The menu: Time to plan the perfect Valentine’s Day surprise
So, a quick dollop of pan grease to slick back the hair and he is astride Neidín and out the gap, first port of call the ever-innovative Dublin-based Hunt and Gather reprising their All Fur, No Knickers/Strangelove event (February 13) in a secret location(www.huntndgather.com).
A ‘heart-opening’ yoga workshop (February 14) in Fumbally Stables followed by tasty brunch prepared by Katie Sanderson, of Living Dinners (www.facebook.com/LivingDinners) should clear out the chakras before heading off to The Shelbourne for a chocolate-themed afternoon tea (throughout February and March) or even full-blown romantic dinner in the Saddle Room (www.theshelbourne.ie).
Kilkenny-based swains planning a spot of DIY wooing should check out Valentine’s Day wine specials (including obligatory bubbles) at the wonderful Le Caveau (www.lecaveau.ie) while romantic imbibers of a more fundamentalist nature should check out the Franciscan Well Cask Ale Fest (February 13-15) with a splendid lineup of guest breweries and excellent Pompei Pizza cooking in-house (www.franciscanwellbrewery.com).
Aghadoe Heights Hotel & Spa offer an enchanting candle-lit dinner (February 14) and though the heart may be full to bursting, keep space in the belly for a Chocolate Buffet Sunday Lunch (February 15) (www.aghadoeheights.com).
The Glenlo Abbey Hotel in Galway offer a package including prosecco and chocolate strawberries on arrival, two nights B&B and a romantic candlelit dinner (www.glenloabbeyhotel.com).
If it’s still a little too close to Christmas to yet entertain all this dyspectic discourse of champers and chocolate, then perhaps the Cliff Townhouse raw food menu may be more to one’s taste, including a very tempting classic steak tartare topped off with an oyster. (www.theclifftownhouse.com). Noel McMeel’s Irish Pantry cookbook is a most excellent culinary tome indeed.
And then having heard the man himself served alongside legendary chef Jean-Louis Palladin, The Menu is filling Neidín’s nosebag to the brim, the better to hightail it up the road to Fermanagh, for the Noel McMeel Gourmet Getaway at Lough Erne Resort, including six-course tasting menu and B&B (www.lougherneresort.com).
Killavullen Farmers’ Market makes a welcome return at the Nano Nagle Centre (February 14) offering excellent local produce and crafts in a most splendid North Cork location (www.killavullenfarmersmarket.com). Short notice, certainly, as it kicks off again this afternoon (February 7) but The Menu is hard-pressed to recall when last he had as much fun as when he attended the Wine Fundamentals Level 1 course at L’Atitude 51 under the aegis of ‘Professor’ Maurice O’Mahony (www.latitude51.com)
Moonriver Irish Drinking Chocolate do a range of flavoured drinking chocolates but the one that captures The Menu’s attention is Sweet Pudding Spice. With cinnamon and nutmeg to the fore, the traditional hot chocolate takes an unusual diversion that had The Menu’s progeny scratching their heads, unable to work out if this was their ‘bedtime cocoa’ or the baked rice pudding that so often concludes their Sunday dinner — albeit without the rice and with plenty of good quality chocolate.
Well, whatever it is, it goes down very well indeed. www.moonriverchocolate.com
Stockists: Bradleys, World Wide Wines, Baggot Street Wines, Egans Portlaoise, DrinkStore.ie, Redmonds, McHughs, Vintry, Probus.
Another decent cider producer from Armagh, this time a brother and sister team – Jonathan and Louise Scott. Scotts Cider was launched in 2014 and this is currently their only cider but more styles are due to follow this year.
Bright light golden colour with aromas of straw and sweet stewed apples. Light fizz and a pleasant rounded palate with a distinct smoky quality on the middle palate and a medium dry finish. A little sweeter than some craft ciders but makes up for it with good tannins.
— Leslie Williams
