Here is all the latest food news with Joe McNamee

The exceedingly swish Castlewood House team up with town neighbours Dingle Cookery Schooland photographer Monika Coghlan of Pepperazzi for a Food Styling & Photography weekend with a workshop including cookery demo and lunch from DCS proprietor and all-round force of nature Mark Murphy at the school, a craft brewery tour at Dick Mac’s pub as well as Sunday lunch from The Little Cheese Shop.

Annual RNLI fundraiser, The Ballycotton Lifeboat Gala Dinner (February 1) at Ballymaloe House, this year kicks up its heels with a Moulin Rouge theme, including live music cocktail reception before a delicious dinner, followed by more live music and other entertainment, including a roulette wheel, goodie bags, raffle and spot prizes.

Welcome to Part I of The Munchies 2018, in which The Menu salutes some of the heroes and achievements of the culinary calendar. (Next week, Part II.)

The Menu and his progeny have been burning the midnight oil in a flurry of green-tinged preparations for Lá Féile Pádraig and while the dye may have already run from his emerald-green undershorts, his smorgasbord of fine Irish foodstuffs to serve on the day should prove infinitely more rewarding.

Welcome to The Menu’s House of Love, a special loveheavy edition of this column.

Rory O’Connell, director of Litfest, confirmed it would be taking a break in 2018.

One recent evening, towards the tail end of his annual Christmas sojourn in West Cork, The Menu purchased a little ‘dote’ of his favourite of all cheeses, Milleens, to enjoy by the fire with a fine vino, still intent on staving off the return to reality for another few days. 

The Dingle Food Festival is upon us again (October 2-4). 

THE UNION OF GOOD FOOD AND WINE

While Mrs Menu informs him that he is not currently in the market for true love and will wind up in traction if he takes to acting otherwise, the feast of St Valentine is nigh upon us and the only route to a man’s heart, through the belly, is a longtime and exceedingly well-worn path for The Menu.

The poor old Menu can hardly sleep with excitement, praying this is the year he fights off sleep long enough to finally meet Santa — that, of course, and the humungous preparations for the Christmas dinner. 

Time once more for A Taste of West Cork Food Festival (September 5 to 14), celebrating the produce and food culture of The Menu’s spiritual hinterland of West Cork, kicking off with a Taste of West Cork Gala Dinner at the Inchydoney Island Lodge and& Spa. 

The Menu has finally given up his relentless badgering of the UN for some class of international intervention on behalf of the wonderful Deise County to negotiate a return to the stove for his excellent friend Mighty Michael Quinn, formerly award-winning head chef of Waterford Castle for nigh on 20 years. 

While a rather piqued Mrs Menu has, betimes, decided the best place for The Menu’s exquisitely plated edible creations is languishing on the wall just behind his head...

If The Menu could ever rid himself of the microchip implanted in his neck by Mrs Menu, he’d while away many an afternoon in his beloved L’Atitude 51, (www.latitude51.ie).

Kelly’s Resort Hotel & Spa, in Rosslare, has cemented its reputation over generations as one of the premier spots in the country for an all-in family holiday.

Weekend food columnist Joe McNamee highlights the best Irish produce each week in The Menu.

Having regained his decorum, after a bout of illness, it is straight back to business for The Menu.

The Kilkenny festival is something to savour.

Irish craft beers are worth toasting

Craic, music and food mighty in Westport

Vintage rally to launch new cider

Food for thought this St Patrick’s weekend

To the Manor torn

Knockranny House

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

Best of the Specials

One could manufacture an exceedingly fine frazzle seeking out suitable Irish-produced gifts for nearest and dearest, or one could join a smug Menu in the snug sipping a hot port, as he has the Christmas shopping thing down to a fine art. In those brief moments between Christmas eating and drinking, The Menu likes to take a spot of exercise, ahem, playing board games but at this stage of his life is rather Cluedo-ed out and the Monopoly is pretty much useless ever since The Menu spent all the toy money at the K-Club during the height of The Boom. But a new board game has arrived — a beautifully designed and cleverly constructed Irish board game based entirely around food, Smorgasboard. But while it will hold obvious appeal for the extreme epicure it will equally enchant the class of player who eats only every other month. (www.smorgasboard.ie)

Douglas Farmer’s Market will be temporarily upping to new locations on Dec 15 and Dec 22.

TAKING STOCK IN MOVEMBER

On hearing of a spud-related attempt to enter the Guinness Book of Records, The Menu immediately hitched up the wagon and pointed it westwards once more for The Menu truly venerates this most tremendous of all tubers.

Baking, blogging and foodie facebooking

World Touring Car champion Andy Priaulx moved 12 points clear in the standings and dedicated his victory at Brands Hatch to Colin McRae.

Mona Lisa, the woman depicted in Leonardo da Vinci’s 16th century masterpiece, was either pregnant or had recently given birth when she sat for the painting, a French art expert said today.