Archive for August, 2008
Bat Advice
Posted on August 31, 2008, by Conor O'Neill, under Cork, Ireland.
That has to be the strangest blogpost title I’ve ever used.
We arrived back from our much-needed and many-years-delayed holiday to France yesterday (long blog post to follow soon on that). A few hours later Catherine picked up a j-cloth in the kitchen sink to find……a bat!
It was absolutely tiny, barely bigger than my thumb and we had no idea what to do with it. I gently picked it up with a cloth (are they disease carriers?) and brought it outside down to the far corner of the garden. It made no attempt to fly but just slowly crawled across the patio.
A few hours later I was feeling bad about it and went in search. I found it half way up the back wall hanging upside-down. My worry was that some of the horrible local crows might eat it. So I nudged it onto a stick (squeamish huh?) and carried it to our shed. I gently put the stick up against the corner of the roof and it climbed into a nook. Happily for it, there was a spider there. I think it’s now an ex-spider.
This afternoon, I went for a look and discovered it was still there, well hidden in the nook, which was a relief.
But is that it? Do I leave it alone? Is it a small breed or a baby? Might it be hurt? Are they rare? What is their natural habitat? And most importantly of all, how the hell did it get into our sink? Down the chimney? All thoughts and pointers appreciated.
Here’s a wee pic of the little guy in his current lodgings:
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Think your killer recipe would sell in a supermarket?
Posted on August 31, 2008, by Conor O'Neill, under Cooking, Entertainment, Food.
Aisling from RTE in Cork contacted a bunch of Irish bloggers about a new show they are doing. I’m thrilled she did, considering it’s exactly what I recommended only a few weeks ago in the context of my “Heat” review.
The idea is simple, it’s a 6 part competition show called Recipe for Success that will see 15 home cooks battle it out to have their own gastronomic creations stocked on the shelves of SuperValu. Viewers of the series will see the whole development process of the product.
I honestly think this is the smartest idea for a food programme that RTE has had since they spotted the potential of Darina Allen all those years ago. I can’t wait to see how you take a home-cooked meal and turn it into a shelf-ready product.
If you have a dish you know people love and which has the potential to be packaged, why not give this a go? SuperValu already stocks the wonderful Cully & Sully range so the precedent for high-end ready-meals is there.
The question is, would my Sophie Grigson derived (but still unique) meatballs make the cut or would potential customers just lump it into the same category as the dreaded B***s E*e Spag Bol in a bag (which I ate many times in college)? Sadly my Chicken Tikka, whilst amazing, is just a straight lift from a book.
All details are on the RTE site. G’wan, you know you want to.
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The Annual Slow Food West Cork Lough Hyne Picnic
Posted on August 11, 2008, by Conor O'Neill, under Cork, Entertainment, Family, Food.
I just got a note from Anthony Creswell of Ummera Smokehouse to let me know about the annual Slow Food picnic. It is on this Sunday August 17th.
Climb up Lough Hyne and treat yourself to a scrumptious picnic while gazing at the spectacular view. Meet at bottom of Lough Hyne to collect your pre-ordered picnic at 1:00pm. They aim to start the climb at 1:30pm
Packed picnics by Stephen Canty of Food for Thought Catering
LOCAL SMOKEHOUSE PICNIC · WEST CORK CHEESE PICNIC
SCHULL CHARCUTERIE PICNIC · SPECIAL CHILDREN’S CHOICEComplete Picnic Menu and Order Form PDF
Menu details also available at Urru Culinary Store Bandon, and Food For Thought Catering
Each picnic includes salads, dessert and ¼ bottle wine. Children’s picnics include fresh fruit juice.
Adults €20. Children €8, €15 for 2, €22 for 3
Book on 087 752 8940 or to stephen@foodforthoughtwestcork.com
Note that you need to book your picnic by this wednesday.
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Fun Food in Arthurstown
Posted on August 11, 2008, by Conor O'Neill, under Cooking, Entertainment, Food, Gardening, Reviews.
A brilliant gift of a cookery course in Dunbrody by my fabulous sister-in-law Paula led to one of the best day’s out I’ve had in ages. Interesting and enjoyable in every way without a dull moment in a gorgeous location.
We did our annual extended family meet-up on the August Bank Holiday weekend in Rosslare recently. On Friday morning I borrowed my mother’s car and drove the 45 minute journey to Arthurstown near the ferry in Ballyhack.
For some silly reason I thought Dunbrody was just a cookery school and restaurant but soon discovered it is a hotel and spa too. I arrived on the dot of 9.30 to find just two other people there; a B&B owner and a GP, both of whom were very friendly. A moment later, Edward, our teacher, swooped in to start our day of “Light Lunches”. I have to say that the guy was just wonderful for the whole session. Tons of energy, knowledge and anecdotes. He’s just finished a cookery book which will be launched soon. Keep an eye out for it: “Entertaining with Edward”. I wish I had been that accomplished at the age of 26!
My only tiny disappointment on the day was realising that it was all demos with no hands on. This is inevitable given the size and layout of the room but I do love to get stuck in. My concern that I might get bored just watching proved totally unfounded. Edward’s manner and approach made sure we didn’t even suffer the mid-afternoon lull.
The list of things he made was extensive and there wasn’t a clunker among them. I would just love to be able to multi-task the way that he did. He did the following:
Traditional Brown Soda Bread: This was lovely and nutty. Not as good as my mothers but still great.
Fresh Basil Pesto: For some reason I have never made pesto. This was one of the best I’ve had.
Crab Croquettes with Sweet Chilli Jam: Whilst I’ll definitely be making the croquettes again, the jam just made me feel stupid. I cannot believe how easy it is to make and how much better it was than any bought jar. This is going to be one of my regular creations from now on.
Smoked Haddock and Rocket Tart: One of the absolute highlights of the day. If you love fish pie, this makes a quicker and lighter alternative
Cheese and Bacon Quesadillas: Simple and tasty as hell. Will be trying this on the kids. Total winner.
Fish en paupilotte: This genuinely shocked me. I love smoked salmon, I detest cooked fresh salmon, it makes me gag. Yet somehow, this tasted beautiful and I scoffed the lot. Another ultra-easy meal which will be a future regular.
Mild Cajun Chicken: Lovely and juicy in a yoghurt coating
Classic Italian Meatballs: Excellent but not a patch on my own 
The mince mix would make fantastic burgers or meatloaf.
Vegetarian Roulade with Spinach: The least favourite for the three of us but still good. Some of the intended ingredients were not delivered on the day which is a pity as I can imagine how much better it would have been.
Mediterranean Pasta Salad: Using roasted veg and some of the pesto, this is perfect BBQ food.
Meringue Roulade with Summer Berries and Toasted Almonds: Should be illegal. We had it for our elevenses and it was light as a feather and totally delish.
Edward also gave us two tours of the kitchen gardens which were a joy to see. Jammed with every sort of veg, fruit and herb. If only I had the acerage and the time!
I was chuffed to get a branded apron and Kevin Dundon’s latest book as I left. This course won’t teach you amazing new techniques if you are already a solid home chef but it will give you tons of ideas for tasty interesting family meals. It’s also a perfect day of relaxation and fun.
Full set of photos from the day including geo-tagged ones on Flickr.
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Heat zaps the bugs and delivers a winning final
Posted on August 10, 2008, by Conor O'Neill, under Bandon.
I had written off this series by the third episode but it still showed glimmers of quality. Luckily those glimmers shone through to beat off the bozos and tooth veneers. The final gave us the two best chefs who were clearly passionate and capable.
The food they cooked was fantastic, the mistakes understandable and the emotion strong. My heart was with Ann but I knew in my gut that Paul would clinch it at the end. However I do think she’ll be the one to follow her dream and open that cookery school in Italy. Kevin Thornton had obvious affection and admiration for her.
Dare I say it, I’m looking forward to the next series. But please please please, dear production company, use this crazy new fangled thing called the internet to encourage foodies not media whores to apply. There are enough of us foodie bloggers out there to create a buzz and get you applicants who care about food and cooking not 15 minutes of pseudo-fame.
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Terra Madre Ireland
Posted on August 4, 2008, by Conor O'Neill, under Bandon.
Dianne Curtin just let me know about Terra Madre Ireland which is on in WIT, Waterford from 4th - 7th September. Anyone involved in the Slow Food movement will know what this is about. If you don’t:
A Sustainable Future for the Irish Food Industry
An important conference for all those involved in the Irish food chain including state bodies, retailers, growers and food producers. Attend the morning conference and choose 1 of 40 workshops (click for list) to contribute to key policy debates. A Policy Statement from each Workshop will be produced with key recommendations presented in the afternoon feedback session to Ministers for Agriculture (North and South). President Mary McAleese will address delegates on Friday afternoon.
Sounds like it may be a very special weekend.
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Fax Spammers still allowed to operate with impunity in Ireland
Posted on August 4, 2008, by Conor O'Neill, under Bandon.
JD, one of the most prolific commenters on this blog, let me know about some fax spammers called Prism Fax badgering his elderly parents. It appears that the white elephant known as the Data Protection Commissioner was utterly useless in dealing with this. If Brian Cowen is looking to save a few bob, I can think of one organisation that wouldn’t be missed if it was shut down tomorrow. Read the full story here.
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