Awards calling chefs of all ages
The Menu is about to embark on a walking pilgrimage but will be leaving his staff, sandals and hairshirt behind as this is a culinary tour of his own beloved epicurean Mecca by the Lee. Established by Dublin-based Fabulous Food Trails and led by self-confessed ‘blow-in’ to Cork city, Alice Coyle, bringing an outsider’s perspective to the 2½ hour Saturday morning tour of street stalls, shops, pubs and restaurants, all conducted at a nice civilised pace. Yes, the English Market is obviously included but that’s far from the extent of it so there could well be pleasant surprises in store even for native Corkonians. For bookings and dates see www.fabfoodtrails.ie
The Menu is a great man for a bit of fish, oft saddened at how we tend to export most of our bountiful harvest to the Continent. It seems fellow marine missionaries in The Cornstore, on Cork’s Coal Quay, are preaching a similar gospel with loaves and more importantly, fishes, set for some serious multiplication during June, July and August. Their Gourmet Fish Summer Menu, with five ! locally-caught fish dishes, are available daily, plus 20% discount on reserve wines from a decent little wine list. www.cornstorecork.com
Budding amateur chefs of all ages may well be interested in throwing their toques at the Easy Food Magazine Home Cook Hero Awards, an open competition with 10 categories including Larder Luck, Catch of the Day and Fabulous Fowl — last year, a 13-year-old boy beat his mum, both competing in the same category! Judges, including chefs Kevin Dundon, Catherine Fulvio and baking expert Catherine Leydon, oversee a cook-off final in November, three finalists per category, with €1,500 worth of prizes in each category. www.homecookhero.ie
In a previous life, The Menu passed many a night away from home leaving him with a pronounced hotel allergy, eventually only cured by a sojourn in Limerick’s delightful boutique establishment No 1 Pery Square, including a most balmy evening in the urban walled kitchen garden which supplies their ambitious Brasserie One Restaurant. For the next five weeks, two nights accommodation, dinner and a two-hour gardening class with gardener Val O’Connor, from €149 pp sharing. www.oneperysquare.com
A sage comrade of The Menu’s, sadly departed, would often swear by the merits of a cool glass of buttermilk as the only man to slake the thirst on a hot afternoon’s haymaking. Indeed, in the Punjab they enjoy a divine, sweetened buttermilk thirst-quencher, lassi. But where we have one over on the Punjabis is John and Mary Cronin of Belgooly Farm’s Organic Féirm Úr Buttermilk, creamy-sweet milk with the perfect amount of lactic buttermilk bite.
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