Foodies’ paradise set for September

WATERFORD CITY and the south-east region will be the venue in September for a leading food festival being held for the first time in Ireland.

Terra Madre Ireland 2008 will comprise a one-day all-island food policy conference and a four-day gastronomic festival.

The event, hosted by Slow Food Ireland, part of Slow Food International, in association with Bord Bia, will take place during September 4-7, with support from Failte Ireland and the Waterford Institute of Technology.

Noted chef Alice Waters, an internationally acclaimed advocate for farmer’s markets and ecofriendly agriculture, said the aim was to promote sustainable food production by reconciling traditional skills with the best science.

The centrepiece of the food festival will be the one-day Terra Madre (Mother Earth) conference in Waterford Institute of Technology on Friday, September 5, which will provide a platform for various views on food policy and issues.

President Mary McAleese will address the plenary session, while reports from various policy workshops will be presented to Food and Horticulture Minister Trevor Sargent, along with Northern Ireland’s Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Michelle Gildernew.

Teagasc, BIM and the organic associations are all supporting the event, which will include a barbecue for 1,000 people in Waterford city, a large farmers market, and a gala dinner and awards ceremony. There will be culinary demonstrations, tours to artisan food manufacturers, visits to speciality producers and best practice farms, as well tastings, picnics, etc.

Donal Lehane, chairman, said Terra Madre Ireland is promoting Waterford and the south-east as a great gastronomic region. “This international event will attract up to 1,500 delegates to the region and will feature 50 workshops where the future direction of the food sector will be discussed.”