The Elder Lemon catches the worm
Jenny from Ponaire Coffee
Jenny from Ponaire Coffee
No.1 and Slow Food Limerick team up
to host artisan summer market.
The most exciting new addition to Limerick’s
hospitality scene, No.1 Pery Square Hotel & Spa, is set to host
a summer market in association with the city’s Slow Food movement.
The best local artisan producers will be descending on No.1 on Saturday
the 27th of June to showcase their products. Seminars on
Food and Wine are also being held throughout the day at the hotel.
No.1 Pery Square Hotel & Spa is
a keen supporter of local producers, right down to the beds and furniture
that have been especially created by Irish manufacturers. It is for
this reason that Slow Food Limerick is holding its summer market at
No.1. Among other guest speakers, No.1 Head Chef, Alan Burns will be
talking about his philosophies of food and the importance sourcing quality
produce.
This is going to be a fun day with lots of small producers taking part and showcasing their delicious food and drinks. So much work and dedication goes into being a small producer so it's a great chance to hang out in the city's hippest hotel and try out some local goodies.
I will be there, selling cordials (see the post title for too funny joke!) made from seasonal and local fruit and flowers. I've had a taste of the work that goes in to producing for more than one or two people and its work, but rewarding. So come along and bring your hard earned lolly, and spend it here!!!

"Booze can get you through times of no money better than money can get you through times of no booze", or something to that effect, once said by Fat Freddy or his wayward puddy cat. In times of no money but lots and lots of sunshine and abundant, lush vegetation, the gifts of nature seem ever more generous. Trends seem to come from nowhere, or some celebrity chef does something and then we all follow suit. I'm following in the hippy footsteps of Hugh Fernley Whattisname and well on the road to my own elderflower champagne. Out walking in the lovely Limerick countryside I could smell the heady sweetness of elderflowers in the air. I grabbed some scissors later and headed back out the country roads and filled up bags for champers and cordial. The cordial was such a hit it's almost gone, 3 large bottles went down a treat with my kids, surprise surprise, and friends. It's light and refreshing and made only with lemons, limes, oranges, water and of course elderflowers. You can freeze it in plastic bottles too.
The champers is a slightly different animal. It's made in a big plastic bucket or bin and takes no effort at all. The only work is in washing and sterilising bottles, but it's fun to make either way you look at it. I have read about bottles exploding so take precautions when storing this. It takes only two weeks from making it to drinking time. I have never tasted as a finished product but I do find it very sweet. I would probably make another batch with half the sugar. I hope this is ready to drink at a party for Friday night. At about 4 percent proof it's not too strong, free booze is free booze after all
Makes about 6 litres
1. Put the hot water and sugar into a large container (a spotlessly clean bucket is good) and stir until the sugar dissolves, then top up with cold water so you have 6 litres of liquid in total.
2. Add the lemon juice and zest, the vinegar and the flower heads and stir gently.
3. Cover with clean muslin and leave to ferment in a cool, airy place for a couple of days. Take a look at the brew at this point, and if it’s not becoming a little foamy and obviously beginning to ferment, add a pinch of yeast.
4. Leave the mixture to ferment, again covered with muslin, for a further four days. Strain the liquid through a sieve lined with muslin and decant into sterilised strong glass bottles with champagne stoppers (available from home-brewing suppliers) or Grolsch-style stoppers, or sterilised screw-top plastic bottles (a good deal of pressure can build up inside as the fermenting brew produces carbon dioxide, so strong bottles and seals are essential).
5. Seal and leave to ferment in the bottles for a further eight days before serving, chilled. The champagne should keep in the bottles for several months. Store in a cool, dry place.
These are the flowers from Mange Tout, I took this photo in one of the poly tunnels at Seedsavers, while sneakily munching beans from the plants
Image posed Tuesday May 26 2009 When it comes to food and snacks, we all have our guilty little pleasures. Sure, we know we're all supposed to feast on fine, fresh ingredients as part of a daily balanced diet, and graze on nuts and fruits rather than cakes and biscuits during work and in our downtime. However, in tough times like these, we need our little treats and pleasures to help buck us up, and that goes for the gourmand experts too. We asked some of the country's most pre-eminent foodies -- from Michelin-starred chefs to TV cooks to food writers and bloggers -- to dish on their particular guilty pleasures, be it a sneaky take-away, a greasy sausage roll, a bar (or three) of chocolate, or even raw cake mixture. Bon appetit ... Darina Allen, Ballymaloe Cookery School, Cork I love baked beans on toast and old fashioned Birds custard, a delicious childhood memory. I occasionally think about the Chef's salad cream that we had on salad sandwiches as children, and the Tipsy Cake by Gateaux that was made with bits of leftover cake and topped with luminous pink icing, and wonder whether I would love them now. I sometimes still hanker for a 'spring sprong' biscuit (Jacob's Coconut Creams). Donal Skehan, thegoodmoodfoodblog.com Nothing can satisfy my craving for junk food more thanBacon Fries: they are crunchy, salty, highly calorific and never fail to hit the spot. My other weakness is a little dish I came up with when I was a kid and it seems to have stayed with me: take one nice golden potato waffle, place three crispy fish fingers uniformly lined up on top, drench with Heinz tomato ketchup, and top with another waffle. There you have it -- the Waffle Fish Finger sandwich. A classic! Dennis Cotter, Head chef, Café Paradiso, Cork I don't have any guilty pleasures simply because I believe guilt itself is inherently unhealthy. To be honest, I like to eat well once a day, the rest of the time food is just fuel and I don't fuss over it. Peanut butter with vegemite is a bit gross, but it does for breakfast when the cupboard is bare. My favourite Friday night activity is to watch Cork City win at Turners Cross, then have chips from the chip van on the way to the pub. Ketchup and too much salt for me, never liked vinegar on potatoes. Three pints of Beamish on top of that is the best dinner in the world. Oliver Dunne, Head chef, Bon Appetit, Malahide I have many guilty pleasures but the two I eat the most are, Cadbury Starbars for a sweet fix, and if I need a bit of fat, I love southern fried chicken and chips from the local chipper washed down with a can of Coke. Ross Lewis, Head Chef, Chapter One, Parnell Square My guilty pleasure is still Double Verona Chocolate Muffins from the California Bakery. Kevin Dundon, food writer and celebrity chef I don't have a very sweet tooth, but on a long car journey I love to indulge in a bag of Liquorice Allsorts. Even now they bring back great memories of my childhood when our treat on a Sunday afternoon (assuming, of course, we ate all our lunch) was to have a bag of Allsorts and hot chocolate. Sheer culinary euphoria -- even then! Valerie O'Connor, www.valskitchen.com I have considered selling my soul for a sausage roll, or a peanut butter Chunky Kit Kat. My guiltiest pleasure has to be having a doner kebab any time, day or night. I have been known to drive to a certain kebab place in Limerick, dressed up to the nines and wait in line for my take away. The more chilli sauce and the messier it is, the better. Derry Clarke, L'Ecrivain, Baggot St, Dublin I love eating the crispy skin off pork, which is so bad for me! Another guilty pleasure is fatty bacon, which is terrible for the old heart, I know, but I still do it anyway. There's also salt and vinegar Taytos -- one bag is never enough -- and, of course, a pint or two of Guinness. Richard Corrigan, Head chef, Bentley's Restaurant, St Stephen's Green I have been known to enjoy soft ice cream just out of the machine with choc sauce, hot of course. Very boyish. Aoileann Garavaglia, author, Cheat's Cuisine My guilty pleasures are many, but I do crave Tayto cheese and onion. I do indulge every now and then, but I wait until the kids go to bed, mainly so I don't have to share. I also have a big grá for white sliced pan toasted with butter. I was deprived this as a child, so now at weekends, I buy a white sliced pan for us, toast it, use a biscuit cutter to cut out a shape, and butter and sprinkle with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon (organic, of course). Kevin Thornton, Head chef, Thorntons Restaurant, St Stephen's Green When I'm driving to Menu in Belfast I might stop for petrol and would often grab a Snickersand a packet of Tayto. It's a throwback to my childhood and I love the combination of crisps and chocolate. Trish Deseine, food writer and presenter of Trish's Paris Kitchen There's not a great deal I feel guilty about. I embrace many items such as Flakes, Mint Munchies, butterscotch Angel Delight which are deemed "bad" as part of my varied diet. I subsequently eat lots of salad to cancel them out. When I'm baking, I cannot stay away from raw plain cake mixture and, a little later, its freshly whipped buttercream icing straight from the mixing bowl.The guilty gourmets
They may extol the virtues of fine ingredients, but even for committed foodies, sometimes only a treat will do, says Declan Cashin

Talented restaurateur Liz Phelan of Freddy's Bistro has put together a fascinating menu for an exciting night of food and history at the much loved Freddy's Bistro on Theatre Lane, Limerick
Slow Food &
Freddy’s Bistro present Food
Heritage Menu
Tuesday 26th
May 7.30pm
FIRST COURSE
Irish Farmhouse
Cheese in a Crisp Buttery Pastry with a Rhubarb and Apple Jam
SECOND COURSE
Summer Fish
Broth served with Homemade Breads
Or
Freddy’s Home
Smoked Organic Chicken and Pear Salad with an Apple Farm Cider Dressing
(served with a
glass of Apple Farm Cider)
THIRD COURSE
Fresh Mint
Sorbet
(Adare Farm)
FOURTH COURSE
Tipperary Lamb
with a Fresh Herb Crust and Onion Gravy
Rigney’s Rare
Breed Pork Belly Braised in Mead and Orange, on sautéed Cabbage
Wild Smoked
Haddock on Buttered Leeks with a Grain Mustard Sauce
Organic Chicken
with Traditional Bread Stuffing, with a Nettle and Spinach Sauce
Accompanied by
Traditional Champ and Baby Roast Potato
Selection of
Irish Organic Vegetables
(Springfield
Farm)
PUDDINGS
Chocolate Orange And Guinness Cake with a Burnt Orange Compote
Freddy’s Tea
Brack with Brown Bread Ice Cream
Apple Crumble
with a Warm Homemade Custard
Tea or Coffee
(Coffee by
Ponaire Coffee)
The May Bank
holiday weekend is the best weekend of the year to step out and make the most
of Limerick City. The Riverfest had it’s wings clipped a little but there was
no stortage of locals and visitors thronging the streets for the attractions.
Having lived in
other cities I always loved the idea of going out somewhere for a lazy Sunday
brunch or lunch. I’ve never been charmed by the whole pack-em-in pub style
carvery. Too many people, not enough cooks and all the food is made from flour
based sauces and pre-cooked veggies. I fancied some nice, summery food, fresh
and light with flavour.
I’d heard that
Cornstore were doing “proper food for kids”; organic pork sausages with mash
and gravy, oven roast salmon with mash and brocolli, things like that. I’ve
never come across a good, honest, menu like that and even my own kids take
umbrage at the fact that its assumed they want to eat chicken nuggets and chips
all the time. Generally I avoid
taking the kids out for lunch as I end up paying for adult-sized main courses
that are enough for a rugby player. There was no happy medium.
To say Cornstore
is gorgeous is an understatement. It’s dark and shiny, plush and luxurious. We
were shown upstairs where diners can see all the kitchen activity, really
exciting for me and the boys too. Staff are smiley and attentive and we were given
a sunny table by the window . There was a healthy mix of families and other
diners with a nice hum of chatting. The menus arrived and all the talk about
the proper food for kids was true.
Sure there was a burger, but with “proper chips”, chicken goujons were
home-made. The prices range from
€8.95 to €11.95 for the Sirloin Steak with homemade chips, roasted veggies and
gravy. All the prices include a drink: juice, milk or a fizzy. If you have a
toddler who’s on the gooey food, you can get a bowl of mash, veggies and gravy
or pasta with parmesan for free!!!
We ordered the chicken wings with chips to share as a starter and
Saoirse went for the steak. The wings came in a nice-looking metal dish with a
little bucket of chips, we had two each and they were licked clean, the chips
were real, with skins on. Saoirse devoured his steak, the gravy was full of
flavour and the mash was closely coveted. This was a really decent plate of
food, one that, as a Mum, I was really happy to see him eat.
The whole main
menu is on offer at lunch time; a little from all corners of the world. I went
for the special of whole roasted sea bream with olives, roasted cherry tomatoes
and rocket, it sounded like just what I was looking for. This dish was so good,
a really generous fish, doused with punchy green and black olives and peppery olive
oil. It was prefectly cooked, juicy and fresh. Tomatoes were sweet and full of
flavour. I loved that there were no chips or spuds with it. This kind of food
is so hard to find, and so welcome, we all had some of the fish and everybody
loved it. Leon went for the Pork Belly on creamy mash, roast root vegetables,
apple puree and cider jus. The pork is slow cooked for 12 hours and is something we cook at home
so we were harsh critics. It was tender and moist and we fought over it, the veggies
and jus full of deep flavours. All plates were well cleaned. I had a
non-alcoholic cocktail, I love cocktails but generally don’t drink them in the
afternoon with the kids! My fruit punch was like a real cocktail, frothy, fruity
and refreshing, and only €4.
Though we were
all full, the deserts just looked too good to pass up. At €3.95 for deserts on
the kids menu why would we? The boys both had the chocolate cake with ice cream
(instead of cream). This was more brownie like and so fudgey and gooey, served
with Adare farms vanilla ice cream it was eaten in silence, slowly and
lovingly. I had the Eton mess, a huge glass full of crushed meringue, fresh
berries, ice ceam, cream and topped with crushed nuts. Swoon. I ate it all up
like a happy baby tasting sweets for the first time. I had one perfect coffee to bring me back to the land of the
living. I could have easily spent the whole afternoon here, as it was we were
almost three hours over our lunch. A colouring competition had the lads busy
while I had a sneak peek at the kitchen
and the talented chef Maura Baxter at work. Cornstore is good at what it
does, a real gem. Now to go back
and try out the cocktail menu, yum.
Cornstore
19 Thomas Street
Limerick
Phone (061)
609000 Fax (061) 409334
I had heard some good things about this little Italian Cafe on Mallow Street in my home town of Limerick, their coffee was always good and the service friendly. So I thought I'd give it a shot for a bit of lunch today, being the start of a long weekend it felt indulgent to be sitting outside in the sun while the traffic built up on the streets, the joy of living in town.
Prosper Montagne: Larousse Gastronomique: The World's Greatest Cookery Encyclopedia
Nigella Lawson: How to Be a Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking
Tamasin Day-Lewis: Good Tempered Food: Recipes to Love, Leave and Linger Over
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