Organic Herb Company’s cold-pressed oils are so versatile and delicious that they’re worthy of space on any larder shelf. There are eight oils in the range: Irish garden herb (winner of a three-star gold classification at the recent Great Taste Awards in the UK); coriander, fennel and dill; Mediterranean; garam masala; tandoori; chilli; chilli savoury; and Herbs de Provence. The extremely tasty tandoori and the garam masala are made with sesame oil, while the others are based on rapeseed oil.
They are extremely versatile and can be used as dips, in dressings, as a final garnish, or in cooking. Irish garden herb is made with basil, thyme, lemon myrtle and garlic, and has a subtle, lingering flavour, while the tandoori is an explosion of flavour that begs to be drizzled on a plain grilled fillet of chicken or fish.
The oils are currently made under licence in Germany, but Michael Martin and Paul Pritchard, who own the company, are in the process of moving to a larger premises in Wicklow. The oils cost between €9.50 and €12.50, depending on where you buy them, and they are on sale nationwide, including at branches of Avoca; the Organic Supermarket in Blackrock; Connemara Fine Foods, Galway; Joyce’s, Galway; Fallon Byrne, Dublin; Kilkenny Shop, Dublin; Hynes Kitchen Pantry, Galway; Ardkeen Quality Food Store, Waterford; and Illia, Mullingar. See www.organic herbco.com.
Palatable education
The proliferation of cookery schools continues apace, with two interesting new ventures in the
Dublin area. Eimer Rainsford (pictured), who spent 11 years with the Avoca group, and was
head chef in four of their restaurants, will be bringing a flavour of that group's oft-imitated,
bright, breezy and flavoursome cooking to small groups in her home in Sandymount, Dublin 4.
Her school, PinkGinger, is offering weekday, evening and weekend classes. View the complete programme at www.pinkginger.ie, or tel: 087-9864964.
Rozanne Stevens, who has worked at Cooks Academy in Dún Laoghaire, and has a regular
slot on Today with Pat Kenny on RTÉ Radio 1, is setting up her own school, based at the Miele
Kitchen Showroom at Citywest in Dublin 24, and will also be going on the road, to offer "express lunchtime lessons" to groups of co-workers keen to improve their skills, as well as private lessons in her clients' homes. "After-work Thai" and "contemporary Irish" are among the culinary topics she will be tackling at the Miele showrooms. Programme details at
www.rozannestevens.com.
Diary date
Australian chef David Thompson, a world-renowned expert on Thai food, is teaching a class at the Dublin Cookery School in Blackrock from 9.30am to 4pm on Saturday, September 5th (€195).
Thompson's Nahm restaurant at the Halkin Hotel in London is Michelin-starred, and his bible, Thai Food, is soon to be followed by another meticulously researched tome, Thai Street Food. He's a lovely guy, too, and a patient teacher.
www.dublincookeryschool.ie
A taste of Greystones
The Co Wicklow town of Greystones will be en fête tomorrow (August 23rd), with Church Road closed off for a cook-off that will feature in the town’s many excellent restaurants, as well as demos by well-known chefs including Derry Clarke and John Howard.