Tasty start for Westfest
The West is very much awake for The Menu as he hightails it off down to Heir Island, West Cork, for Firehouse Bread’s splendid wood-fired oven bread-making course before pulling up a pew at the judges table for the Celtic Cook-Off (www.atasteofwestcork.com), West Cork Hotel, Sept 12, before pointing the wagon towards Newcastle West in Co Limerick for the Taste of Westfest (Sept 15-16), the highlight a demo from local boy Tom Flavin, executive chef, Strand Hotel, Limerick and Ross Lewis, Chapter One, in Dublin.
When The Menu’s pony and trap finally makes it back he has high hopes of popping in to The White Horse in Ballincollig for a nibble and a jorum during their third Beer & Food Festival (Sept 13-16), with high quality craft beers from Franciscan Well washing down equally fine fare from Green Saffron Spices amongst others, with top local stars, including John Spillane and The Frank and Walters. Eight Degrees Brewing will be supplying their nectar to wash down burgers at a Beat the Brain Table Quiz on the Saturday night with all proceeds going to Marymount Hospice. www.whitehorse.ie
The Menu will not deny the appeal of a Prosecco reception and three course meal at 7pm on Sept 13 followed by fashion show with shoes, boots, etc., from Tuala Harrington’s Designworks collection. Tickets €30; Tel: 087-2995555
Starring at Electric Picnic’s Theatre of Food was Galway chef and all round culinary maestro JP McMahon whose Neil Diamond rendition over the course of the battle of the boy chefs v girl chefs only managed a second-worst placing after The Menu’s diabolical ukelele-driven massacre of the Elvis fave ‘Suspicion’. In atonement, JP offers boutique-style cooking classes in the lovely Aniar restaurant in Galway, focussing on contemporary Irish cuisine and Spanish-orientated cooking classes at Cava Restaurant. All in all, another splendid reason for crying Westward Ho! www.AniarRestaurant.ie www.cavarestaurant.ie
Eastward Ho now for a Slow Food Sugarloaf Sea Shore Forage on Saturday, Sept 15, at Ennereilly Beach, Arklow, Co Wicklow, organised by the indomitable Biddy White Lennon and featuring a Coastwatch Survey in the morning and identification and foraging for edible wild food in the afternoon. Free, but further details and booking from latimerd@gofree.indigo.ie FAO Biddy White Lennon
Glenilen Farm’s Creamy Vanilla on Raspberry is a creation to cause any man to abandon principles, the secret being a delicate blend of their own fine yoghurt and set cream. The result is a mouthful of vanilla silk offset by tart/sweet of raspberry jelly, all packaged in a nice little glass ramekin to be re-used as one sees fit.
Contact Joe McNamee at themenu@examiner.ie
Franciscan Well Rebel Red Ale
One of the veteran microbreweries behind this weekend’s Irish Craft Beer Festival at the RDS is The Franciscan Well on Cork’s North Mall. But despite 14 years serving its own draught over the counter and through a small selection of other pubs, it’s a relative newcomer in offlicences, having marketed a handful of powerful brews in large 750ml bottles.
But everything is changed by its latest launch — its famous ale, bottled. Not only is it an authentically flavoursome rich red ale, but it’s also delightfully fruity and curvaceously soft-textured. I reckon it could have great popular appeal.
By Blake Creedon
