The Great Irish Food Quiz takes place on Thursday 26th May

The Great Irish Food Quiz takes place on Thursday 26th May at The Wyatt Hotel Westport.

Westport Food Festival has a brand new midsummer date this year, from 24-26 June 2016. There’s a cracking line up with many old favourites returning plus some exciting new events in the charming Co. Mayo town. One of the highlights is The Great Irish Food Quiz, a brand new event this year. It’s a festival and charity fundraiser and takes place a month in advance of the main festival on Thursday 26th May 2016.

For some years Áine Maguire of The Idle Wall has run the famous Great Irish Food Quiz in Dublin, where gourmands from all over the country came to pit their wits against one another. This is the food nerd’s event of the year and this year it has moved west, along with Áine, and takes place in The Wyatt Hotel Westport on Thursday 26th May. A selection of wonderful prizes includes vouchers and prizes from food luminaries such as L’Ecrivain, The Idle Wall, Saba, Rua, The Ice House, The Tavern Murrisk, Mescan Brewery and Kelly’s Butchers Newport.

The Quiz is a fundraiser for Westport Food Festival – a sort of aperitif - and will also support local charity Western Care. Tickets are €15 each (€60 for a team of 4) and with testing and tasting and tantalising, it’ll be a night to remember! Limited to 30 tables and they are selling fast.

Chef Áine Maguire, a native of Newport, Co. Mayo has recently returned to her roots to open The Idle Wall restaurant at The Quay in Westport.  After barely 9 months in business the restaurant was listed in the Sunday Times 100 Best Restaurant List and has received nationwide acclaim and great reviews. It won the Best Newcomer in Mayo award at the recent 2016 RAI Awards (Connaught), and Áine herself was crowned Best Chef in Mayo.

Chef Áine Maguire, founder of The Great Irish Food Quiz 

Áine was immersed in a rich food culture from her earliest days. This sparked her interest in Irish foodways which has moulded her career path, from starting up The Winding Stair to the table of the British Ambassador; from France to the Caribbean and back again. It is this culture which has ultimately brought her home. Though Áine takes inspiration from her travels, her abiding fascination is with all things Irish and local.


Full details of the 2016 Westport Food Festival are available on the website www.westportfoodfestival.ie and Tickets for the The Great Irish Food Quiz can be purchased (Table of 4 for €60) on EventBrite HERE.

Zack

All-Ireland Food Photography Competition is open to International Entries

The deadline for Ireland's first international Food Photography Competition is 8 May!

As part of its 21st programme which runs from 18-21 June, the organisers of Listowel Food Festival are inviting amateur photographers to submit original shots based on the theme of  "Irish Artisan Foods". 

"Listowel Food Fair is recognised as the people's food festival with its main ethos focusing on encouraging and promoting emerging artisan producers.  It is therefore fitting that the theme of the first year of the food photography competition ties in with this," explained photographer Pat Tobin who will sit on the judging panel.

The top 20 shortlisted images selected by the judges will be on display at an open exhibition in the run up and during the Summer Solstice weekend when Ireland's longest running food festival takes place.

The winning photographer will be officially announced at the festival tasting dinner in the Listowel Arms Hotel on Friday June 19^th 2015 and presented with a prize fund of €200.  The runner up will be awarded €100.

For full details, criteria and the competition entry form, visit www.listowelfoodfair.ie - Good Luck!

Zack

Solis Lough Eske Donegal Food & Wine Festival Evening 5th October

Lough Eske Castle, is a five-star castle hotel located on a secluded lakeside estate just outside Donegal Town. It has a rich history dating back to the 1400s being associated with the O'Donnell Clan, one of the leading ancient clans in Donegal.

On the 5th October the Solis Lough Eske Castle again host their annual Food & Wine Festival and this is a unique way to experience the food and wine from the northwest and Donegal. Local food producers and wine suppliers will showcase their products and talents in an evening packed full of vareity of food and beverages. 

Each food producer takes over a hotel room to showcase their own products and the guests explore the gastonomic delicacies of the region as they journey throughout the amazing interior of the 17th century castle.

The evening includes an impressive banquet of culinary delights from the hotels Culinary team who are joined for the day by some of Donegal's renowned local Chefs from other local hotels and restaurants. Included in the day are exquisite wines from around the globe and some special Craft Beers by Donegal producers.

The Lough Eske Food & Wine Festival Evening kicks off with a cocktail reception at 7pm and Stations will be set up around the lobby lounge, Red & Green Rooms, Oak Bar and cedars restaurant offering Food and Beverages. Guests meander through the Castle finding a progression of Starter dishes, Soups, Meats, Poultry, Fish, Desserts, Cheese and Tea/Coffee on the route.

The main Kitchen will be showcasing two Local Eateries as the chefs all team up to provide local foods paired with local Donegal Craft Beers and the evening finishes with local musicians in the Gallery Bar.

The event €60pp including all food and beverage offerings.

Bookings in advance are essential and to make your reservation please contact (074) 97 25100 

or Email: reservations.lougheske@solishotels.com (Book a Table of 10 and get 1 Free Ticket).

For more see: www.solislougheskecastle.ie  or their Facebook page HERE

You can Follow the Solis Lough Eske Hotel on Twitter on @SolisLoughEske

Zack

Seafood in September this weekend in County Clare

Carrigaholt, in Co Clare, is one of the destination points on the Wild Atlantic Way and is a classic example of a traditional Irish fishing village. It is a perfect setting for a Celebration of Irish Seafood, on The Loop Head Peninsula. This beautiful location has been well recognised of late, winning the Irish Times Best Place to holiday last year and being named as finalist in Ireland's Foodietowns 2014.

Every September the village celebrates its long history with the sea, with this "Seafood in September" food festival. The festival began as a gathering of local people at the end of a busy summer season but has grown into something that attracts tourist’s interested in seafood and a friendly atmosphere.

Irish Food writers and publishers, John and Sally McKenna, will open the festival

This year their Special Guests for the festival are John and Sally McKenna of the McKenna Guides, they will spend the weekend with us and will take part in many of the events such as the guided food trail and launch the festival with a Shellfish and Craft Beer night in the award winning Long Dock Restaurant. Sally McKenna will be signing copies of her book "Extreme Greens" on the Sunday of the festival as part of the food and craft fair.

There is nothing like the thrill of catching your first couple of Mackerel

Friday 19th September: 

Evening Mackerel Trip with Luke Aston of Fishandstay.com – boat departing from Carrigaholt outside pier 6pm. Price €25pp - fishing equipment included. Trip weather dependent contact 0876367544. 

Cook Your own Catch in the Long Dock Restaurant – Bring in your catch after the trip and have it cooked and served with a choice of sides for only €10.

Festival Launch with John and Sally McKenna at 7pm followed by a Shellfish and Craft Beer party Price €30pp. Booking essential. Messy fun guaranteed. Crackers and bibs included.

Guided Foraging Walks on Saturday

Saturday 20th September: 

Guided Food Loopers Food Trail Meeting at Carrigaholt Outside Pier car park at 12am, come hungry. booking 0864099624, €25pp. Exploring the hidden gems which helped Loop Head to the finals of the Top 10 Foodie Towns in Ireland. Sample some tasty seafood treats at Sealyons Seafood and enjoy a filleting lesson from the experts. A trip to Brid Hettermans market garden Rahona roots. Tea and cake at Glencarrig Farmhouse bakery. Wild food foraging with the Long Way Round Guided walks.

Dolphinwatch Seafood Cruise – time to be confirmed. Dolphin and Nature Boat trip including delicious seafood supper served with a glass of wine. €60pp, €100 per couple. Booking essential contact 0659058156 Gala Seafood Buffet – arrive at the Long Dock to enjoy a bountiful display of fish and shellfish. The Gala buffet is always a fantastic event. Booking is essential 0659058106 Price €50pp (alternative menu available).


Sunday 21st September: 

Artisan Food and Craft Fair in Carrigaholt village 10am-4pm – Over 20 local stall holders will be attending with a range of locally produced crafts and delicious home made food. John and Sally McKenna will be signing copies of their books “Where to eat and stay on the Wild Atlantic Way” and “Extreme Greens – Understanding Seaweed".

Cooking Demonstrations and Talks 11am – 4pm 

Cooking demonstrations by members of Loop Head Food Circle throughout the day. Talks and demos include Local Seaweed and their uses, developing your Market Garden, Seafood Preparation and fish Filleting!

For more information see: www.facebook.com/seafoodinseptember and www.loophead.ie

Zack

A Taste of Donegal 2014 on from 23rd- 25th August

Since its launch in 2008 the Taste of Donegal Food Festival has grown into a three-day celebration of great food and has continued to attract thousands of people every day to a tented village on the pier area in Donegal Town. Over 26,000 people attended the festival last year over the three days!

Against the backdrop of the Bluestack Mountains and Donegal Bay a mixture of celebrity and local chefs will again be cooking up a storm over the weekend of the 23rd, 24th and 25th August.

This years festival has once again gathered together top local restaurants and hotels and over 100 food and drink producers from all over Ireland and Northern Ireland who will be showcasing and selling their products. The food stalls will also be offering tastings from an unbelievable variety of food and drink, wine and craft beers, confectionery, specialist foods, meat, fish and dairy products.

Cookery demonstrations over the weekend will include: 
Neven Maguire, Gary O’Hanlon(Donegal Food Ambassador), Tony Singh (the Incredible Spice Man), Kevin Dundon (Dunbroody House), Brian Mc Dermott (the No Salt Chef), Anthony Armstrong, Máire Dufficy (Bordbia), Philippe Henkes, Martin Anderson (Fat Chef Slim), Ciaran Kennedy, Ethna Reynolds (Burlesque Chef) and me, Zack Gallagher (Irish Food Guide). There's also a Comedy Cookery Theatre by Joe Shannon & Frank Forde.

The food festival will also include master classes by experts who will showcase their specialist skills in pastry and bread making, meal planning, cocktail mixing and will help you make the right decision when choosing wine and craft beers for all meal occasions.

Experts include Richard Finney (wine and beers), Sian Breslin (meal planning) and Franck Pasquier (artisan bread making).

"A Passion To Inspire" Chefs Competition will take place under the watchful eye of Anthony Armtrong a judge from the World Association of Chefs Society , Peter Griffths M.B.E., President British Culinary Federation, Gerard M. Molloy American Culinary Federation and Mr Bob Mc Donald, Judges from the Master Chefs of Great Britain. Entrants will be required to cook and present two different dishes, a starter and a main course, each for two covers, showcasing the best of Irish produce.

The Committee say they are looking forward to again welcoming people to what has become the premier food and drink event here in the North West and one of the best Food Festivals in Ireland!

To quote Chairperson of the organising committee and award winning master butcher, Ernan Mc Gettigan, “Come along and experience the wonderful food and drink variety available. We promise to tantalise your taste buds and as our caption says, Discover, Dine, and Delight in Donegal Town over this festival weekend and indeed every time you visit this region”.

Award winning chef Gary O'Hanlon, originally from Ramelton and currently executive chef at Viewmount House, Longford, has written a new book"Food for the Soul" and the book's official launch takes place during A Taste of Donegal Food Festival, this weekend!

Gary O'Hanlon will be launching his new book, Food for the Soul, at this years festival

In this cookbook Gary opens the door to his own kitchen with recipes for home cooked dishes each with a very unique story attached. Gary will be signing copies of the book on Saturday and Sunday. You can purchase them at a special launch price of just €10.00.

A Taste of Donegal Food Festival will take place on Friday 22nd, Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th August 2014 on the Pier Area in Donegal Town. The Festival will open to the public at 4.00pm to 10.00pm Friday, 11.00.am to 7.00pm Saturday and Sunday.

The opening evening (Friday) will conclude with an amazing fireworks display over Donegal Bay!

Last year's Fireworks Display looked stunning over Donegal Bay

Admission is only €4.00 per adult, €2.00 per child and only €10.00 for a weekend pass!

Extra Parking is Available during A Taste of Donegal Food Festival at these positions around town
Abbey Vocational School – The Glebe, Donegal Town
Donegal Livestock Mart – (behind the St. John Bosco Centre)
Four Masters GAA Pitch – Revlin, Mountcharles Road, Donegal Town
Behind Donegal Tyre Centre – Drumlonagher, Donegal Town.
Public Car Parks - behind Main Street, Bank Walk, and any other designated parking areas available.

For the full programme of events and regular updates go to www.atasteofdonegal.com and find A Taste of Donegal on Facebook. Tweet your pics/messages to @DonegalFood with the hashtag #TasteOfDonegal 

I look forward to seeing you all there!
Zack

Sligo to get a Michelin Star Restaurant (for a Day)

There is something for everybody at this years’ Food Festival in Sligo. It starts on Wednesday 11th June and continues until Sunday 15th June with things happening all over the county! In Sligo town, the Só Sligo Food Trail has over 30 tapas sized house specialities available for €5 each!

Urban Foraging to Seaweed Walks, Fermentation and Cheese Making workshops as well as many demonstrations and talks by local and celebrity chefs and experts including Rachel Allen, Jp McMahon, Prannie Rhatigan, Silke Croppe and many more!

Galway chef JP McMahon will be bringing a pop up version of his Michelin Star winning ANIAR Restaurant to The Model in Sligo on the Friday night of the food festival!

For one night only, Sligo diners will be able to experience the exceptional cuisine of the award winning Galway based Aniar Restaurant. Só Sligo has invited chef and co-founder of Aniar, JP McMahon, to run a pop up restaurant at The Model on Yeat’s Day, Friday June 13th.

Described as a terroir based restaurant – a word which is usually associated with wine-making – the combination of factors, including soil, climate, and environment, that gives a wine its distinctive character. In the case of Aniar, terroir is used to describe the way in which the food comes from the specific place that is the west of Ireland, revealing the distinct and various food stuffs that dictate Aniar’s ever-changing and evolving menu.

A Lamb Dish from Aniar

Owned and operated by JP McMahon and Drigín Gaffey; the team who brought Cava Spanish Restaurant and Tapas Bar and EAT Gastro pub to Galway, Aniar is the only Michelin Star restaurant in the West of Ireland.

Beef Flank Dish from Aniar

At the 2012 Good Food Ireland Award ceremony in the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin, Aniar was awarded the Supreme Award for “the business that most strongly reflects the Good Food Ireland experience”. Aniar was also awarded Best Regional Newcomer and Overall Newcomer of the Year for their commitment to showcases Irish produce and upholding the philosophy of Good Food Ireland.

Don’t miss this opportunity to dine Aniar style. Tickets are limited so early booking is highly recommended and tickets can be booked by CLICKING HERE

For further info on the SoSligo Food Festival see www.sosligo.ie or contact sosligo14@gmail.com

Zack

Seaweed is on the Menu in this year's 8th Annual Burren Slow Food Festival

Seaweed is the common theme throughout the 8th Annual Burren Slow Food Festival to be held this weekend, 23rd, 24th & 25th May 2014, at the Pavilion in Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare.

Author of “Irish Seaweed Kitchen”, Dr. Prannie Rhatigan, is hosting a demonstration and talk on how the thousands of tonnes of seaweed washed up on Irish coastline each day can be exploited for their potential as a foodstuff.

Prainne Rhatigan - distinguished author of Irish Seaweed Kitchen

Meanwhile, Sally McKenna of John and Sally McKennas' Guides (formerly The Bridgestone Guide) and Stefan Kraan, author of "The Science and Gastronomy of Umami", will be discussing the benefits for Ireland's seafood industry in harvesting seaweed.

Sally McKenna's new book on the culinary & cosmetic wonder of seaweeds 

The festival also features food sampling of local artisan foods, a chance to meet local producers and growers, engage with fellow foodies and enjoy cookery demonstrations from well-known chefs including Jess Murphy, Kai Restaurant, Galway; John Sheedy, Sheedy’s, Lisdoonvarna; and Aidan McGrath, Wild Honey Inn, Lisdoonvarna.

Dillisk  (Palmaria palmata) before drying

Other highlights of the weekend include a talk by Slow Food Ireland President and chef Darina Allen; a Wild Food Foraging Walk hosted by Oonagh O'Dwyer from Wild Kitchen in Lahinch; and a demonstration of the essential skills of making handcrafted fine chocolates by Burren Chocolatier and Burren Food Trail Kasha Connolly.

Getting ready for the Burren Slow Food Festival

The main festival banquet on Saturday night will be prepared by Vivian Kelly of Kierans Kitchen at the Roadside Tavern who will serve Gleninagh Lamb, Burren Smoked Irish Organic Salmon, desserts from Fabiola’s Pâtisserie and wines from Burren Fine Wine & Food.

Carlo Petrini, founder of the Slow Food Movement

This year a team of food writers from Italy, the home of the international Slow Food movement, will travel to County Clare this week to report on the 2014 Burren Slow Food Festival. MyChef.tv, an Italian food magazine which highlights excellence and originality in the world of food, will be creating a complete reportage of the event including videos, photographs and articles. The Slow Food movement was originally founded in Italy, in 1986, by Carlo Petrini.


For more details on the Burren Slow Food Festival visit www.slowfoodclare.com


Zack

Entries Open for the Sheridan's National Irish Brown Bread Competition

Entries are now being accepted for the 2nd Annual National Irish Brown Bread Competition which will be held on Sunday 25th May with €150 Cash Prize for the Winner!

This popular bake-off is already one of the most important Baking Competitions in Ireland and is held as part of the annual Sheridans Cheesemongers Irish Food Festival. The festival, organised by Ireland's most famous Cheese family is now in it's fifth year and is hosted at their Virginia Road Station headquarters in Pottlereagh, Co Meath.

RTE’s Ella McSweeney will be hosting the event as well as judging the competition along with Chapter One Chefs Cathal Leonard and Darren Hogarty and the lady who inspired the Sheridan brother’s love of brown bread, their mam Maura Sheridan!

That's My Homemade Brown Bread - Yum!

The Rules of the Brown Bread Competition are:

• The competition is open to anyone who has baked their brown bread entry at home.
• €5 fee per entry -advance payment if entering online, or pay on the day if submitting entry via post/email/in person
• Any shape of bread is permitted, but 1 lb weight loaves are recommended.
• Marks out of 10 will be awarded for the breads and 1 point is available for “Irish Ingredients” 
• Judging will take place at the festival and the breads must be delivered to the Brown Bread tent by 11am.

The overall winner will be announced at 3.30pm and will receive a cash prize of €150 plus a selection of Irish Foods including Irish flour from Macroom Oatmeal Mills and Dunany Organic Farm with which to keep making their brown bread.

The Deadline for receipt of Entries is Friday 23rd May 2014.

For Full details and to Enter the National Irish Brown Bread Competition, Click HERE or go to
http://www.sheridanscheesemongers.com/sheridans-national-irish-brown-bread-competition/

Best of Luck to everyone!

Zack

International Wild Mushroom Festival in Co Leitrim on October 12th

Mushroom experts and wild mushroom lovers from all over the world will gather to the beautiful, centuries-old, Killegar Estate in County Leitrim to exchange scientific knowledge and celebrate our natural environment over the weekend of the 12th October, 2013.

The International Mushroom Festival runs over Saturday 12th & Sunday 13th October 2013

For the third successive year, this festival involves experts from Ireland, UK, Germany, Italy, Poland and the US, who aim to advance the understanding of Ireland's ecology and biodiversity with a special emphasis on the “Kingdom of Fungi“. This year the festival welcomes "Mushroom Garden", a commercial mushroom production company based in Bangladesh who are keen to visit Ireland to study cultivation methods employed here and learn more about our wild mushrooms.

The Irish Mycologist's Society and the Northern Ireland Fungus Group, having to date identified more than 300 species, will introduce mushroom enthusiasts to an exceptionally large variety of Ireland's fungi this year as Autumn 2013 promises to produce a bumper crop.

Get to know all about wild mushrooms and foraging

Amongst other things, festival goers will learn about the most common species, both edible and poisonous. As well as guided forays the programme offers a comprehensive range of talks, natural history-related displays and exhibitions.

For younger festival goers, the OWLS - Outdoor Wildlife Learning and Survival Nature Club will provide an educational programme about the natural world.

Chef Joe Shannon will be demonstrating how to cook with wild mushrooms

Joe Shannon, Executive Head Chef of the Radisson Blu Sligo, will present cookery demonstrations showing foragers how to transform freshly gathered wild mushrooms into inspired dishes. Further delicious samplings will be available at the festival Food Fair of locally sourced produce. The fair will also showcase a variety of wood-turning, hand crafted jewellery, quilt-making and more.

All proceeds go to the 'Save Killegar Campaign', set up to preserve Killegar as one of Ireland's and Europe's last remaining heritage houses, its native woodlands and sanctuary for wildlife.

For more details see www.internationalmushroomfestival.com and check out their Facebook Page HERE

Zack

Taste of Donegal Food Festival 2013

The Taste Of Donegal Food Festival is celebrating it's 5th Birthday this year and following the huge success of the last four years it has established itself as the premier annual food and drink event in the North West of Ireland.

This year's Festival has once again gathered together the top restaurants, hotels, food producers, drink and life-style product providers to a tented village on the Pier, with the back drop of the Bluestack Mountains and Donegal Bay. Over the course of the weekend you will taste and purchase some of the finest food and drink that the Northwest region has to offer.

This year the Demonstration Area and the Main Marquee are even bigger with more space to enjoy the ambiance of this excellent foodie event. This also means that there are even more exhibitors than ever with over 100 participating and a waiting list of those who would love to get on board!

I had to dig out this pic of my good friend Davy Crawford
 - quite a few people thought he was Paolo Tullio at last year's Donegal Food Festival!

During the festival there are tutored wine and beer tastings as well as food demonstrations. The special feature demonstrations are by Neven Maguire, Kevin Dundon, Gary O’Hanlon, Jack Stein (son of Rick Stein, Padstow in Cornwall), NoSaltChef Brian Mc Dermott & Joe Shannon.

Neven Maguire & Kevin Dundon with local Donegal junior chef winner Stacey Carr Kennedy

The local Donegal chef demos are by Anthony Armstrong, Martin Hernandez & Emmett McCourt with Maire Dufficey from an Bord Bia also hosting a special Cooking demonstration. I'll be doing a wee demo on Saturday morning for my friend Sian Breslin from SiansPlan.com.

Frank Pasquier, Artisan Baker & Confectioner from Donegal Town

Master Classes with tastings will be given by: Rob Mc Hardy (Cocktail Mixologist at Silencio in Paris), Frank Pasquier Le Fournil (Bread & Pastry Master Baker), Donegal Brewing Company (Specialist Local Beers), Richard Finney (The Wine Buff), Meal Planning by Sian Breslin of SiansPlan.com.

New to the Festival will be a Cookery School Live Show with the NoSaltChef Brian McDermott.

The 2013 "Passion To Inspire" chefs competition will take place under the watchful eye of Anthony Armtrong, a judge from the World Association of Chefs Society with Sir Peter Griffths M.B.E. and Mr Bob Mc Donald, Judges from the Master Chefs of Great Britain. This competition has attracted entries from Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan and Donegal and has the potential to grow into something much bigger.

There will be two Exhibitor Competitions: one for the Most Attractive Stand judged by Donegal County Enterprise Board and the other for the Best Product of the Festival judged by Bord Bia, Associated Craft Butchers of Ireland & LYIT Killybegs.

I'm looking forward to the Cocktail Demonstration by my old buddy, Rob Mc Hardy
who is the Cocktail Mixologist at Silencio in Paris

The Festival opens its doors on Friday 23rd of August at 4.00pm & the official opening will take place at 7.00pm performed by Mr Paul McLoone former CEO of Failte Ireland Northwest. MC for the opening will be TV3′s (and Donegal’s very own) Mr Noel Cunningham, music by the singing chef Eugene Ginty sponsored by Harvey’s Point Country Hotel.  

The Friday night Fireworks display over the high tide in Donegal Bay has become a special highlight of the opening night of the Taste of Donegal Food Festival over the last five years and this year is going to be no exception with a special treat promised.

A pic I took last year of the Fireworks over Donegal Bay

The Food Festival is located on the main Pier in the centre of Donegal Town and to see more details and the full weekend's program, Click here: A Taste of Donegal Program 2013.

Zack.