Entries now open for Blas na hÉireann - the Irish Food Awards

Entries now open for Blas na hÉireann 

- the Irish Food Awards

Take time out to visit Slea Head on the stunning Dingle peninsula.

Entries for Blas na hÉireann 2024, the Irish Food Awards, are now open. Blas na hÉireann is the largest blind-tasted food awards on the island of Ireland, designed to recognise and celebrate the very best Irish food and drink. Entries are open to producers across all categories of food and drink with the early bird discounted rate for entries running until April 3rd. 

Entries will finally close for this year’s awards on May 16th, with judging happening over the summer months and the awards announced on Friday 4th of October. After a wonderfully successful year in Dingle in 2023 celebrating Irish food and drink producers, the excitement for the upcoming awards this October is already building. 

“The Cork City & County Local Enterprise Offices have always been champions of the local food & drinks sector and have been involved in providing a range of business, training, advisory and financial supports to the many food producers in Cork over the last 30 years.” said Deirdre O'Mahon of Cork LEO. “We are delighted to partner with Blas na hÉireann, the Irish food awards, the largest food awards on the island, which celebrates the range and quality of local food, to sponsor the Best in Cork award, and we would encourage all local Cork food & drinks businesses to enter the competition this year.”

“It’s hard to believe we are now in our 17th year running the awards,” says Artie Clifford, Blas na hÉireann Chairman. “Looking back to when we started and had just under 400 applications to where we are now with nearly 3,000 entries last year, it is testament not only to the fantastic food and drink producers of Ireland, but also to the measurable impact these awards have on small artisan businesses. Since creating the Blas village, we have seen even more momentum and opportunities for producers with high engagement between them and key industry buyers. We are very much looking forward to seeing what this year brings and welcoming new producers participating right across the island.”

Together with the Food Science Dept of UCC and the University of Copenhagen, the team at Blas na hÉireann have developed a blind-tasting judging system that is now recognised as an industry gold standard worldwide. 

Winners and finalists are always the best Blas ambassadors — something to which many hundreds of small producers, farmers, growers, bakers and artisan food makers who have won a Blas na hÉireann award and proudly put the winner’s sticker on their product can attest. Research has shown that the Blas na hÉireann accreditation has the highest recognition among Irish consumers and having the award logo on products encourages shoppers to buy – it is a recognised guarantee of a top-quality Irish product.

Entries for Blas na hÉireann 2024 are now open and there is an early bird fee of €70 (ex VAT) until 3rd April. For full rates and further details, please visit www.irishfoodawards.com  

Ballymaloe House celebrates 60th anniversary with inaugural Ballymaloe Festival of Food, May 2024

press release

Inaugural Ballymaloe Festival of Food May 24. 

Will celebrate 60th anniversary of Ballymaloe House

Ballymaloe Festival of Food is a new three-day food festival that this year celebrates 60 years of Ballymaloe — six decades of good food and fine hospitality, renowned in Ireland and beyond — while also showcasing all that the Irish food and drinks community has to offer today. 

At Ballymaloe from Friday May 17th to Sunday May 19th this year, the inaugural Ballymaloe Festival of Food will be three days jam-packed with cooking demos, pop-up dinners, talks, walks, producers’, craft exhibitors and activities celebrating the journey of good food from the soil and sea to your plate. With wine tastings and cocktail making, all day dining opportunities featuring the best local and international talent, this weekend focuses too on everything that is great and innovative about modern Irish food, from apiarists, oyster farmers and cheesemakers to local whiskey distillers, artisan bakers and award-winning jam makers, with chefs from around Ireland and the UK joining for a fantastic weekend of exploration and pleasure.

Among the instigators of the Irish farm to fork movement, Myrtle Allen and her husband Ivan opened The Yeats Room at Ballymaloe back in 1964, initially advertising in the Cork Examiner saying “Come dine in a country house”, becoming one of the first country homes of its kind in Ireland to open their doors to guests. 

Based in and around that original family country house, and the unique complex of outbuildings including The Grainstore, Big Shed and magical grounds and gardens, Ballymaloe Festival of Food is another invitation to guests, this time to an event with a clear message — one of sustainability, and a return to the roots of that original farm to table movement so important to Mr. and Mrs. Allen — with interesting and engaging talks from some key experts, producers and advocates telling the crucially important story of sustainable local food.

With an exciting lineup of Irish and international chefs confirmed, the full programme will be available to download on the website on Friday March 22nd, with the Woodshed Restaurant pop-ups including Lee Tiernan of London’s Black Axe Mangal and Nico Reynolds of Lil’ Portie, and guests on both the cooking demonstration stages including Matt Tebbutt, host of Saturday Kitchen, Aishling Moore of Goldie, Marco Pierre White, Lily Ramirez-Foran of Picado Mexican, Clodagh McKenna, Georgina Hayden  and many more. Speakers on the Big Shed Ballymaloe Festival of Food Stage, with a theme of Change We Must!, will be hosted by Karen O’Donoghue from Grow, Cook, Eat, and include Barrie Quinn of Portnoo Market Garden, Karen O’Donoghue of Happy Tummy Co., Sarah de Brun of Oysome and Chris Fahey of Wildflour, among others. All the details here!

The Ballymaloe Festival of Food with the help of Local Enterprise Office supports small producers by putting them in front of both food lovers and industry professionals, and invited chefs are encouraged to use local, seasonal produce in their cooking demos from some of those producers and exhibitors showing their produce over the weekend. An enjoyable, engaging and, most of all, delicious few days in the heartland of Ireland’s farm to table movement, there will be live music too, and there will definitely be dancing…

Weekend tickets for all three days are €65 per person, individual day tickets on Friday are €20, with Saturday and Sunday tickets for €25 per person, including both Demo stages, Drinks Theatre, Walks and Talks, Food Producers area, and more. Evening-only tickets on Friday or Saturday evening are €12, and the Woodshed lunches and dinners by guest chefs are €75 and €85 per person respectively. Children under 12 go free.

Ballymaloe Festival of Food is proudly sponsored by Local Enterprise Office, Cork County Council, Failte Ireland, Bord Bia and Cully and Sully. 

See www.ballymaloegrainstore.com for more.

The Cove at Fota Island Resort hosts an exclusive evening showcasing the distinguished wines of Château Queyron Pindefleurs

press release 

The Cove at Fota Island Resort hosts an exclusive evening showcasing

the distinguished wines of Château Queyron Pindefleurs

The  Cove 

 

 

The Cove at Fota Island Resort is the resort’s intimate fine dining restaurant, quietly luxurious and elegant, where the food on the plate is a sophisticated bringing together of ancestral flavours, foraged elements and meticulous technique, in the heart of east Cork.

 

On Wednesday 17th April, The Cove hosts a special wine dinner with the charismatic couple responsible for the exceptional wines of Château Queyron Pindefleurs, Chantal and Peter Watts. They will be exquisitely partnering some of their wines with an intriguing seven-course menu designed by Tomasz Pawlak, Executive Head Chef at Fota Island Resort.

 

The vineyards of Château Queyron Pindefleurs are at the foot of the southern hills of the medieval city of Saint-Émilion in Bordeaux. The Fillon family has cultivated this terroir since 1937, producing acclaimed wines that are rich, balanced and harmonious. In 2010 Chantal Fillon and her Australian husband Peter took over the family property of 14 hectares, bringing a fresh approach to both viticulture and winemaking.

An opportunity to hear Chantal and Peter talk through their wine pairings with dinner in The Cove, this will include Château Queyron Pindefleurs Grand Cru 2016, described as “commanding” and “statuesque”, a wine with 97 Decanter points, and the only Bordeaux to make it through to Decanter’s Best In Show that year. The pairings will also include the aromatic and powerful Château Queyron Pindefleurs Grand Cru 2018, and the brilliant 100% Merlot Le Jardin de Queyron Pindefleurs from 2019.

The evening begins with canapés and champagne at 7pm, followed by dinner in The Cove at 7.30pm. Tickets are €120 per person with very limited availability. A luxurious stay on the night at five-star Fota Island Resort is €165 b&b for single occupancy or €185 for double occupancy. Book tickets via https://www.eventbrite.com/e/exclusive-wine-and-dinner-evening-at-fota-island-resort-tickets-859419054527?aff=oddtdtcreator.

For further information visit www.fotaisland.ie.

 

A gorgeous Verdejo from the South. Robles Piedra Luenga Montilla - Moriles (DO)

Robles Piedra Luenga Verdejo Montilla - Moriles (DO), 2022, 13% ABV

Stockists: Mary Pawle Wines

A gorgeous Verdejo from the South.

This gorgeous Verdejo comes from the little-known Denominacion Montilla-Moriles in Andalucia (in the warm south of Spain). Limpid gold in the glass and with a fresh and fruity bouquet, light fennel notes too, rising towards your nose, this is quite a temptation. 

The attraction grows on the palate, intense and complex, a powerful bunch of flavours, raisins and other dried fruits in the melange and a touch of citrus.

Once gross lees are removed, the wine is aged on its fine lees with weekly “bâtonnage”. This provides, among other things, complexity, intensity, and persistence. Mild and juicy and balanced with a small kick of refreshing acidity, it is not easy to let this Verdejo from the South out of your sight.

The Robles family has been dedicated to wine-making in Montilla (Southern Spain) since 1927. In the late 1990s, “the third generation takes over the winery and understands the need to incorporate organic viticulture and work with indigenous yeasts into the tradition of the winery”.

Pairings recommended, mostly from Spanish sources, are:  excellent as an aperitif and as an accompaniment to fresh and complex dishes such as cod and orange salad. It can be served with seafood, trout and fish in general. It can also accompany fresh, lightly aged cheeses, and even slightly smoked ones, making brie-type cheeses especially pleasant. Serve at 7 to 9 degrees.

Very Highly Recommended.

The ecological care that the vineyard receives is vital, so important: “it is a nursery for yeasts and is ultimately responsible for our wines being able to express their identity: the faithful reflection of the soil and the grapes. The Verdejo grape adopts the identity of the Córdoba countryside.” And this example can be truly called a “Verdejo from the South”.

Verdejo is mainly grown in northwest Spain, in Castilla y León and particularly in the Denominación de Origen Rueda, which is just south of Valladolid.

Drink of the Week. A special Riesling from Italy.

Drink of the Week. 

A special Riesling from Italy.

GD Vajra “Petracine” Riesling Langhe (AOC) 2021, 13% ABV

When you think of Riesling around the world, European vineyards such as Alsace and Germany, along with New Zealand and South Australia,  will probably cross your mind.

But surely not Italy - unless you are familiar with this special organic Riesling by GD Vajra from the Langhe (Piedmont). Otherwise, it is a surprise, as it was for me, and a very pleasant one indeed, vibrant and massively appealing. 

The pioneer of Riesling in Piedmont is Aldo Vajra. Aldo got passionate about this variety during his University studies, investigated more and more about it and planted the first clones in Langa in 1985. This is how Pètracine was born, a wine whose name evokes the roots digging into the rock. It is an exercise of biodiversity, born by a massal selection from Alsace, Palatinate and Rhine. “This is a wine that requires patience, much like the great reds of our land.”

Beautifully aromatic (peach and apricot and lemon, no hint at all of petrol or diesel here) greet you and take you on to a bone-dry palate. No shortage of minerality, but it is well-balanced, and that surprisingly fresh acidity is a key part of the equation. The invigorating character of this beauty lingers long at the finish. A great food wine. Enjoy it with the usually recommended Asian cuisines but with many other dishes as well including pork, white fish and seafood.

The wine is imported to Ireland by Liberty Wines and you can find it by checking with your Liberty stockists or by searching online. Price seems to be around 40 euro. Very Highly Recommended.

******

Taste of the Week. Mella's Fudge and Irish Whiskey

Taste of the Week. 

Mella's Fudge and Irish Whiskey

Watch for pyrotechnics. When these two get together, sparks fly.

I got this tip sometime before Christmas but it took until the other day to try it out. Mainly because some regular outlets sold all their Mella's Fudge in the Christmas rush and they took a while to replenish.

Got the two together the other night, a cube of Mella's regular fudge and a wee dram of Clonakilty's Port Cask Finish Whiskey. What a combination! Amazing rapport between the two, each improves as they meld on the palate. Taste of the Week? No doubt about it!

And thanks to our local German baker Angela for the tip; she picked it up from a rustically inclined German podcast! You'll find her marvellous bread in the Coal Quay Market every Saturday and at her stall at St Lukes (by Henchy's) every Wednesday 12.00pm - 2.00pm.

"Why don’t we see more Chardonnays from Beaujolais?" Dominique Morel Beaujolais-Villages Blanc.

Dominique Morel Beaujolais-Villages Blanc (AC) Chardonnay 2022, 12.5% ABV, 

RRP €23.95. Stockists: The Cinnamon Cottage; JJ O’Driscoll Superstore Ballinlough; Higgins Off Licence; wineonline.ie

"Why don’t we see more Chardonnays from Beaujolais?"

The colour of this Beaujolais Chardonnay is a lovely mid-gold, pristine in the glass. The vibrant aromatics feature blossom and citrus. On the palate, it is sprightly and crisp, light and fresh, nicely acidic. 

This fresh unoaked beauty is a wine with much to offer, including an elegant finish. With good fruit and acidity and moderate alcohol, it is quite versatile at the table, well endowed with the potential to feature as a terrific house wine in a restaurant.

One of the best Chardonnays around and Very Highly Recommended.

So why don’t we see more Chardonnays from Beaujolais? Mainly because the growers concentrate on the Gamay grape whose red wines are so much sought after. 

At the same time, there is a fair bit of Chardonnay grown here. Indeed, Jean Bourjade, then MD Inter Beaujolais, told a Cork audience in 2016 that as the Macon overlaps Beaujolais, many white wines made in northern Beaujolais are sold under the better-known Mâcon appellation.” Just to underline the point, Mâcon is less than a 25 minute drive from Émeringes where Morel ia based.

Ten years ago Christine and Dominique started on the adventure of exploring the possibilities of white in a region that is devoted to red. Importers Liberty tell us that the Blanc is made from Chardonnay planted on granitic-clay soil, producing a wine with distinct freshness and excellent fruit concentration. 

The grapes are gently pressed and fermented in stainless-steel tanks, to preserve delicate fruit aromas. All work in the vineyard, including harvesting, is done by hand. The vines are an average of 15 years old. The resulting wine then undergoes lees-ageing for four to five months, lending texture and roundness to balance its vibrant acidity.

Morel’s Recommended pairings: Avocados stuffed with prawns, scallops, fish and chicken vol au vents, fish mousse, frogs’ legs, mixed salads, button mushrooms in cream, andouillette with white wine, veal curry, chicken curry. As an aperitif with appetisers. Serve at 10 degrees.

Beer of the Week. 9 White Deer's Well Bred Stag Kolsch

Beer of the Week.

9 White Deer's Well Bred Stag Kolsch 

9 White Deer Stag Kolsch, 4.2% ABV, 500 ml bottle, O’Donovan’s

Stag Kolsch, by 9 White Deer Brewery in Ballyvourney, is our Beer of the Week.

See the fountains of micro-bubbles rise through the yellow/amber body towards the soft white head. This Stag Kolsch, with its high carbonation level and gentle hop character, is palate-friendly with an almost creamy feel. Easy to quaff and easy to see how this refreshing gluten-free and flavoursome beer (more malty than hoppy) has become quite a seller, widely available in both bottle and draught.

But what style is it? Some call it a lager, some call it an ale, others hybrid. Don't worry too much about it, just enjoy! It is a style that originated in Cologne.

The team in 9 White Deer have certainly cracked the style here. They have brewed with German Nobel Hops, Premium Irish and German Malt and German Yeast. Stag Kolsch gets “an extended lagering time where it can develop and mature into a classic premium European style beer”. 

The brewery had, still have, two big “factors” on their side when they set out to produce a Kolsch: the local water and a famous German brewmaster. The water, from the Cork and Kerry mountains, is really soft, just perfect for lager-style beers. 

And the guidance they got from Roland, then brewmaster of the well-known Munich brewery Augustiner and still a friend of the Ballyvourney brewery, could not have been bettered. Kolsch and 9 White Deer were on their way.

JAMESON BLACK BARREL BARTENDER SERIES COMPETITION LAUNCHES FOR THIRD YEAR!

JAMESON BLACK BARREL BARTENDER SERIES COMPETITION LAUNCHES FOR THIRD YEAR

CHAMPIONING LOCAL BAR CULTURE TO INSPIRE CREATIVITY WITHIN THE INDUSTRY, 2024’S PRIZE WILL OFFER RARE MENTORING OPPORTUNITIES WITH INDUSTRY GIANTS

Jameson, the world’s most shared and most awarded Irish whiskey, is delighted to announce the third annual Jameson Black Barrel Bartender Series 2024 competition, open for entries from 1st April – May 15th.
The 2024 series invites the bar community to participate in the competition, encouraging each applicant to champion their local cultures and communities by creating a unique, regionally inspired cocktail using Jameson Black Barrel.

The top 25 ‘Regional Winners’ will be awarded €500 and win a 3-day, all expenses paid trip to Midleton Distillery, Ireland to attend the ‘Jameson HOSTS Global Summit’ curated in collaboration with award-winning bartender Remy Savage. Additionally, the top 3 ‘Global Champions’, will each win €5000 and access to an innovative Jameson mentoring programme that includes in-person and virtual sessions with industry giants such as hospitality consultant Danil Nevsky, bar owners Ezra Star and Beckaly Franks, and summit curator Remy Savage, on topics from brand building to social media strategy and bar operations.

The Jameson HOSTS Global Summit, attended by 100+ global bar community guests, offers unrivalled networking and inspirational seminars lead by prominent industry figures. As part of their prize, the top 25 ‘Regional Winners’ will win travel and access to 2024’s Summit as well as behind-the-scenes tours and unique experiences during their trip.

Jameson, which is strongly committed to creating a fair and balanced competition, has created a two-tiered judging system for 2024 to increase transparency and accessibility. Bartenders can enter the competition by submitting a 1-minute video of their cocktail creation to be judged by leading figures in the industry. Judges, including Danil Nevsky of Indie Bartender, Priyanka Blah of The Dram Attic and Ethan Liu of CMYK, will determine the 25 ‘Regional Winners’ and, within this, the ‘Top 10’ finalists. Finally, the 3 ‘Global Champions’ will be decided by taste test and anonymous voting live at the Global Summit, in a distinctively pioneering peer judging process.

Speaking on the addition of the mentorship programme, Tony O’Brien, Jameson Global Advocacy Manager, commented: “Many established members of the industry regularly speak to the ‘things they wish they had known’ as they first started their careers and their mentors who allowed them to discover their voice. This is something, as a brand, Jameson wants to continue nurturing in the industry, which is why, in addition to the monetary prize, for 2024 we wanted to give something extra back to the community with the mentoring programme and access to some of the best in the business. The Global Summit will also allow our Top 25 a rare networking opportunity as we have curated our global summit to be a place of connection, inspiration and growth with many attendees going on to continue relationships they have built at the event, through friendship and even professionally with bar takeovers and partnerships.”

Remy Savage, award-winning bartender and mentor for 2024, commented, “Mentorship is something I have always made part of my identity as a bartender and bar owner. I believe it is the past, present and future of our industry and I’m very happy to continue to mentor the next wave of creatives and be part of their journey in this community”. Remy will also host seminars at the Global Summit, with his 2023 presentation focusing on drinks development theory.

The competition will be open for entries from 1st April and close on 15th May for judging with 25 ‘Regional Winners’ announced on 7th June. Cocktail submissions will use Jameson Black Barrel, a blend of pot still and rare small batch grain whiskeys, triple distilled, and known for its richness and notes of vanilla and caramel sweetness, toasted wood, fruit and warming spice. This exceptional liquid’s production, matured in a combination of American oak, sherry casks and double charred Bourbon barrels creates a distinctive flavour profile that makes it the ideal foundation to cocktails.  

For more information and updates, bartenders can visit the Jameson website or follow @JamesonHOSTS

Castlemartyr's Hunted Hog In Good Hands

 Castlemartyr's Hunted Hog In Good Hands

What would a five-star hotel want with a local pub? That question came up often when news broke that Castlemartyr Resort had bought a local tavern called Hunted Hog, previously owned by the Emporium Consortium and before that by comedian Pat Shortt.

Once I thought about the acquisition, I could see a "good fit". In fact, the "fit" was already established by wedding parties stopping off at the Hog for a pint or two in the old bar, and enjoying the craic on its riverside terrace, before heading to the hotel for the banquet.

So from now on, if you arrive at the junction of the village's Main Street and the road to Garryvoe on a summer weekend, or any time during the wedding season, expect to find a lively scene inside and out. When we arrived for lunch on a rainy March day, it wasn't that lively, nor would you expect it to be so. Our biggest worry was where to get parking close to the venue. We did find it just around the corner but that may not be the case later in the year.

The bar, while retaining its traditional vibe, has been improved and brightened up since we last called in the days under Pat Shortt.  The bar counter is on your right as you enter from the street and the first thing I spotted was a couple of taps with craft beer from the Killarney Brewing Company. Happy to see that and happy to enjoy a glass of their Golden Spear with my lunch.

The main dining room is on your left - just walk through, no doors. There is a well-worn timber floor emphasising the character of the building and quite a few more hints, by way of old bottles, flasks, advertisements and other posters, on the shelves and on the walls. Another area further in on the right has a telly for races and matches. They also have music here at weekends so it doesn't just doze through these winter months.

Indeed we got a lively warm welcome as did everyone else that came in that lunchtime. We were led to our table and soon we were sipping the IPA and studying the shortish menu, short yes but not lacking in quality. Far from it, as we were about to discover. 

They do a roast here daily and our server told us all about the Slow Cooked Brisket and veg. But having had beef at a confirmation meal the evening before, we gave the roast a skip, this time. 

We started with soups. CL enjoyed her Potato and Leek while I also savoured my Seafood Chowder (packed with pieces of fish) and both of these were accompanied by a well-made brown bread. Our excellent server kept an eye on us without overdoing it and checked if we needed more of the bread or more of anything.

Local suppliers and producers are supported by the pub (which is run by Colin and Barry Hennessey): the fish comes from Ballycotton pier, beef and chicken from Clifford's Craft Butchers on Main Street, greens come from the grocer across the road, and whiskey from the distillery in Midleton, all mentioned on the website. What you get here is good quality Irish cuisine.

The Fish Tacos were a good example, the breaded prawns on crispy tacos with a well-dressed selection of organic leaves certainly went down well with CL. More or less the same salad was served with their excellent chicken liver paté, also delicious Cumberland sauce and the bread, instead of the hard doorstep sourdough you often get, was a soft toasted Ciabatta. A terrific combination.

Thumbs up overall for the lunch and happy as we stepped out into the rain with just a short walk needed to get from bar to car.