In the middle of moving house and life it’s good to take a day or a night off and leave your brain at home. Last night was one I was very looking forward to, it was the launch of the new Bridgestone Irish Food Guide, did I mention I am a contributing editor, ahem…Anyway I spent most of yesterday running up and down Dundrum shopping centre like a headless teenager going to my debs. I bought daft shoes and got my make up done and my hair so I looked like a step ford wife, only taller. The book launch was held at the impossibly cool Fallon & Byrne in Dublin
. Though I’ve not yet been to New York, swooning friends have gushed that it’s like Fallon & Byrne; trendy, full of interesting grub and people nibbling organic goodies late into the night at high tables overlooking Exchequer Street. I’ll miss that when I move, though I have only been there once….
Back to the launch. In all my time eating and writing for John and Sally Clarke, creators of the food guide, I had so far not met them. It was only when John made his opening speech that I found out who was who. Not only did I get to meet the lovely Sally, their three kids were also there and impeccable. My Son No.1 would have been like a pig in you-know-what. Lots of food producers were showcasing their tasty wares at the event. Knockdrinna Farmhouse Cheese from Kilkenny had a great goat’s camembert that was creamier then any supermarket cheese. Sean Kelly from Kelly’s of Newport
was exuberant as he described the process of making their famous black and white puddings. He had a sheep’s stomach, black from the pudding making, on the table and told me how puddings used to be made, and it was a real one. The black pudding terrine looked amazing but I forgot to go back for a taste. The white pudding was like velvet and delicately spiced, the black is like the best fillet steak. You can get them in F&B and Donnybrook Fair for now. Kelly’s Organic Dairy Products from their Moonshine Dairy Farm were yummy spreadable cheeses in jars. Nettles made an unusual but so healthy addition to one cheese and the yogurt drinks were good but a bit pricey for the kid’s lunchboxes. We gorged ourselves with griddle cakes made on-the-spot by Robert Ditty who also makes the most incredibly crumbly, buttery oatcakes. Robert proudly gave me a new invention to taste; a cheese oatcake made with Gubeen cheese from West Cork
. Yummy but I prefer the original recipe. Geraldine Bass’s smoked salmon from the Old Millbank Smokehouse was pale pink and so tender and delicious.
As we continued to fill our faces to bursting they started to bring out the real food, oh no! We were full already but it didn’t stop me continuing to try great cheeses like Coolea from Cork
and Cratloe Hills from, the Cratloe Hills right beside where I grew up. Boards of smoked meats had the tenderest smoked ham that makes Parma
seem like old boots. Then the oysters came, I’ve only started eating these bad boys recently. They were so fresh and juicy and not at all rubbery. My first experience with an oyster was in Kinsale many years ago at a friend’s oyster farm. He fished a huge one out of the sea, shucked it and handed it to me. A comedy wrestling match ensued of me trying to swallow this living, slimy thing, and it trying to get out of my mouth. We agreed on one thing, neither of us wanted to take part in the horrible ritual. It put me off forever until now. Oysters are, as we all know, both bizarrely ugly and sexy at the same time and taste, strange and great at the same time. Ireland
’s answer to the celebrity chef, Nevin Maguire opened the evening with John Clarke who rightly said that Ireland
now has more artisan producers than ever before. It’s an exciting time and chefs hats off to all the people who took leaps of faith and jumped in to make their wonderful foods. Producing good food brings people up against so many rules, regulations and long, long hours not to mention financial risks but the rewards, down the line are great, not just to eat but hopefully for the producers too.
A huge thanks to John and Sally for making me part of the whole thing. Then we went to the pub!
And
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