The Menu: Game ball
This year’s ‘Homegrown and Wholesome’ festival features a host of star names including Kevin Dundon, Catherine Fulvia, Rory O’Connell and Rozanne Stevens along with the Food Heroes — a focus on some of the astonishing local producers to be found in the hinterland.
Along with the de rigeur markets, demos and tastings there’s also a plethora of quirky offerings: a build-a-café-in-60-minutes challenge and a Domestic Goddess Bootcamp with two yummy mummies and their mammies in a 30 minute cook off using a bag of mystery ingredients.
And the early opening salvo comes with a splendid 5-course game and burgundy dinner with matching wines at Campagne restaurant (Oct 24) cooked by the very talented guest chef Peter Byrne from Gordon Ramsay’s Wicklow restaurant. (Tel: 056-7772858 or info@campagne.ie) www.savourkilkenny.com
The Menu’s annual claim to have only been looking for the ring as another poor barnbrack fails to see morning, may for once carry a modicum of truth with a €500 designer ring just one of the tantalising gifts to be found in the traditional Halloween cakes on sale at Jam Café at Hanley's of Cork during this witching season.
To raise vital funds for CUH’s new children’s ward, in-house witch Gertrude Goosebuster is hosting Halloween storytelling evenings (Oct 24-26, 5.30-7pm) followed by a pumpkin-lit walk to Jam Café.
Two hundred of those 1000 special barm bracks contain prizes including €1000 of Hanley’s vouchers and a weekend away at Kenmare’s Brook Lane Hotel, with €1 from every cake sold going to the hospital fund. http://hanleyshalloweenparties.eventbrite.ie/
The Menu has never overly fretted about choosing between beer and cider when he can enjoy both just as long as they are genuinely Irish craft brews, and so is looking forward to Longueville House’s annual Harvest Lunch (Oct 28).
Marking Samhain begins with a guided tour from their chief brandy distiller and cider brewer, Dan Duggan, followed by a special spit pig luncheon washed down with the very splendid Longueville House Cider (www.longuevillehouse.ie).
Urru in Bandon host their second annual Irish Craft Beer & Farmhouse Cheese tasting in association with Bord Bia (Oct 26) featuring Stonewell Cider, 8 Degrees Brewing Co, Dungarvan Brewing Co and a few others all to wash down some fine Milleens, Durrus, St. Galls and Knockatee Blue Cheddar cheeses. www.urru.ie
The Menu’s first multiple award winner is Ballyhoura Mushrooms once again, this time for their Mushroom Ketchup — it is liquid umami, bringing a deep, tawny tang and is finessing all manner of dishes in The Menu’s kitchen of late. www.ballyhouramushrooms.ie
Contact Joe McNamee at themenu@examiner.ie
Bright, light lager is the pinot grigio of the beer world. But beer has just as many moods, running the gamut from strong ales to stouts. Even more interesting is the middle ground — rich beers of understated power and great detail. Enter this Bavarian Weizen Bock: In wine terms, think a spicy crianza or even a mulled wine — malty, rich and laced with delightful secondary aromas such as clove and orange peel. Stockists of the range imported by Gleeson include Dunnes, Tesco and independents such as Martins, Fairview; and O’Donovans, Bradley’s and Abbot Ale House in Cork.
