The Menu: The finest in real, homegrown food is vital to our sense of humanity

Irish Examiner

a day ago

At the Cork on a Fork food festival, I shall be hosting an event entitled Preserving the Past: Traditional Food Methods in a Modern World, speaking to three Irish food heroes: Fish smoker Sally Barnes (Woodcock Smokery), cheesemaker Dan Hegarty (Hegarty's Cheddar, Temple Gall), and Isabelle Sheridan, founder of On the Pig's Back.
It is rightly billed as a 'must for anyone interested in Cork's rich culinary heritage'. Sometimes, however, I have a problem with the word 'heritage' in the context of food, especially Irish speciality produce such as Sally's wild smoked fish, Dan's stunning cheeses, or the world-class Irish produce in Isabelle's retail outlets. 'Heritage' is a close cousin of 'history', as in 'the past', suggesting these are special treats for special occasions rather than the very best of Irish food that should be part of our daily diets.
Yes, such products invariably come with a higher price tag than the inferior produce in our shopping baskets so many of us are currently struggling to pay for each week. But it doesn't have to be this way.
One reason, apart from economies of scale, that Irish speciality food products are generally dearer than industrially produced food is that those arms of the State overseeing Irish food production — the Department of Food, Agriculture, and the Marine; the Food Safety Authority of Ireland; and Teagasc — appear to place the interests of the industrial food sector over those small producers who, in my view, do all the heavy lifting when it comes to selling Ireland as a food nation.
When tourists return to their home countries raving about Irish food (as 84% of them do, according to Fáilte Ireland), they speak of fabulous foodstuffs such as Irish Farmhouse cheeses, not industrially produced whey nutritional by-products. They gush about beautiful produce in the better restaurants that source locally, the work of a stalwart few remaining growers.
Those small producers appear to be rewarded for their efforts with an over-zealous policing of a system of regulation, designed almost entirely for the industrial food sector. The pursuit of profit and a rising GDP is prioritised over creating a resilient, sustainable food system that can withstand outside shocks and feed the nation with premium-quality homegrown foodstuffs.
Incredibly, in one of the best countries in the world for producing food, it is not something we can currently do, overwhelmingly reliant as we are on imported produce.
I recently wrote about Peter Twomey of Glenbrook Farm, who raises wonderful free-range pork. It struck a chord.
Older readers recalled a long-forgotten taste memory; younger readers were intrigued by an infinitely superior alternative to the industrially-reared meat which makes up the bulk of the nation's pork consumption.
A good news story? Not quite — Peter's future remains fraught as he struggles to find a small abattoir suitable for his lower volume of livestock.
A farming friend who once produced some of the best poultry in Ireland has given up entirely, heartbroken by the excessive demands of a regulatory system and by having to travel farther and farther as more and more small abattoirs closed for good. Now he just produces eggs, fine eggs, but I no longer enjoy local chicken, turkeys, and even the occasional goose of such sublime quality.
Why? Because, I believe, state policy is entirely skewed towards industrial processors and large livestock production. A small coterie of stakeholders thrives, while we as citizens increasingly lose access to the very best food we can produce as a country.
When it comes to food, 'heritage' and 'tradition' should not speak of former glories but, rather, be seen as hallmarks of true quality, the last remaining reminders of what our once sustainable, healthy food system looked like in a world before TikTok, Deliveroo, and the avalanche of deeply unsustainable, inferior produce from all around the globe.
The more distance we put between us and our natural food systems, the more distance we put between ourselves and one of the most important parts of what it is to be human.
TABLE TALK:
THE SCHOOL OF FOOD
The latest rounds of UCC's MA and Postgraduate Diploma in Food Studies and Irish Foodways, the first university courses with a dedicated focus on Irish food, are now open for registration, offering students the opportunity to add rigour to their food knowledge, which could prove vital when professionalising or commercialising an interest in Irish food, including business development and enterprise and tourism projects connected to Irish food culture.
ONE PLATE FOR PALESTINE
The One Plate for Palestine initiative that saw professional chefs and domestic home cooks alike rustling up a special Palestinian-themed dish to raise funds and awareness for starving children in Gaza had a fundraising target of €25,000 but has now passed the €70k mark.
Accordingly, organisers Beverley Mathews (L'Atitude 51) and Barbara Nealon (St Francis Provisions) are keeping the door open for further donations — both private and professional — until the end of August.
TODAY'S SPECIAL:
Mint Toffee Brittle from Second Street Bakeshop
I am very partial to the fresh, cool flavour of mint, particularly in confectionery where it seems to salve a perhaps guilty conscience, persuading me that flavours so fresh and clean surely equates to 'health food'! The Dark Mint Chocolate version of Second Street Bakeshop's Irish Toffee Brittle is not quite health food, but it certainly brings extreme joy to my palate and heart, kicking off with mint-infused sustainably farmed Belgian dark chocolate, which melts away to the stunning caramel crunch of the toffee brittle below, made using premium Irish ingredients.
And, in another 'healthy' top tip, I can also recommend wrapping a few slabs in greaseproof paper, and using a rolling pin to smash into tiny shards to sprinkle over and enhance the experience of eating the finest vanilla ice cream.