I’m pleased to see a steady increase in the number of lighter ‘session’ style beers from our better craft beer producers, crisp fresh flavours are often key, abv is usually around 4% and cans seem to be the vessel of choice.

FEED THE LOVE

The menu would think nothing saddling up Neidín and travelling to Cavan and back for a taste of Silke Cropp’s Corleggy Cheese alone but throw in the Taste of Cavan 2015 food festival (Aug 7-8) and he’d be near tempted to shoulder the bould Neidín himself.

The Connemara Mussel Festival (May 1-3) picked up one hell of an accolade last year.

This time last year, Mystic Menu sat down before his crystal ball and threw out some predictions.

SUMMER 2014 seems to be getting better and better to the extent that eating outside seems to have become the norm in our house.

Despite the summer stretch in the day, The Menu feels nothing short of a turbo-booster for the bould Neidín will enable him to attend every last one of an ever-increasing proliferation of food festivals around this glorious island.

PINOT Noir is one of the great misunderstood grapes but one you will be seeing a lot more of in the coming years if Chile has its way.

REMOVING plants (or people) from their native soil and transplanting them to far off climes is not always successful but sometimes they thrive.

IN CASE you missed it Wednesday, Apr 17, was World Malbec Day, a chance for Argentina to promote their wines and the grape variety that they now claim as their own.