 |
| Red Gurnard and, below, on the plate at Goldie. |
#10 WHOLE CATCH
Aishling Moore
Blasta Books
Published 25th April, £13/€15
#10: WHOLE CATCH introduces you to pioneering young chef Aishling Moore, one of Ireland’s biggest advocates for regenerative aquaculture and a promoter of the gill-to-fin approach.
At 24 years old, Aishling opened Goldie, a seafood bistro in Cork. In just two years,
Three Days in the Kingdom. Food Diary
Day 1
 |
Smoked Haddock Beignets with Crab Mayonnaise and Pickled Cucumber at Nua Vista
Beautiful ware by Ross Kenmare |
We had three days or so to check out the eating and drinking scene in the Kingdom. Well, more like in Killarney and Kenmare. It would take much more than three days to sample the full county!
Headed off from Cork for Kenmare on a good enough day. The "new" driver made
Nine Cork Farmhouse Cheesemakers Honoured At CÁIS 2024 Hegarty’s ‘Templegall’ Retains Title Of ‘Supreme Champion’
 |
| Supreme Champion again for Dan Hegarty (left) with cheese makers Jean-Baptiste Enjelvin and Quentin Duboz. Pics by Finbarr O'Rourke |
Nine Farmhouse Cheesemakers from across Co. Cork were honoured this week at the 2024 Irish Cheese Awards during a prestigious ceremony hosted by CÁIS, the Association of Irish Farmhouse Cheesemakers, at Kilshane House in Co. Tipperary on Wednesday April 24th. Between them they took home a total of fourteen awards - the most of any county.
The biennial celebration of Ireland’s farmhouse cheesemakers, now in its tenth year, named winners across
Blarney Castle Gardens
Pics taken 23.04.2024
 |
| Bluebells |
 |
| Against the light |
 |
| Primula Buttercup Yellow( ?) |
 |
| Wild garlic and bluebells. |
Beer of the Week
Whitefield Bock 7.0% ABV, 500ml bottle Bradleys
Another top beer from Templemore. One that those Bavarian monk brewers would appreciate.
Whitefield's traditional strong lager has a clear copper colour with a persistent and soft off-white silky head. There’s toasty malt in the aromatics and more on the rich, deep, and complex palate. There’s an old legend that Bavarian monks subsisted on bock during long spells of fasting and indeed you feel that some sweet malty sustenance is being delivered with every sip. Maybe that's where the saying "there's eating and drinking in it" came from😉.
The sweet, toasty, nutty aroma and flavour is an excellent addition to a hearty meal of veal, pork, or beef or a nice companion to an earthy cheese course.
Very Highly Recommended. Not altogether a surprise as Whitefield is consistently coming up with the goods, particularly when it comes to ales and lagers and bock is a form of lager.
The brewery kit in Templemore was made to make wheat beer. Brewer Cuilan expands: “So it comes as no surprise that our best sellers in both draught and bottle are Weiss beers. This makes it tricky to brew drier hoppy beers, so we focus on the malty styles of beer with plenty of sweetness.” And their Bock is a fine example, one that those Bavarian monks would recognise and appreciate.
Traditionally Bock is a sweet, relatively strong (6.3–7.6% by volume), a lightly hopped lager that should be clear, with colour ranging from light copper to brown, and a bountiful, persistent off-white head. That’s a summation from Wikipedia. Doppelbock is the bigger and stronger brother of Bock and others in the family include Maibock, Eisenbock, and Weizenbock.
From Nightclub to Green Oasis.
Sustainable Feast at Killarney's Urban Farm
"Imagine feasting on fresh vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers grown in a former nightclub! This isn't a scene from a dream, but a reality at the Killarney Urban Farm, a pioneering initiative by the O'Donoghue Ring Group.”
 |
| Farm cocktail |
Bug off! In the nicest possible way.
The farm's leafy utopia wasn't without its initial challenges. Uninvited guests with wings (of the insect variety!) discovered this green haven and started making themselves at home. But the O'Donoghue Ring Group didn't resort to spray. Instead, they outsmarted the insects with a strategic planting of their favourite treats just outside the doors – a genius 'green' solution!”
Taste of the Week
Have You Tried Ryes and Shine's Nuns Farts?
Don't let the name fool you! Angela at Ryes and Shine is serving up heavenly little treats at the Coal Quay Market and St. Luke's. These wickedly delicious morsels, also known as Nuns Puffs (the more diplomatic term!), are the perfect accompaniment to your morning or afternoon coffee.
Made with free-range egg whites, sugar, hazelnuts, organic dark chocolate, and a touch of vanilla and sea salt (both organic), these delights will surely put a smile on your face. Get to the Coal Quay (Saturdays) or St Lukes (Wednesdays) and grab a bag (or two!).
* Nuns Farts are a sweet pastry originally from France, where they are also known as pets de nonne.
 |
| Pictured at the awards are (l to r) Jenny de Saulles (Fáilte Ireland), Jerry O'Sullivan and Judy Howard (both Market Lane) |
Cork’s Market Lane Group of Restaurants has taken two of the top gongs at The Fáilte Ireland Employer Excellence Awards 2024.
The group’s Elbow Lane Smokehouse & Brewery took the overall Award for Best Employer Food & Drink, and Goldie restaurant took the award for Best Employer Ireland’s Ancient East. They were the only restaurants to win in any of the 14 categories announced on the night, and the only business to win two Awards.
NEW FOOD TRUCK OFFERS LUNCHTIME
ALTERNATIVE AT CORK INTERNATIONAL HOTEL
 |
| Pierce Lowney, Director of Food & Beverage, Trigon Hotels; Alex Petit, Group Executive Chef, Trigon Hotels; Eoghan Murphy, General Manager, Cork International Hotel. Pic: Brian Lougheed |
The Cork International Hotel, which is located in the Airport Business Park, has launched a new food truck which will be operated by the hotel’s team of chefs.
“The New Yorker On The Go” will cater for the large number of businesses in the surrounding area. Customers will be able to avail of a selection of sweet treats and sandwiches using locally sourced ingredients.
Laurent Miquel Côte 238 Pech Gentille Albarino Aude (IGP) 2022, 12.5% ABV
€15.00 Dunnes Stores
You can drink this French Albarino "with anything that lives in the sea"
This bright Albarino comes in a lovely light gold robe. The nose is pleasantly perfumed with fresh citrus. And that zestiness (along with peach) is also a feature on the palate where it is light and elegant with a cloak of bracing freshness.
Our Pech Gentille is a crisp, light and refreshing one produced from the Albarino grape. It may not be from the traditional areas of Spain’s Rias Baixas and Portugal (where it is known as Alvarinho) but is one to note. Highly Recommended. Be sure and keep an eye out for special offers in Dunnes; I got this for €12.80 during their French Wine Sale.
Looking out from a Roman hill-top fort, Oppidum d'Enserune,
located near Béziers in the Languedoc, not too far from
Cessenon-sur-Orb where Laurent Miquel operates from.
The producers suggest trying it with Oysters Kilpatrick or any way you like the crustaceans! “You can drink it with anything that lives in the sea. By the sea, preferably.” Excellent also as an aperitif.
The wine’s name 238 refers to the coordinates of the vineyard plot that the fruit comes from. “All these plots all have their own little secret. A section that gets the right amount of sun and soaks up the right amount of natural water. These areas tend to grow the vines that grow the grapes that lead to wines really worth talking about.” The Pech Gentille is harvested at night, with clarification done at low temperature before ageing.
*************
Check my growing list of top wines for 2024
*************
Beer of the Week
Enhanced by longer ageing.
Mescan Westport Saison, 5.8% ABV, 330ml bottle No 21 Coburg Street
The colour of this Mescan is mid-gold, slightly hazy with a soft white head that sinks slowly. Aromas include clove and citrus notes. It is dry and light on the palate, effervescent and refreshing, full of concentrated flavour. It is refreshing, and also very well balanced, with the New World hops matched by the earthy spicy yeast flavours, and you don't really notice the highish alcohol. But do sip rather than gulp!
Not just an excellent saison but also another superb beer from Westport's Mescan and Very Highly Recommended. It is the kind of beer that, once it hits the palate, makes you take notice. You may also want to note that it has an ABV of 5.8%.
There is something different, something more wide-ranging about this Mescan saison. Flavours are more concentrated, longer lasting, and the experience more satisfactory. More than likely it comes from longer ageing (a brewery policy).
On my 2023 visit to the rural brewery in Mayo, brewer and co-founder Cillian Ó'Móráin explained that Mescan beers take a minimum of 4 months with the heavier ones getting 6-8 months. In contrast, your normal craft beer takes just a few weeks from start to shop (can vary from brewer to brewer). While the extra time makes the Mescan more expensive, Cillian reckons it is crucial for the quality of the beer. And it is indeed a premium product, illustrated well by this superb saison.
