Book a County Kilkenny Irish Food Tour Weekend

IrishFoodTours.ie have been building up connections with Food Producers, Restaurants, Accommodation Providers and much more, to offer guided Irish Food Tours by coach 

throughout ALL 32 COUNTIES in IRELAND

This First Irish Food Tour Weekend is NOW AVAILABLE!

KILKENNY IRISH FOOD TOUR 7th June 2013

Tours limited to only 20 guests per tour.

Guests must make their own way to Tour Starting point.

KILKENNY

County Kilkenny Irish Food Tour
IFTKK1 - Weekend of 7th June 2013

County Kilkenny Irish Food Tour – IFTKK1 - Tour Details

Tour Starting Point: Pembroke Hotel, Patrick St Kilkenny, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland.

Friday 7th June

· Check in to Pembroke Hotel 2 x B&B

· Dinner at Zuni Restaurant

Saturday 8th June

· Luxury Coach pickup at hotel

· Tour of Highbank Orchard & tastings

· Visit Nicholas Mosse pottery in Bennettsbridge - Tea rooms

· Lunch followed by tour and smoking demo at Goatsbridge Trout Farm

· Guided tour of Jerpoint Abbey

· Visit Glasraí & Goodies in Gowran

· Dinner in Pembroke Hotel

Sunday 9th June

· Food/Blogging Photography/ tips by Suzanna Crampton

· Lunch at Kytelers Inn

· Guided tour of Kilkenny Castle

County Kilkenny Irish Food Tour – IFTKK1 Includes:

2 Nights Bed & Breakfast

2 Fabulous Dinners

2 Wonderful Lunches

2 Artisan Food Visits

1 Gourmet Artisan Food Shop Visit

1 Artisan Craft Visit

1 Foodie Workshop

2 Culture & Heritage visits

Beverages are Not Included

TOUR COST €335 - Included in cost: All Accommodation, Breakfasts, Lunches, Dinners, Coach & all Food Producer and Heritage visits. Not included: Beverages.

Click the Buy Now button below to securely Purchase This Tour (IFTKK1) Now with Credit Card facilities via PayPal

For more info go to www.IrishFoodTours.ie

IFTKK1 TOUR CONTACT WENDY KAVANAGH at wendy@mychefathome.ie 

Burren Slow Food Festival 2013 takes place This Weekend

The 7th Annual Burren Slow Food Festival takes place in Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare, on the weekend of 17-19 May.

This year’s special guest is UK-based Irish Chef Richard Corrigan, who is actively involved in the Slow Food Movement in the UK and has created the ‘Lost and Forgotten’ list of ingredients. Richard champions domestic farmers and growers that are helping to ensure we don’t lose these important parts of our heritage.

Chef Richard Corrigan is the special guest at the Burren Slow Food Festival

The Slow Food dinner will be hosted by Aidan McGrath and Kate Sweeney at The Wild Honey Inn in Lisdoonvarna on Saturday 18th May, where Chef Corrigan will join Aidan and his team in preparing a special dinner using locally sourced produce.

The Wild Honey Inn, Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare

The Festival will provide an opportunity for members of the public to sample the season’s first Burren Smoked Irish Wild Salmon in the Burren Smokehouse and taste local beer from the Roadside Tavern’s microbrewery.

There will be food sampling of many other local artisan foods, a chance to meet local producers and growers, engage with fellow foodies, and enjoy cookery demonstrations from well-known chefs including JP McMahon of Michelin Star restaurant Aniar; Jess Murphy, Kai Restaurant, Galway; Evan Doyle, Brooklodge Hotel, Macreedin Village; Peter Jackson, Hotel Doolin; John Sheedy, Sheedy’s, Lisdoonvarna; and Euro-toques Commission General and Doonbeg Lodge’s Executive Chef, Wade Murphy.

Poulnabrone Dolmen in The Burren, Co Clare

Other festival events include the Burren Food Forum with John and Sally McKenna, Seaweed foraging with Ger Talty, and the Historical Food Walk with local guide Tony Kirby.

For more details on the Burren Slow Food Festival visit www.slowfoodclare.com

Zack

Results & Web Links to Leinster Winners of the Irish Restaurant Awards 2013

The LEINSTER Regional Final of the Santa Rita/ LIFE Magazine Irish Restaurant Awards 2013 took place in The Marker, Docklands, Dublin, on Tuesday night, 30th April. The winning top restaurants for each category in the region were named at the event.

The Irish region of Leinster covers twelve counties

The Leinster region covers the twelve counties of Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow & Dublin.

The Dublin winners will be announced at the All-Ireland Finals event where they will then compete with the winners from the Ulster, Munster, Leinster & Connaught regional finals at main event. The Irish Restaurant Awards 2013 Grand Finals will be held in The Burlington Hotel, Dublin, on 10th June.

Almost 500 restaurant owners and staff celebrated the hard work and achievements of those nominated at the Awards, which saw many well-known owners, chefs and other staff members of Leinster restaurants and hotels turn out to see if they had won one of the prestigious awards.

This year the nominations went online for the first time and they got a spectacular response from the public, nominations doubled and they received over 10,000 votes for Ireland’s favourite restaurants, chefs, gastro-pubs, hotel restaurants and customer service experiences.

In their fifth year, the Irish Restaurant Awards continue to go from strength to strength. Each year, the awards cast a spotlight on the brightest and best players on the Irish restaurant scene.

Food outlets were nominated under the categories of Best Customer Service, Best Gastro Pub, Best Casual Dining, Best Hotel Restaurant, Best Chef, Best Restaurant, Best Wine Experience, Best Kids Size Me, sponsored by Heinz, Engaging With The Gathering, sponsored by Tourism Ireland and Best Just Ask! Menu, sponsored by Bord Bia.

All Regional winners will now compete with the Dublin Winners (to be announced at the finals) for the All Ireland Titles at the Irish Restaurant Awards 2013 Grand Finals in the Burlington Hotel, Dublin on Wednesday 10th June.

There are 3 components to phase two of the process and each element is independently assessed by KPMG. They are:

1. Mystery Guest Visit (55%) This component of the awards is conducted by Prism Consulting headed by Hugo Arnold, independent food writer and consultant. All County Winners receive a mystery guest visit throughout the month of April and May.

2. National Awards Academy (35%) Our National Awards Academy is made up representatives from each of the regional judging panels and will meet in May to Judge the County Winners.

3. Menu Judging (10%) All County winners and the Dublin Shortlist in each category are asked to submit a copy of their food menu and wine list for judging.

Voting in the Industry categories commenced on April 4th. Voting in these categories is exclusive to Restaurants Association of Ireland members only, with members competing for: Best Club Restaurant, Best Seafood Experience, Best World Cuisine, Best Newcomer, Best Café, Most Innovative Restaurant, Best Restaurant Design, Best Cocktail Experience, Best Restaurant Manager, Best Cookery School, Best Supplier & Best Digital Marketing.

The winners of the Industry Categories will be announced at the All-Ireland event on 10th June, 2013. Tickets are priced at €130 for the All-Ireland Event and can be bought directly from Sinead at the Restaurants Association of Ireland on (01) 677 9901 or sinead@rai.ie.

And the LEINSTER Regional Awards went to:

Best Customer Service

CARLOW- Lennons at Visual
KILDARE- Fallons of Kilcullen
KILKENNY- Zuni
LAOIS- Preston House
LONGFORD- Viewmount House
LOUTH- Eastern Seaboard Bar & Grill
MEATH- Conyngham Arms
OFFALY- Kinnitty Castle
WESTMEATH- Wineport Lodge
WEXFORD- The Pigs Tale
WICKLOW- Ocean Bar & Grill

Best Gastro Pub – Sponsored by Faustino
CARLOW- Teach Dolmain
KILDARE- Hartes Bar & Grill
KILKENNY- Marble City Bar at Langtons
LAOIS- McEvoys Steak & Wine Bar
LONGFORD- Eddie Valentines
LOUTH- Fitzpatricks
MEATH- The Central
OFFALY- The Thatch Bar
WESTMEATH- The Fatted Calf
WEXFORD- Murphy’s Bar & Bistro
WICKLOW- The Roundwood Inn

Best Casual Dining – Sponsored by Joseph Drouhin
CARLOW- The Arboretum/ Rachel’s Garden Café
KILDARE- Zest Café & Restaurant
KILKENNY- Café Sol Bistro
LAOIS- Season’s Bistro
LONGFORD- Aubergine Gallery Café
LOUTH- Magees Seafood Bistro
MEATH- La Bucca
OFFALY- Emma’s Café
WESTMEATH- An Tintáin Restaurant
WEXFORD- Cistín Eile
WICKLOW- A. Caviston

Best Hotel Restaurant – Sponsored by Pallas Foods
CARLOW- Rubens Restaurant at The Step House Hotel
KILDARE- The River Room Restaurant at The K Club
KILKENNY- Lady Helen @ Mount Juliet
LAOIS- Castle Durrow
LONGFORD- VM Restaurant
LOUTH- Scholars Townhouse Hotel
MEATH- Brabazon Restaurant at Tankardstown House
OFFALY- The Charleville Restaurant at The Bridge House Hotel
WESTMEATH- Killinure Restaurant, Glasson
WEXFORD- Monart Restaurant
WICKLOW- The Strawberry Tree at Brooklodge

Best Chef – Sponsored by Tipperary Water
CARLOW- Alan Foley of The Step House Hotel
KILDARE- Josef Zammit of The Brown Bear
KILKENNY- Cormac Rowe of The Lady Helen
LAOIS- Graham Gallagher of Castle Durrow
LONGFORD- Gary O’Hanlon of VM Restaurant
LOUTH- Reuven Diaz of Eastern Seaboard Bar and Grill
MEATH- Paul McCullagh of Zucchini’s
OFFALY- Anthony Holland of Kinnitty Castle
WESTMEATH- Fergal O’Donnell of The Fatted Calf
WEXFORD- Kevin Dundon of Dunbrody House
WICKLOW- Lalit Kumar of Chakra by Jaipur

Best Restaurant – Sponsored by Santa Rita
CARLOW- Sha Roe Bistro
KILDARE- Trax Brasserie
KILKENNY- Campagne
LAOIS- The Candied Walnut
LONGFORD- The Black Olive
LOUTH- The BayTree Restaurant at Belvedere House
MEATH- Zucchinis
OFFALY- Siroccos
WESTMEATH- Thyme Restaurant
WEXFORD- Aldridge Lodge
WICKLOW- Chakra by Jaipur

Best Wine Experience - Sponsored by Thomas Barton
The K Club, Kildare

Best Kids Size Me - Sponsored by Heinz
The Olive Grove, Westmeath

Engaging with The Gathering Award – Sponsored by Tourism Ireland
Sheraton Hotel, Athlone, Westmeath

Just Ask! Award – Sponsored by Bord Bia
Sqigl Restaurant at Roches Bar, Wexford


For More information and Tickets for the Finals Event see http://www.irishrestaurantawards.com and follow the #FoodOscars hashtag on Twitter.

Zack

Irish Chef warns about Salt usage after having Health Scare

Irish chef and cook book author Brian McDermott, who teaches community groups across Ireland how to cook healthily, today warned of the dangers of excess salt in the Irish diet as a new World Health Organisation (WHO) in Europe report entitled “Mapping salt reduction initiatives in the WHO European Region” is published.

Brian, aged 35 from Donegal, a chef for many years, who runs the communitychef.ie website is urging people in Ireland to reduce their salt intake to 5g per day (the equivalent of about one teaspoon) in order to reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease. He believes that in Ireland we use far too much salt, not only on our meals but we also consume foods which contain hidden salt.

Community Chef Brian McDermott is urging people to cut down on their salt usage

His comments come as WHO/Europe published this week a report entitled “Mapping salt reduction initiatives in the WHO European Region”- an overview of current initiatives in European countries. Several countries have already reaped significant results from measures including food and product labelling, consumer education, updating of national dietary guidelines and negotiating with food manufacturers to reduce the salt content in processed foods. 

Brian's warning to the public to reduce their intake of salt follows a health scare a few years ago when, after 17 years of working as a professional chef, he had to quit work suddenly because of severely blocked arteries and dangerous levels of blood pressure and cholesterol.

Reduce your salt intake to 1 teaspoon (5g) per day

According to Brian, citing the WHO research “By reducing salt intake to less than 5 g per day (the equivalent of about 1 teaspoon) it is possible to reduce the risk of stroke by 23% and the rate of cardiovascular disease by 17%. The daily intake of most people in the WHO European Region is about 8–11 g, far above the recommended level. But many people don’t realise how many foods contain hidden salt and that you should not gauge your intake by the amount of table salt you use." 

Mapping salt reduction initiatives in the WHO European Region
published this week by the World Health Organisation

He says that the latest report from the WHO shows that 80% of salt intake in the European Union comes from processed foods such as cheese, bread and ready meals. "Many people consume far more salt than they realize, with negative results for their blood pressure and general cardiovascular health. This is why you need to check the salt levels on the labels of all processed foods." he added.

According to the World Health Organisation the High Salt/High Risk foods which contain hidden salt are bread, meat products, cheese, ready meals, soup, breakfast cereals, fish products, crisps and savoury snacks, catering meals, restaurant meals, sauces, condiments and spices and processed potato products.

Brian says he will continue to promote awareness on keeping salt intake to a minimum. Through his cookery classes and demonstrations, people can learn how to take simple steps to reduce their risk of high blood pressure, stroke & cholesterol.

"By eating a balance diet, reducing salt intake to less than 5g a day, exercising regularly, quitting smoking, reducing levels of alcohol consumption and stress you can live a longer, better life," says Brian. "I believe my problems were all down to stress and diet. It's amazing how a few simple adjustments in your life can make you feel so much better.” 

Follow Brian on twitter @communitychef and to find out more check out www.communitychef.ie

Zack

WIN an IPad Mini with Knorr Create More Sauces

Challenge Knorr's Chef "Versatile Steve" and be in for a chance to WIN an IPad Mini!

The Challenge Steve competition was set up to celebrate the launch of Knorr’s two new ‘Ridiculously Versatile’ sauces as part of its popular Knorr Create More Concentrated Sauce range: Knorr Create More Spicy Tomato Concentrated Sauce and Knorr Create More Tomato & Basil Concentrated Sauce.

The Knorr Create More range

Steve is asking chefs to log on to the Knorr Create More website and YouTube channel to challenge him to use the sauces in an innovative and creative way. He will record his favourite challenges for the YouTube channel, while the ten best challenges will win an Apple iPad mini.

Can you think of a Ridiculous Challenge for Steve the Chef?

By logging on to the Knorr Create More website and the dedicated Knorr Create More YouTube channel, chefs can see the Knorr’s Ambassador of Versatility, Steve, demonstrate different ways of using the recently launched Knorr Create More Spicy Tomato Concentrated Sauce and Knorr Create More Tomato & Basil Concentrated Sauce in their cooking

Knorr say that for use hot or cold, in pasta, pizza, soups, bread, curries, the options for using these ridiculously versatile sauces are endless.

Knorr has a limited number of full-size Knorr Create More Concentrated Sauce samples to give away. To request one, just log on to the Knorr Create More website, www.knorrcreatemore.ie, and follow the onscreen instructions.

To Enter go to:
http://www.unileverfoodsolutions.ie/professional-ingredi/create-more/challenge-steve


I received a free sample of these sauces to try out and must say their Tomato & Basil is pretty good. I also entered the competition and challenged Steve to rub the sauce all over a Dancing Pole and try to Pole Dance on it then!

Zack

Results and Links to the Munster Winners of the Irish Restaurant Awards 2013

The MUNSTER Regional Final of the Santa Rita/ LIFE Magazine Irish Restaurant Awards 2013 took place in The Imperial Hotel, Cork City last night and the chosen top restaurants in the region were named.

The Munster region covers the six counties of Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Waterford & Tipperary.

Over 350 restaurant owners and staff celebrated their hard work and achievements at the Awards, which saw many well-known restaurateurs of Munster turn out to see if they had won one of the prestigious awards.

In their fifth year now, the Irish Restaurant Awards continue to go from strength to strength. Each year, the awards cast a spotlight on the brightest and best players on the Irish restaurant scene. The Irish Restaurant Awards are the awards everyone wants to win.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Adrian Cummins, CEO Restaurant Association of Ireland, said: "We celebrate the award winning cuisines and the great restaurateurs and chefs who are constantly bringing international recognition and accolades to the Irish restaurant scene."

He continued, "Restaurateurs are entrepreneurs, and that is reflected in the fact that the restaurant sector is the biggest employer within the hospitality industry. We provide employment to 64,000 people and the industry has annual sales in excess of €2 billion - tonight, everyone is a winner."

This year the nominations went online for the first time and they got a spectacular response from the public, nominations doubled and they received over 10,000 votes for Ireland’s favourite restaurants, chefs, gastro-pubs, hotel restaurants and customer service experiences.

Food outlets were nominated under the categories of Best Customer Service, Best Gastro Pub, Best Casual Dining, Best Hotel Restaurant, Best Chef, Best Restaurant, Best Wine Experience, Best Kids Size Me, sponsored by Heinz, Engaging With The Gathering, sponsored by Tourism Ireland and Best Just Ask! Menu, sponsored by Bord Bia.

All County winners now compete for the Regional and All Ireland Title which will be announced at the Irish Restaurant Awards in the Burlington Hotel, Dublin on Wednesday 10th June, 2013.

There are 3 components to phase two of the process and each element is independently assessed by KPMG. They are:

1. Mystery Guest Visit (55%) This component of the awards is conducted by Prism Consulting headed by Hugo Arnold, independent food writer and consultant. All County Winners receive a mystery guest visit throughout the month of April and May.

2. National Awards Academy (35%) Our National Awards Academy is made up representatives from each of the regional judging panels and will meet in May to Judge the County Winners.

3. Menu Judging (10%) All County winners and the Dublin Shortlist in each category are asked to submit a copy of their food menu and wine list for judging.

Voting in the Industry categories commenced on April 4th. Voting in these categories is exclusive to Restaurants Association of Ireland members only, with members competing for: Best Club Restaurant, Best Seafood Experience, Best World Cuisine, Best Newcomer, Best Café, Most Innovative Restaurant, Best Restaurant Design, Best Cocktail Experience, Best Restaurant Manager, Best Cookery School, Best Supplier & Best Digital Marketing.

The winners of the Industry Categories will be announced at the All-Ireland event on 10th June, 2013. Tickets are priced at €130 for the All-Ireland Event and can be bought directly from Sinead at the Restaurants Association of Ireland on (01) 677 9901 or sinead@rai.ie.

And the MUNSTER Regional Awards went to:

Best Customer Service
Clare- Noel's Restaurant, Bunratty Manor Hotel
Cork - Castle Hotel
Kerry - Ballygarry House Hotel
Limerick - Market Place Brasserie
Waterford - Bodega

Tipperary - Larkins Bar & Restaurant

Best Gastro Pub – Sponsored by Faustino
Clare- J P Clarkes
Cork - The Elm Tree
Kerry - The Bridge Bar
Limerick - Bobby Byrne's Bar
Waterford - Merrys Bar & Restaurant
Tipperary - The Derg Inn

Best Casual Dining – Sponsored by Joseph Drouhin
Clare - L'Arco Restaurant
Cork - House Cafe Cork
Kerry - Sol Y Sombra Tapas Bar
Limerick - La Cucina
Waterford - The Copper Hen
Tipperary - Chez Hans

Best Hotel Restaurant – Sponsored by Pallas Foods
Clare- Earl of Thomond Restaurant, Drumoland Castle
Cork - Ballymaloe House
Kerry - The Malton Hotel
Limerick - The Mustard Seed at Echo Lodge
Waterford - The Munster Room, Waterford Castle
Tipperary - The Old Convent

Best Chef – Sponsored by Tipperary Water
Clare- David McCann, Drumoland Castle
Cork - Denis Cotter, Cafe Paradiso
Kerry - Simon Regan, Hotel Europe
Limerick - Tom Flavin, Limerick Strand Hotel
Waterford - Paul Flynn, The Tannery
Tipperary - Dermot Gannon, The Old Convent

Best Restaurant – Sponsored by Santa Rita
Clare- Wild Honey Inn
Cork - Jacques Restaurant
Kerry - The Global Village
Limerick - The Cornstore Restaurant
Waterford - The Tannery
Tipperary - Chez Hans

Best Wine Experience - Sponsored by Thomas Barton
Hayfield Manor, Cork

Best Kids Size Me - Sponsored by Heinz
Cornstore Restaurant, Cork

Engaging with The Gathering Award – Sponsored by Tourism Ireland
Paddy's Bar & Restaurant, Terryglass, Tipperary
Just Ask! Award – Sponsored by Bord Bia
White Sage Restaurant, Limerick

For More information and Tickets for the Finals Event see http://www.irishrestaurantawards.com and follow the #FoodOscars hashtag on Twitter.

Zack