Food news with Joe McNamee

It was the 100th RNLI lifeboat crew to be photographed by Jack Lowe, who is not even halfway through the project he has committed about five years of his life to.

One of Cork’s most beautiful ‘Big Houses’ is to appear in the popular RTÉ TV series Lords and Ladles.

IN the same way that Bordeaux is associated with fine wine, the name West Cork evokes the idea of wonderful food.

The Alltech Craft Brews & Food Fair takes place on Feb 23-25 in the Dublin Convention Centre, and features some of Joe McNamee’s his favourite local tipples.

Catex — Ireland’s largest food service and hospitality exhibition — returns once more to Dublin’s RDS, on February 21-23. 

Tasty views

He shall cover it in more detail next week but The Menu can hardly contain himself at the prospect of the imminent Taste of West Cork food festival (September 9-18) with over 170 events taking place in 32 towns and villages and eight islands across the West Cork region.

THE art of lunch has taken a serious battering in recent years. Lunch was ‘for wimps’ we were told in the 1980s but nobody ever believed that, and when I began working in Dublin in the 1990s it was high quality lunches that made me excited about restaurants.

Attention, Class! 

The splendid Taste of West Cork food festival (Sept 4-13) rolls around once more with yet another celebration of the food culture of Ireland’s original larder and the mighty programme is more ambitious than ever, 140+ events spanning 32 towns and villages, along with eight islands, throughout West Cork. 

Food news with Joe McNamee.

Despite disappointing ticket sales, the organisers of a major music festival in Kerry next weekend have pledged all acts on the programme will be performing.

Hands up: Jack Black stars alongside Tim Robbins in new comedy series The Brink on Sky Atlantic on Monday.

Lords & Ladies takes the viewer on a historical journey to celebrate our past through the wonders of food and the glories of cooking.

Kevin McCloud spends time with a family who have escaped the rat race and are now living in Tonga.

It was the final playlist of the man know affectionately to his friends as The Dude.

The annual Irish Food Writers’ Guild Awards, in Dublin’s Michelin-starred L’Ecrivain, is invariably one of the finer beanos in the culinary calendar, with Chef Derry Clarke always putting on an exceedingly fine nosebag, each course based on the produce of a particular award winner.

An all-star, eclectic line-up is expected to draw 20,000 revellers to the Killarney Festival of Music and Food, on June 27-28.

The Menu returns once again with his Yuletide roundup of the very best of 2014 to fill the Christmas Hamper as well as his food awards, The Munchies, a tip of the hat to those who labour long and hard to make local, sustainable Irish produce to a world-class standard.

Though it had been some time, at least a couple of Ice Ages, since The Menu had last trod barefoot through the fields to school, several years ago he returned to the groves of Academe.

Former chef and publican, Graham Canning, who saw his pub business in Dublin go to the wall during the Celtic Tiger has, along with his wife and business partner Bernie Canning, received the Supreme Champion accolade at the Blas na hÉireann awards at the Dingle Food Festival.

Currently basking in the glory of the recently-awarded accolade, ‘No 1 Food Town in Ireland’, this year’s incarnation of the Dingle Peninsula Food Festival (Oct 3-5) looks set to surpass previous triumphs with a humdinger of a programme of events.

Food news with Joe McNamee.

The largest Electric Picnic in the event’s 11-year history came to a close last night with a massive thumbs-up from most of the 40,000 punters who attended the three-day event in Stradbally, Co Laois.

So-called culinary athletes are set to grab the limelight at one of the country’s leading food events in October.

Restaurateurs Derry Clarke and Sallyanne Parker-Clarke have urged vulnerable young people to seek help following the inquest into the death of their teenage son.

The big event food event of this weekend is a rather stellar demo line-up including Ross Lewis, Frankie Mallon, Derry Clarke, Darina Allen and Rachel Allen in the Chef’s Kitchen at the Westport Music Festival.

250 cyclists are taking on a 200km journey across the country today in aid of suicide awareness - among them is Celebrity chef Derry Clarke.

Cork’s reputation as the food capital of Ireland was confirmed yesterday at the 2014 Irish Food Writers’ Guild Food Awards, with six of the seven awards going to producers, organisations or individuals based in the county.

With his family’s staunch republican background and his posh “West Brit” like tones that have proven a hit with BBC listeners, Ryan Tubridy is in many ways the perfect choice for chronicling the lives of Irish people who have made it big in Britain.

Celebrity chef Derry Clarke is branching out — aiming his sights on college students who would usually make do with baked beans on toast and takeaways.

Celebrity chef Derry Clarke has spoken about how he remains in constant pain more than seven months after the death of his son by suicide and has begged those considering suicide to think of the family and friends they will leave behind.

Derry and Sallyanne Clarke who lost their only son, Andrew, 16, just over seven months ago, yesterday thanked loyal customers of their Michelin-starred restaurant for their support over the past year.

Cap’n Menu eyes Kenmare Food Carnival

Craic, music and food mighty in Westport

Trust has become a key ingredient in food production in Ireland, according to the Irish Food Writers’ Guild.

IN showing sensitivity in discussing or writing about suicide a new danger seems to be emerging.

Celebrity chef Derry Clarke and his wife Sallyanne have been inundated with fresh messages of support after it was revealed their teenage son Andrew had taken his own life just after Christmas.