The Menu: Neven Maguire hits Clonakilty for RTÉ's Coastal Food Trails
Naven Maguire with Brendan Cottrell of Cape Clear Ferries, on Coastal Food Trails
The Menu is delighted to see the always affable Neven Maguire back exploring more of our country in his latest RTÉ series, Neven’s Coastal Food Trails.
Episode four, gracing our screens on October 2, sees the Cavan chef rocking up in Clonakilty to sample some of the West Cork town’s extensive and delicious wares.
Seafood stalwart An Súgan, the excellent Baking Emporium, and rather splendid Fernhill House Hotel are all featured, with recipes rustled up in situ.
Neven takes to the waters too, touring around the wondrous Cape Clear
- Neven’s Coastal Food Trails airs on RTÉ One at 8pm on Wednesdays.
Graham Herterich was best known as ‘the cupcake bloke’ but I always associate him with barmbrack and homemade Mikado biscuits.
His second cookbook, Cook – Traditional Irish Cooking with Modern Twists is quite simply a gem. Graham is passionate about flavour, and can you imagine, there’s also a recipe for the best Tayto sandwich ever.
Graham’s great skill is reimagining classic dishes and giving them a modern twist.
Marmalade pork belly, white pudding toast and the book’s cover star, bacon and cabbage filo pie sit comfortably alongside traditional favourites like Mammy salad, steak and kidney pie and Irish stew. Honest food for thought this autumn.
- Published by Nine Bean Rows
The Menu has long been a fan of the beautiful bivalve, enjoying many a shucking session at oyster festivals around the country.
To coincide with Irish oyster season, which runs from September to April, Sligo Oyster Experience has unveiled a tantalising pickled oyster range.
Hoping to bring the Sligo Bay oyster to the masses year-round, Aisling Kelly Hunter, has created two flavours, Blackberry Balsamic and Water Mint & Lemon Balm Balsamic.
Having long paired freshly-shucked oysters on her farm tours with that rather supreme of vinegars, barrel-aged blackberry balsamic from local producer Wildwood Balsamics, this marriage of ingredients seemed a natural step for Aisling’s inaugural pickled oyster range.
- Order online at sligooysterexperience.ie
The always enticing Ashford Castle plays host to a wine weekend of note this November 15 and 16, with two of France’s acclaimed wine houses — Château de Fieuzal and Château Ausone.
Guests will be treated to a rather indulgent weekend of wine tastings and masterclasses delivered by experts from both French houses.
As you’d expect at this bastion of fine hospitality, each evening will be rounded off with a fine meal — a delicious three-course dinner on Friday and an extravagant six-course tasting menu on Saturday.
Naturally, each course will be expertly paired with wines from Château Ausone and Château de Fieuzal.
Closer to home (for some of us), Ballymaloe House is hosting a delightful-sounding Burgundy wine evening on October 17, featuring a luscious selection of Burgundian beauties paired with a five-course menu prepared by executive chef, Dervilla O’Flynn and her team.
Proceedings will start with a celebratory glass of sparkling Dominique Gruhier Crémant de Bourgogne, Blanc de Blancs, with each subsequent course paired with a selection of the region’s finest wines.
One of only 409 Masters of Wine in the world, Harriet Tindal will be on hand not just to share her immense wine knowledge but to talk about her journey to becoming a Master of Wine.
No meal at Ballymaloe House is complete without its famed dessert trolley – which The Menu is more than a little partial to – and this night is no exception.
