditional smooth, full-bodied style.

Taylor’s pioneered dry white aperitif port more than 60 years ago under the Chip Dry label, first blended in 1934. That was the one I had intended to buy in Bradley’s but decided to try this, a much sweeter version.

You can drink it in the traditional way, chilled on its own, or with a twist of lemon, accompanied by roasted almonds, olives or dry biscuits. My favourite pairing though is with Barrie Tyner’s Cognac infused chicken liver paté (try catching him at the Mahon and Midleton markets). You’ll have a great laugh and a great paté. And now a great match!

Casal dos Jordoes Finest Reserve Port (Portugal), 20%, €17.20 (375ml) Mary Pawle Wines

Warm, sweet (not cloying) and spicy, this is your classic Port offering, tradition with high quality from organic grapes. Masses of fruit, excellent concentration from this Port which features the Touriga Francesca grape. Delicious on its own before and after meals and the importer’s tip is to try it with chocolate desserts! Highly Recommended

Casal dos Jordoes Quinta de Esteveira Douro Reserva Tinto 2011 (Portugal), 13.5%, €15.20 Mary Pawle Wines

Made from organic grapes (including Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca), the human touch is all important here. The grapes are harvested by hand and are then crushed “by feet of man”, part of a system “utilised by the Romans”, a tried and tested method that increases colour and tannin extraction.

That colour is a deep red and the tears are slow to clear. Aromas are of dark fruit, good and strong. Fruit, spice and acidity combine in quite an engaging mouthful and there is an excellent finish too. Made by the same vineyard that produces the port (above), this is Highly Recommended.

Amuse Bouche

We lunched upstairs at Botin’s. It is one of the best restaurants in the world. We had roast young suckling pig and drank rioja alta. Brett did not eat much. I ate a very big meal and drank three bottles of rioja alta.

‘How do you feel, Jake?’ Brett asked. ‘My God! what a meal you’ve eaten.’

‘I feel fine. Do you want a dessert?’

‘Lord, no.’

From Fiesta by Ernest Hemingway (1927)

What to drink with Sushi? Answers At L’Atitude Event

What to drink with Sushi?

Answers At L’Atitude Event

Miyazaki magic

Cider? Wine? Sherry? Champagne? Which would win? These were the questions as this fun event, involving matching Sushi with various drinks, kicked off in the marvellous L’Atitude Wine Cafe in Cork last Wednesday. In the end an atypical Loire Sauvignon Blanc got the nod from the audience.

There was already one champion on the table as we entered and that was a plateful of delightful Sushi, skillfully prepared by Takashi Miyazaki, Cork and Ireland’s favourite Japanese chef. And what does the maestro himself drink with it? Well, saké, of course, after a beer or two! Saké, a natural match, wasn't in the line-up the other night. The omission was deliberate and that gave the others a chance.

Takashi (in front) with (l to r) Beverly, Leslie, Pascal, Paddy and Susan

Takashi had Seared Salmon (sesame oil added before the searing), Cured Salmon (tasted somewhat like the very best Prosciutto), Sea Bass (with salmon roe on top) and “Plain” Salmon (with green chilli, pepper, and salted to give it “a kick”) in his sushi selection.

Beverley of L’Atitude kicked off proceedings with a bottle of Cockagee Cider in her hands. “This is the champagne of ciders”, she declared. “I just love it. It's incredible, not overly tannic. A fine cider for some very fine sushi.”

And then came Leslie Williams, words flowing like bubbles at a West Ham game as he lauded the Devaux Rosé Champagne, made mainly with Pinot Noir grapes. “Its richness, that hint of sweetness, would work well with the sushi.” If in doubt, not that Leslie had any doubts,  “it has to be champagne”.

L'Atitude, No. 1 Union Quay.

And then, with hands in motion, Pascal introduced his natural wine, a Loire Sauvignon blanc by Alexandre Bain. “He makes wine like his grandfather did, not like his father did, and is the only grower in the area to allow malolactic fermentation. It is rounder, richer, creamier than the standard Pouilly Fumé. It is listed in a three star Michelin in Paris and paired with raw fish and pickled ginger!” The words plus, we believe, no little “practice” with Takashi, paid off in votes.

And then Paddy Murphy took up the cause of sherry. What else? His Manzanilla (La Guita) - “really a wine in its own right”- was bone dry and light with a saline character and paired with the sushi “should enhance the umami”. The Don Zoilo Amontillado was, said Paddy, “the king of sherry..with a slight richness, yet bone dry..savoury..tangy… should pair well”.  Indeed, both styles went down very well indeed among the voters but the two-wine strategy split the vote; both did well but neither got enough to win.

The noteworthy Champion

Susan Boyle sang the praises of her St Brigid’s Pale Ale and pointed to the hop bitterness “a key ingredient for this matching, not in any of the previous drinks”. She listed other local ingredients: barley and honey from their own hives. “It may be an unusual choice but I think it works particularly well. I’m saving the best til last so tick that little box!”

Ottolenghi tasted the beer at the recent LitFest and said it was “the bee’s knees”. Susan wasn't the only one to name-drop. In the end though, the audience went with Le Caveau Sauvignon blanc.

Two Many?

Really though, there were quite a few winners on a very enjoyable evening, including the punters. Well done to L’Atitude for their irrepressible enthusiasm and bubbling invention, to the five presenters, to our MC Colm McCan (he said he was using the south facing clock on Shandon Tower as a time-keeping aid - visitors had to be told that Shandon is known as the four-faced liar), and of  course to Takashi Miyazaki (whose famous must-visit takeaway is at the corner of Barrack Street and Evergreen Street).

Cono Sur In Tour De France. El Vino Outsprints Le Vin

Cono Sur In Tour De France

El Vino Outsprints Le Vin

Tour legend Seán Kelly on St Stephen’s Green with Adolfo Hurtado,
Cono Sur’s Executive Director and Chief Winemaker

This National Bike Week, Irish cycling legend Seán Kelly has teamed up with Cono Sur, one of Ireland’s favourite Chilean wine brands, to celebrate their official wine partnership with the Tour de France.

The elegant limited edition Cono Sur Bicicleta labels will feature artwork, exclusively commissioned, by esteemed British artist Eliza Southwood and celebrates the beauty and passion of cycling.

Bicicleta, Cono Sur’s most popular range, is named after the bicycles their workers use to get around the vineyards, helping to keep their carbon footprint low and their grapes at optimum quality.

The Cono Sur Bicicleta wines have an RSP of €11.99 and are widely available nationwide. The specially illustration used on the label can be found on seven varieties in the following countries: Colombia, Ireland, Lithuania,Poland, Russia, United Kingdom and the United States. The Tour de France will take place from July 2-24.

This is the third year of the sponsorship, a daring move that caught the French flat-footed. But just recently, the winemakers down in the Aude, who have already this year emptied tankers of Spanish wine onto the motorways, have forced the Tour organisers to switch gears and make something of a concession in order to avoid a threatened blockade of the annual cycling race.

Read more here.  

Sean getting away from Adolfo!

Protest notwithstanding, I’ve already completed two stages of the Bicicleta and feel like a winner; might not be enough for the Maillot Jaune but the Geansaí Glas would be very acceptable.

Cono Sur Bicicleta Sauvignon Blanc, Chile 2015, 12%, Bradley’s Off-Licence

Fresh aromas of peaches and lemons. A refreshing tingle on the palate, good balance of fruit and acidity and a crisp dry finish, just like Mark Cavendish. Pair with salads, light seafood and vegetarian dishes and fine too as an aperitif. Recommended.

Cono Sur Bicicleta Merlot, Valle Central Chile 2015, 14%, Bradley’s Off-Licence

The colour here is a dark red. Bottle notes sum up the aromas very well: blackberry, chocolate, and lightly toasted oak. Ripe fruit flavours, vanilla too, warm and rich, nice balance and decent finish. Cono Sur say pair it with steak or white meat. More stamina in this one, just like Chris Froome.

Started this on a Friday, then applied the Vacu-vin. Forgot about it until Sunday and found a definite improvement. No shortage of bottle then, just like Dan Martin. Recommended.

In the vineyards.
A rest and then back on the bike

Taste of the Week. Keogh’s Atlantic Sea Salt & Irish Cider Vinegar Crisps

Taste of the Week

Keogh’s Atlantic Sea Salt & Irish Cider Vinegar Crisps

Our Taste of the Week is quite a mouthful, a lot of words up there. But it is a tasty mouthful and quite a delightful surprise to me.

Salt and Vinegar was never my favourite combination. When I got the two samples from Keogh’s, I thought it was odds on that the Cheese and Onion would be my winner. And it is a good one too. Tasted that first and had my opinion confirmed.

Onto the Atlantic Sea Salt and Irish Cider Vinegar then and what a pleasant ambush on the palate. The combination is flavoursome, so well balanced, the best combination of salt and vinegar I’ve ever come across. A nod from the other half confirmed the tasty surprise and our Taste of the Week was unanimous! Two thirty-somethings were later recruited and again both came down on the Salt and Cider Vinegar side.

The two varieties are now available in Multipacks, just in time for picnic season. Each contains 6 individual bags. The new multipacks are available alongside the Farm Favourites Multipack which was introduced last year and includes 2 x Dubliner Cheese and Onion, 2 x Atlantic Sea Salt and Irish Cider Vinegar and 2 x Roast Beef and Irish Stout.

Commenting on recent survey results, that showed some 22% of Irish workers eat lunch at their desk on any given weekday, Tom Keogh, Keogh’s Farm, said: “Much of my working life has been spent outdoors on the farm so it’s hard to imagine spending all my lunch breaks cooped up at a desk but unfortunately this is the reality for many people. The weather can sometimes be off-putting but with the summer sun now shining, the Irish public should make the most of it by taking their lunch to a local park or eating dinner in the back garden. Any excuse for some fresh air and an impromptu picnic!

This year, we’re proud to have our three multipack varieties in store just in time for picnic season. The multipacks are lightweight, easy to carry and perfect for sharing and as always, they are made fresh on the farm using only the finest Irish ingredients.”

The newly launched Keogh’s Atlantic Sea Salt & Irish Cider Vinegar Multipack and Dubliner Irish Cheese & Onion Multipack and the Keogh’s Farm Favourites Multipacks and entire Keogh’s Crisps range are available now in stores nationwide, RRP €3.99.

For further information on the Keogh’s #PerfectPicnic campaign and Keogh’s Multipacks, please visit www.keoghs.ie.

O’Dowd’s Seafood Bar & Restaurant. Fish And Forage And On Your Plate

O’Dowd’s Seafood Bar & Restaurant

Dessert

Fish And Forage And On Your Plate

Once upon a time, fish was tolerated once a week, a kind of religious penance, and full of bones. Recent decades though have seen our fish shine on many a home and restaurant table. And our chefs are not stopping at that. Now they’re out foraging, checking the shore for a long overlooked bonanza.

I was recently in O’Dowd’s Seafood Bar & Restaurant alongside the harbour in Roundstone. This long established Connemara venue is one of 32 pubs, north and south, listed in the Michelin ‘Eating out in Pubs’ Guide 2016.

Salmon

No shortage of meat dishes here, curries and pastas too and vegetarian of course, but fish is king.  The results of the foraging can be seen in their starter of Seafood Hummus, a mains of Savoury Rice with Sea Veg, and a sweet of Carrageen Moss Pudding with Plum Compòte and cream.

Three years ago, I was in Connemara and found it quite difficult to get a craft beer. No bother this time. And they have a superb choice in O’Dowd’s with a full menu page detailing mainly local beers including beers by Independent, Galway Hooker, Corrib Brewing, Black Donkey Brewing and Spiddal River Brewing. They had the Galway Hooker Pale Ale on draught and that was my pick.

Turbot

I started with that Seaweed Hummus, featuring locally harvested Dillisk and served with Olive Oil and Nori Bread. Looked great and tasted even better! Delighted with that and across the table CL was making her way through a plate of Stuffed Cashel Bay mussels, grilled and stuffed with garlic butter, breadcrumbs and herbs. Not bad but she knew she was second best at this stage!

Just like the two starters, our two mains came from the Specials Board. Mine were the Pan Fried fillets of Turbot served with the pub’s own (very tasty) Tartare sauce. CL’s pick was the Sweet and Spicy Baked Salmon. We had the usual vegetable choices: Chips and Salad or Mash and Veg. Happy punters at the end of that lot.

Hummus and Nori Bread

Indeed, there were quite a few happy punters around as both the bar and the two-roomed restaurant, while not totally full, was quite busy and with a good turnover between early and later diners, also a good mix of locals and visitors, quite the Bar of Babel.

Dessert, as sometimes happens, was shared. It was that delightful Carrageen Moss Pudding with Plum Compòte and cream, a smooth ending to a very good meal indeed. It is Michelin listed but prices are reasonable enough. For example, the Hummus cost €6.95, the turbot €21.59, the salmon €16.95, the dessert €4.95 and the Hooker was €4.70 a pint.

See also: A 2014 holiday in Connemara

O’Dowd’s Seafood Bar & Restaurant

Roundstone, Connemara, Galway

(095) 35809

info@odowdsseafoodbar.com

Web: www.odowdseafoodbar.com

Hours

Mon-Sat:

10:00 am - 12:00 am

Sun:

12:00 pm - 11:00 am

See also: A 2014 holiday in Connemara
Screebe House. A Connemara Gem 2016
Sunny Days in Connemara 2016

LANDMARK FRENCH DEAL FOR CRAFT IRISH CIDER PRODUCER STONEWELL

LANDMARK FRENCH DEAL FOR CRAFT IRISH CIDER PRODUCER STONEWELL

Daniel Emerson (right) of Finnbarra Cider/Nohoval Drinks Company
 and Arthur Lenormand, Marketing Director of House of Beer (France)

·         Cork’s Nohoval Drinks Company secures 5 year contract for supply ofFinnbarra Irish Craft Cider to ‘House of Beer’ (France)

·         Finnbarra Irish Craft Cider (aka Stonewell Cider) to be distributed and sold nationwide across France.

·         Order for first 3 years alone equivalent to the entire 2015 output of Finnbarra/Stonewell Cider.

·         House of Beer identifies Finnbarra Irish Craft Cider’s 100% pure apple juice composition as key factor for selection as it targets market dominated by mass-produced cider brands.

Nohoval, County Cork, Ireland & Boulogne Billancourt, Paris, France –: Carlsberg subsidiary, House of Beer (France) and the Nohoval Drinks Company (owned and run by husband and wife team, Daniel and Geraldine Emerson, since 2010), have agreed a five year contract for the supply of Nohoval Drinks’ premium Finnbarra Dry Irish Craft Cider to France. House of Beer, which specialises in premium international, craft and world beers, will sell and distributeFinnbarra Cider (known as Stonewell Cider in Ireland) nationally in France. The total volume ordered by House of Beer in the first three years of the deal alone equates to the entire 2015 output ofFinnbarra by the West Cork-based, family business. Finnbarra Dry Irish Craft Cider will be sold across France in both bottle and draught formats. 

House of Beer has identified a growing demand for natural craft cider in a market currently dominated by mass-produced cider brands. The Emerson’s Finnbarra Dry Irish Craft Cider is made from 100% pure apple juice. The result is both an improved taste profile and a healthier drink that is lower in calories, devoid of any sugar or preservatives and both coeliac and vegan friendly.

Finnbarra Irish Craft Cider will be distributed nationally in France to both on and off-trade outlets by House of Beer across the company’s eight operational regions. In the early phase of the five year contract, demand for Finnbarra Irish Craft Cider is expected to come from the core summer holiday market and also the many Irish-themed on-trade premises throughout France. Demand is expected to broaden beyond these core markets over time.

Finnbarra Irish Craft Cider becomes the first cider to be added to the House of Beer portfolio which includes premium beer brands such as Amarcord (Italy), La Bête (French), Brooklyn (US), Guinness Project Beers (Ireland), Kilkenny (Ireland), Mythos (Greece), Moussy (Switzerland), Poretti (Italy), San Miguel (Spain), Smithwicks (Ireland), Staropramen (Czech Republic) and Tuborg (Denmark).

Commenting on the announcement Arthur Lenormand, House of Beer’s Marketing Director said:

“The French market is cornered between Brittany farmhouse and overseas industrial ciders.  As with the micro beer sector, wherein lies our established expertise, we are convinced that there is a latent demand amongst French consumers for a new taste experience which will change their patterns of consumption. As a result we are delighted to be able to introduce Finnbarra to them. To enlighten and delight the French consumer with a different style of cider is an exciting challenge and we’re aiming to achieve that with a product of outstanding quality”

The contract is the largest to date for the Nohoval Drinks Company, which was founded by Daniel and Geraldine Emerson at their Nohoval home in West-Cork in 2010. Commenting on the contract, Daniel Emerson said: “This is a landmark deal for us on several levels. A large five year contract for a six year old company allows us to plan our business with greater confidence. That this contract is for a market of 63 million people and with a subsidiary of Carlsberg is a significant endorsement of both our business and our cider.”

Press release