Back when the Ely Banquet for Barnardos 2014 was first announced earlier this year, it was still a historical throwback.

A new year and time for The Menu to don his Gypsy Rose outfit to serve up some predictions for 2013. The Menu enjoyed some memorable 2012 events: Dungarvan Food Festival, The Irish Examiner Food Festival, International Slow Food at Terra Madre in Turin and Theatre of Food at the Electric Picnic and Liss Ard Music Festival. Equally, he was heartbroken to miss Savour Kilkenny Festival and Dingle Food Festival — that will be rectified in 2013.! But the inaugural Kenmare Food Carnival was a bit special, not as multi-faceted as the aforementioned but as one of the original culinary outposts in the dark pre-food days in Ireland, KFC has all makings of a future top food attraction. www.kenmarefoodcarnival.com

There is “no recession in Irish, quality food”, according to John McKenna, author of the national food bible, The Irish Food Guide.

Giles Clark at Cake Cafe

WHILE there will always be charlatans in the restaurant trade — as in all walks of life — the huge surge in promoting local produce on Irish menus is, for the most part, genuine.

Tom’s chickens take 12 weeks to reach maturity. They are fed on special feed and range freely on his farm in Ballycotton. The flavour and texture is mouth watering. Woodside Farm traditional pork and bacon products have developed a loyal following in a short time. A little crispy bacon added to the stuffing makes it extra delicious.

I’M CONTINUALLY surprised by how thrown waiting staff in many restaurants seem to be if one asks about the provenance of the food. They immediately seem to go on the defensive and it can take three or four attempts to find out the source of a piece of meat, fish or cheese.

LOVE is in the air and there are a few things more alluring than the smell of something delicious cooking in the oven. Doesn’t matter how sexy you are, they soon get fed up with burnt burgers and greasy chips.

A SAFETY net for indigenous food producers was sought yesterday by top chefs at an annual food awards ceremony in Dublin.