The Week In Food #31: New Kilkenny eateries, hot school meals, VAT calls head to Europe & more
And a happy August bank holiday weekend to you too!
For Sunday 24 August, you’re welcome to another edition of The Week In Food and thanks for taking the time out of your day to savour a read of what’s been happening in the world of food this week at home and abroad.
It’s the August bank holiday weekend here in Ireland, usually a busy time for summer gatherings, festivals (hello, All Together Now), parties, nights out, and I’m caught right up in the mix of all of the above.
While last week’s newsletter came from a hotel room off Eyre Square in Galway, pre-All Ireland coffee in hand, this week’s comes from home off the back of a grand 60th birthday party night out with friends, full of barbeque goodness, chats, and a lot of home-baking. The shift from 18th and 21st to 40th and 60th birthday parties looks to have been complete!
On that note, let’s see what’s been stirring in the world of food this week.
1. Trio of new eateries for Kilkenny’s Ormonde Street
For the first story, I’m going to go close to home entirely and highlight some developments on Kilkenny’s Ormonde Street, right in the heart of the city. Whether you’re heading there this weekend or you’ve got Kilkenny in your sights for the Savour festival over the October bank holiday weekend, when you’re next visiting (or in town, if you’re a local listener), Ormonde Street is home to not one but three new eateries.
Having opened in recent weeks, Ember is the latest incarnation on the dining front from the Kilkenny Hibernian Hotel. What was once upon a time Jacobs Cottage and the City Bar & Grill has become Ember, who are ‘redefining open fire dining’ with their South African braai-inspired cooking of fish, meat and vegetable dishes.
Not only that, but just across the road you’ve now got Bovine, specialising in smashed patties and chicken. They’ve just opened their doors, and already had a solid trade when I was passing on Friday. With an outlet already in Portlaoise, they’ve got five burgers on the menu, four sides and a selection of sauces.
Adjacent to that in the unit previously occupied by The Truffle Fairy, Chingón Bad Ass Burritos are getting set to open their doors, and they’re currently hiring. With food trucks attending events all around the country, their burritos do have a permanent home in Waterford at the Phoenx Yard Market.
Any manner of burritos, nachos, fajitas, quesadillas and more are on their Waterford menu, bringing to 3 the number of burrito bars in the city with the addition of Saburrito to Namo earlier this year.
Next time you’re in Kilkenny, you won’t far to stray too far from the Parade for a bite.
2. 9% VAT calls head to Europe
With the European Elections done and dusted and Ireland looking likely to hold a general election in October/November this year, it’s no surprise that the return of the 9% VAT rate takes up more news headlines this week.
The latest to join the call is Ireland South MEP and Fine Gael leader in European Parliament, Sean Kelly, who’s now calling on the Government to reinstate the 9% VAT rate for the hospitality sector; this largely in response to the ongoing financial strain faced by restaurants, cafes, and retailers due to rising operational costs.
He says, "Reinstating the 9% VAT rate is crucial for many small businesses in our hospitality sector," "This temporary relief provided a lifeline to countless businesses," "However, although we are in a better now, with the current economic climate for the sector, a return to the 9% rate to prevent further closures and job losses."
"Investing in the sustainability of our small businesses is essential. The long-term repercussions of continued closures would be far more damaging to our economy. By alleviating the pressure on businesses, we can avoid passing on costs to consumers, thereby protecting disposable income and maintaining competitiveness,"
The campaign will roll on right through the summer.
3. Hot school meals programme adds 168 schools in Ireland
I’m sure there are plenty of parents and guardians around the country breathing a sigh of relief or at least having their curiosity piqued this week with the announcement that 168 primary schools around Ireland have been approved for the Hot School Meals programme beginning this September.
The additions, including schools local to me in Kilkenny, see the scheme grow from what was a 30-school pilot programme to one now 2200 schools strong, meaning over 345,000 primary school students are now eligible to receive hot meals on school days.
Not only that but subject to whoever’s in Government for the next twist, the proposal for Budget 2025 is to roll the scheme out to all remaining primary schools in the country.
The Department of Social Protection provides funding to schools for the School Meals Programme, and it is the responsibility of schools to choose their supplier in an open, fair and transparent manner in accordance with national legislation and EU directives on procurement.
The objective of the programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children to support them in taking full advantage of the education provided to them. With a daughter about to embark on her primary school journey, having come through a creche journey that included a monthly schedule of hot meals, I’m both curious to see what the programme brings on the food and nutrition front and supportive of its causes.
Read more: Minister Humphreys announces 168 additional Primary Schools approved for Hot School Meals
Read more: Further 168 primary schools to get hot meals from September
4. Bye-bye blue water bottle caps
While we’re all becoming recycling aficionados this weather, supermarket chain ALDI announced this week that they’re going to be removing all coloured plastic caps from their water bottles in a bid to improve recyclability.
It’s a move expected to see an additional 174 tonnes of plastic per year recycled into food-grade packaging.
The rollout is already underway, covering water bottle products specifically, with the blue and white caps all going clear, with the new tethered cap model that’s equal parts useful and frustrating at times.
The bottles themselves will transition to 30% recycled plastic, 100% in the case of children-size bottles before the year is out. By 2025, their plan is to have all packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable.
Read more: Aldi Ireland makes huge change to popular product across all 161 Irish stores (Irish Mirror)
5. Wierd TikTok food trends taking over
The last one for you comes by way of HelloFresh, who’ve been looking at TikTok weird food combos to see what’s worth trying, or not, this week.
It’s the internet’s latest obsession, generating hundreds of millions of video views on TikTok alone where among the latest crazes include watermelon with yellow mustard with Hannah Duxbury (head of culinary) telling us “the acidity and slight bitterness of the mustard enhance the juicy, sugary notes of the watermelon, creating a surprisingly balanced flavour profile. It’s really nice as an appetiser and would be perfect for a summer BBQ.”
Fried chicken and icecream also get the thumbs up because, they say, “The hot, savoury crunch of fried chicken playing with the cold, sweet creaminess of ice cream creates a sensational contrast.”
The big one to avoid is spaghetti and milk as “the starchy texture of spaghetti doesn’t harmonise with the slightly sweet milk, resulting in a texture clash and an unbalanced flavour experience.”
I’m pretty sure the dog on the street would know enough to leave that one alone. But that’s TikTok for you.
Further reading this week
If you’ve not eaten duck eggs before, and you’re thinking on changing that, the FASI this week published safety reminders for cooking with and eating duck eggs.
Summer holidays are well and truly here, there’s less than a month to go before primary schools are back, and the New York Times have been looking at some of the best tools for cooking with kids.
Kat Odell’s been looking at Espresso Martinis, making the perfect iced coffee and more over at Bloomberg.
There’s a nice piece in the examiner on the FoodCloud Kitchen food truck, marking its mark on the festival circuit this year.
TikTok turned into SickTok during the week following reports of mass food poisoning at the app’s parent company.
Five recipes to try this week
It’s the bank holiday, so let’s get some bank-holiday inspired recipes on the go this week.
On my own radar this weekend, back on the Shakshuka train (albeit with a twist). It’s got eggs, tomatoes, spices, it’s all made in one dish, what’s not to like?
Shopping in Aldi? They’ve got a grand recipe for Lemongrass Pork Kebabs on the go. Grabbk some fresh limes while you’re at it.
Skip the Chinese takeaway this week, make your own chicken satay instead.
Got a group around? Looking to do something different with the spuds? Try these creamy leek potatoes, ready in about 20 minutes.
You know spaghetti doesn’t just have to be cooked in a pot?
Side note, and an additional read - don’t believe everything the robots tell you as The Guardian look at the rise of AI cookbooks, recipes, and some of the worst dishes ever suggested.
Podcast pick
This week’s podcast pick goes to The Go To Food Podcast with the spotlight on their latest episode shining on one of the best-selling cookbook writers and chefs in the past ten years, Meera Sodha. She discusses her emotional burnout and breakdown that killed her love for food and life for a number of years, through escaping the darkness and falling in love with cooking all over again.
Listen below or find the player on Audioboom here, or on your preferred podcast platform.
And that’s a wrap
That’s it for another edition of The Week In Food. I’ve got a two-week break from the office coming up, giving me a chance to catch up on some long overdue writing so keep an eye on the blog over the next fortnight for some fresh additions.
This weekend there are some BBQ tips in place off the back of some radio chat this week but whatever it is you’re up to for the week ahead, do it well, and I’ll be back to you again next Sunday.
Let’s connect
Looking to connect? Got a story to share? Email me – ken@kenonfood.com – or find me on socials either at X, Instagram or Facebook.