An Irish Food Experience - hunting, fishing and foraging

We’ve been collaborating with The Designerie in Bushmills to bring an Irish Food Experience to life – three talks covering an era in Irish history from Mesolithic via Celts and Bronze Age farmers to Irish Chieftains and the feasts and famines of the 1600 – 1800s. Using historical information, stories and anecdotes, wide ranging discussions with participants and, of course, tasty local produce to make it all sparkle; Hunting, Fishing and Foraging got us off to a really great start.  We had berries, nuts and seeds; smoked trout and salmon from the North Coast Smokehouse (NI’s newest economusee); fresh crab and seaweeds from Rathlin; venison and a three corner leek and sorrel sauce from Broughgammon Farm; unleavened breads and ale from Glens of Antrim Craft Ales and Beers.   No one went home hungry!

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As an added extra (as if any were needed), Gary Stewart from Tartine let us have one of his fabulous recipes for guests to make at home!  As it’s for invited guests only, you’ll have to join us on the 22nd to get your copy.
Listening to feedback, we’ve opened up the talks to single nights –rather than a group of three.  The next evening is the 22nd March and will cover (broadly!) 1000CE to 2000CE.  We’ll be hearing about the Brehon laws, how ‘culture’ from civilisation to beer and cheese grew and made us what we are today.  Hence the name of this evening – Beer, Bread and Board!
We’ll have tit bits of information from various sources such as Food and Drink in Ireland – a most learned gathering of the best anthropological and archaeological lecturers and writers on Irish food and culture.  To show case this, we’ll tie it into the modern day collaborative food industry branded under Taste Causeway and have bites of Corndale Farm charcuterie, Dart Mountain cheeses, Glens of Antrim beer, Ursa Minor, Thyme and Co, Tony’s Griddle Goods breads as well as some delicious relishes, chutneys and tapenades from Dundarave Estate and Islander Kelp. We’re also hoping to have a tasting of Dexter beef – a lovely indigenous Irish breed of cattle mentioned so enthusiastically by James Martin on TV recently.  All in all, this will be a fun, informative feast of food and history.

Phone George Lyons on 028 207 32606 to book your place on Beer, Bread and Board for £23 and join in the fun.

If you can’t make this evening, we’ll be discussing ‘Entertaining Guests’ on 12th April: you’ll have to wait for a couple of weeks to find out who has agreed to showcase their products on this night.  I’m so excited I can barely wait to tell you!  It’s going to be great!