Blasket Island bamb back on the menu in Cork
It is the island habitat that makes Blasket Island lamb taste so unique. The animals graze on the small Blasket island of Beginish, a natural bird sanctuary, which means the soil is incredibly fertile.
Blasket Island lamb shank.
There the lambs, which are born in the summer, graze in a marshy meadow full of heather, grasslands and wild herbs which enjoy the salty sea spray, giving the meat a great depth of flavour.
This meat isn’t easy to come by though and Cork’s Market Lane group of restaurants, which include Market Lane, Elbow Lane, ORSO and Castle Restaurant in Blackrock, are the only restaurants in the country to showcase this delicious award-winning produce, which is available in very limited supply.
Dishes, which have been created by executive chef Stephen Kehoe, will be on menus for two weeks from mid-October until all of this produce has been served up to appreciative diners.
Examples of dishes include braised Moroccan Blasket Island lamb shank on a bed of turmeric, feta, pomegranate and giant couscous served with lamb reduction; braised lamb shoulder glazed in pomegranate molasses lamb jus, with warm baba ghanoush and ribbons of carrot and cucumber in caraway pickle; Monkfish, lamb pastrami, tomato and horseradish salsa with mussel emulsion; and wood-grilled lamb chops, ember-cooked courgette, pistachio mole and feta.
For further information about this celebration of Blasket Island lamb at the Market Lane Group, check out www.marketlane.ie.
The best brown bread in the land
It's one of our favourite events at the Ploughing, so, this year, we really did miss the national brown bread baking competition, sponsored by Aldi and in association with the National Ploughing Association (NPA) and the Irish Countrywomen’s Association (ICA).
But the brown bread competition still went ahead this year, although in a very different guise, and Aisling O’Toole from Co Kildare was announced as the winner.
This year, like last year, hopeful bakers were asked to drop their freshly made loaves of brown bread to Aldi stores for judging and over 290 entries arrived, keeping the tradition alive.
Aisling O'Toole, winner of Aldi national brown bread making competition.
The overall competition then took place at Howth Castle Cookery School, where Aisling was announced as the winner. Not only does she receive a prize of €15,000, but her brown bread now goes on sale in Aldi stores for the next year.
Speaking about her award, Aisling said: “I’ve always been proud of my brown bread recipe and baked more than ever over lockdown, and to now be able to share my creation with the people of Ireland and have my bread on shelves in Aldi stores is something I would never have thought to be possible. I’m so excited for the day that I can witness my loaves going on shelves nationwide.”
Aisling’s winning loaf of brown bread will be available in Aldi stores nationwide from November/December 2021. For more information on the competition, visit www.aldi.ie.
The leaves are falling and there is a gentle nip in the air. October is here, which means we’ll be gently heating up those oats again as National Porridge Week has arrived.
Running from 4 to 10 October, Flahavans is encouraging people to re-assess the way they start each day and make a healthy nutritious breakfast choice.
The thing about porridge is it's so versatile - you can add in the flavours and ingredients that you love, but it's also a great base to try something new and creative. Jazz up those boring breakfasts!
Fitness expert and TV personality Karl Henry, along with dietician, nutritionist and TV personality Aveen Bannon, have put together some great taste combinations which you’ll find on www.flahavans.ie.
These include banana berry porridge, tropical overnight oats, chocolate porridge and autumn oat bakes and they’ve kindly included one of our favourites - baked oats with walnuts and figs - for Irish Country Living readers.
Flahavan's - baked oats with walnuts and figs
Serves 6
Ingredients:
180g Flahavan’s Progress Oats
80G walnuts, chopped
100g dried figs, chopped
1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
50g butter, melted
3 tablespoons of runny honey
2 eggs, beaten
200ml milk of choice
2 fresh figs, sliced
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C / gas 4. Grease or line a 20cm/8” square dish.
2. Put all the dry ingredients into a bowl.
3. Whisk the eggs, honey and milk together, add to the bowl and mix well. Pour into the prepared dish and arrange the fig slices on top.
4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until firm and serve warm with an extra drizzle of honey on top. It’s also good with a dollop of yoghurt.
5. Any leftovers can be cut into squares when cool and enjoyed with a cup of tea or for breakfast on the go.
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Blasket Island bamb back on the menu in Cork
It is the island habitat that makes Blasket Island lamb taste so unique. The animals graze on the small Blasket island of Beginish, a natural bird sanctuary, which means the soil is incredibly fertile.
Blasket Island lamb shank.
There the lambs, which are born in the summer, graze in a marshy meadow full of heather, grasslands and wild herbs which enjoy the salty sea spray, giving the meat a great depth of flavour.
This meat isn’t easy to come by though and Cork’s Market Lane group of restaurants, which include Market Lane, Elbow Lane, ORSO and Castle Restaurant in Blackrock, are the only restaurants in the country to showcase this delicious award-winning produce, which is available in very limited supply.
Dishes, which have been created by executive chef Stephen Kehoe, will be on menus for two weeks from mid-October until all of this produce has been served up to appreciative diners.
Examples of dishes include braised Moroccan Blasket Island lamb shank on a bed of turmeric, feta, pomegranate and giant couscous served with lamb reduction; braised lamb shoulder glazed in pomegranate molasses lamb jus, with warm baba ghanoush and ribbons of carrot and cucumber in caraway pickle; Monkfish, lamb pastrami, tomato and horseradish salsa with mussel emulsion; and wood-grilled lamb chops, ember-cooked courgette, pistachio mole and feta.
For further information about this celebration of Blasket Island lamb at the Market Lane Group, check out www.marketlane.ie.
The best brown bread in the land
It's one of our favourite events at the Ploughing, so, this year, we really did miss the national brown bread baking competition, sponsored by Aldi and in association with the National Ploughing Association (NPA) and the Irish Countrywomen’s Association (ICA).
But the brown bread competition still went ahead this year, although in a very different guise, and Aisling O’Toole from Co Kildare was announced as the winner.
This year, like last year, hopeful bakers were asked to drop their freshly made loaves of brown bread to Aldi stores for judging and over 290 entries arrived, keeping the tradition alive.
Aisling O'Toole, winner of Aldi national brown bread making competition.
The overall competition then took place at Howth Castle Cookery School, where Aisling was announced as the winner. Not only does she receive a prize of €15,000, but her brown bread now goes on sale in Aldi stores for the next year.
Speaking about her award, Aisling said: “I’ve always been proud of my brown bread recipe and baked more than ever over lockdown, and to now be able to share my creation with the people of Ireland and have my bread on shelves in Aldi stores is something I would never have thought to be possible. I’m so excited for the day that I can witness my loaves going on shelves nationwide.”
Aisling’s winning loaf of brown bread will be available in Aldi stores nationwide from November/December 2021. For more information on the competition, visit www.aldi.ie.
The leaves are falling and there is a gentle nip in the air. October is here, which means we’ll be gently heating up those oats again as National Porridge Week has arrived.
Running from 4 to 10 October, Flahavans is encouraging people to re-assess the way they start each day and make a healthy nutritious breakfast choice.
The thing about porridge is it's so versatile - you can add in the flavours and ingredients that you love, but it's also a great base to try something new and creative. Jazz up those boring breakfasts!
Fitness expert and TV personality Karl Henry, along with dietician, nutritionist and TV personality Aveen Bannon, have put together some great taste combinations which you’ll find on www.flahavans.ie.
These include banana berry porridge, tropical overnight oats, chocolate porridge and autumn oat bakes and they’ve kindly included one of our favourites - baked oats with walnuts and figs - for Irish Country Living readers.
Flahavan's - baked oats with walnuts and figs
Serves 6
Ingredients:
180g Flahavan’s Progress Oats
80G walnuts, chopped
100g dried figs, chopped
1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
50g butter, melted
3 tablespoons of runny honey
2 eggs, beaten
200ml milk of choice
2 fresh figs, sliced
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C / gas 4. Grease or line a 20cm/8” square dish.
2. Put all the dry ingredients into a bowl.
3. Whisk the eggs, honey and milk together, add to the bowl and mix well. Pour into the prepared dish and arrange the fig slices on top.
4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until firm and serve warm with an extra drizzle of honey on top. It’s also good with a dollop of yoghurt.
5. Any leftovers can be cut into squares when cool and enjoyed with a cup of tea or for breakfast on the go.
Read more
Celebrate National Potato Day with this decadent soup
Food News - The Irish whiskey industry continues to develop
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