Stylish Staycation. Calling to a Station near you!

Stylish Staycation. 

Calling to a Station near you! 

All Aboard The Emerald Pullman!

CORK ATTRACTIONS INCLUDED IN NEW ‘EMERALD PULLMAN’ STAYCATION ITINERARY

Cork, Cobh and the village of Blarney are to be visited by holidaymakers travelling on a new deluxe train, coach and accommodation tour soon to be operated by Dublin-based Railtours Ireland in association with Iarnród Éireann.

Marketed under the title of ‘The Emerald Pullman’, the tour will visit almost every tourist sight and destination accessible by road and rail, departing Dublin on Sundays from August 9th until August 23rd inclusive, travelling throughout on a fast, comfortable private intercity train exclusively allocated by Iarnród Éireann to the Emerald Pullman service.

A departure from their normal rail tours offering, the 7-night, 8-day rail tour was devised as a response to the absence of overseas visitors at whom their programmes are normally aimed.

A feature of the package is that guests living outside Dublin can model their plan according to their preference – joining the tour in Waterford, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Belfast – while guests boarding in Dublin can, for example, do segments of the tour.

Commenting, Railtours CEO, Jim Deegan said: “Working in association with Iarnród Éireann – with all of the comfort and reassurance that provides for customers – the Emerald Pullman package offers holidaymakers the chance to sit back, relax and absorb all of the scenic attractions that has made Ireland the top-ranking tourist destination it is”. 

Further details of their Emerald Pullman offering can be had at www.railtoursireland.com

media release

Taste of the Week Ballyhoura’s Freeze Dried Berry Mix

Taste of the Week

Ballyhoura Mushrooms Freeze Dried Berry Mix

No wonder chefs love Lucy and Mark of Ballyhoura Mountain Mushrooms. The pair are always coming with up something new and it is invariably delicious. Just like our Taste of the Week!

Oops, think I overdid it! They are delicious.

I’ve just tried out this new product: a large jar of Freeze Dried Berry Mix, including red currants, blackcurrants, strawberry pieces, raspberries and blueberries. This mix of delicious berries has been freeze dried for maximum flavour and nutrient retention. And they’re not kidding. Just bite into one of those little blackcurrants and be prepared to be hit by a very pleasurable fruit bomb! Amazing stuff.

Uses recommended are: granola, yogurt, porridge, desserts, to decorate cakes or incorporate in baking, and snacking. I’ve used them with granola and with ice-cream. Over to you chefs and cooks! Oh, by the way, if you don’t fancy the mix, you may also buy single-fruit jars. All available via Neighbourfood where I came across them.

Ballyhoura Mountain Mushrooms Ltd

V35 Y096

Ireland

ballyhouramushrooms@gmail.com 

A Quart of Ale± #3. An impressive trio from Thornbridge and one from Berkshire's Siren

Bliss

A Quart of Ale± #3

An impressive trio from Thornbridge
and one from Berkshire's Siren

Thornbridge are best known (to me anyhow) for their superb Jaipur, a classic Indian Pale Ale. They started life in a local stately home and are now based in Bakewell, a small market town in Derbyshire, and you’ll find them on the banks of the Wye.  Having associated the brewery with Jaipur, I thought they were long established and was surprised to see they started up as recently as 2005. Following an array of awards and national recognition, Jaipur (launched in mid-2005) catapulted Thornbridge into the spotlight and eventually into a brand new brewery.

Thornbridge “Shelby” India Pale Ale, 5.0%, 330ml bottle, Bradley's of Cork

Shelby, the official beer of Peaky Blinders the TV series, pours a golden amber, the white head vanishing as quickly as an opportunist thief. Surprisingly fruity nose and that continues onto the arresting palate. Here too the maltiness makes a discreet and pleasant appearance and there’s a citrus enhanced bitterness. Excellent mouthfeel too. This is full of flavour and character, and so much better than many celebrity drinks. 

Looks as if you were a beer drinker of 1919, the year in which the TV series is set, you did very well for yourself indeed. Once you weren’t doing porridge, of course.

Hops used are Fuggles and Bramling Cross while the malts are Low Colour Maris Otter, Crystal, Munich.

Thornbridge “Bliss Point” Hazy American Pale Ale, 5.0%, 330ml can, Bradley's of Cork

It is yellow and, just to confirm, a hazy one, more than slightly so.  Aromas see the hops float up with fruit coming through as well. Just a small little can but one with big juicy flavours from the backbone of a quartet of US hops, namely Cascade, Simcoe, Azacca, Citra. Malts, you may like to know are Low Colour Maris Otter, Wheat. Quite a combination. Lots of hazy stuff around nowadays but, clearly, this is one of the better ones. 

I see craftcentral.ie describe this as “extremely crisp” but I can’t agree with that assessment. This is as smooth as they come, packed with those expected tropical fruits, with the American hops performing prominently in both the aromatics and flavours. Relax and enjoy. This is what craft beer, good beer, is all about. Cheers!

By the way, having finished a wine session and feeling lazy, I drank this from a Lumin Arc balloon type wine glass and found it worked out very well indeed, the 330ml can fitting in precisely with room for a fine if short-lived white foamy head.

Thornbridge “Tupelo” Hazy Pale Ale, 5.5%, 440ml can

(in collaboration with Salt Beer) Bradley's of Cork

You can smell the hops almost at “social distancing” here as this hazy ale fills your glass with a pale yellow, a big white head too but, unlike the hops, that soon clears down to a sparse cover. Tropical fruits aromas come from the Sabro (“fantastic”) / Citra / Ekuanot / Galaxy / Chinook / and Centennial hops. Malts by the way are Maris Otter / Wheat / Oats.

The hops also make their presence felt later on but there is no jarring domination. The beer is harmonious, pleasant and easy drinking, quite an exotic fruity juice bomb in the mouth and refreshing for sure with a dry finish.

The Salt Beer Factory, the other party in this collaboration, are based in a disused power station in the Yorkshire village of Saltaire, about 90 minutes north of Thornbridge (which is in the Peak District). And Tupelo? Must be the city in northern Mississippi, most famous as the birthplace of Elvis Presley.

Siren White Tips Session IPA, 4.5%, 440ml can, Bradley’s

Pale yellow (hazy) is the colour of this session beer that lists wheat as one of the ingredients. The white foamy head beats a hasty retreat. Quite a lot of citrus, including sharp lemon, in the aromas. And, with the addition of a hint of clove, the story is much the same on the palate. Not surprising really, considering the brewers have added zest of orange, grapefruit and lime. Quite a distinctive beer to be fair and one sure to suit quite a few drinkers.  Yet there’s good harmony here and a lip smacking finish.

Siren brew this every spring and they say: “White Tips is our expression of a wit beer combined with IPA levels of hops. A traditional wit yeast works in harmony with the citrus peel and a healthy hop dosing to create a balanced IPA that is sure to pull you in wave after wave.”

Malts: Lager, Wheat, Malted Oats

Hops: Hallertau Blanc, Centennial, Cascade, Simcoe

Adjuncts: Orange zest, Grapefruit zest, Lime zest 

Best of Bread and Pastries as Arbutus return to Killavullen Farmers Market

Best of Bread and Pastries as Arbutus return to Killavullen Farmers Market

You can now get your fix of some of the best breads and pastries in Ireland at Killavullen market this Saturday, 25th July and every fortnight after from 10.30am to 1pm. There is a wide range of sourdoughs, yeast breads, bagels and pastries to suit all tastes! Made in Cork by Declan Ryan's bakery, Arbutus is known as one of the finest in the country.

Killavullen is one of the oldest farmers markets in Ireland and is located in the grounds of the Nano Nagle Centre, on the main road between Castletownroche and Mallow with plenty of parking. The market is continually evolving and continues to surprise each week! 

Covid Measures

There is one entrance and one exit with hand sanitizer available to be used on the way in and out. We make use of the large outdoor spaces we have for the time being. All stallholders will be taking their own precautions and will be spread out around the grassy area. Food producers will have their produce in packaging where possible as per guidelines. 

For our friends visiting the market, we ask you to follow public health guidance and of course if you are feeling unwell or have been in close contact with anyone who has symptoms recently, please stay away! When purchasing please try to have correct change and if someone else is buying at a stall please queue at least 2m from them and other people. There is plenty of parking around Nano Nagle. You may have to queue for a few minutes to get in but if you arrive early you will avoid the busier time.

Somethings don't! 

 All regular stallholders will be there as usual, along with a number of seasonal producers. You will find plenty of the finest seasonal veg, fruit and flowers, as well as the staples that you have been missing. There is also a wide selection of unique gifts, all from local producers.

Regular stallholders have a range of products from locally grown vegetables all in season, handcrafted baked goods, breads, jams, chutneys and cordials. There is a fine selection of smoked salmon, fresh raw milk and yogurts.

Media release

Spanish Wine Week Coming Up in October, plus more on wine, spirits and beer in Cheers #13

Cheers #13

SPANISH WINE WEEK will be BACK in October from the 12th to the 18th

Tons of events & promotions around Ireland

Save the date & stay tuned

#SWW2020 can't wait

Tuscany Bistro re-launch Italian Supperclub - The Dingle Gin Edition

Tuscany Bistro, Castletroy are delighted to announce the re-launch of our first Italian Supperclub: The Dingle Gin Edition. This event will be filled with a cooking demo of a starter, main course, and dessert all infused with Dingle Gin, each course paired with a Dingle Gin cocktail. There will be arrival Canapes & Cocktails at 6.30pm (10th August). Tickets via Eventmaster here .

Wines Direct Offer A Taste of Portugal

In honour of Quinta do Crasto making it to #8 on the TOP 50 World's Best Vineyards, a selection of the best wine destinations in the world, we present to you the Taste of Portugal Case. The ever so perfect Portugal case features three wines from Quinta do Crasto and three wines showcasing our top Portuguese picks from Pousio and Pessoa. Details here.

UK Government Sleepwalking to Fine Wine Disaster

A stark picture of a post-Brexit UK wine trade fills David Allen MW with horror.

The WSTA is the UK wine trade's political lobby group, so when I joined their recent Post-Brexit Trading for Fine Wine Merchants webinar, I was expecting they might paint a picture of the UK government failing to understand the implications of Brexit for the UK's fine wine sector.

The picture painted, however, of a government sleepwalking towards a disaster for the wine industry was far more horrifying than I had imagined. More here

Celtic Ross team all geared up to look after you well in Rosscarbery

Celtic Ross team all geared up

 to look after you well in Rosscarbery 

Union Hall (on the left) and Glandore (tucked away on the right) are just a few minutes from the hotel

A cool and welcome drink

Rosscarbery’s Celtic Ross was the last hotel we stayed in before the Covid hit and the first visited after the lockdown was lifted. And you could see the team here had worked their socks off to make the current experience as safe and as comfortable as possible for all their guests. No shortage of personnel to help you as you arrived and in the dining room later on.

The only place you didn’t see any staff member was in your room. That room had been sterilised by fogging machines prior to check-in. The room was then sealed until our arrival and no staff member allowed enter until we left. They have taken a myriad of precautions and you may see the full list here. 

The new normal

You’ll notice too that your room has been pared back - no hotel guide (but you can check it online via a QR code). Same with your dining table - no extras. Pared back perhaps but, masks or shields, there’s no cutting back on the welcome. It’s as warm as ever and we also had a terrific dinner and breakfast here.

Earlier, we had been driving around West Cork and were feeling the heat. A cool glass of water helped immediately on arrival and our order for a couple of Blacks Brewery Session IPAs was soon delivered to our room and we enjoyed them! Revived, we took a short walk in the direction of The Warren and watched some of the many seabirds that visit here as they fed on the incoming tide.

Sri Lankan Style Curry

There were some excellent choices on the dinner menu, though we both felt like ignoring the mains and eating through the list of starters. They were all very tempting indeed. And there were a few specials as well. We continued with the beers here, that Session along with the Roaring Ruby Red Ale (on draught) our choices.

Rosscarbery Pork Belly

Speaking of choices, my starter was Korean fried Rosscarbery Pork Belly Popcorn, Culture Food Co kimchi, Gochujang Korean style chili sauce, toasted sesame seeds. Very happy with that one, high in quality and not lacking in quantity either. And that local kimchi impressed very much indeed, so much so that I purchased a jar of it the next day in the deli in the Customs House in Baltimore.

Dessert

Local suppliers are always well supported here and CL’s choice was the Sun View Goats Cheese Salad Rolled in pistachios, heirloom tomatoes, pickled fennel and pinto beans, salsa verde cocida. That cheese comes all the way from Macroom! And was well used here in a delicious salad.

CL continued with Shannonvale Chicken Supreme (GF), Crushed peas, herb and potato cake, crispy onions and red wine jus, another local supplier well highlighted here, another excellent plate. We did call for a side order of fries but, to tell the truth, there was little need for them.

Breakfast pancakes

I stayed on an Asian tack, ordering the Sri Lankan Style Cashew Curry Chickpeas, potato, roasted vegetables, spiced pilaf rice. And I took the option of adding chicken, another piece from Shannonvale. This was one of the best curries I’ve eaten out, full of flavour but nothing at all extreme and indeed it would have been quite sufficient even without the added chicken (lovely and all as it was).

They have always prided themselves on their shielded breakfast buffet but that too has changed. Now you get a menu and a pencil and you tick your choices, like doing an exam our server joked. Worked quite well though and, while I know the Full Irish would have been gorgeous, we both decided on the pancakes. And they were top notch - might have been improved a bit with a few local berries (thinking Bushby’s here!) but “doused” with Maple syrup we enjoyed them very much indeed. 

Soon, we were heading out, having been seen off in style. Even if the desk was shielded, we had a lovely chat and all the details were correct. 

We were heading for lunch at the Customs House where top Chef Dede now operates. There was no rush so we decided to detour to Glandore and Union Hall (another place that doesn’t come up on our Sat-Nav, by the way). On the way to Glandore, we were asked to detour as there was a funeral on the regular road. So we did as requested and got some lovely views of the two villages and the water between them.

Eventually we got away on a narrow side road (with grass in the middle), only to find that blocked by a truck delivering fuel who had the little road blocked! Will we ever make to Baltimore in time? But, fortunately, he was nearly finished and soon moved off. A few minutes later we were on our way to a sunny Baltimore and a delicious lunch. 

Also on this trip:
Mizen Head Visit
Lunch with Chef Ahmet Dede at Customs House in Baltimore

Dede brings a refined and exotic touch to amazing West Cork produce in his new Baltimore venue.

Dede brings a refined and exotic touch to amazing

 West Cork produce in his new Baltimore venue.

Beetroot, and peach

Often it is the simple things that make the meal. Local beetroot, his own bread, even the ice-cream, all stood out during a delicious lunch at Baltimore’s Customs House where top Chef Ahmet Dede may be found these days, just a few steps from The Mews where he helped win a Michelin star in 2018.

Baltimore sunshine

It is all much simpler here in the sunny courtyard with a scattering of rustic tables, a barbecue set up on one side, a young and friendly staff, the menu on a blackboard, the renowned chef himself in and out helping and with time for a chat as was partner Maria. The food for lunch is simple, and simply superb. The sky is blue, the sun high above. On a midday like today, the indoor rooms are redundant.

Chicken mains

Could this get any better? Believe or not, it did. In a gesture that underlines the admiration that Dede has for the people here and they for him, we (all the customers) were invited to taste one of the wines that the management had been trying out in the shade with Fionnuala of Wines Direct. 

Love that Pet' Nat!

Maria, Ahmet’s business partner, told me they do that here and that they want good wines that their customers can afford, particularly by the glass. Our sample was that bit different, a delicious, light and easy-drinking Pet’ Nat, not from France but from Greece! What a lovely bonus. A friendly touch in a friendly and cool place.

They are offering a set menu of three courses on a Thursday, Friday and a Saturday evening at a set price of €50 per person.  The ingredients are sourced locally from the finest, eco friendly and passionate growers, producers, farmers, cheesemongers, foragers, fishmongers and butchers. The menu will constantly change according to the seasons and availability of ingredients, and may change again when hopefully the Covid time-limit is lifted!

We read our simple lunch menu from the blackboard (brought to our table). We both thought it was a bit warm for the Spiced Lentil Soup with sourdough (6.00) so gave it a skip. 

Mega dessert!

There were three salad options on the mains and CL went for the Beetroot, Feta and Peach offering (4 to 6 euro depending on size). The beetroot is at its best right now and Ahmet enhanced that fresh flavour even further with a few slices of peach and also some thin apple slices that were disguised by the red juice but also played a part on the palate. Very enjoyable dish indeed was the verdict! My Blog Chef though would have a little more peach, a little more feta, and a little less beet.

I felt like something more substantial, so picked the quarter rotisserie chicken with bulgar wheat, salad, potatoes and sourdough bread (17.50). Ahmet himself delivered our mains and told me I was having rice instead of the bulgar. He also said they were getting on well here and were very busy overall. So I busied myself with this superb dish, fantastic flavours and textures, reminding me a bit of the (obviously) memorable Farmyard Chicken lunch I had at Café Lavinal in Pauillac a few years ago.

Having skipped the starter, we were up for the dessert: brown butter ice-cream with honey sauce. We weren’t quite prepared for the size of it though, about as big as a wheel of Gubbeen. A very generous round indeed and the sauce was delicious as well. It may have been big but it was finished!

From the deli

We paid up (40 euro including tip) and then took a look at his deli. That has loads of tempting produce, including his salads, his magnificent sourdough, lots of pastries too. Much of the produce is local, including Gloun Cross butter for instance. 

We got a few things here and a bit of advice from Maria. With a Smoked Fish Dip from Sally Barnes and their own Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic Dip in the bag, we were told all we needed for a super lunch with the dips was some sourdough. Going down to get that together as soon as I finish up here!

Baltimore was looking splendid when we arrived (and when we left). So we had a good look around, mainly at the boats coming and going from the islands. The little square above the harbour was quite busy too with customers dining in the sun.

But we couldn’t linger any longer and soon we were heading for Skibbereen, Drimoleague and Dunmanway on the way home via the R585. I’d normally prefer the R584 but, with so many interesting stops on that one, we’d have had to make an overnight somewhere, like Gougane. Next time.

Also on this trip:
Mizen Head Visit
Overnight and Dinner at Celtic Ross

Baltimore in the sun