Farmhouse Cheese and Craft Beer Weekend

Farmhouse Cheese and Craft Beer Weekend, 27th -31st October 2011

During the October Bank Holiday Weekend, Bord Bia aims to raise awareness of the breadth of Irish farmhouse cheeses and craft beers available to consumers by initiating the Irish Farmhouse Cheese and Craft Beer Weekend. At present, there are 50 farmhouse cheese makers in Ireland producing over 140 varieties of cheese and 15 craft brewers producing over 40 beers. Both crafts are not just about the flavour but also the people, personalities, places and stories behind them.

To celebrate this, Bord Bia asked producers and foodies to hold a tasting event, talk or demonstration in an effort to show that craft beer (not just wine!) is an excellent accompaniment to cheese. Events are being held nationwide in cheese-houses/farms, breweries, restaurants, pubs, gastropubs, off-licences, markets and other venues. A full listing of events is below. More events will be added to this in the run up to the October Bank Holiday Weekend. So keep an eye out for an event near you and be sure to pop along to find out all about your local craft brews and farmhouse cheeses.

Click here for event listings. In Cork, Midleton & Mahon Farmer's Markets will hold events as well.

For further information or to organise an event, please contact either Stephanie Moe or Eimear O’Donnell on Tel: 01 6685155 or email Stephanie.Moe@bordbia.ie / Eimear.odonnell@bordbia.ie

Pig Feast in Tower

Cork Free Choice Consumer Group

Cork Free Choice Consumer Group presents

What’s in our Food?

With Joanna Blythman

Distinguished British investigative journalist and broadcaster who is passionate about good quality foods.

Crawford Art Gallery Café

Thursday 24^th Feb at 7.30pm

Entrance 6 euro including tea & coffee

Beer Festival in the Franciscan Well

Slow Food Event

Slow Food Cork City has a great event coming up. They are visiting Caroline Robinson's organic farm on February 20th at 2pm. You will learn all there is about grow your own vegetables in all type of spaces. If you think you don't have the space - think again.

Caroline Robinson is well known in Cork having established the Farmer's Market in Cork City (currently opposite the Opera House) on Saturdays. It has 'grown' over the years and is now a gathering spot for shoppers on a Saturday morning in Cork City.

Caroline will talk about seeding, planting, composting, polytunnels etc. Cakes, tea and coffee will make this more a social gathering than an educational afternoon. Costs for members are €15, non-members are €20 - all is included.

Directions to Caroline's farm are given at time of booking. Places are limited, so don't wait too long. Email Caz & Deirdre on corkcity@slowfoodireland.com to secure your place.

Free Cork Choice Event

MICHAEL KELLY

Best-selling author and broadcaster,

Social Entrepreneur Ireland Award 2009

Arthur Guinness Award 2010

Founder of the

'GROW IT YOURSELF' movement

He will speak on self sufficiency, sustainability and how to get good food from the back garden.

Crawford Art Gallery Café

Thursday 27^th Jan at 7.30pm

Entrance 6 euro including tea & coffee

How to brew your own beer

The Fransciscan Well and the Irish Craft Brewer's Association have joined forces to bring the art of homebrewing to the masses. A free event for all you need to know about making your own brew is taking place this Saturday and kicks off at 2pm. Don't miss it

Good Food Ireland Week

A Good Food Ireland Showcase featuring member restaurants, hotels, cookery schools, food shops and food producers will come together to serve guests the best of local Irish food.

To celebrate St Valentine’s Good Food Ireland members in Cork City and County have come together for Good Food Ireland Week Cork from Monday, February 8th to Friday February 12th 2010. Over 30 restaurants, hotels, country houses, cafes and pubs will offer the public a Good Food Ireland Producer Plate and Glass of Wine for €15.00 and/or 3 nights Accommodation for the Price of 2.

“The aim of the week is to showcase the best quality Irish food places in Cork and to highlight Good Food Ireland members’ commitment to local community in their prioritising of local food and in supporting local farmers, food producers and fishermen” says Margaret Jeffares Managing Director Good Food Ireland.

Good Food Ireland is a club of the best quality restaurants, hotels, country houses, B&Bs, farmhouses, cookery schools, food shops and food producers committed to local food, good practice and sustainable ethics. It has almost 250 members all over the island of Ireland. Members are independently assessed to ensure that they meet the brand criteria. Good Food Ireland operates as a not for profit organisation and its vision is to grow Ireland as a food tourism destination and make its members the number 1 choice for food lovers.

Good Food Ireland promotes the link between the food producer and the hospitality sector so as to steer the 9 million visitors to this country to places that are committed to using local food. Cuisine and food produce satisfies new traveller demands for hands-on, interactive experiences. Good Food Ireland promotes the people behind the food from the chef to the cheese maker and highlights the cultural relationship between a country, its people and its food.

A Day in West Cork

Ruth Healy is the owner of Urru in Bandon and a force behind the food culture in West Cork.

She has organised an amazing event in August called West Cork from Farm to Fork Discovery Day. This is an event not to be missed. Read more below:

WEST CORK FARM TO FORK DISCOVERY DAY

Discovery Day Summary:
Date: Thursday 13 August and Thursday 27 August 2009
Time: 9.00am - 7pm (approx)
Route: Bandon - Drimoleague - Enniskeane - Ballineen -
Timoleague - Bandon by mini-bus
Venues: Urru Culinary Store - Glenilen Farm -
Hollies Organic Centre - Fehilly’s River Side Café -
Ummera Smokehouse - Poachers Inn.
Meals: Light Breakfast - Picnic Lunch - Summer Supper
Booking: Sign up in Urru Culinary Store 023-8854731,
ruthhealy@urru.ie or Poacher’s Inn 023 8841159.
Payment secures booking.
What to Bring: Wear comfortable outdoor clothing & shoes.
A flask of tea or coffee if you feel like it.
Cost: €125

Schedule of the Day:
9.00 Meet in Urru Culinary Store, Bandon for Light Breakfast and Orientation.

9.45 Park cars in Poacher’s Inn, Bandon and Depart on Mini Bus for Drimoleague.

11.00 Arrive Glenilen Farm, Drimoleague where Alan and Valerie are most famous
for their cheesecakes, yoghurts, country butter and double cream and are
now the inspiration behind the new Drimoleague country walks across five
local farms and that will eventually join up with the Sheep's Head Walk. See
the kitchen at work, the beautiful farm and enjoy a short riverside walk or
for the more adventurous have a quick dip in the Ilen River.

12.45 Depart Drimoleague for Enniskeane to the Hollies Centre - where John
Conway will present a unique example of “no-dig” growing of a wide range
of fruits & vegetables and get an insight into a small sustainable living community.

14.00 Enjoy Susan Fehilly’s, of the Riverside Café in Ballineen, picnic lunch by the
bend in the river.

15.00 Depart for Ummera Smokehouse,Timoleague for a tour of the award
winning smokehouse, where Anthony Creswell smokes chickens, salmon, eel
and bacon and also adopts an environmentally aware approach to his
business and has recently ventured into rearing a few pigs.

17.00 Depart for Poacher’s Inn, Bandon where Barry Mc Laughlin will bring the
kitchen to you and show how he translates the best of West Cork
ingredients into a tasty summer evening supper. Enjoy with a glass of wine
and reflect on a truly enlightening and enjoyable day.

Booking: Sign up in Urru Culinary Store 023-8854731,
ruthhealy@urru.ie or Poacher’s Inn 023 8841159

Grow - Bake - Cook Award - Do you have what it takes?

The Grow Bake Cook Awards 2009

This inaugural food Awards Ceremony honors and celebrates the skills of amateur cooks, growers, bakers and preservers - in fact anyone with a talent for creating good food! Supporting local communities throughout Cork city and county, these awards aim to give our hidden food heroes the opportunity, tools and encouragement to sell their wares through farmer’s markets, country markets, local supermarkets and food fairs. Award winning and shortlisted produce will be displayed at Cork City’s Midsummer Festival Feasta market on Sunday June 28th, with the Award Ceremony taking place that evening at a city venue tbc. For further information and entrance criteria contact Dianne Curtin 086 067 6249, Elke O’Mahony 087 3168855 or Simone Kelly 086 8100386 or email to grow.bake.cook@gmail.com. Deadline for submission is 23rd June 2009.

Supporters of this event are Failte Ireland, Bubble Brothers and Teagasc. The overall winner will receive a €500 voucher for mentoring from Teagasc, plus help and support from experts in the field of artisan and specialty produce

Requirements are simple. Ingredients have to be sourced locally and have to be organic as much as possible and the producer has to be an amateur (not more than 20% of the main incoming can come from the product). Full exposure of ingredients is required.

The following categories apply:

Baking Please submit the name of the product, an ingredients list (not the recipe) and where they are sourced.

Bread Please submit title of product including a list of ingredients (not the recipe) and where they are sourced

Preserves Please submit title of product and a list of ingredients and where they were sourced. Also an introduction what preserving method had been used.

Homegrown Please submit the name of the fruit/vegetable and where the seeds have been sourced, what growing method was used and what – if any – fertilizer has been used.

Meat Please submit title of product and list of ingredients and where they were sourced. Also, what cooking/preserving method has been used. For livestock, please submit breed and method of upkeeping and feeding and where feeding has been sourced from

Dairy This can include homemade butter, cheese, yogurt etc. Please submit list of ingredients and where they have been sourced. Also, preparation method needs to be explained.

Specialty This can include everything that is not covered above. Please submit name of product and a list of ingredients (no recipe) and where they were sourced. Also an explanation on the preparation method is required.

The winner needs to be available to attend the award ceremony on Sunday 28th June 2009 where the sponsors and the press will be attending.

Sardinia Food Fair

Sample the wonderful tastes of the Mediterranean with delicacies that include delicious meats, wines, olive oil, and traditional breads. Experience Sardinian Culture, Food & Wine at the Ballsbridge Inn, D4, formerly Jury’s, on Wednesday, May 6th. Unfortunately, the website doesn't mention the start time (neither does the hotel site). You can read more here .

Slow Food Grandmother Day

Slow Food Ireland is having a Grandmother Day in April. East Cork are having kids cook in their schools with their nannies, West Cork are inviting Grannies to Hosford Garden Centre.

Cork City is eager to match all these events with their own Granny Day. We are looking for grandmothers who are willing to share their recipes, remedies etc. We would like to archive these on a DVD for future generation to enjoy and use.

Are you a grandmother or do you know one who would like to take part in the project? We will be meeting for a coffee morning on Saturday 25th April in Cork City (I am hoping to get the meeting room in St Peter & Paul Church - but need to confirm this). Our camera man Nick will do the filming. All participants will receive a DVD and depending on the success we might even publish it (also depending on the permission of the grandmothers).

Please get in touch either through this website (leave a comment) or the Slowfood blog (link on the left hand side) or send an email to ccslowfood@gmail.com .

I believe that this is a great idea and hope deeply that we will find a lot of grannies who would like to keep the knowledge they have alive for their grand and great-grandchildren.

Grow your own

If you go regularly to the Farmer's Market in the Coalquay (Cornmarket Street), you will have met Caroline Robinson. Not only is she member of the Green Party of Ireland but also chairperson of the Irish Food Market Traders Association. If you think that is her normal jhob....nope, she is actually a vegetable farmer who is dedicated in using NO chemicals whatsoever in her soil.

Caroline hosted an evening last night in the Victoria Hotel (Patrick Street) where she told a big audience about how to prepare your soil, to start sowing and how to keep track of the weeds. She is full of excitment when it comes to growing vegetables the natural and we all were delighted that she took time out of her busy schedule. There is almost nothing she doesn't know about gardening and she convinced everyone that we all can do it.

I even won a raffle with great goodies from Interior Living of McCurtain Street. Simone Kelly (owner of Interior Living) is very much involved in the food scene of Cork and she and Caroline presented a fantastic evening. My goody bag included Pink Salt from Himalaya, olive oil from Sicily, Rhubarb & Ginger Jam of Natures Bounty (they won the Bridgestone Award in 2008), tin of tomatoes from San marzano, DonAntonio Pasta, Green Saffron spice mix and a French Cognac Vinegar...my cooking for the weekend is laid out now :-)