Farmers’ Markets boast superior quality
While The Menu is up to his tonsils in spiritual wealth, to Mrs Menu’s eternal distress, the same cannot be said for his sum total of earthly goods, so many an eyebrow is raised at his penchant for shopping at Farmers’ Markets, the assumption being such places are the sole preserve of the monied classes.
Au contraire, whinnies The Menu - not only can one avail of the very best local Irish produce directly from the producer, the judicious shopper can often purchase goods for lower prices than those displayed in the super-markets.
Where prices sometimes appear dearer, say, for meat or poultry, it is usually an additional premium for far superior quality. The clincher for The Menu is almost double the percentage of monies spent at local markets go back into the local community.
Most Saturdays, The Menu can be found at Douglas Farmer’s Market, in Douglas Court Shopping Centre, Cork, doing the bulk of his weekly shopping - his splendid Christmas feast is assembled almost entirely from produce sold there.
But it appears there is ‘no room at the inn’ on the two Saturdays immediately before Xmas (Dec 15 & 22) so the market will be temporarily upping to new locations.
On Dec 15, it’s off to the other side of Douglas Village, to the rear of the Douglas Woollen Mills, by On The Pig’s Back Deli. On Saturday (Dec 22), it will migrate to the Mahon Point Shopping Centre, where one of the country’s very best markets operates every Thursday.
There will be kids’ craft workshops and facepainting, carols and a raffle for a splendid Douglas Farmer’s Market hamper in aid of the family of Beara teacher Colleen Polly O’Leary, who, very tragically, died recently, leaving behind husband Pat and seven children, aged 13 to just two weeks old.
The Menu trusts by now you have your deposit down on a good free range Irish bird of some description. If not, continue to keep it local and check out the East Ferry poultry range at Jack McCarthy Butchers in Kanturk — that would be free range Bronze Turkey, Goose, Duck and Chicken. Online orders: www.jackmccarthy.ie
One of The Menu’s favourite manufacturers, Keogh’s, are rolling out their limited edition Yuletide offering, Roast Turkey and Secret Stuffing, with most pleasing thyme-onion notes flavouring their top-drawer hand-cooked potato crisp.
