ACCOMMODATION

Hotel No.31, Leeson Close, Dublin.

We were accommodated for B&B at a boutique guest house known at Hotel No. 31. This guest house is in two parts, a classical GeorgianTownhouse linked to a modernist Mews House.  Our room was in the Mews House which was designed by the renowned architect, Sam Stephenson. Each of the rooms reflect this by the use of light, texture and colour. The sunken lounge with its peat fire is very modernist. The bedroom is well equipped with an extremely comfortable bed and good quality bed linen.  Throughout the house there are spotlights on prints of Picasso and other contemporary artworks. Tea lights are lit in the hall, stairway, and dining area creating an interesting atmosphere.

On arrival we were given a very warm welcome and were offered a tray of tea and cookies. All of the staff are welcoming, helpful and go out of their way to make you feel at home – nothing is too much trouble for them.

Breakfast was served on communal tables which were beautifully set out. The breakfast buffet table had a good selection of cereals, fresh fruits, dried fruits etc.

 

 I loved the berry selection with natural yoghurt. The choice of cooked breakfast was amazing.  The full Irish Breakfast was a revelation with two rashers of bacon, black pudding, two sausages, tomato, potato cake and egg.

 Each day I chose something different: mushroom frittata and cheese omelette.

 These were also served with bacon, potato cake and tomato. Organic and free range foods are served when ever possible, and the preserves and breads are all homemade. Delicious!

This is a very friendly ‘Home from Home’ guest house with a unique environment and its location is ideal for a stay in Dublin.  We were within a few minutes walk to St. Stephen’s Green and the centre of Dublin. Grafton Street shopping centre, Temple Bar and Trinity College are all within easy walking distance.

RESTAURANT 3 - EDEN RESTAURANT

EDEN RESTAURANT

The acclaimed, award winning Eden Restaurant, serves contemporary food with a distinctive Irish flavour.  It is located in the heart of Dublin’s Temple Bar. Eden offers a blend of fine dining and superb service in a casual setting.

Eden was a contrast to the two previous restaurants we have visited.  The building was really contemporary with numerous trailing plants hanging from the overhead balconies. It was less formal and there was a real buzz to the atmosphere. From the dining table it was possible to see the chefs working in the kitchen. The restaurant furniture consisted of  circular white tables and chairs in modern plastic and metal which did not require table linen. The staff were friendly and offered prompt service in a relaxed way.

The food was more hearty yet exquisitely prepared and well presented. The proprietor prided himself on supplying locally sourced produce for the kitchens and he spoke highly of his Head chef in developing contemporary  Irish dishes.

We chose a creamy parsnip and carrot soup for starter, this was topped with natural yoghurt and a touch of mint.  It was velvety smooth and absolutely delicious.

This is the first menu that has offered Irish Beef. As a great lover of beef it was the obvious choice for me.  The PANFRIED HEREFORD BEEF FILLET was served on a creamy mushroom ragout and topped with a vine  tomato relish.

Green beans and celeriac mash accompanied this lovely dish. The steak was cooked to perfection (medium/rare) It was succulent, tender and full of flavour.  One of the best steaks I have ever eaten.

My husband also chose the soup but selected the CASTLETOWNBERE KING SCALLOPS WITH BRAISED PORK CHEEKS.  This was served with Potato pancake, shredded cabbage, apple concasse and smoked bacon jús.

King Scallops with Braised Pork Cheeks

This dish was an excellent combination of meat and seafood and my husband really enjoyed the combination of flavours.  The portion size was perfect too.

To round off the meal we chose different desserts. My husband selected the Blackberry and Apple Crumble which was served with fresh blackberries and vanilla ice cream. He said it was excellent!

Blackberry & Apple Crumble

My choice of sweet was a Creme Brulee
served with a rich chocolate nut Brownie
with homemade honeycomb on th the plate.
This was really delicious.

Creme Brulee and Chocolate Nut Brownie

We enjoyed a perfect cup of coffee to round off this delicious meal.

As with the other restaurants we visited, the Eden's menu acknowledged the local producers who had supplied the meat.

Another restaurant which I would return to and highly recommend.

RESTAURANT 2-THORNTON'S RESTAURANT

THORNTON’S RESTAURANT

Thornton’s Restaurant is located in the heart of Dublin, overlooking St. Stephen’s Green, Thornton’s is a wonderful location for a sumptuous dining experience. The dining room is classical with circular tables dressed with crisp white linen tablecloths and napkins. The décor includes some wonderful photographs greatly enlarged.

We met with the chef and were advised to have the eight-course tasting menu. This was a really new experience with mini portions of delicacies presented on different shaped plates and dishes.

  Each one was a picture on a plate. 

Small portions of food and sauces were arranged artistically and provided a range of flavours, colour and textures to tickle the palate.

This was my main course of lamb; liver and sauces. A combination of flavours and texture.




 It is difficult to explain the menu but it was a tremendous experience.

The service was very attentive throughout the course of the meal.



This was my dessert.

This restaurant also prides itself on using locally sourced, seasonal  products.  There is obviously a strong movement in Dublin to promote good local fresh foods.

RESTAURANT 1 - MULBERRY GARDEN

 We visited three diverse restaurants, each offering wonderful menus with local, seasonal foods.

MULBERRY GARDEN RESTAURANT

Mulberry Garden Restaurant is located on Mulberry Lane, Donnybrook, Dublin. It is accessed via a small lane off the main road.  On entering this bijou restaurant we were given a very warm, friendly welcome and our coats were taken before we were seated.

This delightful restaurant only opens on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and it prides itself in providing a different menu each week using seasonal produce. I really like this idea. The Head Chef, John Wyer, uses seasonal produce in a creative and imaginative way. The menu offers three courses with a choice of two dishes for each course. The reverse side of the menu sets out the producers for the evening’s menu.  What a wonderful way of raising awareness of the range of local produce that is available. Everything from meat to vegetables, fruit, honey, cheeses and even local salt.

I chose Hereford Oxtail Ragu for starter. The oxtail was succulent and served with homemade Gnocchi, Gremolata and watercress.

For the main course I selected Confit Pork Shoulder which was served with pork pie, glazed baby carrots, capers, apple, cabbage and smoked potato.  The pork was meltingly tender and so tasty.

The dessert was Salted Caramel Panna Cotta – this was a dessert to die for! It was served in a deep glass with poached plum, toasted almond ice cream and honeycomb.  I am going to try to make a version of this at home.

I am disappointed that I did not take my camera to the restaurant to make a photographic record of the delightful dishes.  The presentation, quality and portions were superb. A restaurant I would certainly return to and recommend.

DUBLIN TASTING TRAIL

Dublin Tasting Trail - a Fabulous Food Trail

This was an exciting experience joining a group of locals and international visitors on a fabulous food trail in the heart of Dublin.

We met our guide, Eveleen Coyle, outside The Mansion House where she introduced the group to one another and then gave us a potted history of Irish food production and the cultural changes and international influences that have had an impact on producers today.  She told us of an Irish lady, Myrtle Allan, who had a passion to promote and protect the culinary heritage of Irish food and how this has developed into a rapidly expanding belief in promoting local produce and reverting to traditional ways of production.

During the morning we visited food halls, cheesemongers, butchers, bakers, chocolatiers, ice cream makers, delicatessens  etc and met with many wonderful people who have a passion for producing good honest food using local produce. We also met international sellers who held similar beliefs. At each venue we learned about the products and enjoyed tasting a whole range of foods.

Our first stop was at Sheridan’s Cheesemongers who have established a wonderful outlet for a wide variety of artisan Irish cheeses made by small Irish farming families, these are sold alongside international cheeses. We sampled some Glebe Brethan and a Gruyere style cheese; they were delicious.

We looked at one of the last remaining family butchers in the main shopping area and saw how butchery practices have changed over the years with health and safety regulations

Window displays at Healy's today

                    Now and Then!





Listons, 'the source of good food', offers the best Irish Artisan food alongside International goodies. Its wonderful range of Garden Fresh Salads using the finest seasonal ingredients, soups, cheeses, deli ingredients, snacks,  platters and dinners sits alongside a wide variety of specialist International ingredients. Esam’s Lybian Fallafels are as popular as St. Killian Irish cheese. Here we sampled some wonderful quiche and lemon grass and vegetable soup.

Irish St Killian Cheese

 

Delicious Fresh Salads

We visited an interesting building which had utilised an enormous amount of recycled material for building and decoration.  Sheep’s wool was used for insulation and rain water was harnessed to flush the toilets. This is the first pure eco building in the city centre. It must be quite exciting living there.  Within this precinct was a café making artisan breads and a variety of cakes.  We sampled some delicious lemon cake and mini iced cakes.

All the walls within the covered seating area in the courtyard were beautifully decorated with a variety of panels using recycled materials - anything from piano keys, buttons, crockery, records, wood and even tatty old books. It was very decorative and showed how items often considered as rubbish can be used to create something beautiful.

     Recycled Panels

A local chocolatier delighted us with samples of home made chocolates and macaroons. All the colourings used are from natural ingredients. A chocolate lovers paradise!

The local market stall provided samples of sausage pie.  This was followed by Murphy’s Ice Cream – brown bread ice cream and other flavours.

We even sampled Espresso coffee made the New Zealand way and a tot of whisky from the famous Swan Inn bar of the former John Lynch, a professional rugby player.

The over riding message I brought away from this tour is the passion that the various producers and sellers have for the best local produce/products which they can now supply.

DUNNE'S OF DONNYBROOK

Fintan Dunne proprietor of  Dunnes of Donnybrook

It was a good experience to visit Fintan Dunne at his prize winning butcher’s shop in Donnybrook. Fintan has such a warm Irish personality and was very happy to chat with me about his butcher’s shop and local meat production. I appreciated his time as he was short staffed and had a constant flow of customers. The amount of customers is testament to the quality of meat he sells and the passion he has for his products.

The first thing I noticed on entering the shop was an enclosed, glass fronted, section to the right of the entrance door which was designated for hanging beef and lamb so that customers could be made aware of the length of time given to hanging beef and lamb to obtain the best flavour and tenderness.  Pieces of beef were labelled 7 days, 14 days, 21 days and 28 days making it possible to see the meat darkening as it matured.  The beef was from Hereford  herds under 30 months of age. Fintan believes that the best  steaks are obtained from meat that has been hung for 32 days. 

I must say, the steak and ribs of beef on sale looked absolutely superb. The ribs of beef, boned and French trimmed had a good marbling of fat which I like to see as it makes for a tastier piece of meat. A good coat of fat is an advantage for hanging beef (this is not always the case if the beef is organically reared). All of the beef was from free range cattle.  The lamb requires a shorter period for hanging. Fintan explained the labelling of the carcasses which identified the farm and animal as well as the age of the carcass and a blue mark to show that it had been checked by the vet. It is very important that the meat is traceable and also identifies that it has not had to travel far from the farm to the butcher’s shop. Most of the meat in the shop had been reared within ten miles of the shop reducing the carbon footprint. This is really commendable.

The counter section of the shop displayed a wonderful range of barbecue meats which were marinated in homemade, gluten free sauces, which looked really appetising.

There was also a variety of specially prepared meats, for example, stuffed corn fed chicken supreme with fresh herbs, apple and apricot stuffed pork  fillets, roast-in-a-bag chicken stuffed with fresh herbs, bacon, garlic and sage, or spatchcock of chicken in balsamic vinegar with garlic and mixed herbs. 

 He has used his imagination in developing new ways of preparing meat using fresh herbs etc.  The butterfly leg of lamb with mixed herbs looked so succulent and I imagine it would be very tasty.

All the the meats were from grass fed animals which have benefited from the abundance of rain in Ireland.  I saw for myself yesterday how luscious the grass is here which can only be beneficial to the animals reared on it. It was good to learn that the animals were free from artificial hormones.

The pork on sale was also free range from Tamworth crossed with Durak pigs. Sausages, black and white puddings, chicken liver, grouse etc were available for purchase.

The attractive window displays were all refrigerated and showed the range of joints, marinated meats etc available in the shop. The excellent displays would entice customers into the shop.

At one end of the shop there were lovely hams, half gammon and dry cured bacon. None was pumped with water. Whilst I was in the shop a customer commented that she had never had such good ham. That was a good testament to the quality of the produce.

It was also possible to purchase quality packets of cooked meats, pasta and wines to complement the meats on sale.

Displayed in a side window were posters showing the awards that Fintan had won for his products this year.  Having seen such quality meats I can understand why he is an award winner.

This shop is a good advert for the production of grass fed animals and the benefits to the animals and the consumers. By returning to more traditional ways of rearing livestock there are benefits all round. If I was living here I would certainly be purchasing my meat from Dunne’s of Donelly. I wish Fintan well as he develops his business and possibly sets up a website to further his trade.

VISIT TO FIELDSTOWN FARM

Visit to Fieldstown Farm

Peter Duggan, from Bord Bia, accompanied us to Fieldstown Farm between Swords and Ashbourne, a few kilometers from Dublin Airport.  On arriving at the farm gate there was a notice advertising ‘Lamb fresh from our farm to your freezer’.

We were given a hearty Irish welcome from  Padraic McMahon and his wife, Brid. We went into their wonderful farmhouse and they set the table with homemade brown soda bread, cheese, chutney and tomatoes from their greenhouse.  This was enjoyed with cups of tea and coffee and raspberry buns. Padraic is passionate about farming and rearing his animals on the lush Irish grass and clover fields on his farm.

We donned our wellies and raincoats and toured the farm, sheltering occasionally when the torrential Irish rain poured down!  I could see why the grass was so lush with so much water. It wasn’t long before the sun shone again and this combination of rain and sunshine must be the reason for Ireland being called the Emerald Isle – everything is so green.

The first field we visited had a massive flock of Cheviot sheep which are reared for customers to purchase direct from the farm. The sheep had been put into this field only the day before and it had an abundance of clover for them to enjoy.

The lambs and ewes are fed with grass, home grown barley and other GM free ingredients. We saw some sheep with yellow markings, indicating that they had been served by the ram and would be producing the next batch of lambs.  Padraic informed us that all the lambs are castrated which improves the flavour of the meat so that it is untainted.

At present, Fieldstown Farm is given over predominantly to sheep but we also saw within the same field a herd of Charolais and Limousin cattle. They are beautiful looking creatures and were curious to see us!

     

Nearby a large acreage of land was given over to tillage and they had produced an excellent crop of Red Rooster Potatoes – a really fluffy potato – Padraic’s favourite!

Looking in the barns on the older part of the farm complex we saw Rhode Island Red hens which produce a regular egg supply, there were also some other hens and chicks.

In the adjoining barn they had taken delivery of the young turkeys which will be reared for Christmas. These have the freedom of the outdoors and will be reared as free range.  There were two types of white turkey.  We wondered if foxes were a problem but, fortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case!



The newly arrived turkeys

Padraic has a designated building for butchering the lamb when it is returned to the farm from the abattoir. Here the lamb is expertly prepared in cuts to suit the customer’s wish. It is is packed in special boxes for home delivery or collection direct from the farm. Customers have a choice of Whole Lamb or Half Lamb boxes.

I was impressed with the farmer’s enthusiasm and passion for producing good quality, grass fed animals and his desire to raise awareness with his customers of the benefits of meat produced in this way. He has a good knowledge of the nutritional benefits of lamb and the minerals and vitamins it can provide for our daily diet as well as being an excellent source of protein. He is also conscious of the need to reduce our carbon footprint which is highly commendable. Fieldstown Farm has been awarded the Bord Bia Quality Assurance certification which is good for the discerning customer and a reward for the hard work put in by the farmer to produce the highest quality products.

ITINERARY FOR THE GRASSTRONOMY TRIP

The Itinerary has arrived and it looks very exciting. Shortly after our arrival at Dublin Airport we are off to a local farm where the wonderful Irish Beef is reared.  I will be able to see, first hand, how they rear the cattle  to produce such good beef for the table. It will be interesting to chat with the farmer and learn about the animal husbandry. I have packed my wellies and waterproofs as I think they will be needed!

We will be staying at a  B & B hotel and arrangements have been put in place for us to have an evening meal at a different high class restaurant/hotel each evening.

I will report back on the culinary delights of Ireland and include some pictures to whet your appetite!

A range of culinary activities has been planned over the week-end so log in again to find out more.

BACKGROUND TO THIS BLOG

As a regular follower of the Irish Food Board website, "Bord Bia", I enjoy reading about beef production and especially the recipe section for meat. I love all meat but my favourite has always been beef. I endeavour to source as much of our foodstuffs locally and use a local butcher for our meat which is locally reared and traditionally butchered. All the meat I purchase is traceable to the farm and has not had to be transported long distances.Throughout my life cooking and gardening have been amongst my main hobbies and nothing pleases me more than cooking for family and friends.  Using fruit, vegetables and herbs from my garden ensures that I use the freshest of seasonal produce.
Back in May I entered a competition with Bord Bia and submitted a 300 word entry entitled, "Wendy's World of Grasstronomy".

Imagine my surprise and delight when I received an email congratulating me on winning the competition.  I can still hardly believe it.

My prize is a culinary tour of Ireland over four days.  I cannot wait to go.  I have never been to Ireland and am wondering what delights I am to expect on this tour.

During my culinary tour I will keep you updated. Please log in to follow my blog.