The Week In Food #24: A new coffee festival, dairy award, consumer habits and more
Happy Father's Day to one and all.
Welcome to this week’s edition of The Week In Food and while I’m at it, Happy Father’s Day to you and yours.
Maybe it’s something you celebrate, maybe not, but I’ve been enjoying the four-year-old in the house sneaking around, trying to make out like I don’t know she’s been busy in the kitchen (the smell of cake might give it away) - it’s one of those kind of mornings.
Unlike last weekend where I found myself deep in election territory monitoring the progress of the local elections in Kilkenny and the European elections for the Ireland South constituency, this weekend I’ve got a chance to put my feet up, actually get some writing, eating and drinking in and you know what? So far, so good.
So with the election adventure over, and a few days off this week to recuperate, let’s get on with some of the stories that have come across my desk and inbox in the past week
1. Birdhill Coffee Festival launches
One held back from last week, The Old Barracks in Birdhill have announced The Birdhill Coffee Festival, combining coffee with education, talks and wellness, running July 6-7 in Birdhill, Co. Tipperary (about half way between Nenagh and Limerick, not far off the M7).
Per their Facebook page, you can spend the weekend discovering a world of coffee, tasting their range of single origin coffees from around the world, roasted in Birdhill and brewed by their expert baristas.
Not only that but for the home coffee enthusiasts, you can explore and learn the best way to brew coffee with Sage espresso demonstrations, workshops, latte art lessons, tips, tricks and more.
And there's a whole bunch of talks planned around coffee, wine, marketing and business while yoga sessions will kick off each morning nice and early for the focus on wellness.
Read more: Birdhill Coffee Festival
2. Fish on the floor, rodents under the fridge…
The latest Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) report issued on Wednesday this week details nine enforcement orders served on food businesses in May, with four closure orders in Dublin, two in Cork, two prohibition orders in Dublin and a further prohibition order in Tipperary.
It's a legal requirement in food law to protect the health of consumers, and while numbers are down compared to April (with a record 21 enforcement orders), they're still not zero.
Read more: Get a full breakdown of the closures here.
3. National Dairy Awards
Gail Daniels (right) receiving one of her awards on Thursday. Photo: Fintan Clarke Photography
The second annual National Dairy Awards were held on Thursday night with 21 awards presented, celebrating the high achievers that continue to develop and strengthen the Irish dairy industry.
Noteworthy winners on the night included Mary Kinston who brought home both the Grassland Agro Best Dairy Advisor of the Year award and the AXA Overall National Dairy Award Winner. Professor Donagh Berry won the Agri Insider Dairy Leader of the Year award on the night while closer to home (to me anyway) Kilkenny dairy farmer and producer Gail Daniels was a double winner this week as she was crowned the Best Artisan Dairy Product 2024 (non-cheese) and also won the Ifac Best Dairy Product Innovation 2024 for her Bó Bar soap.
Up the cats!
Read more: National Dairy Awards winners 2024
4. We’re cooking more, drinking less at home
Prepare yourself for some statistics.
The latest edition of the EY Future Consumer Index is out, with cost of living pressures continuing to top the agenda for consumers, with almost two-thirds (62%) of Irish – and 55% of global – households extremely concerned about the cost of living, outweighing concerns around geopolitical conflict (39%), climate change (38%), personal finances (36%) and the economy (33%).
When it comes to food and drink, Irish consumers have shown a preference to be more economical and stretch their budgets, trying to waste less food (92%) or seeking to repair items rather than replace (65%).
Looking to the future almost half (49%) plan to cook more at home. And while purchases of fresh and packaged foods (64%), medical supplies (63%) and grocery staples (62%) have remained at current levels, a notable portion of Irish respondents say that they are purchasing less clothing, shoes, and accessories (43%), and buying fewer alcoholic beverages (36%).
Irish consumers also say they are planning to spend more time at home (44%), with one-third expecting to increase hosting and entertaining at home. Almost half (49%) expect to spend more time cooking their own meals, while more health-focused consumers say they plan to reduce the number of takeaways (54%) and to cut down on buying pre-prepared meals from a supermarket (47%).
Read more: EY Future Consumer Index
5. All Together Now announces Theatre of Food for August bank holiday weekend
Last but by no means least, Waterford-based music and arts festival All Together Now is planning on taking festival-goers on a culinary adventure like no other this August with Theatre of Food: Grub Circus part of the 2024 bill.
The Grub Circus at The Theatre of Food, programmed and hosted by multi-award winning Senior Food Writer at the Irish Examiner Joe McNamee, is a two-day extravaganza of events, demos, cooking competitions, tastings, workshops, debates and, at times, downright madness, featuring some of Ireland’s top food personalities including, chefs, producers, growers, makers, distillers, food writers and more.
Big names joining the Grub Circus lineup this year include; Chef/Co-proprietor, of Goldie and freshly crowned RAI Best Chef in Ireland Aisling Moore; Ireland’s most-renowned culinary siblings + co-founders of the Ballymaloe Cookery School, Darina Allen and Rory O’Connell; TV Chef Rachel Allen; Irish culinary legend + twice Michelin star chef Kevin Thornton; Michelin star-awarded Enda McEvoy; the legendary forerunner of the modern Irish specialty food movement Sally Barnes & more.
And that’s before you get into the actual food served on-site, pop-up experiences and such.
Read more: Theatre of Food - Grub Circus
Further reading…
They’re opening a cheese museum in France. Form an orderly line, just don’t eat the exhibits.
Forget French fine dining or new Nordic cuisine, Spain has quietly become the foodiest country in Europe.
Waistlines are expanding in most countries, except for a skinny list of nations bucking the trend. The French seem to have it figured out.
Tom Kerridge has been speaking to RTÉ on the ‘huge responsibility’ of being a chef
I like spice, I like to feel the heat, and sometimes I don’t mind being uncomfortable eating foods for the experience. Now I’m thinking I need to try these noodles that have been banned in Denmark.
Recipes to try this week…
Given that it’s Father’s Day here in Ireland, let's go with some ‘dude food’ (good lord!) or recipes that should work out well for the day that’s in it.
Martha Stewart’s got you sorted for some buttermilk fried chicken.
Vegetarian dad in your life? Try these Lebanese lentil burgers in cabbage pockets. Yes, I did say that.
Start Father’s Day with the roast chicken, plus some sage and onion stuffing. That’s even before you get into the sides or desserts thanks to the BBC.
Jamie Oliver’s got a bangin’ mash-topped beef and Guinness pie. Drool.
Is the dad in your life a pizza or pasta kind of person? Get the best of both worlds with this Pizza Orzo recipe.
Podcast pick…
I feel like it’s every couple of weeks that I circle back to the Food Programme on BBC but this week’s podcast drop is one for the history buffs. I’ve recently started listening to D-Day: The Tide Turns from the team behind Real Dictators, plus I’m coming up on time for my annual (yes) rewatch of HBO’s Band Of Brothers, so it’s apt this week’s podcast pick hones in on WW2 (looking at you, history buffs) where host Leyla Kazim gets a peek at what's thought to the be the world's only surviving unopened D-Day ration pack, and explores the food that fuelled the troops through the challenge ahead.
Listen here or pick it up wherever you do your podcast listening.
And that’s a wrap…
Back in the game with an early Sunday morning drop after last week’s election-delayed edition.
It’s Father’s Day, I may yet go back to bed, but there’ll definitely be coffee involved today, a read of the papers, a spin around the houses, and a chance to put the feet up at some stage.
Wherever you’re hiding out today, whatever you’re up to, do it well and we’ll catch up again next week.
K