Midleton and Douglas, A tale of two Markets

The Saturday of our Ireland trip was the first major sourcing of ingredients for the Christmas and New Year’s period. For years I have been putting in a quick weekend trip, so that I can get some foods that are unavailable in the UK, but are very much part of the celebrations in Ireland.

The best of foods can be obtained in the Markets so we had to visit three, two Farmers Markets and the legend that is The English Market.This post is about the Farmers Markets.

First off Midleton, the oldest Farmers Market in Ireland, started by Darina Allen and the banner on the way in says it all.

From the amazing Arbutus Bread, Dan Ahearne’s organic meats the Ballymaloe Cookery School stall, local vegetables, Farmhouse Cheeses, Gubbeen charcuterie and cheese, and on to Frank Hederman’s smoked fish products Midleton Market has something for everyone. Sadly bad weather prevented the fresh fish from being landed so one stall was missing.

Right at the top end Jane Murphy has her stall with her Ardsallagh Goat Cheeses. When we visited Jane was back on the farm desperately completing a huge supermarket order. This Christmas her Cranberry Roulade cheese was in all of the big Irish supermarkets and Jane had 500 to get out that day.

There is a different relationship between artisan producers and supermarkets in Ireland. This does not imply that all is sweetness and light but rather that the supermarkets react to the Irish sense of locality.

On any Irish high street the majority of shops are local independents, contrast this with say the corporate cluster that is Cwmbran. Butchers, Bakers and Greengrocers enjoy local support and, in the right geographic localities, there are fishmongers such as Ballycotton Seafood in Midleton. Costa and Starbucks have not achieved the near monopoly that they seem to have managed in the UK so local cafes and restaurants thrive.

It is this sense of locality that makes supermarkets behave differently. Firstly there is a big drive to Buy Irish, intensified no doubt by the recession so sourcing is on a national if not local basis.
Then there is immense local pride. In County Cork butter is likely to come from Bandon Creamery or Glenilen Farm, of course Kerrygold and Avonmore are there but the local brands more than hold their own. Cheeses will be as much local as the ubiquitous Mitchelstown and breads will include locally produced as well as Brennans, Pat The Baker etc.

One chain that really gets behind local producers is Supervalu, a grouping of independents coming together to achieve economies of scale. Each champions local food heroes and has photos of them around the store. Obviously each has different local producers highlighted.

So, back to the Farmers Market and Jane Murphy and Ardsallagh goat cheese. Jane has her stall right outside the Hurley’s of Midleton branch of Supervalu and a huge photo of her hangs on the external wall. Though Jane was not there herself, the stall was and we managed to get some of her more mature cheese to bring home. Temperature would not be an issue as it was December and the boot of the car was equivalent to a domestic fridge.

In fact it was so cold that we took shelter in Hueley's Supervalu.

I did have an ulterior motive in going into the shop, and one that illustrates the difference between supermarkets on opposing sides of the Irish Sea.

The first Saturday in December is the Supervalu Customer Party – don’t see ASDA, Tesco or Sainsbury doing that here.

Within seconds of entering we were tucking into hot sausage rolls and enjoying an Irish Coffee, perfect for beating off the cold of the Market. There was also a range of seasonal nibbles available with coffee, juice or wine to ease their progress. In fairness I was also looking for things to collect on the Monday to take home like Buttermilk, just can’t get the real stuff here.

Warmed both internally and externally we headed off to the second market of the day at Douglas in Cork.

Douglas again shows that big business and artisan producers can co-exist, being located in the car park of a large shopping centre. Just a couple of miles away Mahon Point has a similar relationship, the Market operating on a Thursday and using the ground floor of the multi storey if wet!

The beauty of Farmers Markets is that being populated by small producers each is different and you can go to a couple in a day and find different stalls in each. So some of the produce is going to be similar, veg is likely to mirror other markets especially if it is local and seasonal but there will be variations even within broad categories. Bakers make different loaves and particularly with Sourdough bread no two starters are the same so each has a unique range on offer.

A couple of stalls really stood out for me.

Annies Roasts offer rotisserie chicken and soups. Annie Murphy raises chickens near Youghal and attends both Douglas and Midleton markets to bring hot, chicken goodness to people. She also caters to parties and outside events from her unique Rotisserie on wheels – think large trailer crammed full of spits and you have the idea.

Though the sun had come out I was glad to lay my hands around a big cup of Annies wonderful chicken and vegetable soup. You could tell it was based on a really good stock made from great chickens.

Annie and I chatted for a while about chickens, production and markets in general before I wandered off to investigate other stalls and producers.

Dropping off at Badger and Dodo for a much needed Espresso I made my way to Ballyhoura Mushrooms.

Lucy Deegan and Mark Cribbin are the owners and operators of Ballyhoura Mountain Mushrooms, Mark being on duty that day. They forage and dry mushrooms at home on their Aga and have only recently moved into selling through Farmers Markets.

In addition to dried mushrooms, foraged amongst the Ballyhoura Mountains, and cultivated ones they sell Truffle Trees!

Small Hazel trees have truffle spores injected amongst the roots to give you the chance to grow your own, and you won’t need a pig or dog to sniff them out, you know where they are!

I picked up some nice Boletus, Chanterelles and a Forest Mix before sampling a very rich Soup made from the mushrooms and the stock produced when you soak the dried mushrooms before use. (I have recently used the forest mix and the stock to make a deep and rich Steak and Mushroom Pie).

Just before I left Mark said “Wet your finger, dip it in here and tell me what you think”. With that he poured a small amount of dust onto a plastic lid.

Finger duly wetted I complied and an absolute taste sensation flooded my mouth. Rich, dark, salty yet sweet with believe it or not a taste of Smoky Bacon Crisps this was pure Umami.

“That’s my Porcini Dust” said Mark, “we dry the Porcini and then powder it in the Magimix before adding a little Sea Salt”. I had to buy a tub, which can be used to give extra flavour to Soups or as a marinade. I first used it as a topping to a slow roast tomato with a touch of Balsamic and Parmesan in a starter for my New Year’s Eve extravaganza and it went well, even with one mushroom-detesting guest!

As we had already visited Midleton the market was drawing to a close though there was still a steady influx of shoppers so we left and went to review our purchases and plan strategy for completing the shopping list before heading back to the UK.

Strategising is of course best done in convivial surroundings with an alcoholic input so it was off to the Blackbird at Ballycotton for a planning meeting….

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Praline Ice Cream

Just after Christmas my Dad gave me a container of hazelnuts from the tree in his garden, “Apart from eating them as they are we don’t have a way of using them” he said thrusting the container into my hands.

Straight off I thought of making Praline, some to go with chocolates, some to be an ‘added ingredient’ in a crumble topping but mostly in Ice Cream.


After an hour of hot nutcracker action I had around 300 grams of fresh nuts – so much better than the shop bought version which can go rancid during storage – ready for use.

First off they got roasted at 180c until the skins began to peel back. The roasting serves two purposes intensifying the flavour and making skinning them very easy. Once roasted the nuts went onto a clean tea towel and were rolled around until most of the skin had flaked off and golden nuggets of goodness were left.

Mixed with granulated sugar the nuts went on to a low heat in a heavy bottomed saucepan until the sugar melted and turned into caramel. It is important not to stir the pan during caramelisation to avoid re-granulation and to keep an eye on the pan to stop the caramel darkening to much – a dark caramel will taste bitter, not the result you are looking for.

Once all the sugar had melted the pan was shaken a little to ensure that all the nuts were coated and the whole poured onto a Silpat Mat. Baking parchment on a baking tray will achieve the same result and, though some cooks will tell you that this operation should be carried out on top of a marble slab I have never found it necessary

Once cooled the mixture can be peeled off the mat or parchment in one piece and set aside.

Blitz it in a food processor to a dust of your preferred texture and seal in plastic containers.

So, Praline made, it was time to tackle the ice cream.


As a regular visitor to Italy I have a great fondness for Gelato and have made my own for some years. Again it was my Dad who gave me the start with a small ice-cream maker which lasted me about 20 years but which died in the summer. Good though it was ice cream could only be made after the bowl had spent 12 hours in the freezer so to make two flavours was a three day operation.


I took the death of the machine as a sign that I should upgrade to a freezer/churner model, and persuaded Mrs K that she would benefit from nicer textured ice cream and a faster production and that around £250 was only the cost of a decent Magimix. In the end we found an ‘end of season’ bargain, a De Longhi machine reduced from £250 to £70 (barely more than a bowl freezing model).

But I digress.


Some years ago in Dingle I came across Murphys Ice Cream. Two brothers, sons of ex-pat Kerryfolk, left New York to return home and make the best ice cream in the world. This meant using the best cream in the world and none comes better than Kerry Cream – sorry for any offense to residents of Jersey and Guernsey.

Once set up Sean and Kieran opened a small shop in Dingle followed by one in Killarney ( there’s now a Dublin outlet and their ice creams are sold in major retailers and historic buildings too).


It was in Dingle that I first tried their wares and was absolutely blown away by the texture, creaminess and flavour. It may not quite be the best in the world yet (there are many I have still to try) but it is the best ice cream north of Milan!

I could wax lyrical about their sea salt ice cream (made with sea salt distilled by themselves from buckets of water collected in Dingle Bay) the Titanic Banana Split (with chocolate funnels) or the Tasting Plate (several ice creams of your choice and three sauces to mix and match) but this is a serious food blog and gastro-porn is not encouraged.

Luckily the brothers had collected their recipes in the Book of Sweet things which I rapidly purchased and Kieran kindly signed for me.

This is my Ice Cream bible, covering Ice Cream, Gelato, Granite and Sorbets and their accompaniments and is always to hand.

Anyhow, though I do not have Kerry Cream I do have Calon Wen milk, organic, not homogenised and the only milk produced and bottled in Wales, Green Saffron Vanilla and a proper Gelato maker, with home-made Praline this should be a triumph.

Egg yolks and sugar are combined and then milk warmed just to the ‘shivery’ stage is whipped in before being returned to a very low heat and brought up to 73c. The milk is held there for about 3 minutes until the eggs are pasteurised and a silky custard has been made. Heating above 75 degrees will produce sweet scrambled egg so a jam thermometer is a must.

The custard is cooled and the placed in the fridge to come down to 5c and then cream is whipped until it doubles in volume and mixed through before being whipped again. A soft mixture is achieved without the addition of lots of air (the commercial process developed by a research chemist called Margaret Thatcher!) and the whole put into the ice-cream maker and freeze churned for about 20 minutes.

At this point add the Praline, I used 2 dessertspoons, any earlier and it will just sink to the bottom rather than mix through. Churn for another 15 -20 minutes and then put into containers and thus into the freezer. Take out 10 minutes before serving to ensure easy scooping.

So how did it taste?

I asked Mrs K who normally rates things from “Alright” to “Yum”, but on this occasion she remained silent with a beatific smile on her face.

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Ireland Again!!

Before setting out on a whole new year of blogging I must tidy up 2011. On the face of it December may not be the most foodie of months – the Christmas and New Year’s bashes apart – but it proved so busy that I really did not have time to deal properly with all that went on.
Right at the start it was a return to Ireland. This of course involved a strange route – well would you have imagined otherwise?

Cwmbran to Aberystwyth may seem an illogical start but when the Saw Doctors are playing there the logic is blinding.

So a hack across Mid Wales and we arrived 15 minutes before the start. Now the lads generate craic and are generous with their time so it was a bit after 11 when they finished.

Back in the car we set off for Pembroke Dock arriving just as the ferry unloaded and 15 minutes later we had squeezed through customs – not before the Border Agency made Janet remove her belt and walk through the metal detector a few times, and made it into the Priority Boarding Lane. By 2:45 we had set sail and arrived in Rosslare before sunrise.

The much improved N25 makes heading west very easy do before 8 we had arrived in Dungarvan for breakfast – and before the parking charges apply! Refuelled on a full Irish it was off to County Cork.

First stop was Ballymaloe Cookery School where I had to deliver Darina Allen some of the Trealy Farm charcuterie that she wanted so much to try.

James had provided a good range of products that impressed and would be demonstrated to students whilst she also said that she must get James over to do a full demo and explain about the developments at Trealy including a day’s course on the farm. Darina hosts the Irish School of Artisan Food and is linked to the UK version so James’ new project naturally excited her.

I also took the opportunity to give Darina some of my Bacon Jam having notice that she had mentioned it as a food trend in the Irish Examiner, I also had to give her the recipe so I presume that she liked it. Certainly the Christmas Card which arrived a couple of weeks later gave that impression.

Of course if you happen to be in the school around lunchtime, and have a connection, you often get invited to lunch! And so it was.

Being week 11 of the Autumn course, the week before exams, the students were turning out some very good food so Janet and I treated ourselves to a meal made all the better by not having to cook it yourself and one cooked with passion and great ingredients. Starters, salad, mains and dessert with three kinds of bread and an outstanding artisan cheese board all had to be tried!

A large lunch threatened to make Dinner a bit of a problem.

We usually manage to eat at Ballymaloe House on a Saturday but a private function meant that on this occasion we would have to do Friday evening instead. An overnight crossing and a big lunch was going to make it a challenge.

But we are made of stern stuff so a mere five course meal was not going to stand in our way.



Friday nights at Ballymaloe House mean that the starters are a buffet. A large table groans under the weight of dishes covering the full range of the plant and animal kingdoms and to enjoy at its best a couple of trips are needed – not gluttony but to separate the fish from the meats.
Smoked Mussels, Smoked Eel, Prawns, Langoustine, Lobster vol au vents and Oeufs Mimosa completed my piscine choices before I moved on to the Pork Terrine and Chicken Liver Pate, the whole accompanied by a range of fresh breads.

I then moved on to the Consommé Julienne, crystal clear beef stock with shreds of vegetable visible through it, like Koi Carp in an ornamental pond.

My main course was Traditional Roast Goose with a potato and apple stuffing accompanied by Scallion Champ, Mushroom A La Crème and a green salad. Portions at Ballymaloe House are medium sized but you are always offered a second helping and, may indeed choose another main course altogether. I declined the offer as tiredness was beginning to set in!

Irish Farmhouse cheeses followed with a fresh Ardsallagh Goat Cheese, Cais Dubh and Milleens making my plate sing with flavour And the Ballymaloe Cream Crackers. These are made with cream and have a crispness and crunch that make you rethink your entire approach to biscuits with cheese. They are also the subject of one of my greatest culinary disasters. Making them in school I put them in an oven at 250 and went off to collect other ingredients from the pantry. A fellow student rushed up and told me that my oven was on fire! Doh!, should have been 150.

That over, we tackled the Dessert Trolley.

A Ballymaloe legend, the trolley will always contain a frozen meringue roulade ( uses up egg whites) and an ice cream but also five or six other desserts, pies, compotes etc. You may (and indeed are encouraged to) try the entire range and the portions are not reduced should you so choose. The key word for the servers is “And..”.

With a bottle of good wine and coffee and petit fours to round off the experience we retired to our hotel shattered but satisfied.

The next day would see some serious sourcing of ingredients……


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New Year's Eve!!

Usually I blog about other people, be they producers or chefs, but on this occasion I want to blog about the food that I cook.

New Year’s Eve is the one day of the year when I am allowed to run riot in the kitchen and just have fun. Traditionally, well for the last 15 years or so, this has led to a meal with good friends and as many techniques as I can think of in a balanced menu.

So last evening the company assembled and the madness began. In a meal that will last for about 4 ½ hours several courses are needed and the occasional palate cleanser has to be included to avoid a confusion of taste buds.

The Billini – a mix of sparkling Pinot Rose with Elderflower Cordial and a frozen Cranberry led into some simple canapés, good Olives, Prosciutto wrapped Goats Cheese stuffed fresh Dates, and a few vol au vents.

Then the Starters. My friend Dilys was impressed years ago by a simple Cheese and Tomato dish and demands one every year. There is a limit to the number of ways you can treat two simple ingredients so finding a new dish is a bit of a challenge. This year it was an oven dried Tomato set on a bed of puff pastry with a Parmesan Shaving topping and the warmed dish having a sprinkle of Porcini Dust added to intensify the flavours.

On to the pates. Chicken Liver is a staple of the NYE bash and I have never found a better recipe than the Ballymaloe one, especially when organic Chicken livers are used and the pan deglazed with Armagnac. Smooth, buttery and packed with flavour it is a winner.

Smoked Mackerel pate with Crème Fraiche, Horseradish and Capers gives a bite and the last pate was actually a terrine of Pork and Chicken.

With all the rich ness and smokiness happening a cleanser was needed and a Grapefruit Sorbet did the job. But the acidity of the mix of Pink and White Grapefruit juice was offset by infusing fresh Mint in the syrup to give a background note and an extra layer of flavour.

Soup has always featured and, given by the reaction of diners I could have a future as a Soup Kitchen Magnate. Often it is deemed Best Dish of the night which is annoying as some involve much more technique and effort, but good clear flavours in a comforting course makes this popularity understandable. For 2011 it was a White Onion and Thyme Leaf Soup with home-made Chicken Stock providing the base.

A Cranberry Sorbet followed as a slight digestif before bringing on the Main Course.

I love Roast Rib of Beef so this year it was the star of the show. I think that you need a good sized joint to maximise the flavour so off we went to a very good local butcher who sources much of his meat from a farmer that we know and trust. “Got a big Beef Rib Dan?” we asked. “Sorry they’ve all gone” he replied, “but I will ring round a few friends and we’ll find one.”

That’s what I like about using local shops, if it isn’t in stock they will find it for you, not try to sell you something else, they know that a happy customer is a repeat customer and that what goes round comes round and next time they will get the trade when the regular supplier is out of stock.
So a trip to Pontypool Market produced an 11lb 11oz monster joint that just fitted the roasting tray but took only 3 hours to roast. I allow 15 mins per pound which gives rare in the middle but well-cooked on the outsides for those who like their beef that way.

Roast Root Vegetables, Yorkshire Puddings and Roast and Boiled Potatoes are the natural accompaniments with Broccoli to provide a green vegetable and gravy made from the pan juice.

Following this minor blow out we took a break for a few minutes before heading into dessert territory.

Two desserts the first a variation on Rocky Road but with the addition of Maltesers, Candied Fruit and a White Chocolate Topping satisfied the sweetest of teeth but managed to avoid being sickly. One of our party had to take a large block home with her!

Then the piece de resistance Ice Cream.
Back in the Summer I cooked for friends as a wedding present but had to leave ice cream off my Italian based menu as my ice cream maker had died. In fairness it had lasted about 20 years and was only about £20 when I bought it. It was one of the freeze the bowl for 12 hours models so two sorbets and an ice cream would have been a three day job!. I determined to get a freezer/churner model, even though it would mean about £250 outlay.
As it happened I found an “End Of Season” reduction in a “major electrical retailer” which reduced the price by “Over £180!”. “Over” in this case meant down from £250 to £69.99p – 1p “over” £180! But it was a De Longhi made in Italy the home of Gelato and at that price could not stay on the shelves.

I was excited by the thought of making creamy soft ice cream especially using a recipe by Dingle (Co Kerry) master ice cream Maker Kieran Murphy – check out the Murphy’s of Dingle website – and the freshest vanilla supplied by my old friend Arun Kapil of Green Saffron Spices. The Vanilla pods look like French Beans and are soft and sticky, they are not the dried sticks that we usually have to use and the beans exude an amazing aroma and taste. Surely the combination of great ingredients, marvellous recipe and professional grade equipment would deliver.

It did and massively.

Quite simply this was the best ice cream I have ever made and one which even Kieran would enjoy. The looks on the faces of the other diners confirmed it this was the best ever and a totally fitting finale to a meal which I had enjoyed cooking as much as they had enjoyed eating.

POSTSCRIPT
Having cooked for 15 hours yesterday to ensure an enjoyable eating experience for friends I found myself up at 6 this morning to bake fresh Soda Bread and provide a full breakfast for people who had just 5 hours earlier pronounced themselves “too stuffed full to waddle to bed”. Oh well, must be doing something right!

Thanks to Janet for taking the pictures whilst I merely supplied the food!


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