Top chefs to cook up a festive storm at foodie event

JUST what ingredients do you need for that perfect winter stew? Or how do you bake the best mince pies or mouth-watering festive treats?

All the answers are very, very, close at hand.

The Waterford Festival of Food is hosting a festive cooking evening with renowned chefs Paul Flynn and Eunice Power on Thursday next in The Park Hotel Dungarvan.

The massively successful inaugural Waterford Festival of Food was held in Dungarvan last April and will be hosted again in 2009. The event, Preparing for Christmas in the Kitchen, is a celebration of the festival and an opportunity for budding chefs to learn the trade and sample the wares of chefs Eunice Power of Powersfield House in Dungarvan and Paul Flynn, current Chef of the Year and owner of The Tannery Restaurant, Dungarvan.

Eunice Power will perform her cookery demonstration on the Stanley Supreme and will be launching the brand new Waterford Stanley Cookbook under the title Cook with Stanley packed full of inspiring, yet easy to prepare recipes from the renowned chef.

The cookbook features over 100 recipes from traditional family favourites such as Shepherd’s pie to contemporary classics like pan fried scallops.

The focus of each recipe is for healthy, additive-free meals made using fresh, widely available ingredients. In addition, the book is peppered with interesting information on the history and background of ingredients with tips on using alternatives, as well as interesting foodie facts and anecdotes to add interest.

Dungarvan-based author Eunice, said: “I really hope readers will enjoy using Cook with Stanley as much as I enjoyed writing and compiling it.

“The key to successful cooking is to enjoy the process, not just the end result. I hope that Cook with Stanley will entice even the most reluctant cooks to view creating meals in a cosy kitchen not as a chore but an enjoyable and really rewarding experience.”

The evening will also feature the Ard Scoil Choir who will season the evening with a host of festive carols.

* Preparing for Christmas in the Kitchen will take place at The Park Hotel, Dungarvan, at 7.30pm. Tickets at €15 are available from Waterford Co Council, The Country Store, Dungarvan, Nude Food, Dungarvan, the Tourist Office, Dungarvan or call 058 22000.