There is something about the sense of community when you walk into the Cavan Equestrian Centre for Taste of Cavan (10 to 12 August).
There is real pride in the food that is produced in or around Cavan with exhibitor favourites including Áine Handmade Chocolates, Silver Hill Farm, Big Red Kitchen (their jam is amazing), Breffni Mushrooms and Brehon Brewhouse.
This is also the spot to see demos from Cavan’s favourite chef Neven Maguire. Neven must have been pulling in friends in recent years, as this year he is also joined by Richard Corrigan, Gearóid Lynch, Rachel Allen, Simon Delaney and Brian McDermott.
Neven Maguire at the Taste of Cavan.
One food demo well worth catching is the food and wine pairing on Friday evening, hosted by chef Norbert Nylon from the Oak Room Restaurant in Cavan town. He’ll be cooking up some tapas, local-style and pairing with reds and whites from Wines Direct.
For younger attendees, check out the Ulster Bank Mad Hatter tea party at the Flogas stand on Friday evening while chef Shane Smith will be doing a cake-decorating class – but numbers are limited, so you will need to book in advance.
The Taste of Cavan goes well beyond the Equestrian Centre gates and it really is the weekend to see
with the county has on offer. A food trail takes place right throughout Saturday and Sunday, with €5 tasting plates throughout the town so get walking.
The selection of Irish gins now on the shelf is fantastic – but let’s be honest, they can be fairly steep in price. One secret we have been keeping up our sleeve is Boyle’s Gin from Aldi. The thing is, though, it’s no longer a secret as its been awarded a gold medal at the internationally renowned The Gin Masters competition, following an intensive final round of blind taste testing by expert judges in London’s glamorous Ukai restaurant.
Boyles Gin, made by Blackwater Distillers in Waterford. Available in Aldi.
If you’re a fan of Blackwater Gin, no doubt you’ll like this one, as its made by the Waterford-based craft spirits business and boasts citrus notes, botanical flavourings of juniper, coriander and angelica and fruity tones of blackcurrants, apple and elderflower.
Peter Mulryan from Blackwater Distillery said, “We are delighted to continue to work with Aldi, bringing quality Irish craft gin to the widest possible audience. Boyle’s Gin is distilled in the heart of West Waterford using Irish blackcurrants, apples and elderflower. The ‘herbaceous tones’, the native botanicals, give Boyle’s Gin what was selected for special mention by the panel of judges.”
Best of all, for €24.99, it is a great price, especially compared to other premium gins which could be coming in at double the price. Available at Aldi nationwide.
Eoin Ryan, European sales manager, ABP Food Group, and Aidan Fortune, deputy editor, Global News
Steak lovers, get the forks at the ready, as the best bit of beef around was announced at the World Steak Challenge held in London this month. Ireland didn’t quite make the world favourite; JN Meat International took the top prize for their sirloin in Finland. However, Irish beef did score a selection of gold medals. ABP Ireland took home gold for their fillet, sirloin and rib-eye while Kepak, John Stone and Tendermeats also all took home one gold each for their rib-eyes. In fact, overall ABP Ireland won 15 accolades across the gold, silver and bronze categories while Kepak won nine. The tantalising meats were judged in both raw and cooked form by an expert panel. They were also blind taste-tested by top chefs, butchers, food writers and meat scientists from around the world.
The Fruit Brothers fruit box.
Let’s be honest: many of us want to eat more fruit and vegetables. We all have good intentions. It’s just sometimes the execution can be a bit challenging when you’re busy at work and don’t have time to nip to the shop for a banana. Well, TheFruitBrothers.ie saw the gap in the market for businesses to get the healthier alternative delivered straight to the office, so people could munch away throughout the working day.
TheFruitBrothers.ie was set up in June by the Burke brothers from Burke’s Fruit & Veg ltd, which has been open in Galway since 1971. Looking something like the west’s version of the Happy Pear brothers, they are selling and delivering 45-piece fruit boxes to businesses for €20, or €25 if you want grapes or berries added on. They can be delivered for free to places of work throughout Galway, and hopefully we’ll see them expanding.
There is something about the sense of community when you walk into the Cavan Equestrian Centre for Taste of Cavan (10 to 12 August).
There is real pride in the food that is produced in or around Cavan with exhibitor favourites including Áine Handmade Chocolates, Silver Hill Farm, Big Red Kitchen (their jam is amazing), Breffni Mushrooms and Brehon Brewhouse.
This is also the spot to see demos from Cavan’s favourite chef Neven Maguire. Neven must have been pulling in friends in recent years, as this year he is also joined by Richard Corrigan, Gearóid Lynch, Rachel Allen, Simon Delaney and Brian McDermott.
Neven Maguire at the Taste of Cavan.
One food demo well worth catching is the food and wine pairing on Friday evening, hosted by chef Norbert Nylon from the Oak Room Restaurant in Cavan town. He’ll be cooking up some tapas, local-style and pairing with reds and whites from Wines Direct.
For younger attendees, check out the Ulster Bank Mad Hatter tea party at the Flogas stand on Friday evening while chef Shane Smith will be doing a cake-decorating class – but numbers are limited, so you will need to book in advance.
The Taste of Cavan goes well beyond the Equestrian Centre gates and it really is the weekend to see
with the county has on offer. A food trail takes place right throughout Saturday and Sunday, with €5 tasting plates throughout the town so get walking.
The selection of Irish gins now on the shelf is fantastic – but let’s be honest, they can be fairly steep in price. One secret we have been keeping up our sleeve is Boyle’s Gin from Aldi. The thing is, though, it’s no longer a secret as its been awarded a gold medal at the internationally renowned The Gin Masters competition, following an intensive final round of blind taste testing by expert judges in London’s glamorous Ukai restaurant.
Boyles Gin, made by Blackwater Distillers in Waterford. Available in Aldi.
If you’re a fan of Blackwater Gin, no doubt you’ll like this one, as its made by the Waterford-based craft spirits business and boasts citrus notes, botanical flavourings of juniper, coriander and angelica and fruity tones of blackcurrants, apple and elderflower.
Peter Mulryan from Blackwater Distillery said, “We are delighted to continue to work with Aldi, bringing quality Irish craft gin to the widest possible audience. Boyle’s Gin is distilled in the heart of West Waterford using Irish blackcurrants, apples and elderflower. The ‘herbaceous tones’, the native botanicals, give Boyle’s Gin what was selected for special mention by the panel of judges.”
Best of all, for €24.99, it is a great price, especially compared to other premium gins which could be coming in at double the price. Available at Aldi nationwide.
Eoin Ryan, European sales manager, ABP Food Group, and Aidan Fortune, deputy editor, Global News
Steak lovers, get the forks at the ready, as the best bit of beef around was announced at the World Steak Challenge held in London this month. Ireland didn’t quite make the world favourite; JN Meat International took the top prize for their sirloin in Finland. However, Irish beef did score a selection of gold medals. ABP Ireland took home gold for their fillet, sirloin and rib-eye while Kepak, John Stone and Tendermeats also all took home one gold each for their rib-eyes. In fact, overall ABP Ireland won 15 accolades across the gold, silver and bronze categories while Kepak won nine. The tantalising meats were judged in both raw and cooked form by an expert panel. They were also blind taste-tested by top chefs, butchers, food writers and meat scientists from around the world.
The Fruit Brothers fruit box.
Let’s be honest: many of us want to eat more fruit and vegetables. We all have good intentions. It’s just sometimes the execution can be a bit challenging when you’re busy at work and don’t have time to nip to the shop for a banana. Well, TheFruitBrothers.ie saw the gap in the market for businesses to get the healthier alternative delivered straight to the office, so people could munch away throughout the working day.
TheFruitBrothers.ie was set up in June by the Burke brothers from Burke’s Fruit & Veg ltd, which has been open in Galway since 1971. Looking something like the west’s version of the Happy Pear brothers, they are selling and delivering 45-piece fruit boxes to businesses for €20, or €25 if you want grapes or berries added on. They can be delivered for free to places of work throughout Galway, and hopefully we’ll see them expanding.
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