Chew The Fat – Détails, épisodes et analyse

This week (9th July 2021 – -) on Chew The Fat we chat to Máire and Paul Flynn of The Tannery in Dungarvan about a quarter century in business together and - whilst in Waterford ourselves - share our favourite spots to eat, drink and pick up produce in Waterford as well as sharing snappy updates in the Chew The Fat Noticeboard round-up of food and drink news across Ireland.

Hen’s Teeth Henzo

Cluck Cluck! Hen’s Teeth launches Henzo Mix, a range of pre-mixed cocktails in conjunction with their neighbours, Stillgarden Distillery. All distilled, hand-mixed and bottled in Dublin 8, choose between three flavours: Euphoria Crush, Hollier Negroni and Ninety Nine Spritz, in two sizes: 250ml (€14) and 750ml (€35). Available to buy both in-store at Blackpitts and online –– their store is amazing both in-person and online, so check it out! hensteethstore.com 

Chef Supper Club

Imagine an evening spent in the comfortable surrounds of your own home, being guided through a dining experience by the likes of Ahmet Dede, Enda McEvoy, Ciaran Sweeney, Grainne o’Keeffe, Mike Tweedie, Aisling Moore and Killian Crowley, with wines chosen by esteemed sommelier Cathryn Bell of WineRover. Damian Grey of Michelin-starred restaurant Liath has concocted Chef Supper Club, with five-course menus from esteemed chefs delivered (or collected) and a blended model of live interaction and hands-on culinary action, as well as delicious dining. A dash of theatre, a heap of knowledge and a tailored experience for those who snap up each sitting, guaranteed. For more details, and to book, see thechefsupperclub.com 

The Courtyard at Slane Castle: Cocktails & Taqueria

It seems all roads lead to Slane in Co. Meath in summer 2021. You might have already heard direct from Niall Davidson himself about Allta Summer House on a prior episode,  which has now opened behind the stunning Slane Castle for its summer residency –– bookings open every couple of weeks. You may have also heard Keith and Aisling from Roots at Slane on a slightly earlier episode of this series where they talked about their plans at Slane Castle, which - they too - have now launched! The Courtyard at Slane Castle is the casual counterpart to the Allta stuff, slinging amazing cocktails by Gillian Boyle, wines and beers alongside an innovative taqueria with tacos that sing and ZING in local produce, pickles, papas, salads and sweets in the covered courtyard of the castle itself. Pre-book a table, grab a small group and lavish in every sip and bite. Operating Friday - Sunday, 4pm - 11pm, pre-booking is essential so pop over to slanecastle.ie to reserve. 

Woodcock Smokery Masterclasses with Sally Barnes

40 years of smoking wild fish makes you more than an expert, and now the incomparable and esteemed Sally Barnes of Woodcock Smokery is handing down her skills to those who wish to learn. A full-day smoking class is €240 and details her tricks of the trade, from knife skills to hot and cold smoking, plus lunch and a special visit. There’s also special salmon feast dining events and aperitivo tastings planned, so if you’re heading to Skibbereen this year check out woodcocksmokery.com to book for a unique and incredibly rare experience!

Where to eat in Waterford?

Since this week we're in Waterford, we also wax on about our favourite spots in the city and county, from Ardkeen Stores and Grow HQ to Everett's, World of Wine and Bodega as well as spots in the coastal towns of Dungarvan (The Tannery, & Chips) and Tramore (Mezze, Seagull Bakery -- and forgot to say Beach House, but we adore them too!). Plus, you'll get an insight into our once-fraught relationship with Waterford and how our friends Walsh's Bakehouse came to our defence. What's more, Waterford Harvest Festival 2021 will return (after a year's hiatus) between the 6th and 12th of September –– details still to be published but expect a week-long celebration of Déise food and drink! VisitWaterford.com #ILovesMeCounty #ChaosBilly

Paul and Máire Flynn, The Tannery, Dungarvan Co. Waterford

Paul and Máire Flynn really need no introduction, but whether they want it or not they're getting one! The couple combine flawless front of house, personable service with - let’s face it - flavour bomb dishes with a fine dining slant from the kitchen. This pair single handedly put Dungarvan on the dining destination map in 1997, and in summer 2021 are celebrating their 25th summer season in the seaside town in Waterford.

Having spent the guts of the week in the county ourselves we had to nab them for a chat, and in fact we’ve threatened for about three years to get them BOTH (because they come as a truly talented pair, effortlessly complementing one another) behind the microphone and they finally agreed, so tune in to this week's episode for a chat you’ll want to hear…

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This week (25th June 2021 – -) on Chew The Fat we chat to acclaimed pastry chef Aoife Noonan about her brand new venture in food education paired with restaurant-style pastry creations, personally delivered! We also delve into the more unconventional methods of bringing wine to the table by discussing boxed and canned wine.

IN OUR SNAPPY CHEW THE FAT NOTICEBOARD SEGMENT OF FOOD INDUSTRY NEWS, WE’RE COVERING:

• After a year’s hiatus, Food On The Edge is back for its sixth outing in the form of a blended symposium comprising both in-person and virtual events. Swapping Galway for Dublin for the first time since it began in 2015, the venue will be urban farm Airfield Estate in Dundrum on the 18th and 19th October. Founder JP McMahon this week announced the theme as ‘Social Gastronomy’ as well as several first-time speakers in the line-up including Garima Aurora, the first Indian woman to win a Michelin star, acclaimed chef and restaurateur André Chiang, and food writer Alice Zaslavsky as well returning to Food on the Edge: Mark Best, star of Netflix’s ‘Chef’s Table’. Virtual tickets will go on sale in July priced at €95, while in-person tickets will go on sale later in the year from €350 for two days and from €195 for one day. foodontheedge.com

• A new barbecue pop up from the team behind The Glass Curtain is called Birdsong In The City and arrives on Cork’s Harley Street in a limited form on the 24-27th June and 1-4th July. Chef Brian Murray is cooking on a bespoke Basque-style grilling rig, using Irish beef, daily-landed seafood, Skeaghanore chicken, and seasonal local veg. Think grilled cod collar, ocotpus and piquant ceviche, meltingly tender short ribs and spicy piri-piri chicken, as well as ice-cream sandwiches. @birdsong_inthecity

• Chef Danni Barry is turning her hand to gastronomic getaways joining The Wicklow Escape as Executive Chef. Danni has designed a 3 day foodie immersion at the escape aimed at couples and groups of friends, as well as small gatherings, celebrations and occasions. Danni’s menu will showcase the local larder of the South East of the island as well as bringing global inspiration through Danni’s travels and 20 years in kitchens. Formerly known as The Elbowroom Escape in Donard, Co. Wicklow, this new iteration is a rustic and elegant country retreat comprising seven deluxe bedrooms, bookable individually, with an outdoor kitchen, garden terrace and wood-fired hot tub set in an acre a countryside idyll. thewicklowescape.com

• Win 5% at Listoke Distillery! The closest distillery to us here in Co. Louth, Listoke Distillery is hosting a novel raffle offering 5% C shares in their business as well as a second and third prize of £10,000 and £5,000 respectively! So one ticket could potentially win an entrant back 250 or even 500 times its initial value. You could be the newest part-owner of the award-winning family business based in Tinure just outside Drogheda which produces a series of gin expressions under the Listoke brand as well as a new Wise Owl Whiskey and is eyeing up serious international expansion. Entries cost £20 and the competition is open to entries from all over the world until 9th July and, naturally, all entrants must be over 18! raffall.com/listokedistillery

• Making up for precious lost time, Taste of Dublin has announced the festival will return after a year away on September 1 - 5th, 2021. Returning to the Iveagh Gardens, Taste of Dublin will run 12 sessions over five days with tickets starting at €20 (excluding booking fee) on sale from today, Friday, June 25th. Additional sessions have been added to reduce capacity far lower than usual for the outdoor event and the organisers are primed to adapt the festival as it happens in accordance with current restrictions. The line up of chefs and traders is still to be announced but details will be announced over time social media as well as their website: tasteofdublin.ie

Boxes & Cans of Wines

In our discussion section we chew the fat all about the more unconventional and unusual ways to bring wine to market, like boxed wine or canned wines and we talk about options including Wines Direct's Boxes of Wine (€49 incl. delivery) as well as the Canned Wine Company, available from WineLab.

Aoife Noonan

The pandemic has prompted lots of people to take new directions in their careers and start exciting new chapters, and very much among them is talented pastry chef Aoife Noonan. Formerly of Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, Glovers Alley and John Farrell's stable of restaurants in Dublin, Aoife is now striking out alone, swapping the kitchen fro more personal food experiences including exclusive cookery classes hosted online and hand-delivered restaurant quality pastry creations and desserts. Tune it to the episode to hear more...

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Don't call Allta a restaurant. It's a wine bar with food. The interior is incredibly important, and considered. The experience of the music and lighting is as key as the food and drink. Whatever you want to call it, you can't deny that it's taken Dublin city by storm since opening just before Christmas 2019. Set on Frederick Street South/Setanta Place, a stone's throw from Trinity and a street or two away from the shopping highway of Grafton Street, this is THE dining room in Dublin everyone can't stop talking about, and Niall Davidson is the main man behind it.

A farmer's son, born in Scotland and brought up in Derry, Niall Davidson took the indirect route to Dublin city. Having defected from London to Dublin specifically to open Allta, he's held roles in the likes of Chiltern Firehouse and St. John Bread and Wine before opening up his own venture, Nuala, in London (which, yes, we do touch on as it had an untimely closure). But he's not alone...

Hugh Higgins, formerly of the much-lamented subterranean designer Italian Luna on Drury Street, is leading the kitchen as head chef. Christine Walsh, formerly of Enda McEvoy's Michelin-starred Loam in Galway, comes from a fine dining pedigree having worked in Chapter One, Noma and Benu and rounds out the talent.

Not necessarily commanding particular sections, this is a collaborative kitchen where house-made charcuterie and pasta are championed, but are not the limit nor the extent. So, like everyone else, our interest was piqued after dining there ourselves, so we went to meet all three to talk Allta, Dublin dining, Irish food and more...

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The largest of the iconic Aran Islands, which lie off the coast of Connemara along Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way, Inis Mór is one of the most unique destinations you can find in Ireland.

The capital of its cluster of islands and a Gaeltacht (Irish language-speaking) community, Inis Mór - quite literally, 'Big Island' - certainly has a big personality and punches well above its weight in terms of food and drink. Tourists adore delving into a toastie and pint at Tigh Joe Mac's or singing along with the trad music in the electric atmosphere of Tigh Joe Wattys whilst Teach Nan Phaidí is certainly in contention for best cafe in all of Ireland.

However, aside from notable places to eat, food production has always been central to this island community –– and we've had our eye on it for some time for its food producing credentials. In this episode, we meet two of them: Gabriel Faherty of Aran Island Goat Cheese and David O'Halloran, one half of the couple behind seaweed brand Blath na Mara.

Gabriel takes us on a whistle-stop tour of the island (as he generally doubles up duty as official tour guide of the island) including his own production unit where his 100-strong herd of goats produce milk which he turns into a variety of cheese styles.

Whilst David's wife Jenny was working away on the mainland, he then shows us around their little purpose-built factory, where they dry seaweed that's hand harvested right here by the shore and turned into a variety of seaweed-based products, both edible and cosmetic.

Read more about our visit to Inis Mór here. LISTEN TO CHEW THE FAT ON APPLE PODCASTS, SPOTIFY, GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC, ACAST, GO LOUD AND STITCHER

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Chef, Restaurateur, Activist, Author, Columnist, Festival Director and Curator, Semi-historian –– Is there anything JP Mc Mahon can't turn a hand to? We've wanted to get this esteemed, Michelin-starred chef on Chew The Fat since series one and now for our debut episode of series four, back with a bang for 2020, we finally got to sit down and talk all things Irish food with the Galway-based chef, as JP launches his long-awaited The Irish Cookbook in early 2020.

The man behind Michelin-starred Aniar, set on Galway's West End, alongside his more casual offerings in the city, Cava and Tartare - plus the Aniar Cookery School to boot - JP McMahon is known nationwide for his chef-restaurateur credentials, as well as appearing regularly in the media, with a weekly column in The Irish Times, stints on RTÉ Today as well as frequent appearances on radio.

Also, no mean feat, he's also created and spearheaded the global success of Food On The Edge, the annual chef's symposium. Bringing the greatest minds in the chef industry together in Galway, FOTE's mission is to discuss and dissect where the industry is right now and what the future holds for food globally, whilst highlighting more ethical and sustainable approaches across the board. Taking place once again in October, 2020 marks the sixth year of the hugely popular non-profit, non-commercial festival.

There's no doubt JP McMahon is a force within Irish food, so much so he was tasked by publishers Phaidon to create the ultimate book on Hiberno cuisine, The Irish Cookbook, set to be released in February 2020.

A terrific tome, in which the chef went far far back in the annals of time from the earliest settlers on the island to the present day, The Irish Cookbook compiles just shy of 500 recipes and delves into the identity and ingredients of the cuisine of Ireland. Almost three years in the making, this is a cookbook that's gotten anyone and everyone who's passionate about Irish produce all excited to see it in the flesh, and as he prepares to launch it we sit down with the chef to learn a little more about his approach, what makes up the book and hear a bit more about his experience of Irish food and operating three successful restaurants in Galway.

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A virgin, a tart, and a complete batch. Susan Jane White has been them all, penning no fewer than three cookbooks whilst juggling family life in Dublin. Author of Extra Virgin Kitchen and The Virtuous Tart, Clever Batch is her third cookbook - released in 2019 - and a deserved finalist for the An Post Book Awards. Why that backstory? Well, we have to admit, we fell in love with her words before we fell in love with her in person, and we've been dying to get her on our podcast Chew The Fat since we began gestating it almost two years ago!

SJW's words are engaging, exciting, cheeky, playful, coquettish and ultimately incredibly endearing. How she moulds language together, like a child playing with building blocks, warms our hearts. How she describes food, or a recipe, or indeed an ingredient, turns how you think about food on its head, and we're all all the better for it. She's thoughtful and incredibly smart, and writing like hers takes restraint and editing to seamlessly craft the perfect combinations of words and sounds –– we know that from writing for the guts of the last decade, but she's also fearless. She's not afraid to take risks, to stand out, to throw every colour of the crayon box at the canvas and see what comes up.

As for her cookery, it's exciting in that much like her wordsmith chops she creates beautiful, harmonious (at times exotic and intriguing) combinations of ingredients, whipping them - into submission, she might add, with a cheeky wink - up with gusto into a dish greater than the sum of its parts, and probably pretty great for you too.

She's passionate without being preachy, health-focused but mainlining treats like there's no tomorrow and both angelically knowledgeable and devilishy deviant in equal measure. For this episode, we found ourselves perched on her couch in front of the fire for a good hour and a half before we even hit record, but once we did we got the BEST stuff... listen at your ultimate leisure, to the incomparable Susan Jane White...

Buy Clever Batch now at Easons, Dubray, Kenny's or Amazon (affiliate link) LISTEN TO CHEW THE FAT ON APPLE PODCASTS, SPOTIFY, GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC, ACAST, GO LOUD AND STITCHER

Christmas is coming and the geese are getting fat. Though, so are the turkeys at Maperath Farm in Kells, Co. Meath. Our guests on Chew The Fat this week are Eoin Sharkey and Olivia Duff who run - as a family, with their three little girls - this small-scale, fully certified free-range turkey & geese farm – which is beyond organic in practice, but not in certification –– we'll discuss that!

As consumer minds are moving more and more towards local produce once again, sourcing and investing in quality, their farming business is going from strength to strength. As passionate about welfare of their own animals as they are about educating the wider world about best farming practices, Eoin is a regular at food festivals around Ireland, taking his educational-focused mobile unit to help show-and-tell young and old all about where their food comes from.

Olivia is a stalwart in the Irish food community - a food champion, specialising in hospitality and food tourism in particular, she is the powerhouse behind the inaugral Samhain 2019 (where we recorded the most recent live episode of Chew The Fat too) and the woman behind Kells' Headfort Arms. Both Eoin and Olivia could vie for the title of 'busiest person in the world', individually, but somehow they keep everything moving and somehow we managed to eke out an hour or two with them on a bright Saturday morning in December...

If you're reading this close to publication, you'll know that Christmas 2019 is fast approaching and orders will soon be closing for Christmas birds, so if you're listening to this episode and interested in ordering your Christmas goose or turkey, head along and order from their website here.

Plus, if you want to find out about more Boyne Valley Flavours producers just like Maperath Farm please check out the BVF site! It's not only the area we call home, we're also proud to be brand ambassadors for the region too!

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There's a food truck that's a firm fixture on Ireland's 'Wild' western Atlantic coast. A fixture that's not permanent, but amasses a following wherever it pitches up. If you haven't heard of Julia's Lobster Truck, we guarantee you're going to know the name and hear a lot more... and this week we're chewing the fat with Julia Hemingway herself.

With her beaming smile and bright blue truck, Julia serves all manner of seafood to her adoring public. Lobster is the mainstay, grilled to-order and dripping in garlic butter, but there's a whole line-up of deep see and shoreline treats that she turns her hand to, running the stall with her husband Chris.

We catch the pair just at the beginning of the Dingle Food Festival, where they've pitched up for three days of deliciousness, and whilst they're prepping their van and gathering their ingredients before they open the hatch, we sneak in for a quick chat...

We delve into how it all began, how Julia has witnessed Irish food change and adapt over the years, her favourite local produce, what a moment street food is having in Ireland and also about the successes and challenges of her industry.

We've written about some of the people like Julia who are doing amazing things where street food and food trucks are concerned, which you can read here.

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Chew The Fat is back! And we're delighted to be back with a special live episode of the podcast recorded at Samhain 2019, a wonderful celebration of 5,000 years of Irish food & culture which took place in Kells, Co Meath in November 2019.

Sit back and ponder along with us as we put Irish food on trial. What is Irish food? What can we class as Irish food? What do we learn from the past that can help our future. We don't have answers but we do have questions and you as the jury can decide for yourself what the verdict is. Delighted to feature two amazing guests too in this - Marita Varley from Drummond House Garlic (who you will remember from our very first episode!) plus Janice Casey-Bracken, chef, local food champion, real bread advocate and instructor at the Irish Country Woman's Association HQ, at An Grianan in Co Louth.

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This week on Chew The Fat we chat to the man of the moment where pop-ups in Dublin are concerned: Nico Reynolds of Lil’ Portie.

Serving up Jamaican recipes (with inspiration from his mother and grandmother’s own home cooking) with subtle nods to South American cuisine and using great Irish produce where possible, Lil’ Portie burst onto the scene around a year ago and has certainly gotten people talking since. He immediately caught our attention a good few months ago and this week we sit down after hours in his home-for-the-moment, Two Fifty Square in Rathmines.

Nico is an interesting anomaly –– he’s been away from Ireland more in the last decade than he has been on home turf. He spent around six years in Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires. Yet he’s the name on everyone’s lips right now. He’s also got no professional chef training. But what he has got is tonnes of energy, endless ideas, charm by the truckload and he’s really landed on his feet and made a name for himself in the city. Spotting that there was a market for something different, something he grew up on and something to bring bold flavour to the capital’s table, Lil’ Portie has stood out since day one and has legions of loyal fans already, having hosted a series of recurring pop-ups in this very cafe/restaurant as well as prestigious stints at Taste of Dublin and The Big Grill. 2019 has been good for this young food entrepreneur, and without wanting to use a cliché, the future is incredibly bright for him and his business.

We sit down, break bread with Nico and go unusually deep. We delve deep into his cookery style, his training, his background but more than that we get lost in fascinating, lengthy discussions which illustrate just how tuned in to his own mind and the world around him Nico actually is. He’s philosophical, and everything is woven into a story. So sit back, get comfortable, and bed in for a fascinating hour or so hearing everything Nico has to say…

THIS IS NOT JUST A PODCAST, THIS IS CHEW THE FAT – PRESENTED BY RUSSELL ALFORD AND PATRICK HANLON – AND THIS IS A MARKS AND SPENCER-SPONSORED PODCAST. WE’VE TEAMED UP WITH THIS ICONIC RETAILER, WHO REALLY NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION, TO TELL THE STORIES OF FASCINATING PEOPLE IN FOOD AND BEYOND THIS SUMMER AS THEY CELEBRATE 40 YEARS IN IRELAND. PLEASE SHOW YOUR SUPPORT, AS THEY SUPPORT US! #THISISNOTJUST #CHEWTHEFAT #MYMARKSFAVE LISTEN TO CHEW THE FAT ON APPLE PODCASTS, SPOTIFY, GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC, ACAST AND STITCHER