Cork-Based Event Caterer, Orla McAndrew Food, Launches New Five-Star Zero Waste Wedding Packages Aimed At Sustainably-Conscious Couples

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Cork-Based Event Caterer, Orla McAndrew Food, Launches New Five-Star Zero Waste Wedding Packages Aimed At Sustainably-Conscious Couples

Award-winning Cork-based Caterer and Irish TV Chef, Orla McAndrew, has launched a brand new thought-provoking Irish wedding concept. Through her high-end event catering business, Orla McAndrew Food, she is now offering sustainably-conscious couples across the country the chance to opt for a five-star zero waste wedding meal on their big day, created using rescued surplus produce.

 

Currently, one third of all food produced globally - 1.3 billion tonnes - ends up in landfill. Fuelled by her own personal passion to run a hospitality business with sustainability at its core, from the get-go Orla has made a concerted effort to minimise her waste output as much as she possibly can. Whether that be creating seasonally-driven menus showcasing the country’s best artisan producers, calculated portioning, growing her own produce, fermenting, pickling, or composting, over the last three years Orla has laid the groundwork for her latest offering.

 

Now, inspired by fellow zero waste advocate Giselle Makinde (Founder, Cream Of The Crop Food) and sustainable Chef, Conor Spacey, and having taken advice from industry expert Amy Irwin (Conscious Kitchens), Orla has decided to take her approach to conscious catering one step further. In addition to her existing bespoke packages, she is now offering couples a five-star wedding experience with a difference; one that saves perfectly good to eat surplus food from landfill and has a positive impact on the environment in an area of the industry often associated with excess and wastage.

 

Rather than selecting their wedding menu months in advance, conscientious newlyweds will instead put their complete trust in Orla and her team to create show-stopping surplus feasts that will only be revealed to them and their guests the week of their wedding. And, the same goes for all of her other clientele too, with Orla choosing to make her new five-star zero waste offering available across the board.

 

A number of high-profile suppliers and artisan producers have already bought into Orla’s new concept, coming onboard because they too want to help make a positive impact on reducing food waste and raising awareness of the huge issue that this poses environmentally. They include Sustainable Seafood Ireland (SSI), La Rousse Foods, St. Tola Goat Cheese (Ennistimon, Co. Clare), Velvet Cloud Sheep’s Milk & Yoghurt (Rockfield, Co. Mayo), Cork Rooftop Farm (Cork city), Waterfall Farms (Waterfall, Co. Cork), Michael Twomey Butchers (Macroom, Co. Cork), Horgan’s Delicatessen (Mitchelstown, Co. Cork), and many more. 

 

Orla, who aspires to rescue as much surplus as possible and grow her supply chain even further, is keen to hear from and work with suppliers and artisan producers nationwide to ensure that her work has as big an impact as possible. These businesses will then supply Orla McAndrew Food with surplus, perfectly good to eat ingredients throughout the year, enabling her to save quality produce from needlessly ending up in landfill. Instead, Orla will showcase and elevate these ingredients as part of an utterly unique dining experience for both newly married couples and day-to-day catering clients daring enough to trust in her creative skill and expertise.

 

Orla guarantees that all of the zero waste menus she creates for weddings, family celebrations and corporate events, will be prepared using a minimum of 80% surplus produce. The remainder will be supplemented by dry ingredients and store cupboard staples with long shelf lives. By weight, she estimates that the average three-course zero waste wedding meal for 150 guests will save as much as 225kg of surplus food from ending up in landfill.

 

Recently named Network Ireland Cork’s ‘Creative Professional’ Businesswoman of the Year for 2022, Orla is of the opinion that she creates her best food when she is limited in the ingredients that she has access to. She is incredibly excited not only at the prospect of designing menus for couples that will save quality produce from going to waste but that will also help shift people’s perceptions. 

 

Commenting on the launch of her company’s new Zero Waste Wedding offering, Orla McAndrew said: “After many months of planning, I'm beyond excited to finally be able to offer this brand new zero waste concept to Irish couples. As an advocate for sustainable practices and positive change, launching something that will help save hundreds of kilos of perfectly wonderful Irish produce from ending up in landfill, without ever compromising on quality or taste, is a complete no brainer for me.”

 

Orla McAndrew Food’s new five-star Zero Waste Wedding Menu packages are available for parties of 90+ guests within Munster, and 140+ guests across the country, with no maximum limit, and all special dietary requirements catered for. Orla will make a 5% donation to her charity partner, The Peter McVerry Trust, on behalf of every couple that books one of her Zero Waste Wedding packages. Her five-star zero waste day-to-day event catering will be limited to locations within Munster for the time being, with packages available for 40+ guests.

 

Sustainably-conscious couples and forward-thinking clients can find out more by visiting, www.omcatering.ie, emailing orla@omcatering.ie, or by calling 087 709 0946.

 Photo credits - Kirsty Lyons

About Orla McAndrew Food 

Blarney-based mother-of-three, Orla McAndrew, has a degree in Business & Culinary Arts, a Diploma in Speciality Food Production (from University College Cork), and a postgraduate Diploma in Food Marketing & Rural Development. Her commitment to the provenance and the quality of her food is unquestionable, so much so that she has become a regular contributor to The Today Show on RTÉ in recent months.

 

Orla fell into event catering by accident a little over three years ago following a chance encounter with a bride-to-be on the lookout for someone to provide food for her upcoming wedding. She jumped at the opportunity and, despite her lack of experience back then, Orla’s willingness and ability to excite people with her food offering has seen her fledgling business succeed - offering brides and grooms the opportunity to create their own completely bespoke and unique wedding days.

 

With more than fifteen large-scale weddings under her belt as well as numerous family and corporate events, the growth of Orla’s business was recently acknowledged by Network Ireland Cork as their ‘Creative Professional’ Businesswoman of the Year for 2022. She will now go on to represent Cork at the National Finals in October. 

VENUE REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR IRISH FOOD & DRINK MONTH

VENUE REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

 FOR IRISH FOOD & DRINK MONTH

Great Irish Beverages is very proud to present details of their latest nationwide festival, Irish Food & Drink Month. Running throughout the month of October, it is a celebration of pairing Irish foods with Irish drinks. Any licensed bar, restaurant or hotel can participate for free by clicking here and registration is now open until the end of September.

Pride in Irish food has never been stronger in Ireland’s hospitality sector. Across the country, you’ll find Irish produce taking front and centre of most menus. Local food tastes best when enjoyed with local drinks and Ireland is no exception.  Our native drinks pair wonderfully well with Irish meats, fish, farmed produce and cheeses. We want to see those drinks as well loved as the foods they share the same land with. This was our inspiration for rolling out Irish Food & Drink Month.

We are working with a number of different Irish drinks brands across many sectors for this project. Any licensed bar, restaurant or hotel can come on board at no cost and in order to get involved, they have to create and sell a signature Irish food & drink pairing during October. There will be a public vote on Instagram and Facebook for which participating venue has the best Irish food & drink pairing in the country.

For anyone that needs a little inspiration about what kind of Irish food & drink combos to conjure up, have a wee gander at this video here. It features pairings from The Seafood Cafe in Temple Bar, Pitt Bros on Dublin's Georges Street, Bewley's Cafe on Grafton Street and Brewery Corner in Kilkenny.

Getting behind Irish made drinks in the on trade helps to nurture our entire culinary culture and it creates and sustains Irish jobs. We are grateful to Bord Bia and Drinks Ireland for their support and to all the Irish drinks brands who are sponsoring Irish Food & Drink Month. They represent some of Ireland's best breweries, whiskeys, cider makers, gins, vodkas, liqueurs and meads. - O'Hara's - Fercullen Irish Whiskey - Falling Apple - Roe & Co - istil 30 Pot Still Vodka - Rascals - Dublin City Brewing Co - Velvet Cap Irish Whiskey - Kinsale Mead Co - Stillgarden Distillery - Galway Bay Brewery - Writers Tears - Lambay Irish Whiskey - Five Farms - Gunpowder Irish Gin - Powers Irish Whiskey - Killahora Orchards

Photo & video credit: The Bartender Project

Taste of the Week. It's a Cork thing.

Taste of the Week

It's a Cork thing.

I wanted bagels on a Saturday morning! Not any old bagels but the Jerusalem Bagels (with their pomegranate molasses and sesame topping) by Bread & Roses of Ballincollig. Knew they'd be at their stall in the Coal Quay Farmers Market and headed down. On the way, I picked up a pack of coffee at Roughty Foodie in the English Market. A few more bits and pieces as well of course.

Back home, I unpacked the bagels. Pulled a jar of Paul's Honey from the cupboard and slathered it on to the bagels, nothing else whatsoever. Coffee, called the Morning Growler, by Cork Coffee Roasters, was ready. Put the three together and I had a very satisfactory Taste of the Week indeed.

Not all from Cork of course but that coffee is roasted locally by John Gowan down the Marina. The honey was bought at O'Keeffe's in St Lukes and is produced at sustainable apiaries in Cork city and county and packaged by beekeeper Paul Collins who operates in the northside of the city.

Contacts

Bread and Roses here

Cork Coffee Roasters here

Paul's Honey 085 283 1540

Check out the Kingdom 1795, Kerry Restaurant of the Year.

Check out the Kingdom 1795

Kerry Restaurant of the Year

It's been a pretty good year for Suzi and Damo of Kingdom 1795. (Thanks to Kingdom for use of pic)

“A vegetable is no longer just a vegetable.” Suzi, front of house at Kingdom 1795 in Killorglin as she took our order last week.

“Vegetables are very important to us.” Chef Aitor at Michelin starred Nerua in Bilbao as he showed us his kitchen.

Just like the Basque chef, Suzi emphasised the importance of sourcing local and she and Chef Damien do just that and are thrilled with the momentum building among their growers. And just as was illustrated in Nerua (with a Baked White Onion, topped with a cod skin, pic at bottom), Kingdom 1795 has some gorgeous vegetables in their various dishes.

Garryhinch mushrooms on Wagyu (spoiled chef's presentation to show you!)

One of the highlights for me came with my mains: the Wagyu Beef Blade & Brisket, cabbage, stout mustard, house butter. When I folded back the cabbage, I found a concertina of thinly sliced mushrooms with the most amazing flavour. No wonder growers Garryhinch are adding to their reputation all the time. Amazing stuff and that Wagyu also lived up to its reputation.

CL was also humming away at the other side of the table as she enjoyed her Hake with tender-stem broccoli, scampi and warm tartare sauce, another perfect ensemble of flavours and freshness. And, of course, our side vegetables had also been treated with the utmost respect, another perfect offering gratefully received and dispatched with due diligence - no hurry here.

Pinot Noir

The pace in Kingdom 1975 is more or less classic French, giving time for a drop of wine in between courses or Calvados in Normandy where the pause has a title: Le trou normand (the Normand hole, the “gap” aids the digestion!).

Well, we filled the gap. Our white was the Chardonnay/Moscatel, Bodegas Nodus 2021, (Valencia, Spain), young and fresh with apple and pear and a touch of tropical pineapple and good persistence. The Romanian Pinot Noir, Cremele Recas ‘Legendary’ 2019, was striking, wonderfully fruity with black cherry and raspberry, nicely spicy too (cinnamon) and quite a long and elegant finish. One of quite a few excellent great-value Romanian wines making their way to this country again.

Goatsbridge trout

With the Trou Normand honoured, it was time for dessert: Sliabh Luachra Strawberries, elderflower, caramelised milk. Quite the treat and an excellent finish.

We had started well also, after a warm welcome from Suzi whom we hadn’t seen in three years (you know why!). They had just started in 2019 and then Covid put them to the test. But, like many others, they pivoted and did well with their Eat at Home offerings. Perhaps their most amazing evening came when they offered doughnuts (four in a box). It was a once off but the word got out and soon the queues around the corner “were like Puck Fair” and over 500 were sold.

She and her staff are brilliant around this lovely room and were in top form as always. They had extra good cause last week as they had just been named Best Restaurant in Kerry at the RAI Munster event in the Radisson,  Cork. The Michelin Guide has also called recently and commented: "An old boozer turned into a restaurant to cherish."

Hake

We use Goatsbridge Trout a fair bit ourselves and were glad to see the Kirwans’ produce in one of our starters: Goatsbridge Trout, pickled cucumber, lovage, trout roe. Delicious.

I enjoyed the Dressed Crab, kohlrabi, watercress, horseradish, another delicious dish, slightly delicate but nicely lifted by the Kohlrabi and Horseradish. 

Strawberries

A good start is half the battle. A good start for sure but no battle. Just an exquisite dining experience in the Kingdom.

* The building once housed the Kingdom Bar and the leasing records start in 1795 so that’s where the name came from. Restaurant manager Suzi and Chef Damien are the young couple behind this impressive restaurant in the middle of Killorglin, County Kerry. They honed their skills over three years in the lovely Screebe House in Connemara before taking on the Kingdom. You'll find them on the corner of Main Street and Market Street. And you'll find them online here and on Facebook and Instagram.

Nerua's Baked White Onion

Also on this trip:

Valentia Island's spectacular Bray Head Walk 

Cronin's Yard Loop Walk (near Carrauntoohil)

Superb Killarney Dinner at The Mad Monk by Quinlans

Castlerosse Hotel. Ace Base For The Kingdom

Valentia's Spectacular Bray Head Walk. Skellig Islands Views

Valentia's Spectacular Bray Head Walk. 

Skellig Islands Views.

Blue day at Bray Head. Sheep, sea, and sky.

Starting up the hill. Not the most difficult of walks. Allow about 2 hours 
total for the return trip from the car-park (€2) at the bottom.

On the way back down.

The remains of a signal tower from the Napoleonic Wars,
one of a series around the Irish coast, marks the end of the outward walk.

Come in No 01144, your time is up!

Never saw the place so covered in furze

Little Skellig

Looking down to Portmagee and the bridge to the island.

The Skelligs from the tower.

Skellig Michael

Enjoyed the crepe more than the coffee.
Then went in search of something stronger but the whiskey experience was closed!

All pics above from Aug 2022.

The two below from Apr 2022

The Skelligs are in view all the way up.

View from the carpark.

Also on this trip:

Check out the Kingdom 1795, Kerry Restaurant of the Year

Cronin's Yard Loop Walk (near Carrauntoohil)

Superb Killarney Dinner at The Mad Monk by Quinlans

Castlerosse Hotel. Ace Base For The Kingdom

TASTE OF KILDARE IS BACK! RACHEL ALLEN TO COOK UP A STORM

TASTE OF KILDARE IS BACK!

RACHEL ALLEN TO COOK UP A STORM AT TASTE OF KILDARE-24-25^th SEP
CELEBRITY CHEFS, TOP FOOD PRODUCERS AND GREAT FOOD

AT THE CURRAGH RACECOURSE

Taste of Kildare is back, with ‘in person’, live cookery demonstrations, great food tasting experiences, music and more celebrity chefs and culinary personalities than you can shake a wooden spoon at!  World renowned chef, television personality, presenter and author, Rachel Allen is one of the big names who will be cooking up a storm at Taste of Kildare this year. The culinary festival, which is owned and run by Into Kildare, the tourism body for County Kildare will be held at the Curragh Racecourse during the Autumn Festival of Racing (24-25^th September).  The Curragh will be transformed into a foodie heaven with racegoers being offered the opportunity to taste some of the county’s best food. 

Into Kildare, the promoters of the festival have invited an eclectic mix of well- known Kildare chefs, restaurants, food producers and artisan food innovators to showcase their produce.  Mickael Viljanen (right) of Chapter One Restaurant will be doing live demonstrations in the demo kitchen along with a host of renowned chefs. Over 40 food suppliers, restaurants and food trucks will be in attendance and will offer the public the chance to sample their food and to buy artisan, locally made produce.

The first day of Taste of Kildare, Saturday 24^th of September will run on the same day as the prestigious Goffs Millions, Europe’s richest race for two-year-olds. It will be themed ‘Born and Bred in Kildare’ and will feature food stands and food trucks who will showcase the best locally produced products. 

Just some of the food and hospitality outlets who will be at Taste of Kildare include; The Kildare House Hotel, Scon, The Clanard Court Hotel, Harte’s of Kildare, Firecastle, Domo’s Emporium and The Auld Shebeen Gastro Bar.  Food trucks and mobile food outlets include Gingers Event Catering, Saba Kildare, Nolan’s of Kilcullen and The Osprey Hotel food truck.

For an unsurpassed culinary experience, diners can feast on a seven-course Taste of Kildare menu in the Leger Restaurant where they will enjoy stunning panoramic views of the finish line and the renowned Curragh Plains. Each course features a signature dish from one of Kildare’s restaurants to ensure you really and truly experience a Taste of Kildare. Participating restaurants involved in the seven-course tasting menu include Firecastle, Killashee Hotel, Barberstown Castle, Glenroyal, Hotel, The K Club, Carton House, Fallon & Byrne, Las Radas, Harte’s of Kildare and Two Cooks.

Barry Liscombe, Firecastle

Áine Mangan (CEO, Into Kildare) said, “We are looking forward to the return of the Taste of Kildare as a live event this year. After two years of various lockdowns and restrictions it’s wonderful for people to have the chance to gather again and to enjoy delicious food and drink. Into Kildare is delighted to support local food and hospitality outlets by staging and promoting this event which aligns with our Thoroughbred County Tourism Strategy. The event will offer local restaurants, hotels, and food producers a great opportunity to showcase their products and services to a large audience and will offer them a chance to promote their brand to an engaged clientele.” 

As well as great food, Taste of Kildare will also feature exciting racing, family entertainment with Junior Einstein’s Kildare and live music by ‘Nite Train’ who will play after racing.

Early Bird tickets are on sale now from €15 per person this includes entry into the Curragh Races. Tickets for the Leger Tasting Experience cost from €175 per person and includes seven courses, wine, entry to the races and a premier experience in the stunning Leger Restaurant.

Purchase your tickets for the ultimate racing and culinary experience today! For more information and to purchase tickets see www.tasteofkildare.ie

press release

  

Powerscourt Distillery expands its team

 Powerscourt Distillery expands its team

Karen Noble has joined The Powerscourt Distillery team as Visitor Centre Manager. She brings with her a wealth of experience, having worked in prestigious establishments such as Ballymaloe House, La Stampa, Chapter One, and Luna, among many others, in both Ireland and France. Her experience will allow us to continue to develop our 5-star experience at the Visitors Centre. Karen holds a degree in Hospitality Management and a Masters in Gastronomy and Food Studies. The Distillery team is very excited to have Karen on board and is already benefiting from her vast experience.

Award-winning Distiller & Blender Paul Corbett has joined to head up the Distillery Team and all aspects of production as our Distillery Manager.He will continue to build on the reputation for exceptional spirit from Powerscourt Distillery. He is passionate about Whiskey, having worked as a Lead Distiller at the Teeling Whiskey Company and gaining further valuable experience as Head Distiller of the Clonakilty Distillery, where he oversaw the construction of their distillery and won best Irish new make spirit at the world whiskey awards in their first year of production. Paul was highly commended in the Master Distiller/Master Blender category at the Icons of Whiskey awards in both 2020 and 2001.  The Powerscourt Distillery team are looking forward to exciting new releases with Paul in the coming years.

With a very busy season in the visitor centre, the team goes from strength to strength following the very successful release of the 2 ^nd in the Estate series “The Italian Gardens” earlier this summer, soon to be followed by their own Powerscourt distilled release in the coming weeks.

Having established its core range of award-winning Fercullen Irish Whiskeys – 8 yr. old blend, 10 yr. old Single Grain, 14 yr. old Single Malt and 18 yr. old Single Malt, Powerscourt Distillery have added to their range with the Estate Series –the second limited edition “The Italian Gardens”. RRP€75 is available from all good off licenses.

press release