Jamie Oliver to open Taste of Dublin 2012

Here's some exciting foodie news. Jamie Oliver is coming to town!! A whole generation of young foodies have grown up watching his shows drawn in by his easygoing 'pukka' attitude towards food. He will be in Ireland soon to launch this year’s Taste of Dublin Food and Drink Festival on Thursday June 14th at the Iveagh Gardens. This will be the first time Jamie has ever given a live cooking demonstration in Ireland.

This is the seventh Taste of Dublin and it will run from Thursday June 14th to Sunday 17th June. Jamie will be in good company as other chefs such as Valentine Warner, Thomasina Miers, Rachel Allen, Oliver Dunne, Ross Lewis and Derry Clarke will all take to the stage over the four days.There will also be two live entertainment stages, over 100 exhibitors and 20 of Dublin's best restaurants where you will be able to choose from a range of delicious food. You will also be able to pick up informative tips with culinary demonstrations in the Chef’s Theatre and participate in intimate Q&A sessions with top chefs at the Chef’s Table.

I am very excited about this event, it isn't the cheapest event in the world as you have to buy your ticket and then buy food on top of that, but to see Jamie live in action is worth parting with my hard earned cash!! 

General Release Tickets go on sale from 18^th April or to beat the crowd and get some early bird tickets sign up to the Taste of Dublin Newsletter  for the chance to purchase them. All advance standard tickets are now only €20 discounted from the 2011 price of €25.

To view the Taste of Dublin website click here.

Foodie Fairs for the Weekend

If you are looking for something to do this weekend two food fairs are taking place this Sunday. Meath Craft & Food Fair and A Taste of Offaly. Both events kick off at 12 noon.

Meath Craft & Food Fair
Crafters Ireland's hugely popular Meath Craft and Food Fair is a great day out for the whole family and will be taking place in the Newgrange Hotel, Navan on the 26th of February. Visit over 30 of the best crafters, foodies and small businesses in the area - including restaurant quality curry sauce, wickless candles, the best cakes and biscuits Meath can offer, woodturners, handmade jewellery, the forever living company plus much much more. Check out www.craftersireland.ie for more information.

Taste of Offaly
A Taste of Offaly will take place at the Tullamore Court Hotel and will feature more than 40 exhibits, sampling opportunities and cookery demonstrations. The exhibits will range from gourmet jams to cheese, various types of bread to handmade sausages and fine wines, hand made paper products and crafts and is truly is a celebration of all things local. Chef Yvonne Carty of Hey Pesto fame will also be offering demonstrations on the day. For more info click here.

A Sunny Saturday at the Sugarloaf Lounge

So last Saturday, on one of those beautiful Irish spring afternoons, Ms J suggested we head to Powerscourt and have afternoon tea Downton style. It didn't take much to convince me, I love the whole idea of afternoon tea - china cups, bitesize sandwiches and scones - what's not to like. So off we headed to the Ritz-Carlton and gracefully arranged ourselves in front of the grand windows overlooking the mountains. We tittered at the range of mini size jams, complimented the tea and coffee and ooohhed when the three tier cake stand arrived. So far so good.

 

Maybe my expectations were too high, maybe I have watched one too many English period dramas, maybe I have read too many Austin novels, but I was disappointed. First off for a five star hotel it took over 45 minutes for the sandwiches and scones to arrive. Diners around us were being served full meals while we drank an entire pot of tea and coffee and waited and waited and waited. When they did arrive some of the bread on the sandwiches tasted stale as if they had been sitting out for ages uncovered and the foccacia was greasy from too much oil.

The prawn sandwich and the chicken wrap though were very tasty with juicy fillings. The mini scones were ever so delightful especially with a thick topping of lemon curd and freshly whipped cream. And then we came to the desserts. I was surprised by the fact that we weren't offered small petit fours but instead full size after dinner desserts. I am most certainly a dessert person so I took my time deliberating what to choose from the well stocked trolley but clearly I didn't choose well enough as I didn't like either. I started with a dark chocolate sponge finger with the added glamness of some gold leaf but this was too rich and bitter so I left most of it behind. Then I moved on to a raspberry and pistachio eclair which was super sweet and the raspberry flavour was lost in the over sugary filling. Ms J faired better with a vanilla tart with a surprise filling of custard in the base and a light lemon meringue pie so I did what every proper lady would do and offered to help her eat them! 

Chocolate Sponge Finger

Vanilla Tart

Raspberry and Pistachio Eclair

Overall for the price that was paid - €35 -  it is an expensive treat and obviously not one that people would be having all the time.The venue is beautiful and the hotel is very comfortable to sit in for an afternoon but I would be hard pressed to justify eating there again. I am still enamoured with the idea of afternoon tea but if I ever get the chance to do it again it won't be at the Sugar Loaf Lounge.

Choux Box Delights - Serious Cake Pops

So Valentine's has come and gone, cards have been exchanged, expensive meals eaten and the choccies have been demolished (they lasted all of about 5 minutes in my house!!). But this year I decided to do something different and take a leaf out of the American's book. In America everyone celebrates Valentine's Day, it's not just for couples, every one you love gets a small token of your appreciation. Some might say it's a cynical ploy by Hallmark to increase their sales (you know who you are!) but I say whatever - lets spread the love!!

So after coming across the amazing Choux Box a few weeks previously and drooling over their photos I decided to order some for the family to celebrate Valentines with them. This is what arrived!!

They came in a range of delicious flavours. Chocolate, which was a chocolate sponge, mixed with a light cream cheese icing and coated in chocolate. Lemon, which was a lemon sponge mixed with a lemon buttercream & coated in white chocolate.  And to top the whole American Valentine idea off - an oreo one. You can also get them as red velvet sponge which would obviously have been perfect for Valentines but like most families allergies got in the way!!  

So were they as delicious as they looked ... YES!! They were gorgeous, very moist on the inside with the perfect amount of chocolate covering. They were really fun too with the whole family enjoying the novelty of them. They would be perfect for any occasion - birthdays, hens, dinner parties - the list is endless. Now all I need to do is come up with an excuse to buy some more - hmm whose birthday is it next??