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Irish Examiner
27-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Munster producers championed at Euro-Toques Ireland Food Awards
It was another mighty Munster showing in the West yesterday at the 2025 Euro-Toques Ireland Food Awards, held in Ashford Castle Estate, in Co Mayo, as three of seven awards on offer went to food producers from the Southern province with many other Munster producers amongst the nominees. Euro-Toques Ireland, founded in 1986 by Myrtle Allen, is the Irish chapter of a European-wide chefs-led organisation dedicated to preserving and championing local food culture, traditional food craft and gastronomy, and the Irish awards carry a special prestige as chef members, numbering some of Ireland's finest, nominate and then vote on eventual award winners. This year, themed as 'Honouring Ireland's Kitchen Table', brought together over 100 chef members, food producers and others to salute some very exceptional food producers across seven categories: Water, Land, Farm, Dairy, Artisan Produce, and Traditional Craft. Tom Leach and Moe McKeown of Dingle Sea Salt Dingle Sea Salt triumphed in the Water category as highly innovative producers of Ireland's first solar-evaporated Atlantic sea salt using a fully off-grid, low-carbon process, with Salt of Kinsale, Cork, and The Sea Gardener, Waterford, also nominated. The highly progressive Moy Hill Farm, to the fore of the new wave of regenerative farming in Ireland, prevailed in the Farm category for sustainable animal rearing, for their ethical egg production and holistic approach to farming, while Tinnock Farm, Co Tipperary, was the other Munster nominee in this category. Sarah Richards' Seagull Bakery, Waterford, was a very popular winner in the Traditional Craft/Skill section for the artist-turned-baker who began out with a tiny oven in her back garden studio and now employs 30 people in their bakery and two retail outlets, in Tramore and Waterford city. Richards' business/life partner Conor Naughton said: 'We were chuffed to win amongst such great company, some really great Irish bakers nominated, and it is great to see real bread bakers celebrated for their craft at such a prestigious awards.' Sarah Richards and Conor Naughton, Seagull Bakery Richards has long championed real bread made from Irish-grown grains and works with local grain farmers in her region. 'It's great to be recognised for our commitment to developing an Irish grain network to really complete the cycle of farm to fork, to support local farmers and systems change to ensure genuinely sustainable food security for Ireland in the future.' Winners in the other categories were: Coole Farm, Co Louth (Land – Honouring Our Heritage); Ballylisk, Co Armagh (Dairy Soft Cheese), with Cork's Durrus Cheese also nominated; Wild Irish Foragers, Co Offaly (Artisan Produce – Irish Preserved Ingredients); and Salt Rock Dairy, Co Wexford (Dairy - Cultured Butter), with Irish Gourmet Butter, Waterford, and Toonsbridge Cultured Butter, Co Cork, also nominated. Hugo's Bakery, Co Clare, and Wild Flour Bakery, in Innishannon, in Co Cork, were also nominated alongside Seagull Bakery in the Traditional Craft/Skill category. Fergal Smithof Moy Hill Farm, Co Clare, which won the Farm award. After the awards ceremony, guests enjoyed a celebratory seasonal lunch of local produce prepared by Ashford Castle chefs Liam Finnegan and Jonathan Keane, the meal accompanied by a beautifully curated Harvest Table showcasing the wares of the 30-plus nominees. 'The Irish kitchen table is a symbol of trust, care, and resilience,' said Irish Examiner food writer and Goldie head chef Aishling Moore, who is also Head of the Euro-Toques Food Council. 'It is where we learn the fundamentals of food – not just how to cook, but how to value what we eat and who we share it with.' Conor Halpenny of Square Dundalk, Chair of Euro-Toques Ireland, added: 'We are honouring those who have kept Irish food grounded – producers and craftspeople who quietly shape our national identity through their work every single day.'
Irish Examiner
03-05-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
Seafood Made Simple: Why this vegetable should be the focal point of your dish
Asparagus is one of those vegetables that I believe should always be the focal point of a plate of food – a tender spear, both nutty and sweet in flavour with a welcome undertone of bitterness. They're the most elegant perennial vegetable; the short season where Irish-grown asparagus is available is now. I picked up a couple of Gort na Nain asparagus bunches at My Goodness stall in The English Market. These spears are grown just outside the maritime town of Kinsale, Co Cork. The opportunities for a veg-led dish with asparagus are endless. I tend to head in the direction of eggs. Fabulous with poached eggs and hollandaise for breakfast or, for my ultimate post-service snack, asparagus soldiers with a perfect soft-boiled egg and thick-cut slices of buttered sourdough toast. A gribiche sauce of diced hard-boiled eggs, herbs and mustard is also an excellent accompaniment. They are wonderful too as the star of a risotto, in pasta dishes and soups. For a vegetable with such presence on the plate and in the garden, I've chosen a flavour-packed anchovy mayonnaise to go along with it. It's something the asparagus can more than stand up to. I've used my go-to Cantabrian anchovies from the well-managed fishery in the Bay of Biscay to make this sauce. If you're an anchovy aficionado like me, add an extra couple of slivers to garnish and for that extra bang of oceanic umami. An emulsion-based sauce like this can requires patience more than skill. Once you've mastered this technique you can unlock a whole host of sauces. Flavour the base with vinegars instead of citrus, mustard instead of anchovies, add herbs and spices. Use leftovers in sandwiches; this mayonnaise is also great with a roast chicken, spuds and any roasted green vegetable. Asparagus with Anchovy Mayonnaise & Fried Bread recipe by:Aishling Moore If you're an anchovy aficionado like me, add an extra couple of slivers to garnish and for that extra bang of oceanic umami. Servings 4 Preparation Time 10 mins Cooking Time 10 mins Total Time 20 mins Course Starter Ingredients For the asparagus 2 x bunches of asparagus 1 tbsp golden rapeseed oil Juice of ½ a lemon Sea salt For the fried bread 2x thick-cut slices of sourdough bread 2 tb rapeseed oil For the anchovy mayonnaise (Makes 600ml) 2 cloves of garlic minced 6 anchovies 3 egg yolks Juice of 2 lemons (zest of 1) 500ml rapeseed oil Freshly cracked black pepper Method To make the anchovy mayonnaise: Finely chop the anchovies until a fine paste has formed. Add the minced garlic and combine. Next, add the egg yolks, lemon zest and juice to a very clean mixing bowl. Whisk well. Add the anchovy and minced garlic paste. Using a measuring jug, slowly add the rapeseed oil, drop-by-drop, whisking each time until the mixture is fully combined before adding the next drop. As you slowly add more of the oil, the emulsion will become stronger, and you'll be able to add more oil. Once all of the oil is added and you have a thick, homogenous sauce, the mayonnaise is now ready to adjust its seasoning. Add more lemon juice and salt if needed. Finish with some freshly cracked black pepper. Refrigerate until serving. For the fried bread: Remove the crusts of the bread and dice into bite-sized cubes. Heat a large heavy-based frying pan on medium heat. Cook the cubes of bread in the rapeseed oil, stirring regularly until golden brown. Remove from the heat and drain on kitchen paper. For the asparagus: Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus. Bring a medium pot of water to the boil. Season with lots of sea salt and cook the asparagus for 2-2½ minutes until tender and vibrant green in colour. Remove from the pot and drain well. Place on a baking sheet or large plate and drizzle with the golden rapeseed oil and the juice of half a lemon. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve with the anchovy mayonnaise and fried bread. Fish tales I love making emulsions in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment as you have so much more control and far less chance of splitting the sauce. Alternatively, you can use a handheld electric whisk with a mixing bowl propped onto a tea towel. You can use a food processor to blend the anchovies into a fine paste. The anchovy mayonnaise will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days. Reserve the leftover oil from the anchovy tin to use in pasta sauces and salad dressing. I've used sourdough bread here, but you could use any yeasted bread. Fresh focaccia is also great for this recipe. Read More Seafood Made Simple: Tinned sardines are a great way to eat more fish — here's a tasty recipe
