Food, glorious food

After the bread round, I tend to think some more about food and I am profoundly grateful to share the food producers spot in shops and on markets with so many amazing producers and products. Last Sunday for example we trialed Sunday trading at the wonderful Waterford County show in Curraghmore estate. For these shows or markets getting there is always a struggle because we make everything we sell that morning. So up early, pack up and drive, get there as the last stall and set up in a hurry. Setting up is now routine and takes all of 15 min max and once we’re set up, it time to relax and grab that first cup of tea. In Curraghmore with that tea there was a choclate tart from Merci Beaucoup, two amazing French pastrychefs from Navan whose table looked stunning and who kept my sugar and energy levels nicely topped up for the day. In Kilkenny, the Truffle fairy fills that need for chocolate after set up and in Carlow there is a choice between one of Mary’s brownies or Deirdre’s crepes with chocolate sauce, roasted hazelnuts and Baileys……   

At markets time passes quickly if it is busy and if it is not, we roam around and buy off each other and the choice is sooooo good and after a long day, dinner has to be quick. In Kilkenny on Thursday it’s organic Schnitzel or fresh salmon and tuna, in Carrick, where we joined a great farmers market only two weeks ago, it is Butlers Farm chicken or pork, in Carlow on Friday the choice is even bigger with meat and fish. High quality fresh veg and eggs everywhere and beautiful pestos and sauces that say “new Ireland” like few other things. Of course desserts are never a problem either. Charley’s cheesecakes

are a Thursday tradition in our house with the only problem being to choose which one of the many, many temptations to bring home. Collette bakes in Carrick and Mary in Carlow and – at a push we can eat our own chocolate or apple tarts or withdraw a chocolate croissants from the market – there is always one that looks a bit crooked and just has to be eaten. 

The same applies in the shops we sell in , delicatessen, coffee shops,  farm shops, food stores. Everywhere, excellent old established or new food products crowd the shelves and everywhere I could easily buy more than I sell and it is extraordinarily easy to assemble a wonderful dinner and a great weekend’s array of food on that bread round to eat after the bread round. So, try it out and get out of those multinational chains and supermarkets. Go find the local shop, the deli, the farm shop, the market and see what you can get there. We are not overpriced luxury items for the well to do. We grow, produce and sell the very best food you can buy and very good value for your money. Apparently our grandparent generation spend nearly a quarter of their income on food while we have reduced that to less than an eigth, preferring to spend our money on leisure pursuits instead. If we really are what we eat, let’s eat a bit better, lets feed our families a bit better and go search out the high quality food that’s right at our door.