Ciara Leahy Consumer Editor, Irish Country Living cleahy@farmersjournal.ie
There really is something to be said for seasonal menus and with the sunny weather of recent weeks, summer menus have really come into their own. They bring a freshness to the table and show that the chef in the kitchen is constantly evolving their dishes to reflect the ingredients that are at their best. Sean Smith, the talented chef at Cliff Townhouse, has developed a menu that marries Irish ingredients to achieve creativity and a captivating display of flavour.
Cliff Townhouse menu. \ Karen Glackin Host & Co
From fresh starters like a ceviche of scallops with fennel, yuzu and orange, or the finger-licking richness of poached lobster with orange beurre blanc and a summer salad, to mains including a crab lasagne with summer vegetables and shellfish bisque, and a royal fish pie, a classic made extra-luxurious with lobster, Sean has a talent when it comes to cooking Irish fish.
It’s said if you enjoy what you do you’ll never work a day in your life, and Sean and the chefs at Cliff Townhouse are literally in a chefs’ playground at the moment, on the back of the recently refurbished kitchen.
Cliff Townhouse chefs. \ Karen Glackin Host & Co
Sean will be leading his much-anticipated summer seafood masterclasses on 18 August at 3pm – tickets are just €30 and include the masterclass, a glass of wine and some nibbles, and on departure you will receive a voucher to return on another date for a two-course, pre-theatre dinner. There are only 10 places in each class and booking is required.
Steak challenge
Walk into any restaurant or gastropub across the country and when we see steak on the menu – whether it’s rib eye, sirloin or a fillet – we presume it’s Irish beef. The same is true when cooking at home. When it’s Irish beef, we expect a quality steak. Compared with other countries we’re a bit spoiled and it’s only when you hear about competitions such as the World Steak Challenge that we really appreciate the steak we have at home.
The World Steak Challenge 2018 is held annually in London and took place on 4 July this year. It pits leading steak producers from around the globe against each other and Irish beef swept up a tremendous amount of awards this year.
ABP at the World Steak Challenge 2018.
Irish company Kepak won nine awards at the event, while ABP Ireland won 15. Kepak was awarded two gold medals at the competition, in the grass-fed category for its rib-eye, along with various bronze medals for other steak varieties.
ABP Ireland won gold, silver and bronze accolades, with ABP Poland winning World’s Best Fillet Steak 2018.
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 event is incredibly competitive each year and 2018 was no exception, with a record-breaking number of countries competing to have the best steak in town.
ABP and Kepak are no strangers to recognition for their beef. Kepak was recently named best meat supplier at Checkout’s Best in Fresh Awards in July, and ABP is Europe’s leading beef processor.
For Ireland to win in categories against other big players in the meat market, such as Japan and the US, is a huge achievement, not that any of us need to be reminded of the power of Irish beef.
Fruit at work
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, €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.
The boxes themselves are biodegradable and recyclable, and will include explanations of the seasonality of fruit and which fruit are ripe in what months.
TheFruit Brothers fruit box.
The box includes bananas, clementines, apples, pears, peaches, to name but a few.
“That 3pm slump is now famous for people drinking sugary drinks or eating one too many biscuits. We thought if we can get fruit into where people are, then we can at least give them a choice,” said Niall Burke.
Burke’s Fruit and Veg has more than 10 employees and prioritises sourcing high-quality, fresh local produce and maintaining long-lasting customer relationships in the community.
Visit www.thefruitbrothers.ie for more information, or to order a fruit box for your business.
Ciara Leahy Consumer Editor, Irish Country Living cleahy@farmersjournal.ie
There really is something to be said for seasonal menus and with the sunny weather of recent weeks, summer menus have really come into their own. They bring a freshness to the table and show that the chef in the kitchen is constantly evolving their dishes to reflect the ingredients that are at their best. Sean Smith, the talented chef at Cliff Townhouse, has developed a menu that marries Irish ingredients to achieve creativity and a captivating display of flavour.
Cliff Townhouse menu. \ Karen Glackin Host & Co
From fresh starters like a ceviche of scallops with fennel, yuzu and orange, or the finger-licking richness of poached lobster with orange beurre blanc and a summer salad, to mains including a crab lasagne with summer vegetables and shellfish bisque, and a royal fish pie, a classic made extra-luxurious with lobster, Sean has a talent when it comes to cooking Irish fish.
It’s said if you enjoy what you do you’ll never work a day in your life, and Sean and the chefs at Cliff Townhouse are literally in a chefs’ playground at the moment, on the back of the recently refurbished kitchen.
Cliff Townhouse chefs. \ Karen Glackin Host & Co
Sean will be leading his much-anticipated summer seafood masterclasses on 18 August at 3pm – tickets are just €30 and include the masterclass, a glass of wine and some nibbles, and on departure you will receive a voucher to return on another date for a two-course, pre-theatre dinner. There are only 10 places in each class and booking is required.
Steak challenge
Walk into any restaurant or gastropub across the country and when we see steak on the menu – whether it’s rib eye, sirloin or a fillet – we presume it’s Irish beef. The same is true when cooking at home. When it’s Irish beef, we expect a quality steak. Compared with other countries we’re a bit spoiled and it’s only when you hear about competitions such as the World Steak Challenge that we really appreciate the steak we have at home.
The World Steak Challenge 2018 is held annually in London and took place on 4 July this year. It pits leading steak producers from around the globe against each other and Irish beef swept up a tremendous amount of awards this year.
ABP at the World Steak Challenge 2018.
Irish company Kepak won nine awards at the event, while ABP Ireland won 15. Kepak was awarded two gold medals at the competition, in the grass-fed category for its rib-eye, along with various bronze medals for other steak varieties.
ABP Ireland won gold, silver and bronze accolades, with ABP Poland winning World’s Best Fillet Steak 2018.
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 event is incredibly competitive each year and 2018 was no exception, with a record-breaking number of countries competing to have the best steak in town.
ABP and Kepak are no strangers to recognition for their beef. Kepak was recently named best meat supplier at Checkout’s Best in Fresh Awards in July, and ABP is Europe’s leading beef processor.
For Ireland to win in categories against other big players in the meat market, such as Japan and the US, is a huge achievement, not that any of us need to be reminded of the power of Irish beef.
Fruit at work
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, €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.
The boxes themselves are biodegradable and recyclable, and will include explanations of the seasonality of fruit and which fruit are ripe in what months.
TheFruit Brothers fruit box.
The box includes bananas, clementines, apples, pears, peaches, to name but a few.
“That 3pm slump is now famous for people drinking sugary drinks or eating one too many biscuits. We thought if we can get fruit into where people are, then we can at least give them a choice,” said Niall Burke.
Burke’s Fruit and Veg has more than 10 employees and prioritises sourcing high-quality, fresh local produce and maintaining long-lasting customer relationships in the community.
Visit www.thefruitbrothers.ie for more information, or to order a fruit box for your business.
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