Chew The Fat (GastroGays)

One of our favourite activities to do whenever we visit a city is to link up with some local tour guides and explore the city through their eyes. Among the top tours we've done without doubt is the Belfast Food Tour, founded by Caroline Wilson. Now an empire consisting of several tours around Belfast and beyond, Caroline knows this city inside and out, and as you listen to this edition of "Chew The Fat", you'll hear just that. Belfast, and Northern Ireland in general is really one of the most exciting food scenes in the UK & Ireland right now. Producers who are making award winning food and drink, restaurants are constantly becoming more and more prominent within the critic circles and beyond, but Belfast really is the epicentre of it. This podcast is also chock-full of up-to-date recommendations for where to eat in the city, so have your notebooks at the ready! With an ever transforming dining scene, Caroline knows exactly where to try out and what selection you should make whenever you visit. https://www.instagram.com/p/BiC0qDmFaBL/ We spend the first section of the podcast chatting with Caroline at Co Couture, Belfast's best chocolatier, getting Caroline's opinion on the dining scene in Belfast before hitting the streets to catch a glimpse of her tour. If you'd love to book on one of Taste & Tour's offerings, visit their website. Caroline and her team will give you a fantastic couple of hours on the Belfast Food Tour. For more on Belfast and Northern Ireland, visit the travel section of our website!

IF YOU’D LIKE EARLY ACCESS TO FUTURE EPISODES OF CHEW THE FAT, OR JUST OFFER SUPPORT TOWARD WHAT WE DO PLEASE PLEDGE ON OUR PATREON PAGE! 

Golden. Delicious. Creamy. Salty. Rich. Butter. In this week's episode - which marks the half-way point of series 1 of our new podcast Chew The Fat - we find ourselves in the beautiful rolling emerald hills of Co. Down at the home of Abernethy Butter, the award-winning, handmade butter brand based out of Dromara, created by husband-and-wife duo Allison and Will Abernethy. Driving through Northern Ireland admiring the stunning natural beauty is always time well spent, if you ask us. As we traversed the border northwards into Northern Ireland from the Republic, the scenery gets even more beautiful, all lush fields of every shade of green, rolling hills, endlessly thick forest and tiny towns dotted around. Back to that lush grass though, you can imagine how the cows grae endlessly, happily and leisurely on it – their resulting milk resplendent in silkiness and lush creaminess. Naturally, that same milk must make exceptional butter, and it does. Abernethy happens to be the best, that's a fact. Check the awards. Revered by critics, championed by Michelin-starred chefs, adored by bakers, and coveted by home cooks in-the-know, this Co. Down butter is a Great Taste Award winner, Blás na hEireann recipient and remarked as one of the Top 50 Foods in Europe. Did you ever think you would find a cult-status butter? A simple product of two ingredients – cream and salt? Well, you better believe it, and that's because this butter is so sensationally special. Over scones and piping hot coffee, we chat to Allison at her kitchen table about how she and her husband turned a sometime hobby into a fully-fledged business. Then, we head in to their fairly tiny production unit to see the magic happen – churning, paddle slapping and curling the butter into those simply iconic Abernethy curls, then chilling, wrapping in their iconic paper packaging and adorning with their traditional and beautiful labelling. Simple, but skilled, and allowing the finest raw produce to shine without bells and whistles. We ask all about how Abernethy, the brand, came into being, what the couple has learned over the years in business, how chefs and social media helped spread the word and how a little butter making team in Co. Down became the toast of London town, their product served on all the finest menus. As Nigella has said: "Abernethy Butter is everything". We'd have to agree.

IF YOU’D LIKE EARLY ACCESS TO FUTURE EPISODES OF CHEW THE FAT, OR JUST OFFER SUPPORT TOWARD WHAT WE DO PLEASE PLEDGE ON OUR PATREON PAGE! ALTERNATIVELY, YOU CAN MAKE A ONE OFF DONATION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE.

This week’s episode of Chew The Fat is all about the spoils of the sea, from the captain of the ship steering Ireland as a whole towards enjoying more seafood – Niall Sabongi. Sitting in his Seafood Cafe on Fownes Street in the heart of Temple Bar, we ask about his beginnings in the restaurant industry, how he built a shellfish-led empire across the city in the form of his trio of KLAW restaurants and also the wholesale arm of his business and the plans for an ‘urban monger’ changing up the idea of a fishmonger in the capital.

From beginning with Rock Lobster to taking over with his trio of KLAW restaurants dominating the seafood game in the Irish capital, Niall is a man with an undying passion for seafood, and wants to change the way we all perceive the spoils of the sea. We should respect it and sustain it, but we should also buy it, cook it and enjoy it much more than we have been doing.

So more than a man with a taste for the sea, Niall Sabongi is a man on a mission. Coaxing his customers into trying new things whilst also trying to change both the conversation and the landscape as a Fáilte Ireland Food Champion, Niall is someone everyone knows, and if you don’t yet, you need to get to know him. 

We also ask those burning questions you always wanted to know – like where does one find the best chips in Dublin and can cheese and fish ever get into bed together? What else would you expect?

 

IF YOU’D LIKE EARLY ACCESS TO FUTURE EPISODES OF CHEW THE FAT, OR JUST OFFER SUPPORT TOWARD WHAT WE DO PLEASE PLEDGE ON OUR PATREON PAGE! ALTERNATIVELY, YOU CAN MAKE A ONE OFF DONATION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE.

Cluck, cluck! In this week’s episode of Chew The Fat, we chat to Fowl Play owner, The Big Grill co-founder and all-around BBQ genius, Andy Noonan.  Chatting to him in his restaurant within a pub - the live fire chicken joint Fowl Play within the Square Ball Pub around Grand Canal Dock - we ask about how we chose to open his first kitchen in such a unique place, as well as some BBQ tips for those who feel amateur in their grilling skills and asking where he derives his global inspiration from. The Big Grill Festival is Ireland's biggest BBQ and craft beer festival, which takes place every August in the leafy confines of Herbert Park, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. A celebration of the art of cooking with fire & smoke, with local chefs and international talent coming together in a big barbecue love-in, this year (taking place 16-19 August) the line-up is stellar including some of our personal favourites: Jess Murphy (Kai, Galway), Paul Flynn (Tannery, Dungarvan), Robin Gill (The Dairy, London), Grainne O'Keeffe (Clanbrassil House, BuJo) and Fingal Ferguson (Gubbeen), plus so, so many more.

   

IF YOU’D LIKE EARLY ACCESS TO FUTURE EPISODES OF CHEW THE FAT, OR JUST OFFER SUPPORT TOWARD WHAT WE DO PLEASE PLEDGE ON OUR PATREON PAGE! ALTERNATIVELY, YOU CAN MAKE A ONE OFF DONATION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE.

Comber, a town outside Belfast in Northern Ireland, is fast becoming a food destination – because of one pair in particular, really. In this week’s episode of Chew The Fat, we drop by Indie Fude – a deli and speciality food shop that’s a Mecca for food lovers, wonderfully-stocked with small, artisan, craft producers from the island of Ireland exclusively.

Throughout this debut series of Chew The Fat we’ve spoken to distillers, chefs, restaurateurs, food producers – all people immersed in the food industry and playing different parts in bringing tastes and flavours to the palates of the general public. So, naturally, we now turn to those who champion other producers.

Those who fill their shelves with gorgeous, must-try produce and act as a treasure trove for people looking to try new things – whether that’s seeking out something exotic in flavour or just wanting to support and stock up on local produce.

We chew the fat with Johnny McDowell and Laura Bradley who co-run Indie Fude as they open the doors to their new, larger premises. We met them a year or two ago at the Blás na hEireann awards, then earlier this year we took a first-time visit to their previous space in the same town, but now we find them in Indie Fude version 3.0… or is it 4.0? Tune in to hear more!

IF YOU’D LIKE EARLY ACCESS TO FUTURE EPISODES OF CHEW THE FAT, OR JUST OFFER SUPPORT TOWARD WHAT WE DO PLEASE PLEDGE ON OUR PATREON PAGE! ALTERNATIVELY, YOU CAN MAKE A ONE OFF DONATION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE.

Okay, we are pinching ourselves that in this week’s episode of Chew The Fat we are speaking with a Eurovision legend, who actually loves talking about food as much as we do. Yes, this week, we are coming to you from Niamh Kavanagh’s kitchen for a very different edition of the podcast. Eurovision Song Contest winner AND Celebrity Masterchef Champion, we find ourselves having a long and amazing chat with Queen Kavanagh in her Carrickfergus kitchen all about how she was almost the star of The Commitments, how a lesser-known session singer from Dublin stormed Millstreet in Cork to win Eurovision for Ireland for a fifth time and swapping cooking tips, recipes and bits of food knowledge.  Niamh won Eurovision at one of the smallest contests of recent times, and well and truly adores the contest still to this date. She represented Ireland once again in 2010 with the track "It's For You" which we chat about during this podcast. We also talk in depth about her time as a contestant and winner of Celebrity MasterChef 2017, where she beat the likes of Samantha Mumba and Simon Delaney to win the coveted trophy, which still has pride of place in her kitchen. We do know that this is a significantly longer episode than all of our other Chew The Fat episodes so far, and a bit of a curveball, but it was so good we could hardly leave anything on the cutting room floor. We spent hours with Niamh, so this is just a snippet of our afternoon chatting away with her. We think you’ll agree that Niamh’s passion is infectious and we loved chatting food and music with a real Idol of ours! There are a lot of laughs throughout, and a lot of great stories and tales!

IF YOU’D LIKE EARLY ACCESS TO FUTURE EPISODES OF CHEW THE FAT, OR JUST OFFER SUPPORT TOWARD WHAT WE DO PLEASE PLEDGE ON OUR PATREON PAGE! ALTERNATIVELY, YOU CAN MAKE A ONE OFF DONATION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE.

In this week's episode of Chew The Fat, the penultimate episode of series one of our podcast, we sit down with Donal Skehan to talk penning cookbooks, family life, presenting entirely in Swedish, travel inspirations and his guilty pleasure – Eurovision! Source: Donal Skehan (Instagram) Before you knew him as the accomplished food writer and TV presenter fast becoming a household name the world over, Skehan worked in TV production, spent summers cooking in Sweden (to woo his future wife, Sofie) and even had a fledgling music career in the short-lived band Industry. He also vied to represent Ireland at Eurovision once upon a time and was only narrowly beaten by a fowl-mouthed, out-of-tune puppet named Dustin The Turkey – the less said about that debacle the better! https://www.instagram.com/p/BkErNRQAYVF/?hl=en&taken-by=donalskehan We've met Donal a handful of times over the years and he's always a joy to chat to – however brief. Always smiling, always joking around, and with boundless energy and excitement we're so excited we got the chance to sit down properly and Chew The Fat about the many lives he's had already and try to get to know the guy behind it all a little better – we could have talked for hours, in all honesty! Donal Skehan is quickly becoming one of the most successful cookbook authors, presenters and social media personalities in the food sphere and beyond. Originally from Howth in Dublin, but now based in Los Angeles, Skehan has penned no less than eight cookbooks, fronted countless TV shows (Saturday Kitchen, Junior MasterChef, his own cookery and travel programmes for Food Network and RTÉ) and is an incredibly accomplished food writer and photographer. He's incredibly hard-working and it's inspiring to see his star rise and rise on a global scale, not just in Ireland and the UK. https://www.instagram.com/p/BkLQywVgHBH/?hl=en&taken-by=donalskehan Forever on-the-go and one of the most in demand of his ilk in the industry, we managed to nab him on-set for a half-hour chat on a very busy trip back to Dublin to film his next RTÉ series, Donal's Meals In Minutes.

IF YOU’D LIKE EARLY ACCESS TO FUTURE EPISODES OF CHEW THE FAT, OR JUST OFFER SUPPORT TOWARD WHAT WE DO PLEASE PLEDGE ON OUR PATREON PAGE! ALTERNATIVELY, YOU CAN MAKE A ONE OFF DONATION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE.

So here we are, 12 weeks later. Three months since we took you on a tour of our local area, The Boyne Valley, for the first episode of "Chew The Fat". Thousands upon thousands of listens later, episode after episode of fantastically interesting and diverse personalities, after the newspaper articles, inclusions and mentions, after the dizzying heights of topping the Apple Podcasts charts on many occasions, it's time to say goodbye (for now) to Chew The Fat. The first series was supposed to be just six episodes long as a bit of a first foray and introductory trial, but we never expected the huge reception we got, so had to double it to keep feeding your appetite! But now, we're taking a break from chewing the fat and bowing out for season one with our final episode... We always had it in the back of our minds that it would just be us two in the final episode, then we actually put the feelers out about what the listeners wanted for the final podcast and a lot of people really wanted an episode of just us two chatting and chewing the fat. So – what you want, you get! We kept it simple, sitting at our kitchen island with mugs of tea and coffee, chatting through our pasts, our careers which led us to create both our blog and the podcast we hope you've enjoyed over the past while. We also go through some of our personal struggles which we rarely speak about, or which rarely play into our dealings as bloggers and writers – but are integral parts of who we are as individuals. You know us by now – we cut the bullshit and are forever keeping it real and incredibly honest; this weeks' episode is no exception. A little different from the past eleven episodes, but one we hope you'll really enjoy. If you do, let us know, we might make it a podcast in it's own right in future? Who knows! Either way, we're incredibly grateful for the support and love over the past 12 weeks and we look forward to bringing back Chew The Fat in October for another 12-episode series which will have a great variety of voices from the world of food, farming and... further afield!  

IF YOU’D LIKE EARLY ACCESS TO FUTURE EPISODES OF CHEW THE FAT, OR JUST OFFER SUPPORT TOWARD WHAT WE DO PLEASE PLEDGE ON OUR PATREON PAGE! ALTERNATIVELY, YOU CAN MAKE A ONE OFF DONATION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE.

Round 2! Chew The Fat is back for its second series, taking us right up until the end of the year with 12 more exciting and entertaining episodes for your listening pleasure. After our brief break - to take a breather and try and digest the massive response to the first series - we hope you enjoy listening to each Chew The Fat episode as much as we enjoy making them! We love heading out around the country, microphone in hand and an appetite to learn more from some of the most knowledgeable and inspiring people we know! For the debut episode of series two, we're in Waterford to chew the fat with Michael Kelly and Karen O'Donohoe, founder and Head of Community development respectively at Grow It Yourself Ireland's base at Grow HQ. Our fingers turned seriously green when their debut RTÉ series, Grow Cook Eat, hit the airways in 2018 and now we're real converts to the ethos behind Grow It Yourself. Where have these green-fingered fiends been hiding within ourselves all these years? GIY is celebrating 10 years in operation this year. What started off as a local meeting group has spawned thousands of members, a book, a TV series and a state-of-the-art cafe and educational centre in the heart of Ardkeen, Waterford City. We sat down with Mick & Karen in Grow HQ to chat more about what they've done, what they hope to achieve and some funny tales from over the years. We're also excited to share that we're part of GIY's 'Homegrown' series of pop-up dinners at Grow HQ. We're heading down and taking over the kitchen for one special night only, which will take place in late January 2019. Full details will be released in the coming weeks, so keep an eye on our Twitter and Instagram as well as on the GIY website!

IF YOU'RE ENJOYING CHEW THE FAT AND WANT TO HELP SUPPORT US WITH THE COSTS OF RECORDING, EDITING AND PRODUCING THESE FREE PODCASTS, YOU CAN MAKE A ONE OFF DONATION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE.

We've got such grá (love, as Gaeilge, for international listeners) for Northern Ireland... but you knew that already! From walking the streets of Belfast with Caroline Wilson to pulling up a chair at Alison Abernethy's table in Co. Down, we've already documented some of our favourite people in NI food in this podcast; but we're only getting started. We've written about driving along Northern Ireland's Causeway Coast route (a MUST-DO!) before, but in this episode we took stops along the way to visit some of the Antrim Coast and Glens region's best food and drink producers – Broighter Gold, Corndale Farm, Lacada Brewery, and Broughgammon Farm. Firstly, we visit Broughgammon Farm just outside Ballycastle where Charlie Cole and his family run a unique farm focusing on kid goat (cabrito) meat, free-range rosé veal and seasonal wild game. Then, continuing westwards we make our way to Limavady, 30 minutes outside Derry and about the same from Coleraine, we chew the fat with Leona Kane who alongside her husband Richard runs Broighter Gold, a family-run arable farm producing the most exceptional rapeseed oil. Gold in both name and nature, this stuff really is liquid gold. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm0yLYeHON4/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1gzjg48va0ak9 Then, a few miles up the coast we navigate the backstreets of picture pretty seaside town Portrush and stumble upon Lacada Brewery, a booming craft beer business which is run as a community co-operative, begun by founding member Laurie Davies who takes us through some of the flavours and how it all started. Then, we conclude at Corndale Farm where Alastair Crown introduces us to his happy, inquisitive and funny free-range pigs and talks to us about the opportunities and challenges of better-than-free-range pork farming and his stunning range of charcuterie, from fennel salami and chilli chorizo to lomo and venison (by way of Broughgammon) salami. There's a common thread between all four, even though they have wildly differing products, unique approaches and individual business visions, but a sense of community underpins everything they do and what it comes down to is an undying passion for their produce. It's tough work for each one of them, challenges are around every corner, but they wouldn't do it without the love of it – and that shines through in every single word they say. Enjoy hearing their stories. For more on Taste Causeway, visit the Causeway Coast & Glens website.  

IF YOU'RE ENJOYING CHEW THE FAT AND WANT TO HELP SUPPORT US WITH THE COSTS OF RECORDING, EDITING AND PRODUCING THESE FREE PODCASTS, YOU CAN MAKE A ONE OFF DONATION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE.

In this week's episode of Chew The Fat, we are sitting down for a chat with none other than Nigella Lawson. One of the most iconic food writers in the world right now, with eleven books to her name, Nigella landed in Dublin this week for a special show at the National Concert Hall celebrating 20 years of "How To Eat", her debut book, and we were lucky to be able to get some time to sit down and chat through a range of topics. We have met Nigella a couple of times at various book signings, as many do. But over the past few years, we've regularly been in touch with each other over Twitter and we were all delighted that we managed to arrange some time to record an episode of Chew The Fat while Nigella was in town on a flying visit following her show at the National Concert Hall. Throughout our chat, what is obvious to us is the sheer love of food that she possesses and it's hard not to find that joy utterly infectious. In our hour long podcast, we chat about our favourite foods, what Nigella enjoys most about Ireland, who inspired her as a food writer as well as an in-depth discussion about a mutual passion of ours - chips! Nigella's show, "An Evening with Nigella" is currently touring around the UK & Ireland, and will reach Australia in 2019 too. About two hours of stories, musings, questions and answers with plenty of laughs thrown in for good measure too. It's worth checking out the schedule here if you are interested in the UK dates, and here for the Australian shows.    

APPLE PODCASTS | GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC | STITCHER | SPOTIFY 

IF YOU'RE ENJOYING CHEW THE FAT AND WANT TO HELP SUPPORT US WITH THE COSTS OF RECORDING, EDITING AND PRODUCING THESE FREE PODCASTS, YOU CAN MAKE A ONE OFF DONATION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE.

Every October, Dingle is the destination for food lovers. Not only is the fantastic and ever popular Dingle Food Festival taking place, but it's also time for the Blas na hÉireann awards, the top food awards for producers in Ireland. In this episode of Chew The Fat, we wish to give you a little glimpse behind the scenes, to tell the story behind the sticker, so to speak. We've been lucky for the past couple of years to be part of a group of judges invited down to County Kerry to taste, judge and evaluate the best food Ireland has to offer. Everyone is equal here- cottage industry producers are held to the same standards as the supermarkets and major suppliers, known as the multiples within the industry. Over the course of the day, each judge will have tried over 40 different products, ranking them on a fair but foolproof scoring chart. https://www.instagram.com/p/BZn9z6rAXu4/  

APPLE PODCASTS | GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC | STITCHER | SPOTIFY 

IF YOU’RE ENJOYING CHEW THE FAT AND WANT TO HELP SUPPORT US WITH THE COSTS OF RECORDING, EDITING AND PRODUCING THESE FREE PODCASTS, YOU CAN MAKE A ONE OFF DONATION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE.

This week on Chew The Fat we're in London to chat with Ryan Riley, the food writer and stylist who is founder of Life Kitchen. A project founded in memory of his mother, Krista, who died five years ago at the age of 47 from small-cell lung cancer. In a short space of time, Life Kitchen has hosted cookery classes for over 500 guests, many of whom are living with cancer, and has been a vocal force in education, awareness and  empowerment. Since founding the charity and social enterprise, praise and plaudits have come from across the food world, with support from the likes of - our guest a few weeks back - Nigella Lawson, as well as Sue Perkins, Jamie Oliver and so many more. Life Kitchen recently won 'Best Ethical Food Project' at the Observer Food Monthly awards too. In this episode, Ryan gives a backstory to his career pre-Life Kitchen as a superstar food stylist in demand as well as the work involved with the charity, plus discussing the future plans and why he has undertaken the work.   View this post on Instagram  

Yep still this excited about winning last night. @obsfood #ofmawards2018

A post shared by Ryan Riley (@ryanrileyy) on Oct 19, 2018 at 9:45am PDT

IF YOU'VE ENJOYED THIS EPISODE OF CHEW THE FAT AND WANT TO HELP SUPPORT LIFE KITCHEN, PLEASE GO TO THE GOFUND ME PAGE HERE

APPLE PODCASTS | GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC | STITCHER | SPOTIFY 

There’s a guy about Dublin. He’s the man behind so many of the city’s iconic fast-casuals. He’s one of the city’s hospitality scene’s most notable and iconic faces. He’s really a one name diva: Joe.

So much so, that his name is the moniker for his first restaurant, Jo’Burger. Then, we all later got to meet some of his next incarnations - Crackbird, that iconic fried chicken joint, Skinflint (amazingly-topped pizzas before speciality pizza exploded across the city) Bear (incredible value steak cuts and strong cocktails) and now his recent additions to the city’s dining and drinking scene – Hey, Donna and Bar Giuseppe.

This week, we Chew The Fat with Joe Macken. An enfant terrible of Dublin food, some would say. The man who created a beautiful monster of a restaurant group that has changed, transformed and shaken up Dublin dining. The man who created several success stories within the ashes of the recession. You know his restaurants and bars, you might not know him personally just yet

FYI This episode contains some strong language throughout!

APPLE PODCASTS | GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC | STITCHER | SPOTIFY 

IF YOU’RE ENJOYING CHEW THE FAT AND WANT TO HELP SUPPORT US WITH THE COSTS OF RECORDING, EDITING AND PRODUCING THESE FREE PODCASTS, YOU CAN MAKE A ONE OFF DONATION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE.

Two giants of the Irish food industry shouldn't collide... the best ones collaborate. In this week's episode of the podcast, brought to you by GastroGays, we Chew The Fat with Peter Hannan of Hannan's Meats/The Meat Merchant and Pat Whelan of James Whelan Butchers. Two absolutely stellar Supreme Champions in their fields (with a ridiiiiculous amount of awards between them), 2018 marks the first in a key partnership and a future collaborative process. Us Irish are absolutely blessed from this point on, because 2018 marks the first time Hannan Meats' products will be available to the general public in ROI via James Whelan Butchers. Hannan is a master of Himalayan Salt Aging and we chat (and tasted) his stunning sirloin, which is now tastily available via Pat Whelan's butcher brand. More products will follow, which is seriously exciting. Pulling up a pair of seats to the table amongst food industry royalty, and heroes of ours, we quite literally chew the fat with Peter and Pat all about their respective businesses, their start in the food industry, how they met, how the countless awards they've held between them have helped their operations and what's in the future seeing as this sole new product marks the first in a BIG collaboration between the pair of master butchers, more more importantly between a pair of friends.   James Whelan Butchers is our butcher of choice (and thankful our closest shop, Swords, opened a year or two ago to keep us well-stocked) and we were delighted to get the rare opportunity to interview both men together and get to know them a little bit more. If you're interested in Irish food, and you're as passionate about high quality meat as we are, these are two people in the industry you will no doubt know the names of and a pair of men you absolutely need to get to know!

APPLE PODCASTS | GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC | STITCHER | SPOTIFY 

IF YOU’RE ENJOYING CHEW THE FAT AND WANT TO HELP SUPPORT US WITH THE COSTS OF RECORDING, EDITING AND PRODUCING THESE FREE PODCASTS, YOU CAN MAKE A ONE OFF DONATION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE.

In this episode of Chew The Fat, we're in one of our favourite places on earth to eat, Eastern Seaboard – and it happens to be in the town we call home. We sit down with Jeni Glasgow and Reuven Diaz to chew the fat about being creatives in a business world, ten years of a groundbreaking restaurant in residential Drogheda, aspirations for the future and revealing the BIG changes planned for 2019 as the pair embark upon the next decade of the story.

Firstly - think about how we’re eating these days:

Global palates expecting exotic dishes but those same plates passionately appointed with as-local-as-possible produce.

Neighbourhood restaurants, which leave as good an aftertaste with the service as the dishes they deliver.

A drinks list that seamlessly segues from the contemporary sip to the classic cocktail – natural, organic, biodynamic wines and craft ciders but still serving the classic pint of the black stuff, and serving it well.

Customers who are open to trying new things and being led by the chef’s choice or the specials whilst also (hopefully) far more conscious and ‘woke’ about animal welfare in their menu picks.

Smaller plates.

Sharing.

Veg-centric.

Producer-led.

Value equating to ingredient quality.

Art and food almost intertwined.

Sounds new and modern but Eastern Seaboard in Drogheda has been doing this for ten years. Albeit it’s been tightened up, evolved and strengthened over that time, but for a restaurant that began in a residential area of a commuter town in County Louth right at the beginning of the global financial crash, Eastern Seaboard now looks to its next decade. You know already that before we've called this 'The Best Restaurant in Drogheda', and it still is. Probably the best in Louth, for sure a contender for best in Leinster.

Jeni Glasgow and Reuven Diaz are the pair behind ESB - her at the coalface, him at the pass - and what they’ve achieved in a decade has been exceptional, but not unexpected either. Their talent blazes like a shooting star across the night sky as they’ve single-handedly changed the dining scene in Drogheda and put the historic town on the map for its food credentials.

When it comes to Eastern Seaboard, it’s kind of that thing: if you know, you *know*, and if you’ve never tried - or never heard of it - well, all we’ll say is: listen on.

APPLE PODCASTS | GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC | STITCHER | SPOTIFY 

IF YOU’RE ENJOYING CHEW THE FAT AND WANT TO HELP SUPPORT US WITH THE COSTS OF RECORDING, EDITING AND PRODUCING THESE FREE PODCASTS, YOU CAN MAKE A ONE OFF DONATION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE.

In this week's episode we document the debut conversation we've ever had (in person) with Lilly Higgins. Down in the "real capital" city of Ireland, the wonderful Cork, we sit down in a local cafe with Lilly and chew the fat about all things food. Though we've interacted for years upon years online, this is our first meeting and it's everything we hoped. Lilly is so warm, so open and so knowledgeable about food. She has an incredibly interesting story, a wonderful work ethic and the most engaging demeanour – and THAT Cork accent! Listen to us chewing the fat in this podcast episode about old jobs, avocados, blogging, places to eat in Cork, local producers, fermenting and what Irish Food is as a concept. Pour yourself a cup of tea and settle in for this one, it's a real chat-type-of-chat.

APPLE PODCASTS | GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC | STITCHER | SPOTIFY 

IF YOU’RE ENJOYING CHEW THE FAT AND WANT TO HELP SUPPORT US WITH THE COSTS OF RECORDING, EDITING AND PRODUCING THESE FREE PODCASTS, YOU CAN MAKE A ONE OFF DONATION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE.

For a change and a bit of a curveball, we've decided to move away from food for this particular episode of Chew The Fat - as series two comes to an end soon - to interview a man and notable figure we both admire immensely: Senator David Norris. A man we have both adored for many years for his work as a campaigner for LGBT rights in Ireland, most remarkably when he took the state to the European Court of Human Rights, which eventually led to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ireland in 1993. An outspoken member of the upper house, Norris is Father of Seanad Éireann, as well as the longest serving member (debatable, as we discuss). Most recently, though he was the early front-runner, he made an unsuccessful bid for the Presidency of Ireland in 2011, a campaign which left Norris unwell, tarnished and disenfranchised with the media. This is particularly close to our hearts as Russell volunteered on his team for the latter stages of his campaign, after withdrawing and then returning the the race for the Áras. As we chat, in front of a roaring fire on a crisp and dark December evening in his stunning home on North Great Georges Street, we - as twenty-something gay men - learn so much more about what Norris, among others, did to advance the rights and later privileges of people like ourselves, whilst also having a proper belly laugh every couple of minutes because he is a captivating speaker with a sharp wit and often a tongue firmly planted in-cheek! Hope you enjoy this, the penultimate episode of Chew The Fat series two!

APPLE PODCASTS | GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC | STITCHER | SPOTIFY 

IF YOU’RE ENJOYING CHEW THE FAT AND WANT TO HELP SUPPORT US WITH THE COSTS OF RECORDING, EDITING AND PRODUCING THESE FREE PODCASTS, YOU CAN MAKE A ONE OFF DONATION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE.

Chew The Fat is back for a third series, and we're starting off in the buzzing city of Galway to sit down and chat with Jess Murphy, head chef and owner of Kai Restaurant and Irish Times food writer.  A New Zealand native who is doing sterling work putting Irish food on the map. She is an incredible advocate of slow food, local producers and celebrating the people who make the products we love to cook with and eat.

Follow Jess on Twitter and Instagram and check out Kai's website (and menu!) | You can also find Jess' Irish Times features and recipes here

Listen to Chew The Fat on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play Music and Stitcher

If you wish to help support us with the costs of making this podcast:

Buy us a coffee

Anna Haugh is a truly wonderful example of an Irish-born Londoner, having spent the guts of the past two decades in the city, it's safe to say she's made her mark on the restaurant scene.. but not as a restaurant owner, until now!

Following tenures in the kitchens of the Gordon Ramsay Group, then a stint as Head Chef of Soho's iconic Bob Bob Ricard, plus starring, recurring turns on BBC's Saturday Kitchen and Royal Recipes, Anna Haugh is becoming a household name in the UK – and is Ireland pulling up the rear with that? Now for the first time, she's going solo as she opens her own restaurant from scratch. Myrtle, named after Myrtle Allen, the late founder of Ballymaloe Cookery School, opens May 2019, and will showcase Irish ingredients in a modern European style.

For this episode of Chew The Fat, we sit down in Anna's London home for a proper chat about her ideas, her culinary adventures over the years and her ambitions for this long-awaited, incredibly exciting new venture.

We spoke to Anna a few years ago for an interview on the blog which you can read here. Check out more about Myrtle on their website, and be sure to follow Anna on Twitter and Instagram too.

Anna will also be appearing at Guinness X Meatopia in Dublin in July 2019! Full details here.

Listen to Chew The Fat on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play Music and Stitcher

If you wish to help support us with the costs of making this podcast:

Buy us a coffee

Aimsir is a restaurant you will be hearing and reading a lot about over the coming months. But believe us, it's justified. One of the most anticipated new openings in quite some time, and finally, the doors are open. At the pass is Cornwall-born chef Jordan Bailey, former head chef at 3-star Michelin restaurant Maaemo in Oslo, and his Danish restaurant manager and sommelier wife Majken Bech-Bailey, who is not only exceptional in terms of service but is also a budding culinary alchemist herself with her already-iconic juice and alcohol-free pairings.

This husband and wife duo have made Ireland their home, but also embarked on a 15 month mission to travel across as much of the country, sourcing the best ingredients for their ultimate fine-dining experience. Every dish you will have is Irish, through and through (except sugar... for now), so truly it's Ireland on a plate.

Though we interviewed Jordan and Majken the day after their opening night, we knew something incredibly special and unique was emerging from the culinary cocoon and we had a hunch that they were destined for serious accolade. Indeed, the team managed to achieve two Michelin stars within six months of opening.

Aimsir is considered, cutting-edge and clear in its vision. It's refined, resplendent and really deserving of all the praise lauded upon it –– but don't let our words do the talking, hear the story and vision of both co-owners (husband and wife Jordan Bailey and Majken Bech-Bailey) in this episode of Chew The Fat...

Aimsir is located at the Cliff At Lyons, Cellbridge Co. Kildare. Full details on the property can be found here. To make a booking at Aimsir, visit their website, but be warned they operate a waiting list that opens monthly for following months, and sells out in mere seconds each month. Believe us, it is an experience worth tryings, so do everything you can to get to experience this.

Listen to Chew The Fat on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play Music and Stitcher

If you wish to help support us with the costs of making this podcast:

Buy us a coffee

Making this podcast is a lot of fun- we get to spend time with people we find fascinating, people we have great respect and admiration for, and people who make us smile. Sheena Dignam (Galway Food Tours) is all three. Founder and tour guide extraordinaire, you will see Sheena out and about in Galway town showing locals and visitors what and where to eat in one of Ireland's best culinary hot spots right now. We sit down over a glass of bubbles to learn more about Sheena, her life and her love of Galway and beyond.

We wrote about Sheena's tour here a few years back, as mentioned in the podcast . For more details on the Galway Food Tours, visit Sheena's website.

Listen to Chew The Fat on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play Music and Stitcher

If you wish to help support us with the costs of making this podcast:

Buy us a coffee

We've wanted this woman on Chew The Fat a long time and we're delighted to spend this episode of our podcast Chew The Fat getting to know Birgitta Hedin-Curtin of Burren Smokehouse that little bit better and sharing her story with everyone. A notable feature and indeed a veritable force within the Irish food industry, Swedish-born and Lisdoonvarna-based Birgitta Hedin-Curtin started Burren Smokehouse with her husband Peter in a small town along Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way in 1989. Fast forward to today and Birgitta is one of the most prominent, vocal, passionate food producers in all the land, having brought the traditional smoking and curing techniques of her Swedish upbringing and applying it to the freshest fish here on the rugged coast of the west of Ireland.

If you're in the Irish food industry, you already know Birgitta (or you should, at least) but more importantly if you're not part of the industry, this is someone you need to get to know. Birgitta's passion for Ireland, Irish produce, Irish culture, Irish tourism and Ireland having potential as a key player on the world stage is infectious and inspiring. So, sit back and get to know this wonderful woman who we adore and we learn from every time we speak to her...

Listen to Chew The Fat on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play Music and Stitcher

If you wish to help support us with the costs of making this podcast:

Buy us a coffee

Coffee is big business in Dublin. Actually, cafes are big business in Dublin. Can the capital sustain more coffee-slinging, casual, all-day spots? If they make 'em like the newly-opened Cloud Picker Cafe over and over, the capital can sustain them all for sure! In this week's episode of Chew The Fat, we sit down with Frank Kavanagh and Peter Sztal, owners of Cloud Picker Coffee and the new-on-the-scene Cloud Picker Cafe on Pearse Street, Dublin 2.

Sipping an espresso martini in a corner of the new cafe - all bare brick, stripped-back minimalism and elongated galley-style coffee bar with open kitchen at the back - we hear all about how Frank and Peter found the cafe of their dreams directly across the road from the cafe they used to run. The pair are well-known for being the brains, braun and the coffee muscle behind the Science Gallery's offering for the past number of years.

Having started as a roastery, the Cloud Picker pair have always wanted a cafe to call their own and as fate (or luck... or a combination of both) would have it – they stumbled upon that very space directly across the road.

Now with a bonafide, fledgling cafe, a huge roastery business (outgrowing their premises on the other side of the Liffey on Sheriff Street with export orders literally piling up) and also trying to navigate life and work as a couple, we managed to nab these two to get to know them a little better, chewing the fat in a quiet corner of what is Dublin's most exciting new cafe and newest coffee destination.

Listen to Chew The Fat on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play Music and Stitcher

If you wish to help support us with the costs of making this podcast:

Buy us a coffee

We're on little Donegall Street in Belfast's city centre, standing outside a unit that's all stripped back, industrial yet craft-y and is an emporium of sorts, but the home of a particular cheese that's seemingly never off menu.

After a mini digesting break at the Chew The Fat table, we're back, we're eyeing up the cheese course and we're in our beloved Belfast once again. Not walking around the streets seeking out the best places to eat with Caroline Wilson (that was way back in series 1, remember?) This time we're in a fancy cheese shop, run by the Mike behind Mikes Fancy Cheese Co and arguably the man who has been mentioned in more episodes of Chew The Fat than any other person at this stage simply because of the stunning blue cheese he produces.

Michael Thomson is the man behind Young Buck –– arguably THE Irish cheese of the moment. It's the catchy name on everyone's lips, but the lingering flavour sating tastebuds with its intensely creamy, intensely saccharine linger that's styled on a Stilton, except better. He tells us he doesn't know where the 'Mike' in the moniker came from, as he was always called 'Michael' growing up, but, sure, here we are. He also tells us all about how he created the most in-demand cheese of the moment from practically nothing but a passion for cheesemaking. He explains where the name 'Young Buck' came from in a roundabout way. He tells us his ultimate cheese board picks. This episode is particularly delicious, if we do say so ourselves.

This raw cow's milk blue cheese is the stuff of phenomenon, appointing the finest menus of the best establishments across Ireland –– from Ox here in Belfast to Aimsir (listen to Jordan and Majken in a recent Chew The Fat episode too!) in Kildare. Maybe not what you'd expect from such an esteemed cheesemaker, Michael is a bundle of talkative energy (and a busy man with a fledgling shop and cheesemaking empire to run) so, kick back and listen to the guts of an hour with this absolute legend. You can find Michael at his MF Cheese Co website, Instagram and Twitter.

NEW: We're delighted to announce our wonderful sponsor for the next couple of episodes! You see, 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

This week we take our tentative first steps into unknown territory – the gem of the northwest of Ireland, Co. Donegal. We're meeting the man who everyone is talking about right now: esteemed chef, celebrated restaurateur/hotelier and - now - an award-winning author, Chef Brian McDermott.

Chef-Proprietor of The Foyle Hotel in Moville, Co. Donegal and author of recently-awarded Best Cook Book in the World! Brian McDermott is helping not only put Donegal on the map in Ireland in terms of food and hospitality, but Donegal on the map internationally!

A commitment to seasonal, local Irish produce (particularly Inishowen, his hyper-local catchment area, and in particular those wild Atlantic waters at his doorstep), Chef Brian is a beacon in the Irish food industry for his candor, knowledge, skill and support. Near-fatal health scares have shaped his view on life and how he approaches his everyday, which bountifully abounds every time he opens his mouth and his warmth for people and passion for his 'Donegal Table' style of cookery is evident in every dish.

If you didn't know his name before, you're definitely going to remember it now.

NEW: We’re delighted to announce our wonderful sponsor for the next couple of episodes! You see, 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

In this week's episode of Chew The Fat - our podcast sponsored by Marks & Spencer, celebrating 40 years in Ireland! - we're back in the big smoke, taking a table at one of Dublin's most eagerly-awaited new openings, Chimac on Aungier Street, Dublin.

Chimaek (치맥) is a South Korean institution, an industry that's been created from a pleasingly simple, classic combination of fried chicken and beer, but within there's a complex flavour pairing (crisp, spicy, sharp, soft, hoppy, yeasty, crunchy, refreshing) and something actually quite addictive. The phenomenon is seen across Seoul and beyond and began as little chicken shops serving beer alongside, the name being a portmanteau of the two very components: chikin (치킨) and maekju (맥주).

So how did a young couple from Dublin, who had never been to South Korea until a year or two ago come to open up a Korean-influenced fried chicken restaurant on arguably Dublin's restaurant highway right now? We sit down in-situ, a couple of weeks into their successful opening, to Chew The Fat with owners Garret Fitzgerald and Sofie Rooney. Partners in business and life, he runs the kitchen, she's in charge of operations and front of house. Together, they've got an incredibly fascinating story of how they got to where they are now and we hear it all.

From political upbringings to beer brewing, South Korea by way of San Francisco, we chat about free-range birds, the transformative power of serving frosé from a slushie machine, the agonising wait for this place to open and the unique artwork... oh, as well as how to perfect the perfect fried chicken too, in case you wanted to know!

Why is Chimac so good? Free-range chicken, brined, fried and then fried again to-order; fresh fries, never frozen; zingy, punchy flavours that don't taste like they're off-the-shelf, they taste homemade; and a growing selection of great drinks that complement perfectly the delicious bites. Listen in, then GO IN. Trust us, this is a new Dublin restaurant you do not want to miss. Even Korean customers have given it a thumbs up!

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

The Twelve is 12! This week on Chew The Fat - our podcast sponsored by Marks & Spencer, celebrating 40 years in Ireland - we're back west and pulling up at one of the great, modern hotels along the Wild Atlantic Way just outside Galway city – The Twelve Hotel and West Restaurant in Barna/Bearna, overseen by MD Fergus O'Halloran with Head Chef Martin O'Donnell at the pass.

We sit down with the pair to hear more about their approach to hospitality and their commitment to local producers in this gorgeous modern bolthole just a 20 minute drive outside the city, leading the path to Connemara. Martin grew up in the town - which traditionally is an entry point to the Irish-speaking (Gaeltacht) region of Connemara and still has a large portion of Irish speakers, given that it's now a satellite town being absorbed into the outer city limits.

This chef is passionate about foraging and, in particular, seaweed and it would be remiss if we didn't head out for a brief little forage along Silverstrand... stay tuned for snippets of that throughout this episode!

Language-aside, local community and producers are at the heart of everything The Twelve is about, and we hear so much more about how The Twelve stands out from the back, how they source their menu, the ways in which they celebrate the local community, the vast array of dining experiences and also their successes and challenges over the years, plus what they next 12 years may have in store!

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

Walking into a former butcher's shop on main street in Tullamore, it's incredible to see the small production unit for the behemoth that is Inch House –– fast becoming one of the premier black pudding producers in the country. This week, we're in Tipperary and we're chewing the fat with Máirín Byrne, a second generation blood pudding producer (but the third generation making this recipe, as granny Mary Ryan was the true originator, as we find out).

We've been "online friends" with Máirín for so long and have long, long loved this fresh blood pudding for its unique flavour, shape and texture. It's somewhat hard to find (becoming available in more and more places) because it's produced in a very small-scale in a little unit in Templemore with Máirín being hands-on in every way, from doing the orders to making the black and white pudding, packaging it and even delivering it too, not to mention the roadshows, tastings, exhibitions, festivals et al that a food producer is expected to show face at too.

So she's a busy lady and we were so delighted to get an hour or so of her time to learn more about this incredible product –– that now counts Nigella Lawson amongst its many fans!

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

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

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.

LISTEN TO CHEW THE FAT ON APPLE PODCASTS, SPOTIFY, GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC, ACAST, GO LOUD AND STITCHER

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.

Follow Julia's Lobster Truck on Facebook & Instagram

LISTEN TO CHEW THE FAT ON APPLE PODCASTS, SPOTIFY, GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC, ACAST, GO LOUD AND STITCHER

And, if enjoy our podcast, please share them, rate and review on your podcast provider!

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!

LISTEN TO CHEW THE FAT ON APPLE PODCASTS, SPOTIFY, GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC, ACAST, GO LOUD AND STITCHER

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

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.

LISTEN TO CHEW THE FAT ON APPLE PODCASTS, SPOTIFY, GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC, ACAST, GO LOUD AND STITCHER

 

 

Buy me a coffee

 

 

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

Buy me a coffee

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...

LISTEN TO CHEW THE FAT ON APPLE PODCASTS, SPOTIFY, GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC, ACAST, GO LOUD AND STITCHER

Buy me a coffee

From Cavan to Camden, in this episode of Chew The Fat we catch up with a culinary comrade of ours, our friend Chef Adrian Martin to find out his plans for flying the coup and opening up his debut restaurant, Wildflower, in London.

Well-known in Ireland for appearing regularly in the media, on TV and radio, and also being the author of two cookbooks to date (Fakeaway; Create), Adrian is a trained chef having earned his stripes in both Enniskillen and Killybegs before working in restaurants for a number of years, including Neven Maguire's MacNean House in Blacklion, Co. Cavan.

Since leaving professional kitchens, Adrian has been a fixture in Irish media and the food industry, whilst also collaborating on pop-ups and menus for the likes of Manor Farm and Insomnia. For the last year, however, Adrian's been working on a secret project that's about to come to fruition –– quietly relocating to London to set up his very first restaurant, called Wildflower at Buck Street Market developments in the heart of Camden, north London.

Famed for its repurposed stables market, punk heritage and eclectically diverse population, Buck Street Market is set to symbolise the newest regeneration of Camden as a true casual dining hotspot, of which Wildflower is going to be at the centre with its fine-dining-as-casual-dining slant, local and foraged ingredients at the forefront and just a handful of covers for that cosy, intimate atmosphere.

We catch up with Adrian after only getting to see each other fleetingly over the last few years at festivals and events to have a proper chat about how things have been going and what he's been up to in the madness of opening up his own restaurant..

If you want to support this 100% free and independently-produced podcast, you can ping us the price of a couple of coffees (to chug whilst we edit and travel!) over at buymeacoffee.com/chewthefat where you'll help shield the price of our little production and keep it continuing!

If you're interested in other chef podcast episodes from our archive, check out fellow Irish chef in London Anna Haugh of Myrtle Restaurant, Galway-based Michelin starred chef JP McMahon, Jordan Bailey and Majken Bailey of two Michelin-starred Aimsir, Gaeltacht-based chef Martin O'Donnell of The Twelve Hotel, Chef Niall Davidson formerly of Nuala in London now at Allta in Dublin, Brian McDermott of The Foyle Hotel in Donegal, and a chef who needs no introduction, Kai's Jess Murphy.

LISTEN TO CHEW THE FAT ON APPLE PODCASTS, SPOTIFY, GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC, ACAST, GO LOUD AND STITCHER

Set a short drive from Rossaveal, the port village linking the Aran Islands to its mainland base in Connemara, lies an incredible exercise in aquaculture –– and at its helm is mother-and-daughter team Cindy and Sinéad O'Brien.

Mungo Murphy may be a fictional character, devised by Sinéad (and drawn like a seafaring rogue by her boyfriend) to become the face of her brand, but what they're doing here is very real. With Connemara's pure water and temperate (read: temperamental) climate, the O'Briens are producing the finest abalone, sea cucumber, sea urchin and seaweed products at their aquaculture farm in Baile na hAbhainn, south Connemara.

Native to Japan, the particular type of abalone they produce is not Irish but these abalone have been naturalised in our part of the world since the 1980's and the climate and conditions in Connemara are perfect for its growth.

Abalone is a type of sea snail, and a true delicacy (particularly in Asia). Four, if not five, years of work and careful attention from hatching seed to shipping means this type of business is very delicate but abalone are highly-prized and carry a high price for a premium product. Patience is a virtue, but patience and TLC also pay off.

With strides for environmental consciousness, energy efficiency (using wind power on-site) and long-term sustainability, Cindy and Sinéad's story is a fascinating one –– and one of the lesser-heard ones in the grand scheme of Irish food and drink production. We took a trip to their farm on a windy, wet, ripe Autumn day to see what it's all about, and we're taking you along with us in this episode of Chew The Fat.

If you know Cork, you know the name Miyazaki, and you probably know Takashi himself too. Japanese-born, now Cork-based with his growing family, Miyazaki is a chef who has transformed the culinary offering in Cork, first opening his casual-but-skilled ramen bar Miyazaki on Evergreen Street and later opening his fine dining kaiseki restaurant Ichigo Ichie on Sheare's Street, both in Cork city centre.

Now, you may be wondering why on earth we're sharing a chef and restaurateur podcast in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. Don't worry, we recorded this just before the restrictions came into force and just at the beginning of the public health guidelines, so travel was still available and restaurants were still open to eat-in in. Why are we sharing this now? Because Takashi's story is a story that truly needs to be heard, and this - too - will pass, so why not now? You *need* to hear about his love of U2 which brought him to Ireland; his experience as a chef in an Irish pub in Japan when he'd never eaten the cuisine in his life; his thoughts on Japan's Michelin stars and where he personally likes to eat out; and why he is so dedicated to and inspired by the producers of Ireland. Plus, due to the restrictions, Takashi has had to completely change up his offering and his business (still open for collection and deliveries) so he's still out there, fighting to survive and feeding those who are interested.

We first met Takashi several years ago when we happened to be staying in the same Galway hotel, then later crossed paths down in Dingle at the Dingle Food Festival where he was demoing on stage. We've eaten in Miyazaki several times over various trips to Cork and loved it, but never Ichigo Ichie, and Ichigo Ichie is why we're here. Five months after opening his experiential kaiseki restaurant, Michelin awarded him his first Michelin star, and Cork went from zero Michelin stars at the time to three. (Restaurant Chestnut in Ballydehob and Mews in Baltimore were also awarded on the same day as Ichigo Ichie, but Mews has sadly now closed though chef Ahmet Dede is planning another restaurant in West Cork; Bastion in Kinsale was awarded a star the following year so there are still three stars across the county of Cork at the time of writing.)

Ichigo Ichie is challenging. It's experiential. It's a sensory exploration through texture, colour, flavour and taste. Some might say it's 'once in a lifetime' or 'a pure moment in time'. Skill is on show in abundance.

Refinement is on every dish, but it's a place which has its own Cork charm, Japanese skill and Irish ingredients. But don't let us tell you that, listen to Takashi tell in you in his own words.... then book a table here, STAT.

*Taps mic*...is this thing on?

It's been exactly a year to the day since the last episode of Chew The Fat was published, and we feel maybe it's time to just drop by and chat for a bit and share some insights into ourselves over the past twelve months, some hints at the future and answer the question of "when is the podcast coming back" once and for all!

Twitter: @gastrogays

Instagram: @gastrogays.com

Buy Me A Coffee - buymeacoffee.com/chewthefat

On the first episode of the reinvented Chew The Fat, we introduce a new format and a slightly different direction. First up, some bits of food news which we think will be interesting and useful to know. We also speak with sommelier, wine educator and lockdown Instagram hit, Brigid O'Hora (AKA Bridey's Wine Chats) as well as link in with the latest double act to take to the main stage at Slane Castle: Keith Coleman & Aisling McHugh of Roots Slane. We also ponder the future of the meal kit - with restrictions easing and many meal kits and DIY/At Home experiences being retired, is there much demand for it as we get back into restaurants (or outside of them at least..)?

Email: hiya@gastrogays.com

Support: buymeacoffee.com/chewthefat

Instagram: instagram.com/gastrogays

This week (4th June 2021 - -) on Chew The Fat we go under the hood of the food industry and chat to some people you may not be entirely aware of just yet –– a future publisher shaking up the cookbook scene and the couple behind one of the most successful pieces of technology to arrive to the Irish food industry whilst a pandemic was ongoing: Kristin Jensen of Blasta Books and Suzanne Rigby and Mark Hooper of Click And Collection.

In our snappy Chew The Fat Noticeboard segment of food industry news, we're covering:

• Lotts & Co.'s new Terenure shop, opening summer 2020 –– and now hiring!
• Weekl.ie's brand new Harold's Cross physical food market, opening Saturday 5th June and an enhancement of their online marketplace and subscription service, which will be open Thursday-Sunday weekly, 10am - 5pm
• D-8TE kicks off its summer pop-up residencies at Roe & Co Distillery, beginning with Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded Spitalfields, continuing with Sunil Ghai's Pickle and then following will be Nightmarket, Bahay, Matsu and closing the summer will be Nico Reynolds' Lil' Portie. Running Thursday to Sundays weekly in fortnightly stints, the first two traders already have their availability online, so book via roeandcowhiskey.com/outdoor-dining
• Michelle Lawlor's Nude Wine Co. launches the monthly Nude Wine Club, a new subscription service where three hand-picked bottles from independent producers are delivered to customers' doors each month, all singing to a similar 'theme' with an accompanying interactive tasting session via Zoom. €55 a month, no contract!

Pre-Order a Picnic! Outdoor Dining and Al Fresco kits

We also delve into the ongoing summer of staycations picking out some great picnic options that are popping up almost daily across Ireland... Including:

• Project Picnic Dublin
• The Tannery
• Pudding Row
• Cafe Rua
• Burren Smokehouse
• Tiller + Grain
• Scholar's Townhouse
• Headfort Arms
• Overends Kitchen at Airfield Estate

Suzanne Rigby & Mark Hooper of Click and Collection

We’ve all ordered our fair share of take-away throughout the pandemic, and  - as more and more restaurants have emerged into that scene - boxing up the restaurant experience has been pivotal to the hospitality industry surviving. Yet in order to get product into customers hands a lot of technology behind the scenes has to be employed to ensure the smooth, seamless running. That’s where Click and Collection has come in...

Kristin Jensen, Blasta Books

Has the cookbook publishing industry gone a bit stale? Kristin Jensen, think so, and has set places at the table for a whole new generation of authors from Ireland's diverse food industry. An experienced editor by trade, Kristin is shaking up the system as the founder and publisher of upcoming imprint Blasta Books, which is currently far surpassing its initial funding round on Kickstarter. She describes the soon-to-be-published series - which will publish Tacos by Lily Ramirez-Foran of Picado, Hot Fat by GastroGays (that's us!),, United Nations of Cookies by Jess Murphy (Kai) and Eoin Cluskey (Bread 41) and Wok by Kwanghi Chan, all in 2022 - as being what street food is to restaurants: casual, accessible, diverse and exciting...

buymeacoffee.com/chewthefat

On Episode 4 of Chew The Fat, we are speaking to some more fascinating people from the world of food & drink in Ireland.

First up is Brian Treacy of The Bartender Collective. This is a new project where bartenders acoss Ireland have come together to create their very own spirits company. You can support their Kickstarter at thebartendercollective.com

We also speak to Philippa Duff & Sinead Foyle of The Sea Hare in Cleggan, Co Galway. Their pop-up dining experience is very much on the bucket list for many of us visiting the region this summer. They've recently launched their Tamarind Sauce as a product in supermarket and speciality food shops across the country and have great plans still on their horizon.

We also discuss hotel occupancy in the big cities, as well as some news from the food world this week.

buymeacoffee.com/chewthefat

instagram.com/gastrogays

On this week's episode of Chew The Fat we have some news freshly released about allta's exciting summer residency pop-up concept at Slane Castle in Co. Meath as well as a long overdue listen to our visit to Teresa Roche at Kylemore Farmhouse Cheese.

On the Chew The Fat Noticeboard - our weekly round-up of the interesting stuff to happen in the food and drink scene - we talk:

Pride –– With Pride being celebrated this month around the world, many establishments are creating and sharing some colourful and beautiful products, donating to very deserving LGBTQ+ charities in the meantime, too, including Bean and Goose chocolate and The Cupcake Bloke. Support your LGBTQ+ makers, creators, creatives, foodies, farmers, activists, thought leaders. Pride is protest at its heart, still fighting to be seen, heard, understood and treated as equals to all others, and so important –– even still in 2021.

New Nook –– Nádúr is the new sibling to Sligo's Nook! Opened this week in Collooney, the new restaurant and cafe has limited outdoor seating, currently split down the middle with half for reservations and half for walk ins, due to a large amount of queries!

Holy Cannoli –– In Dublin, Dinetown in the Liberties has a brand new sweet addition - Ciao Cannoli. Ciarán and Federico - the guys behind Catch Events - are selling 7 different flavours of this stunning tube shaped, fried and filled Italian pastries from their pink Citroen van. From classic, there's something for everyone. Dinetown is open seven days a week at the Iveagh Market on Francis St, and also features Ethiopian cuisine from Gursha, pizza pies from Serious Dough, and the OG in the location, The Sambo Ambo.

Silks Gin –– A brand new gin launched this week on the market from Boann Distillery. Silks Gin follows after the family-run distillery scooped Best New Make Spirit at the World Whiskey Awards just three months ago so has a serious pedigree behind it –– and that’s carried through in the nod to horse racing and jockeys’ silks in the branding and name, inspired by the nearby famous Bellewstown racecourse in Co. Meath. 

ALLTA SUMMER HOUSE

One other major bit of news that’s breaking in the detail but has been teased for weeks comes from the team behind popular wine bar and destination restaurant Allta on Dublin’s Setana Place. After feeding thousands of homes throughout the pandemic with the alltabox, the team led by Hugh Higgins, Kevin Burke and Niall Davidson have been teasing on social recently about an allta summer house, set outside the capital. In the episode we chat to Niall a bit further about the inspiration, setting and the menu that lies ahead... If you would like to make a booking for the allta summer house visit alltasummerhouse.ie. Tickets cost €95 per person, and more details are on the website regarding accommodation and transport in the area, too.

KYLEMORE FARMHOUSE CHEESE

Now, before we started this current series of Chew The Fat, we mentioned we had a few episodes recorded out in the field ready to be broadcast and you can listen back to the first episode of this current series, series 5 of Chew The Fat, to learn a little more about why we chose to hold them back and ride out the wave of a pandemic before bringing them to you. Now we want to share one we’ve been dying to bring you since the day we recorded it, almost exactly 18 months ago…

A new kid on the cheeseblock by all accounts, Theresa Roche has been quietly producing one of the finest cheeses to be created in Ireland in years under her Kylemore Farmhouse Cheese brand. An alpine style ‘hard cooked’ cheese (think French Comté or Swiss Gruyère) except switch the Alps for East Galway and you’ve got it. Based just outside Loughrea, Theresa is a former nurse from a family farm and returned home from abroad and set about totally switching up her career and devoting all her time to her own herd of Holstein Fresians and creating and ageing her stunning cheese. Though this chat took place in January 2020 it’s as fascinating now as it was then and Kylemore Farmhouse is an incredible example of a contemporary Irish cheese from a traditional and humble Irish family. 

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...

buymeacoffee.com/chewthefat

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…

buymeacoffee.com/chewthefat

For the first episode of our brand new podcast called Chew The Fat, we're sticking around our hometown area of the Boyne Valley. This region of the Republic's northeastern coastline is becoming more and more noted for its incredible food and drinks producers. Every few months, we're beaming with joy to discover a new product is on the shelves and has been produced only up the road from us, so we went out into the field, armed with a microphone and wanted to know more about some of the most fabulous produce that's grown minutes from where we live. The Boyne Valley Across the country, from the top-tier restaurants to neighbourhood bistros, chefs are cooking with the ingredients grown, produced, distilled and devised in an area that has always been home to us. Three in particular are especially prolific: Marita Collier, who we refer to as the "Queen of Garlic", owns and runs Drummond House Garlic, which broke the mould when by growing something that seemingly no one else was taking a chance on in Ireland when they began operations in 2013. It all started with a trip to the Himalayas... Maria Flynn, along with her husband David, runs Ballymakenny Farm, who are now famed for their unique varieties of coloured potatoes, the purple ones in particular. Coveted by chefs the country over, her seasonal varieties of colourful, unique and exotic tubers in the Irish market are becoming the menu ingredient du jour and those in the food industry are clambering over one another to get their hands on boxes of these – which actually arose as a solution to tough times and a by-product and passion project of the family farm's raison d'etre which was commercial potatoes and corn. Maria opens up about how through adversity and struggle, she saw a lucrative gap in the market... You can't have food without a drink, right? We drop into Listoke Distillery & Gin School in their new, larger location in Tinure, Co Louth. At the time of publication, they are only the only gin school in Ireland, and give visitors the opportunity to create their own unique blend to take home with them, while also getting under the hood of just how gin is made. We speak with Blánaid O'Hare, one of the founders of the operation and a co-creator of Listoke 1777, a small batch, craft Irish gin whose popularity is soaring right now, and can only keep continuing... We didn't set out to interview only female food and drink producers, but that's the story we found in the Boyne Valley food region right now. Enterprising, everyday women who have made a career out of a unique idea and a passion for food and drink. All three have similar stories, with very different backgrounds and experiences, but what unites them all is their desire to make the best food & drink possible, and to make the Boyne Valley one of Ireland's top foodie destinations. We're so proud of the area we're from, which you can read more about it here, so we're delighted to give our first podcast over to those making the region a truly great place.

If you'd like early access to future episodes of Chew The Fat, or just offer support toward what we do please pledge on our Patreon page! 

Sometimes this blog has allowed us go on pilgrimages of sorts. This episode of our podcast Chew The Fat really was just that. For years, we've loved Bertha's Revenge, a small-batch Irish milk gin, made on the grounds of Ballyvolane House, Co. Cork. Behind the magical spirit is business partners Justin Green and Antony Jackson, who as experienced gin drinkers really struck a cord with those of us most enthusiastic about the spirit when they launched this whey-based product (named after the oldest cow in the world) on the market a couple of years back. We met the pair at the Irish Embassy in London back in 2016 at an event called "Spirit Of Sharing" organised by Bord Bia, which linked us up with so many of Ireland's finest drinks producers over the years. In the most part, it became the basis of our incredibly popular "Best Irish Drinks To Try" post, which showcases many of them, but it also gave us a chance to try new innovations which people like Antony and Justin have been doing. We've long championed this gin and are happy to say it's among our absolute favourites- and a trip to visit Bertha's home has been on the cards for some time. You see, gin is commonly made using a grain spirit, but Bertha's Revenge is different. It's made with milk whey, a byproduct from dairy production which gives the gin a smoothness. The botanicals used are spicy and citrusy, full-on flavour from both the scent and taste. We always say that Bertha's Revenge is a gin lover's gin, but we believe all should try at some point. It's at the premium end of the market, but a very special product which we have a lot of love for.  

From botanical to bottle, Bertha to Ballyvolane, we hear about the process in this edition of Chew The Fat, and learn more about the men behind it. We were lucky to be able to get a full experience too of Ballyvolane House which you can read here. A gorgeous guesthouse that you may never want to leave!

Guinness. Love it or hate it, there's no denying the global impact this Dublin-born and Dublin-made beverage has had on the world, no more so than in Ireland itself – it's still the most ordered and most recognisable pint in every pub in the country. But this podcast episode is about the Open Gate Brewery – a brewery inside a brewery. One of the most recognisable drinks the world over, the black stuff is an iconic stout, and St. James' Gate in the heart of Dublin is the epicentre of it all. The Guinness Storehouse is among the most visited attractions in Europe, with over 13 million people through the doors since it opened in 2006, and is the most popular tourist attraction in Ireland. Its Gravity Bar is also the tallest bar in the city, you might not have known, with a vista overlooking bustling Dublin below. However, the Storehouse isn't our focus in this edition of Chew The Fat. Instead our focus lies on the Open Gate Brewery and two individuals who live and breathe this place. Back in 2015, a new section of the iconic St. James' Gate site was opened to the public for the first time. This space wasn't anything new to many of the employees of Guinness, but it was a place very few would go to. Sort of like a brewer's playground, this was where teams would come up with new ideas, flavours, styles and innovations for about 100 years. Now it's where Guinness experiment and push their profession of beer brewers to the limits. Keen to note that they aren't a craft brewery, it's easy to see why many might wrongly call it so. It's an experimental brewery, churning out keg after keg of new and exciting products every day. Some, such as Hop House 13, Citra IPA or the Pure Brew Non-Alcoholic Lager, have progressed from a 12-keg project into staples in bars both nationally and internationally. Here, we talk to two of the men who are at the forefront of the Open Gate Brewery and Guinness as a whole: Pádraig Fox, general manager of the Open Gate Brewery, is infectiously passionate about the beers produced here. We've met him many years ago and it's his mission to show people that there is really a beer for everyone. Ian Colgan, who is the Food & Drink Expert on the site, is the man with the difficult task of bringing the food offering at Guinness and the Open Gate Brewery to the forefront, to make it a food & drink experience, rather than a drinks-only one.

Warning: this podcast about Guinness' Open Gate Brewery will make you thirsty.

So press play and delve into this beer brewing palace and a Mecca of experimental brewing in Ireland.

If you fancy finding out about some more of Ireland's other drinks producers, please click through to this post.

DrinkAware.ie - Always Drink Responsibly

We've talked to producers, tour guides, distillers and brewers so far in the first few episodes of Chew The Fat, now we're talking to our first restaurateur. Actually, a pair of restaurateurs. Las Tapas De Lola burst onto Dublin's dining scene in 2013 and five years later it's stronger than ever. Positioned on arguably the casual restaurant highway of Dublin running from Dame Street straight to Rathmines, Anna Cabrera and Vanessa Murphy are right in the middle of it all with their traditional Spanish neighbourhood restaurant and bar. We've already written about how special and important this place is personally to us - it was where we shared our last supper of sorts with some of our closest friends before moving to London - and we've long been fans of this little slice of Spain in the centre of Dublin, a stone's throw from Stephen's Green.

The Flavours of Spain; The Spirit of Dublin

But we wanted to delve a little deeper into the story of how Lola's became what it is. We wanted to get to know Anna and Vanessa, the couple behind - and co-owners of - the business, a little bit better. We ask them all about how they got their inspiration to open the best Spanish restaurant in Dublin; what some of their most iconic dishes are; what the challenges over the past five years have been; and whether Lola will get a little sister of one these days...

IF YOU’D LIKE EARLY ACCESS TO FUTURE EPISODES OF CHEW THE FAT, OR JUST OFFER SUPPORT TOWARD WHAT WE DO PLEASE PLEDGE ON OUR PATREON PAGE!