Take us to the Cliff

Oh, how happy we are to be outside of our 5km. If you’re like us, writing your bucket list of all the foodie destinations you plan to get to this summer, then one to check out is the Cliff at Lyons.

While the Aimsir at Home boxes developed by chef Jordan Bailey and his wife, Aimsir general manager, Majken Bech Bailey have been the ultimate lockdown treat, we’ll be putting our name on the list to get dinner served to us at the two Michelin-starred restaurant.

And we’re also excited about the new Mill restaurant which was launched at the end of 2020. Chef Sean Smith is working his magic, with menus that are simple and elegant with some classics, some sustainable fish, and a little something different. Sean’s lightness of hand in cooking and seasoning and his refined palate make for a relaxed and luxurious style of dining in this airy and spacious room.

If you happen to be just passing, the Pantry at Cliff at Lyons is a more relaxed, informal style of dining with house-made toasties, sandwiches on their own sourdough and Guinness breads and light lunches as well as pizzas at the weekend. It’s a bit of a foodie gem, no matter what dining option you’re going for. Check out www.cliffatlyons.ie

Double-decker food bus

Ramoyos now have the biggest food bus in the country.

Lads, it’s official, the biggest mobile food truck (well actually, food bus) can now be found off junction 8 of the N11 near Pluck’s in Kilmacanogue, Co Wicklow. Romayo’s Roadster, a fully fitted foodie venue has just launched.

The double-decker bus has taken the family-run chain (formerly known as Macari’s) 12 weeks to convert, costing €200,000. But the new venue is expected to create 12 full- and part-time jobs, serving up burgers, pizza and fresh fish.

It might be at Kilmac at the moment, but is expected to hit the road when we’re back socialising at festivals and concerts. The current set-up has the vibe of a drive thru American-style diner and is a cheeky treat after a day exploring the garden county.

Salt-free stock

A few weeks ago in Irish Country Living, I was writing about the joys (and mess) of baby weaning. Salt should be limited in a baby’s diet, especially before their first birthday, which can make things a bit bland especially when making a dinner for all the family.

However, Knorr have just launched a new Knorr Zero Salt Stock Cube range. While it has zero salt, it has lots of flavour and is made with a blend of vegetables, herbs and spices including rosemary, nutmeg, lovage and turmeric.

We recently popped one into some potato and leek soup and are happy to report that, even without the salt, it still packs a flavoursome punch.

Research

Not only is this good news for parents cooking for small children, we could all do with a bit less salt in our diet. A new study of more than 7,000 adults across Ireland and Europe conducted by Knorr reveals we are still relying on salt as the main ingredient to add flavour. Fifty-one per cent of people surveyed in Ireland reported that the tempting saltshaker is at their dining table for meals compared to the Netherlands (16%), Belgium (26%) and Switzerland (25%). The new Knorr Zero Stock Cubes are available in three flavour variants; chicken, beef and vegetable and are available in Tesco and Dunnes Stores nationwide at an RRP of €1.89.