Independent Food - Independent Film

I am sure that many of you have heard about the exciting new IndieCork Film Festival happening in Cork in October. I am on the board for this year and in charge of organising an amazing event that combines food with film. Having food while watching a movie has been a tradition for decades and nothing is nicer than nibbling away while being transported into different times by an interesting movie.

Film Feast is a night that brings this concept to higher grounds by inviting independent food producers to offer their delicious goods at the film night. I am not telling you who we have already invited - you will have to come and join us for a good plate of food, some nice wine/beer and a damn good movie - so save the date and mark Friday, 18th October in your diary and look out for the program that will be published soon. If you like to learn more about IndieCork - click here ..... you can also become a member and owner....

In case you don't want to wait for October to enjoy some great food - why not join us for the Critic's Night in Jacobs on the Mall on Thursday, 12th September where you will be treated to a wonderful tasting menu and your opinion is important as you will be the food critic for the night. For €30 you will join the critics and enjoy a new dining experience.

Email biasasta@hotmail.com for more details and to book your place.

The Best of 2012

The start of a new year always makes one look back at the old one and reflects a bit on what was good and not to good. My mantra is to forget about the bad and just smile about the good things that happened. Here are my favourite food memories of 2012 (and I might post a bit later of my plans for 2013)

Firehouse Bread Bakery & School

When I heard of Patrick Ryan and his bakery on Heir Island, I thought, gosh a dreamer if there ever was one. But then I went, saw and baked and was totally smitten by the location, the baker and his lovely partner as well as the bakery. I had such a great day that I am still talking about it. We arrived in the morning by ferry and were greeted by Laura who droves us to the house - bakery, B&B and sailing school - and were seated to tea and homebaked mince pies (it was December after all). Patrick then showed us around the bakery and their woodfired oven (now I want one) and we got baking. Patrick has a great expertise which he is more than willing to share. The day was filled with fun, lessons and great food. We all took a lot of bread home and I even persuaded Patrick to sell me some of his sourdough starter (which lives very happily in my fridge now).

If you are into breadmaking - this course is a must.

Castlemary Goats Farm

Olive Hallanan is running the Goats Farm in Castlemary, Cloyne. I heard the first time about her when a friend of mine told me that I have to meet Olive. So I went to meet Olive and I have to say, she is one of the most nicest and generous people you will ever meet. She is making goats cheese but also sells the goats meat of the male goats which means they are not just slaughtered to be thrown away but to be used. You might have seen Paul Flynn during the Surf 'n Turf series on RTE spit-roasting one. In Olive's farmshop which is open every Saturday from 10am - 2pm you can buy, burgers, sausages and cheese - all from Olive's own herd.

I am planning a farm visit to her farm for Bia Sásta friends with a BBQ - so keep an eye peeled on upcoming newsletters for dates (we had to cancel our 2012 date due to lack of bookings but I hope that people will be a bit more adventurous in 2013).

Kenmare Food Festival

Each town and county seems to have their own food festival these days - nothing wrong with that as I love to go to all of them. The first Food Festival - sorry, carnival - was held in 2012 and they must have done a lot of research as it was one of the best festivals I have ever visited. The entire town was included and played along. Restaurants on the main streets had little chairs & tables out and offered tastings for which you paid either cash or with vouchers which you could buy at several outlets. A craft beer & cider tasting was a bit 'flat' due to lack of attendance of the brewers but the ones who made it were also very generous. The market was a delight to visit and simply, the whole town was in a carnival mood. Loved it, loved it.

The next one is planned for 12th - 14th July 2013. Make sure to mark it in your diary

Goatsbridge Irish Trout Caviar

My mum loved caviar and I am sure she would have loved Goatsbridge Trout Caviar. The first time I tasted it was at Fenn's Quay where I had organised a blind tasting and head chef Kate used it in one of her dishes (you see, come to our events and you will taste amazing food). I was delighted with bursting pearls of just the right amount of 'fishiness' - absolutely beautiful. Bright orange - it will add as much visual appeal as it does taste. You can buy directly from their website - I am not sure about any shops at the moment.

Cork Cake Craft

It was with great delight to hear about the opening of the first cake decoration dedicated shop in Carrigtwohill late last year. I love to decorate my cakes (at least if Mr T leaves them alone long enough for me to decorate) and I couldn't wait to call down to them. It is a light airy shop and I met owner Elaine McCarthy and we had a lovely chat - her passion for sugarcraft can't be mistaken. They are offering cake decoration classes and will always be at hand with tips and tricks and.

Ballyhoura Mushrooms

Mr T and I always wanted to hunt mushrooms (we do regularly but are unsure to eat the findings) and we were very pleased to meet Lucy Deegan of Ballyhoura Mushrooms who are growing wonderful mushrooms and selling them at farmer's markets as well as food festivals. Mr T is particularly fond of their marinated mushroom but you can tickle your tastebuds with mushroom ketchup, soups, pesto, pates and much much more. Have I mentioned that these goodies are totally delicious??

Slowfood Apple & Craft Cider Festival

Paul Deegan and the Apple Farm have organised a wonderful festival at the Apple Farm in 2012 and I can only hope that it will be the first of many. Craft cider brewers came and offered their ware - amazing how different cider can taste. Demonstrations on how to grow your own apple trees and how to maintain them as well as cider making, cider & food matching and cooking with cider. Mr T and myself were very happy people indeed.

And here is to a wonderful 2013 for all of us

Food Festival Dingle

Marc Kingston talking coffee

Wow - what a great food festival. I have been to a few now in the last few months (it seems every weekend there is one on) but I have to admit that Dingle Food Festival is one of the better ones (next to Kenmare Food Carnival). The whole town is included, the taste trail is amazing, the events are well laid out and the market is buzzing - what more does one want.

Unfortunately, I missed the seaforaging walk with Oliver Moore but went to a talk about the mackerel industry in Dingle instead (no comparison of course but was too late for the seaweed walk).

Jack McCarthy Curing Workshop

Crab Cake in Ship Yard

We arrived on Saturday morning and just had a snoop around - it was hard to ignore the festival - the town was buzzing already. The market was already set up and the air started to smell of BBQs, Curries and more. Shop windows had food themes and had programmes of the festival handy for everyone looking for one. Street musicians started to warm their voices, restaurants preparing their tasting trail offerings and one was wondering if it was really too early for a glass of bubbles.

Display of local seafood

Smoke Salmon Tart

Ling Pie with white sauce

The focus of the tasting trail was of course seafood - the quality was just amazing. I think we keep forgetting how blessed we are being surrounded by the sea and the fantastic fish & seafood it offers. Some restaurants made a bit more of an effort with displaying the food than others but no one could argue with the amazing taste and quality that was on offer. There were too many taste trail restaurants to try - we opted for Out of the Blue and their 'Taste of the Sea' tasting plate which included a lovely creamy prawn bisque, salmon with poppy seeds and hake with a pesto topping. It was beautiful to look at and even more beautiful to eat. The Boat Yard offered crab cakes with sweet chilli sauce. It wasn't the prettiest to look at (it came in a take away box too big which didn't add much appeal) but the taste was outstanding. The Dingle Bay Hotel offered breadrolls with crab filling - it was a massive portion and so delicious that we understood the queue leading to it.

Blueberry Ice Cream

Danno's Bar offered the most amazing ling pie with a lovely white sauce - although ling wouldn't be my favourite fish, this pie was just to die for. Danno's also offered salmon tart which didn't need to hide behind the pie.

But it wasn't just restaurants who offered wonderful food - The Dingle Framer offered mussels and cockles which Mr T enjoyed immensely.

Oliver Moore sharing his memories

One of the highlights for me was the Blue Bus where Food Memories were shared. Aoife Carrigy of Holy Mackerel hosted the short interviews where well known bloggers & food producers shared their early food memories. Benoit Lorge, Jack McCarthy, The Modern Farmerette and Oliver Moore were just a few of many who shared their love with the public.

Aoife Carrigy hosting Food Memories

The workshops were offering something for every taste - food preserving, bee keeping, Curing your own bacon, herb gardening and how to make the perfect cup of coffee. Mr T who loves his coffee was all ears at the coffee morning and we learned a few new things about coffee. Marc Kingston of The Golden Bean was sharing his passion and knowledge with us and was able to answer all questions put to him.


The highlight of the event was of course the Blas na hEireann Awards. I am a big fan of Avril Allshire-Howe - not only because she and her husband make the most amazing Black Pudding but because she is the most amazing woman you can come across. Her passion for what she does is second to none and she is still so grounded..... so I was delighted that she won the Gold Award for her Black Pudding - Congrats Avril

I think you can guess that I really enjoyed myself - and I am already looking forward to next year's Dingle Food Festival.

Apple & Cider Festival in Cahir

Strawberry Fields

Wow - what a festival. Slow Food & The Apple Farm invited to an Apple & Cider Festival and everyone came - Mr T and I did anyway.

The event took place at the Apple Farm which was the perfect location to host the festival. Row after row of wonderful apple trees, raspberries, strawberries and pears. You just wanted to grab them and jump over the fence like my mum & dad used to do when they were kids. The farm is very well laid out and it is easy to see why the Apple Farm is so successful. Focus is on quality and it can be seen, smelled and tasted around the farm.

Tasting Tent

The Apple Farm has a great farm shop where you can buy half a box of apples for a fiver. Mr T and I stocked up on apples, juice, cider balsamic vinegar and orchard syrup and I can't wait to try them all out.

The brewers of the craft ciders were at hand to talk about their ciders and why they thought theirs was the best. I cam across a wonderful rich cider from Tempted using Armagh apples. That reminds me, I have to give the card to Bradley's Off License in case they are interested in stocking this cider). Craigies Cider, MacIvors, Highbank, Llewelyns, Armagh Cider Company, Stonewell, Longueville House, Orpan's Cider and Mac's Armagh Cider were present at the tasting tent and I was a very happy girl indeed tasting them all.

We only came for the Saturday but it was worth going both days. The events on Saturday included Cider & Cheese matching by Sheridan (very interesting quote - artisan food scenes in Spain, France and Italy are working class -- in Ireland they kinda became middle and upper class - how did that happen - more to that in a later post).

We then watched CC Healy of Crowe's Farm cooking up some delicious black pudding & pork sausage roll, kassler (a German specialty of cured and smoked pork) with apple & cider sauce and shredded pork pasties. Mr T was in pork heaven.

But the most anticipated event was for Mr T the cider making workshop with Dick Keating. Mr T tried last year to make his own cider and as much as the taste was there - it was more of an apple juice than a cider. Now armed with a new recipe and more knowledge, I can see a cider making session coming up in the Cottage soon - watch this space for updates on the success on same.

Sunday's events were all about growing apple trees with the Irish Seed Savers being at hand as well as some spice workshops and how to prune apple trees.

We went away from the event very happy and with a plan to have a mini orchard for next year. Congratulations to Paul Deegan & The Apple Farm for a wonderful event. Can't wait for next year's event. If you like to see more photos from the event - click here

Food Quiz Night

Bia Sásta has been asked to organise and host an event at Fenn's Quay to join in with the Cork Food Week - and what better way of celebrating Cork Food Week than with a Food Quiz. Come and join us for an evening of fun, good food and great people. Kate Lawlor promises some great fingerfood to mirror her passion for local produce. A glass of tipple will also be included. Entrance per person is €15 and includes food & the tipple. Email me on biasasta@hotmail.com to reserve a place for this Friday, 3rd August at 7:30

Cork Food Fest

Ok, first thing first.... did I like the Cork Food Fest? Yes and no. Was the event good organised? Yes. Would I go again? Oh Yes.

So with that out of the way, let's talk about what I liked and what not. If you know me, you will know that I am all about food, food producers and supporting them as much as I can. I love going to restaurants and I am always delighted to see new food ventures popping up. Some are good - and some are not. Anyhow - Cork Food Fest was all about restaurants. Only a few producers were around which was a bit of a letdown for me who loves to mingle and chat with all of them.

Serano Ham on the bone

Participating restaurants were the same as last year, only Fresco being the one that new - can't remember if Springfort Hall was there last year or not. At least, this year, not everyone offered Fish & Chips which was the main offering last year. Corona Extra & Murphys were the main stalls where beer were to be had. Sober Lane shocked me by charging €5 for a 330ml bottle of Ginger Joe (just to let you know, you can get it in Bradley's 4 for €10) so I didn't go back for seconds. Not sure what Corona and Murphys charged but I was hoping that Rip-Off-Ireland is a thing of the past.

The restaurants were great and most of them made a big effort to display their food in the best way - some even had tasting plates displayed so that you knew what you were getting. Presentation was gorgeous and you had the feeling being at a giant garden party at an exclusive mansion. The weather was great and the people were soaking up the atmosphere. Plenty of entertainment for the children made it easy to take the whole family to Fitzgerald Park.

Mr T and I went for the first of the 2 sessions which runs from 12 - 4 (second runs from 5:30 - 9:30) and that might have been a mistake as not all of the tents were occupied. Also, the layout was a bit mis-fortunate for some as Sage, Fresco and Ballymaloe were hidden behind the demonstration tent. Saying that, the tables and chairs at these restaurants gave a view over the lake and fountain which made up for it.

Some of the food was outstanding and chefs really took up the challenge of presenting their skills and talents. A big up from last year in my eyes. The lineup of cookery demonstrations included Andrew Rudd (my brothers girlfriend downloaded the recipe for his cheesecake from his website), Fred Deformeaux and Darina Allen. Fred is headchef in Greenes and in my eyes one of the best chefs we have in Cork. So obviously, I wanted to watch him doing his magic. He cooked chilled beetroot soup which was delicious (just too much pepper for me as a pepper hater and I would leave the mayonnaise out) and Black Sole with Mussels & Chorizo. I was sitting right at the front and was drooling with the aroma floating through the air.

A great event for Cork - just hope they include (and invite) more food producers. I heard that the rent for a stall was extremely dear so that might have been the reason - food for thought for next year. But congratulations to the organisers - a great event.

A kitchen made out of paper

Close-up of Paper Kitchen

Entertaining was great

Display of Sugar Cafe

Bite Size - always beautiful

Sage Tasting Plate - almost too pretty to eat

Fred of Greene's - he was dead nervous but great chef

Black Sole with Mussels & Chorizo - deli

Kenmare Food Carnival - Post Mortem

There are plenty food festivals out and about at the moment. It seems every village has one these days. Some are good, some you hardly notice that food is involved and then you have some extremely well done ones and Kenmare Food Carnival is one of the best festivals I have been in a long time. It has been a long time coming as Kenmare has more restaurants per square feet than New York - or so it seems to me. I have had amazing food in Kenmare over the years. Jam, Lemon Tree, Park Hotel and of course Pakkies have put smiles on my face more than once.

So I think it was about time that Kenmare jumped on the bandwagon and had their very own festival. And to make it stand out - they called it a carnival. Nice touch!

I drove up to Kenmare on Saturday, having missed already the Traditional Afternoon Tea, the Vineyard Affair, Carnival Parade on Friday. Saturday's program just looked as good with the Taste Trail, workshops for kiddies, forums, lectures, food art exhibition, wine tastings, producer market and and and....the list is endless.

It was great to see the whole town involved. Shop windows had displays of food related themes from afternoon tea to break the bread. Restaurants had tables outside their door and offered amazing tasting plates for €3 or €5 - I had only 3 tasters and was stuffed - the quality and the quantity was outstanding. Purple Heather, Pakkies, Jam, The Breadcrumb, Nom Nom, Wild Garlic Truffle Pig are just a few of the restaurants and food stores involved in the taste trail.

The producer market was buzzing with activities and portions were generous. Mr T had oysters for €1 each and mussels cooked in wine with herbs and garlic for €5, panfried mushrooms on toast from Ballyhoura Mushrooms put a big smile on his face - especially when we bought a jar of their marinated mushrooms (which was finished off the very next day). The Craft Beer & Cider tasting was a bit of a downer as only Stonewell Cider and 8Degree made it to the Park Hotel but they were kept busy withe the people being there - for all brewers who didn't come - you missed a great opportunity to extend your profile.

We skipped the Pop-Up restaurant as well as the Chef's Dinner (thought €95 was a bit steep although you would have gotten 7 courses). We actually went back to Cork the same day as my friend Linda invited us for a lovely BBQ - which was a nice ending to a great day.

I was planning to go back to Kenmare the very next day to join Emer Fitzgerald on her foraging walk but woke up with a stiff neck and never made it over. Would have loved to sample more plates from the taste trail and pay Lemon Tree a visit for a wine tasting - Next year I will stay overnight and make sure not to miss a single thing.

 Congratulations to the organisers of this really fantastic event - I would even say, the best I have been to. Can't wait for next year - I really hope they repeat it in the same way.

Upcoming food events & festivals

It will be hard these coming weeks to find enough time to attend all food events and festivals. I will try my best but doubt that my boss will be very understanding when I tell him that work interferes too much with my social life. Below are upcoming events - good luck with choosing :-)



14th - 17th June - Taste of Dublin
This year's event will be opened by no other than Jamie Oliver (not sure what's wrong with our Irish celebrity chefs) and will take place again in Iveagh Gardens. The best restaurants of Dublin will take place and you are in for some treats trying the food of the top chefs for a few bucks.

15th - 17th June - Trim Haymaking Festival
I know, I know....not really a food event but this festival will bring you closer to rural Ireland long gone... the festival includes an old time bike run, best dressed, traditional trades, art & crafts and food stalls (you knew that there would be some food).... a great day out for the whole family as it brings old traditions close to children who have no idea what times were before iPhone etc.

28th June - An Turkish Evening with Bia Sasta
Join us for an evening of wonderful Turkish food and no kebab in sight. Turkish food is tasty, colourful and extremely delicious. It is based on seasons rather than fashion and a meal in Turkey is an affair of love for the people it is cooked for. We are lucky enough to have a Turkish trained chef with us who will treat us to a delicious tasting menu. The venue will be in Blarney and the ticket will be €25 per person. Email biasasta@hotmail.com for further information and to book.

5th - 8th July - Kilmore Quay Seafood Festival
Each July, Kilmore Quay, a charming and picturesque fishing village, on the south east coast of Ireland, celebrates summer with delicious seafood platters, fishing and lots of fun activities for all the family. For all enquiries regarding this year's festival, please phone 087 766 6431 or click on the link above.

5th - 15th July - Kinsale Art Week
Kinsale is hosting the biggest West Cork Art festival again this year and as every year, food & wine is very much part of the festivals. Check out the times and dates for the Festival Wine Club, Tea & Philosophy and Martin's Fishy Fishy Cooking Workshop.....

7th - 13th July - Cork Week
This event doesn't need an introduction.... check out their program for this year's events.

19th - 22nd July - Irish Examiner Food Festival
This is the same event as last year's Taste of Cork (at least I think it was called that). Same place - Fitzgerald Park. A great opportunity for reluctant foodies to try something new.... 

11th - 12th August - Carlingford Oyster Festival
Carlingford's World renowned Oyster Festival is a two day Fun-filled Festival with Oysters galore, Oyster Pearl Hunt, World Crab Fishing Contest, Street Entertainment, Oyster Tent, Food Markets, Sailing Regatta, the Famous Carlingford Seafood Chowder and much more.....

10th - 16th September - Taste of West Cork
One of my personal favourite food festivals. The entire town of Skibbereen is involved and the program is always packed with great food and wine....make sure you make your way to Skib during the festival....

Didn't I tell you that the choice is overwhelming.....

Jacobs Creek & Pop Up Restaurants

Cork City Goal

I saw the other day a notice that Jacobs Creek were hosting a Dine & Wine Experience in Cork City Goal and applied for tickets. The City Goal is a brilliant location for Pop Up Restaurants and I was delighted to have gotten the tickets.

Michael Ryan & David Whelehan

So far I didn't have much experience with Jacobs Creek - always a bit suspicious of large vineyards with all types of grapes but David Whelehan who hosted the night, convinced me that there is more to Jacobs Creek than meet the eye. Most of you might know David from TV3 where he is IrelandAMs wine correspondent - he is a talented speaker and his passion for wine came through in each word. He was not only entertaining but educational.

We were welcomed by friendly staff who offered Sparkling Rose - I love a glass of bubbly as much as the next girl and didn't say no when offered top-ups. The sparkling went surprisingly well with the canapes. The food was provided by Isaacs Restaurant, Michael Ryan and Canice Sharkey. We were treated to canapes which included McCarthy's Black Pudding in pastry, salmon ceviche on a spoon, chicken croquettes and prawn skewers. Each mouthful was tasty, well prepared and absolutely delicious.

The dining tables were impressive with their flower arrangements. Each setting had little cards with wine trivia (how many bubbles are in a average bottle of Champagne? 49 million - I learn something new every day). Mr T and I shared the table with Sheila Kiely (author of 'Gimme the Recipe') and her charming husband Denis (Mr T and Denis enjoyed the evening talking about GAA) and Cully & Sully with Cully's lovely wife - so you can imagine how entertaining our table was.

Chardonnay & Reserva

Wine Trivia

We were given blindfolds and had to guess the grapes of wines - amazing how different you taste the wine when blindfolded. But yours truly (me) guessed correctly that the first wine was a Chardonnay and the second one was a Shiraz (with a bit of Grenache) - so Mr T was impressed with me.

The starter was a warm crab salad - one word - yummylicious. It was served in a ramekin and topped with a crumble. Have to try to re-create this dish.

Roast Lamb

Chocolate Mousse

Our main course was Roast Rack & Shoulder of Lamb with mint Bearnaise sauce and rosemary potatoes - the Bearnaise was to die for. The vegetarian option was a selection of curries (a nice change to the usual stir fry). The lamb was succulent and went down a treat.

The cheese board offered the best of Irish - Cashel Blue, Gubbeen, Coolea & Ardsallagh served with crackers and Arbutus Medieval Walnut Bread - I was in heaven (have to ask Declan Ryan for the recipe of the walnut bread - although mine isn't bad at all). A selection of desserts included chocolate mousse and cardamon panna cotta.

Blind Smelling

Shiraz with a little mix

A game in between the courses entertained us but also showed us how difficult it is to smell, taste and guess flavours. One person per table was asked on stage (Sheila was our ambassador) and were blindfolded. A little bottle of aroma was held under their nose and they had to guess the flavour. Everyone got lemon but after that it all went wrong - no one got prune (which I guess is really difficult) or strawberry (which I thought would have been easy). No one had blackcurrant - one woman guessed Cassis and only one man got pineapple right (we cheered when the first one guessed it right - so all others followed)...difficult difficult.

Cully & Sully Black Glass Tasting

Velvety Choc Truffles

Cully & Sully were then asked on stage, 3 glasses of wine were offered to each - but in a black glass. You can't see the colour of the wine in a black glass. It was all the same wine - Chardonnay - but one glass had it chilled, another glass was warmed and only one was the correct temperature. Both thought they were drinking different wines - shows how important the correct temperature is to wine.

I had a ball at the event and have learned a lot. It was great to meet Sheila in a more private environment and to see Cully & Sully up close (serious funny guys by the way).

Congratulations to Jacobs Creek for an amazing event......and now I am off checking my wine cabinet....