Milk it Baby

The Milk Market in

Limerick

is on every Saturday from early 8am to 1pm. Mostly the foodie area is in the Corn market square which is a square of stone-built shops and retail units. Some of them are always open as vintage clothes shops and curio places. Stalls spill out into the streets selling the usual suspects (very suspect) of black sweatshirts for teenagers with the words Korn (the keyboard can’t do a backwards K) on them. Old fireplaces, antiques, it’s all here. I come for the food. A hugely popular waffle van has a queue every time I get there so I haven’t had a chance to see if they are as good as their Belgian ancestors. Inside the square is where the real action is. Come early if you want to buy fish, I heard stories of giant tubot for sale in the early hours. Stands with queues range from the ever popular olive stand that do the best parmesan from the wheel. These guys sell in the Coco markets in

Dublin

too and their white, pickled anchovies are worth the queue. The Gourmet Tart Co. are so busy that they don’t need to take any extra orders, they told me. Based in

Upper Abbeygate St.

in Galway the pie-makers troop to

Limerick

every Saturday for their loyal fan base. They also sell at the markets in Ennis and Kilkee. Tarts are their main fare, as well as quiches, croissants, French bread and other breads. I bought a small loaf of sourdough and the hungry German said it was just like proper German bread, praise indeed.

Another popular bread-maker is the

Cork

local The Alternative Bread Company (too much company here). They used to have an outlet on

Cruises St.

but have stepped up the ladder by now supplying to Dunnes, they also sell at Cork's famous English Market.  They stand out for their coeliac-friendly products and breads that suit diabetics. Through the flurry of fresh-cut flowers and the smell of hot crepes you can see the crowds out side Mari’s Cheese shop. Mari has been selling cheese at the market every Saturday morning for 11 years. As well as her popular cheese stand she has a healthy trade in coffees and cheese on baguette she makes herself. Get a seat out in the sun and enjoy a cheesy bread and coffee with locals and tourists. Mari spends her weekdays sourcing cheese, making her sundried tomatoes and cakes and preparing for her hectic Saturday mornings. The salsa cheese is the most unusual cheese I’ve ever tasted. It actually tastes of chilli con carne. Yes a cheese that tastes of meat! Perfect for vegetarians in denial. 

Opposite Mari is the Bridgestone award winning Krawczyk’s West Cork Salami. Get talking to this man and you will find a history as interesting as the products he makes. He makes his special West Corkian smoked ham only three times a year from the legs of pigs he gets from Bernie O’Donnell. The leg is dry cured for 2 days, then kept in the smokehouse for up to 5 weeks. In total it is 18 months aged. His smokies, sausages of pork, are twice minced before being stuffed into casings and smoked. The passion this man has for his produce is so that he didn’t mind losing a customer while he waxed lyrical about his true love. He comes to Limerick every Saturday, leaving

Cork

at dawn. It is his most successful market in the country, he says. Krawczyk was excited by the fact that he was filming with organic crusader Richard Corrigan this week so watch out for him on Corrigan’s next series.

Armed with fresh bread, olives, cheese and smoked ham I made my way past the vegetable stands and honey man to the sound of traditional Irish music, or was that pan pipes? Either way,

Limerick

’s culinary market is yet another of this city’s secret suprises.

For fans of Master Chef, watch tonight on BBC2 at 8pm when finalists cook for our beloved Taoiseach Bertie Ahern!

Comments

[Val]

Hi Shane
Thanks for that. I had a look at their site and the curry demos sound great. They might do them in Limerick too, my Dad would love it.
Val

[Shane]

The real heart of the city but always changing too. Unfortunately the very popular waffle stall is no more and hasn't been for a while a bit like the much lamented cocoa bean chocolate stall. The pickled seaweed is from 'on the wild side' from Kilcummin outside castlegregory on the Dingle peninsula. A very popular stall yesterday was the Green Saffron one- first day there I think and one we will be seeing more of.
http://greensaffron.com/

[Val]

Hi Maz
Will try them both next time thanks. That "taco cheese" is amazing stuff, I've seen grown women crumble in it's presence.
Val

[Maz]

Great post Val, I'm a huge fan of the Market, I can be seen (not looking all that stylish usually) most saturdays at all the stalls you mentioned. The cheese you talk about above is referred to as "taco cheese" in my house!!! Try the hot chocolate the next time you're there and the smoked salmon (with mustard or lemon) from the guy that sells all the pickled sea-weed (well it looks like sea weed)

[Valerie O'Connor]

My god Masterchef is just too much. I could never do what those poor cooks are doing. So who is your money on? Stephen, Hannah or Ben ? The final is on Thursday. Aaargh!