Articles

Turbot is a flat fish with pure white flesh that is highly prized for its texture and flavour – a delicacy since Roman times, it is a favourite of that great seafood chef Rick Stein. A large left-eyed flatfish, wild turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) is mainly found in sandy shallow waters throughout the Mediterranean, the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea and the North Atlantic, where it lives quietly on the ocean floor.
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A new product which looks set to play an important role in Ireland’s agriculture and cuisine is RAPESEED OIL and, while the changes this crop brings to the landscape are not universally welcome, the product itself is proving to be a very acceptable alternative to imported olive oil.
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Where would our producers be without those who sell their foods, and who help them to reach the public in prime condition? Recent weeks have seen unprecedented media interest and public discussion focusing on Irish produce, the people who make it and – most importantly – the places where they sell it.
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The excellent dry-cured bacon and ham produced in Co Wexford by O’Neill Foods was one of the winners at the 2011 Irish Food Writers’ Guild Food (IFWG) Awards. Having been born into a fairly small farm on the slopes of Slieve Bhuidhe, near Ferns in Co Wexford, where the family devoted some of the land to growing strawberries and raspberries that do so well in the sunny South-East, Pat O’Neill was initiated into hands-on high quality food production from an early age.
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On the family farm near Castlebar in Co Mayo, Tom and Sheila Butler have run their business Cuinneog Dairy Products (www.cuinneog.com) since 1990. They specialise in the production of once-familiar dairy products which are now almost unique – Irish farmhouse country butter and natural buttermilk. Originally known as ‘Sheila’s Country Butter’, the business was re-launched recently as Cuinneog, which is the Irish word for ‘churn’.
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Quality chocolate production is on of Ireland’s biggest recent artisan success stories, and Aughnacliffe, Co Longford is a very special destination for chocolate connoisseurs as this is where Jamie and Beatrice O’Neill make the outstanding ChocOneill range at their workshop in Dunbeggan, Aughnacliffe (+353 (0)86 212 8067; www.choconeill.ie).
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Festive baking is a joy and many people especially enjoy both making and eating the traditional plum pudding, which is a very appealing hot dessert throughout the colder months. Artisan producers offer good alternatives for anyone who hasn’t time to make their puddings and some outstanding traditional examples to look out for in Ireland include...
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One of the unsung heroes of the Irish food scene, oats are widely grown, inexpensive, nutritious and extremely versatile. There’s much more to oats than breakfast but, whether in porridge or other oat-based dishes like granola, their slow-release energy means they’re pretty much the perfect start to the day.
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Although we are now a widely urbanised society, a high proportion of Irish people have country connections - yet there were worrying signs, during the boom years, of growing disconnection with our rural roots. But all that is changing as concern about the economy, and issues like food security and provenance, are all stimulating a fresh appreciation of seasonal, local produce - and inspiring thousands to grow their own food, often on allotments. Energetic, passionate and multi-talented people like Peter and Jenny Young, fourth generation custodians of a170-acre organic farm between Athy and Kilcullen, are making a valuable contribution to this changing scene with their open farm policy (tours arranged), farm shop and communications skills.
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Now widely recognised as a ‘superfood’, blueberries are virtually fat and cholesterol free, low in calories, high in vitamins A and C high in dietary fibre, high in calcium, require little sweetening - and have more antioxidants than most other fruits and vegetables...
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