A teaser before Taste of West Cork
The programme of events for the September 2014 festival was launched this week ( www.atasteofwestcork.com ). On foot of his recent annual holiday ritual of springing for a spot of delicious cutty cake in the lovely courtyard after a twirl through the glorious gardens, The Menu is keen to return and fancies himself as a shoe-in for the best dressed competition, Ladies or Gents, he’s not fussy. Tickets (including two cocktails, supper and dancing) are €25, from Kalbo’s Café, Skibbereen, and Glebe Gardens, Baltimore.
Check out the Festival Brochure here.
The Menu is very much looking forward to the upcoming Ballinspittle Annual Street BBQ contest (August 24) in tandem with the Diva Boutique Bakery’s Annual Pie Baking Contest but fears greatly for the wellbeing of his waistband, as he shall also be casting a judicial eye (and palate) over all in his capacity as one of the judges. Winners of the BBQ contest will receive a locally-reared pig from butcher Donal Lordan while the winner of the Pie Baking Contest will receive a hamper full of delectables from Diva. See www.divaboutiquebakery.com and Diva Boutique Bakery on Facebook.
Having spent many a year trooping out with his Dear Old Sainted Mother to Griffin’s Garden Centre in its idyllic location alongside the River Dripsey, The Menu finds it commendable that — just as DOSM joins the ever-burgeoning ranks of those afflicted with gluten intolerance — Griffin’s Spinning Wheel restaurant has unleashed a gluten-free menu of serious substance that already holds serious attraction for one particular Gluten-free Granny. www.griffinsgardencentre.ie
While it would befit some Corkonians to pay more than lip service to the merits of the wondrous English Market and do some actual shopping in those venerable halls, many local restaurateurs continue to provide valuable support to one of our great national food emporia, sourcing produce for their menus on a daily basis. A welcome initiative from stallholders, the local hospitality industry and Fáilte Ireland, ‘Cork’s English Market Food Experience’ provides a handy map illustrating the whereabouts of nearby restaurants, pubs and cafes utilising English Market produce. Available at Cork Airport; Tourist Office, Grand Parade; English Market.
A most splendid time of year it is to be gadding about the Irish countryside whose bounty has tables groaning and bellies bursting, and The Menu has been doing his level best to sample all and sundry but it was the simple and understated stall of Noel and Patricia Love at the wonderful Schull Farmer’s that caught his eye last week, most specifically, a jar of their superb local honey: a fine, pure, nectar of blackberry and white clover sweetness and a high, fresh but ever so delicate trace of aniseed that elevates this golden honey far above the efforts of any cloying imposters. Noel Love West Cork Honey. Phone 028-38267.
Abbot Ale House, Bradley’s, Molloys, McHugh’s and widely available in the Midlands
St Mel’s Brewing Company, founded in Longford by Liam Hanlon, formerly of Carlow Brewing Co, was launched just a few weeks ago. The line-up is a pale ale, a lager and one of the country’s very few craft brown ales. It’s bottle-fermented, dry-hopped, and brewed using a “chocolate and caramel” malt base. Toffee and light citrus aromas with the chocolate noticeable on the palate, crisp citrus and aromatic hops on the finish. Fine characterful beer worth checking out.
— Leslie Williams
