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Views From The Big Shed at Ballymaloe LitFest

Written By on May 6, 2013 in Events & Festivals

Bookings hanging at Ballymaloe LitFest

Yesterday (Sunday) was spent at Ballymaloe LitFest in a work capacity as filming continued on an ongoing project for GIY Ireland. With myself and Mycrofilms‘ Alan Slattery hitting the road for a sun-drenched Ballymaloe House just after 7am, it was great to catch up with the GIY crew and some other food bloggers on the day.

Lunch time (with lunch taken care of by a a quick visit to Volcano‘s wood fired pizza stall outside) provided an opportunity to get a few snaps on the new camera so if you were reading about ‘The Big Shed’ on Twitter over the weekend, here’s a few closeups of what could be found within, starting with some of Gubbeen‘s meats on display.

Gubbeen Meats at Ballymaloe LitFest

Sweet Treats at Ballymaloe LitFest

The setting for The Big Shed is how I reckon every indoor country market should be. Loads of space, loads of height, plenty of room for seating (centralised), quirky furtniture, amazing smells, a buzzing atmosphere and more besides.

Grills were hopping, you could catch the smells of fish, breads, spices, cured meats, cheese, chocolate and more besides. Continue Reading →

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The First Ballymaloe LitFest This Weekend

Written By on May 3, 2013 in Events & Festivals

Ballymaloe LitFest

The first ever literary festival dedicated to the celebration of food and wine, the Ballymaloe LitFest gets itself underway this evening with a whole world of talks, tastings and demos taking place across Saturday, Sunday and Monday in the surrounds of Ballymaloe House.

While I’ve yet to step foot in the place, I managed to cylce past the front door last June Bank Holiday weekend as part of a charity cycle. This weekend, two of us that were on the cycle are heading down, video cameras in tow to catch up with some of the GIY crew and take in some of the inaugural festival.

On that note, if you spot me on Sunday, don’t be afraid to come up and say hello – the cameras won’t be rolling the whole time :)

Speakers across the weekend include the likes of Alys Fowler, Caroline Hennesy, Claus Meyer, Darina Allen, Donal Skehan, Ella McSweeney, John Bowman, John McKenna, Neven Maguire, Suzanne Campbell, Tom Doorley that’s only for starters.

When it comes to the talks, which kick off tomorrow, you can look forward to (grab a printable programme here) sessions on the Nordic Food Revolution, Food Writing For The Digital Generation, Modern Dessert Making, a workshop on self-publishing, Modern Irish Cuisine and more besides.

There’s also cookery events, wine events, workshops and more to look forward to.

The Big Shed too has a host of free events, with a chance to meet and chat to food producers, try wines, craft beers, whiskeys, walks, games and, the more you read, there’s pretty much something for everyone.

So, if you’re down Cork way for the weekend, consider popping along to LitFest, taking in some of the scenery around Shanagarry and soaking up the bank holiday in the People’s Republic.#

Get all the details and directions you need over at Litfest.ie.

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Events & Festivals In May

Written By on May 1, 2013 in Events & Festivals

Connemara Mussel Festival

The Connemara Mussel Festival takes place this month. Photo by Photography by Aoife Herriott

MAY HAS landed. The sun has been out for the day, the bank holiday weekend is just around the corner and that in itself brings a load of food events happening around the country.

Here’s a look at just some of the events happening in and around the country – today along having seen the Roscommon Lamb Festival, So Sligo 2013 and the Drogheda Fringe Festival kicking off. All things going to plan, I’ll be taking in some of the Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine this weekend – will you be there, or at anything else?

Don’t forget – if you’ve got any food events or new festivals coming up this year then be sure to get in touch. Drop me an email with photos and details to news@anygivenfood.com to get the conversation started, I’d love to hear from you.

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So Sligo Food Festival Returns For May Bank Holiday

Written By on April 22, 2013 in Events & Festivals

So Sligo Chefs

In going through my list of events at the weekend, I noticed one glaring admission. The festival of “the father land”, or now father-and-mother-land, So Sligo, returns to Sligo this coming May bank holiday weekend, putting the festival just over a week away from kicking off. But for the Rhythm & Roots festival and other usual Bank Holiday antics in Kilkenny, I’d be there with bells on.

This year, the festival runs from 1-6 May with the World Irish Stew Championships taking place in St. Angela’s College on 1-2 May.

This years festival brings a lot of Sligo’s literary, heritage and cultural strengths to the foreground with events this year also including a look at Sligo’s Community Orchard, jazz music, exploring Ben Bulben, valley walks and more.

On the food front, the six day programme includes the World Irish Stew Championships (now with amateur and professional categories), Irish craft beer and food tasting events, the Sligo food trail, cookery demos, a wine and dine evening and more besides. The Sligo Food trail runs right through the weekend with participating restaurants offering up tapas-style speciality dishes at a fiver a pop, with everything from slow braised belly of Irish pork to kangaroo skewers on garlic pesto champ on the trail menu. (And no, I don’t think you’ll find too many kangaroos roaming around the foot of Ben Bulben). There’s coffee demos in the Italian Quarter, plenty of cookery competitions and more to enjoy in Sligo across the May bank holiday weekend.

There’s plenty for the kids to get involved in too…

If you are thinking on heading to Sligo for the weekend and you fancy the outdoors, try and take in some of the annual South Sligo Walking Festival (up the road from the home place) which takes you through the Ox Mountain region with a selection of guided walks on each of Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The meeting place is Joe Dan’s pub on the Tubbercurry to Ballina Road, before you get to Lough Talt (if coming from Tubbercurry side). To find out more on the food festival, pop on over to SoSligo.com or find So Sligo Food Festival on Facebook.

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All-Ireland Chowder Cook-Off Beckons This Weekend

Written By on April 18, 2013 in Events & Festivals

All-Ireland Chowder Cook-Off

This Sunday in Acton’s Hotel in Kinsale will see Ireland’s top chowder chef crowned as part of the 2013 All-Ireland Chowder Cook-Off. The Cook-Off itself brings together 32 chefs, fishermen and some commercial chowder producers together to wear their county colours, represent their own county and bid for the title of Ireland’s best chowder chef.

Chowder dishes are only something I’ve recently warmed too (and if memory serves me right, Mag Kirwan of Goatsbridge Trout in Kilkenny brought a cracking chowder dish to FoodCamp in Kilkenny last year) but if you’re a hardcore chowder fan then Kinsale is the place to be this coming weekend.

Last year’s winners – The West Bar in Westport (Co. Mayo) take off this summer to represent Ireland at the Newport, Rhode Island Great Chowder Cook-Off. That same prize is on offer for this year’s winner along with a few other goodies.

The Cook-Off is part of a wider weekend Family Festival running in Kinsale on Saturday and Sunday which sees the town turned into a huge open air market with plenty of activities and food stalls from local businesses and restaurants.

Entry to the Cook-Off itself costs €10 with your ticket getting you samples of all chowders cooked on the Sunday (presuming that’s going to be 32 different chowder dishes to sample). Seen as you’re getting to sample so many, your ticket also makes you a judge for the event with everyone getting a voting card on the way in to score their favourite chowders over the course of two hours. You can grab tickets on the door on the day or in advance from Acton’s Hotel directly.

All the information you’ll need you’ll also find on Kinsale.ie.

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Slow Roots: Mark Grandmother’s Day with Slow Food Ireland

Written By on April 17, 2013 in Events & Festivals

A cookery demonstration with Darina Allen and Pamela Black at Grandmothers' Day 2012

A cookery demonstration with Darina Allen and Pamela Black at Grandmothers’ Day 2012

GRANDMOTHERS’ DAY 2013 takes place this coming weekend, the two-day mini festival returning to Sandbrook House in Ballon, Co. Carlow this Saturday and Sunday. It’s a weekend of celebration by Slow Food Ireland who, over the course of the two days will look at our Irish food heritage and encourage families to get together in remembering lost skills and pass on “inherited wisdom, and celebrate good, clear fair food”.

Saturday sees Slow Roots, a food symposium taking place. The focus here is on education and in exploring how our Irish Food Heritage can create employment for this generation. There’s a string of speakers and environmentalists on hand to share their insights and knowledge on how our food culture, growers and producers can enrich rural communities and create jobs.

Members of Slow Food Ireland will be cooking lunch on the Saturday as a result of the Slow Food Challenge, with all elements of the meal locally sourced, foraged and produced with some of the finest seasonal ingredients. In what was a great element of the Waterford Harvest Food Festival last year, Saturday wraps up with a Fulacht Fiadh (break out the history books here). If you’ve never seen one in action or always wondered how our Irish ancestors cooked thousands of years ago, here’s your chance.

Get the Saturday Schedule Here (PDF)

Sunday then is Grandmothers’ Day itself, kicking off at 11am for a full celebration of Irish food heritage. There’s a day-long farmers market, workshops for the family, food tastings, cookery demos and more. Saturday’s symposium event costs €30 and admission on the Sunday is €10 and includes free entry to all children with one adult, free car parking; free entry to all talks and the market. Please note that some demonstrations will have a small cover charge – sign up on the day on a first come, first served basis.

Get the Sunday Schedule Here (PDF)
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West Waterford Festival of Food This Week

Written By on April 8, 2013 in Events & Festivals

Waterford Festival of Food

THIS THURSDAY sees the return of the West Waterford Festival of Food in Dungarvan where it’s all on offer with everything from talks to trails, baking to barbecues, film screenings, picnics (hopefully this weekend’s weather holds out for next weekend), cookery classes, demos, wine tastings and more.

Download the full programme (PDF)

The Tannery play host to a €60-a-head nose-to-tail nice of dining, recreating some of the elements of Fergus Henderson’s FergusStock. One of the big events of the weekend will be the Lunch With The Chefs in Lismore Castle on Sunday featuring some of the regions and country’s finest cheps with Garrett Byrne, Paul Flynn, Ross lewis, Martin Shanahan, Michael Quinn, Martijn Kajuiter, Richard Corrigan, Rachel Allen and Fergus & Margot Henderson all in conversation with lunch by Eunice Power after (it’s a pretty extensive list).

Between Thursday and Sunday then you’ve got talks on food writing with John McKenna, Raw Food with Jess Kean and Natasha Czopor and a whole host of tastings, demos and music to beat the band.

If you fancy some sea air and seeing what Dungarvan has to offer, check out the festival website here or give the box office a shout on 086 0262017 for any of the ticketed events (there are plenty of free ones too). If you’re looking for other food events and festivals this summer, check the events list here. Submit yours by emailing hello@anygivenfood.com.

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Edward Hayden to launch Food For Friends

Written By on March 30, 2013 in Events & Festivals

Edward Hayden's Food For Friends

In just under a month, local chef Edward Hayden (he of TV3, KCLR96FM and a myriad of other places) will launch his third book, Food For Friends, at the Springhill Court Hotel in Kilkenny.

I was in Springhill for Edward’s last book launch, the hotel absolutely jam packed for the reveal of his second book, Food To Love, in May 2011. I had Edward in studio as a guest a few months back to find out how the third book was progressing and on April 26 coming, it will go public with The O’Brien Press.

The book will be launched at 8pm by Ireland’s Queen of Home Baking, Celebrity Chef from Ireland AM, Catherine Leyden.
MC on the evening is KCLR96FM’s Sue Nunn From and music will be provided on the evening by the Wonderful ‘Two Of A Kind’. No doubt there will be a truckload of copies of the book available to buy on the night and if the last launch is anything to go by, I wouldn’t expect the copies to stick around long.

The evening is free to attend and gets underway at 8pm. Check the Facebook event for details.

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The Great Irish Bake Is Launched

Written By on March 6, 2013 in Events & Festivals

The Great Irish Bake Launch

The Great Irish Bake has been launched and will take place on Friday 19 April (or, if you’re baking, on a date that suits you).

The Great Irish Bake is now in its fifth year and the hope for 2013 is to raise a much-needed €75,000 to help renovate St. Joseph’s Top Flat at Temple Street Children’s University Hospital.

You can get involved by having a cake sale, a coffee morning, or any other event involving baking or conjuring up some fancy baked goods.

There’s an online application over at thegreatirishbake.ie so you can register there, drop an email to info@templestreet.ie or call laila on 01-8784344 for more details.

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Dublin Lord Mayor Serving Up At Feeding The 5,000

Written By on November 23, 2012 in Events & Festivals

Feeding The 5,000

Yesterday, Voice of Irish Concern for the Environment, Stop Food Waste, Bia Foodbank and Food Glorious Food officially announced that the first citizen and Lord Mayor of Dublin, Naoise Ó’ Muirí will serve the first portion of curry at the Feeding the 5,000 event this coming Saturday 24 November in Wolfe Tone Park, Dublin 1. ‘Feeding the 5,000’ event will attempt to feed 5,000 during European Week for Waste Reduction, with a main course made entirely out of fresh misshapen vegetables that would be rejected by supermarkets.

The Feeding the 5,000 campaign aims to drive awareness around the problem of food waste in Ireland – 30% of what we buy ends up in the bin – and highlight the positive solutions to tackle the problem. The menu for the ‘Feeding the 5,000’ event is a vegetable curry made from misshapen vegetables and freshly pressed apple juice.

Sian Breslin, Sian’s Plan; Maggie Lynch, The Soul Food Company and Tony Keogh, Cornucopia are also giving live demonstrations on how to cook with leftovers and wilty vegetables. Kicking off at midday, ‘Feeding the 5,000’ is also providing vegetable face-painting; the band Ember J will entertain the crowds and free ‘wonky’ (or grade 2) vegetables will be handed out.

There’s a whole team of volunteers getting behind the prep for this Saturday’s big event, the menu for which was launched earlier this month. With 20 volunteers prepping 800kg vegetables and 70 volunteers on hand to serve up chef Peter O’Grady’s curry to 5,000 hungry heads, there will be loads happening around Wolfe Tone Park this weekend.

Odile Le Bolloch, spokesperson for Stop Food Waste at the EPA, said “Stop Food Waste works to highlight the problem of food waste; 30% of what we buy ends up in the bin. The StopFoodWaste.ie website provides comprehensive information about the food we waste and how to prevent this through RETHINKING how we shop, store our food, cook it and reuse the leftovers. We have partnered on this initiative to once again highlight the problem relating to Food Waste.”

This event, originally created by Tristram Stuart (author of Food Waste, Uncovering the Global Food Scandal) has been successfully held in London, Bristol and Paris, highlighting how easy it is to reduce the unimaginable levels of food waste in the UK and internationally and how governments, businesses and individuals can help. The event is now being rolled out across Europe as part of FUSIONS, a four year project to tackle food waste across the EU.

For more information check out Feeding5KDublin.org.

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