The Week In Food #6: Michelin stars, fish in Dingle, food in schools & more
Kitchens in Doolin, Cashel, Dublin and Castlemartyr were in an extra celebratory mood this past week.
Welcome to The Week In Food, your weekly helping of food news and more from Ireland and beyond.
The biggest thing I’ve done this week, outside of getting out for breakfast on Friday morning was upgrading the tumble dryer to one of those new fancy heat pump jobs which, seemingly, will pay for itself in no time at all.
Breakfast was good by the way - the Chef’s Breakfast at Kilkenny’s Doppio - but more on that in another blog post.
This week I’ve got another five stories for you that you can hear more on in the Food In 5 Minutes podcast, available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, along with this week’s extra reading, recipes for the week ahead and my podcast pick.
Let’s get on with the show…
1. Ireland’s got some new stars on the restaurant scene
The biggest story of the week goes back to Monday with the reveal of the 2024 Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland.
Doolin’s Homestead Cottage, The Bishop’s Buttery at Cashel Palace in Tipperary and Dublin’s D’Olier Street were all tipped to receive a star in advance of Monday evening’s reveal and boy did they deliver.
Meanwhile, Chef Vincent Crepel’s reputation continues to rise with Castlemartyr Resort’s Terre getting the bump to two star, having picked up their first only last year – definitely one for the list in the next year.
2. Something fishy in the Kingdom
We’ve heard and read so much about restaurant closures in recent weeks that it can be easy to overlook the good news stories on the food service front and one of those this past week comes out of Dingle.
Following a €400k investment, The Fish Box is set to put a new food truck on the road, add a fresh fish counter, move into solar and expand restaurant seating from 20 to 100 covers.
If you’re heading that way for awards or the festival this year, you know where to get your next fish dish…
3. Good School Food Awards launched
As much as people might like to give out about it, I’ve to hand it to Jamie Oliver and the efforts he’s making to try and instil a positive and healthy food culture in schools around the UK. Going by the numbers, there are over 80,000 people working on the food front for schools in the UK, serving over 10m students, and hitting 5m meals daily.
He launched the second annual Good School Food Awards this past week. Among the categories are Food Educator of the Year, Youth Activist of the Year, and Heart's Kindness & Community Award which looks for real kindness through food at school and in their local community.
Jamie Oliver launches 2024 Good School Food Awards
Official website via jamieoliver.com
4. Food safety in numbers
New research from the Food Safety Authority of Ireland landed during the week with a number of key takeaways (along with some figures on actual takeaways). Among them, 69% of people think the FSAI should assist them with making more sustainable food choices while 4-in-10 people are preparing meals at home - from scratch with fresh ingredients - daily, that rising to 7-in-10 for two or three times a week.
5. Irish Takeaway Awards revealed
Lastly this week, the Irish Takeaway Awards for 2024 were held this week. With the shortlists out in December, the gala event was held at the Tullamore Court Hotel this past Tuesday.
Among the winners were Peter’s Family Restaurant in Killorglin, Co. Kerry, which is now home to Ireland’s Best Spice Bag, aka Peter’s Spice Box – billed on the menu as Crispy chicken, real homemade chips, sautéed veg, tossed in a homemade secret sauce and served with a side of curry.
Pizza of the year went to Tony’s Pizzaria in Park Street, Dundalk while the best Fish & Chips in the country looks like it’s found in Rosscarbery these days. Sandwich of the Year also went to a Cork eatery – KC & Son & Sons in Douglas who also collected silver in the Best Burger category.
Congratulations too to Café La Coco here in Kilkenny who picked up gold for Sweet Treat of the Year, silver in Café of the Year and silver in the Social media category.
Cork chipper judged best in Ireland as Rebels win big at Irish Takeaway Awards
Fancy tasting the best spice bag in Ireland? You’ll have to visit this Kerry town
Bonus reading this week
What have Sardines, Mackerel and Anchovies got in common? They’re among the healthiest fish to eat according to Forbes.
Solo Female Travelers Tours name Dublin one of the best destinations for food in Europe.
How TikTok is embracing the food of ‘third culture kids’
If you’re shopping for single-serve coffee options, Business Insider have some suggestions that see the trusty AeroPress coming out on top.
5 Recipes to try this week
You might need to go to the fancy shop for this one, but Yotam Ottlengthi’s Valentine’s meal for two combines burrata and blood orange salad, baked trout with tahini and peppers and more…
It’s Super Bowl Sunday – if you’re still stuck for snacks, jump into this alternative guide from the BBC
Want a no-brainer pancake recipe to make this Tuesday? Take six heaped tablespoons of flour and blend with about 400ml of regular milk. That’s how easy it can be. Pour onto a piping hot non-stick pan, cook until golden brown (including the flip). It can be that easy. Pick your own toppings afterwards – sugar, lemon, chocolate, salted caramel - but there’s no need to grease a pan, no requirement for eggs, baking powder or any additional trickery. Thank me later.
Something sweet: a heavenly white chocolate cheesecake that made an appearance in the Cork Echo this week
Go sweeter yet – here’s a No Bake Chocolate Fridge Cake – from Marie Roffey at Sugar Salt Magic
Podcast Pick
This week’s podcast pick goes to The Food Blogger Pro podcast, where I’ve been going through some of their back catalogue this week (a lot of driving and walking).
Anyway, they’ve got an episode from 9 January (#443) that sees food blogger / creator David Lebovitz interviewed on his switch from blogging to Substack and future-proofing your content against AI.
From what it’s like to be a food blogger in France to free vs paid content, the importance of various metrics as a food creator and more, there’s plenty to listen to over the course of 70 minutes or so.
On the blog this week
If you’ve not dropped by kenonfood.com in a while, keep an eye out this week for February’s Book of the Month or look back on the list of Michelin Star restaurants in Ireland for 2024.
Plus, keep in mind the 6 places to eat in Kilkenny for February!
And that’s it!
We’re out the gap for another week. I will absolutely be indulging in pancakes this Tuesday and possibly indulging in some manner of dine-in on Wednesday night. I’m thinking Indian, it’s been a while.
Whatever you’re up to for the week ahead, do it well and enjoy every minute of it.
Until next week,
K