Compiled by MARIE-CLAIRE DIGBY
Mullingar's Red Earth
Red Earth, a vast food and lifestyle store with a 120-seat restaurant, opened last week in Mullingar, Co Westmeath. It’s a family concern run by Tony and Jackie Collins of Genesis Fine Arts, along with their daughter Lisa Collins, who is creative director of the new business. One third of the retail space is dedicated to the food hall and restaurant, and there are lots of lovely gifts ideas. It’s located at Mullingar Business Park. See RedEarthIreland.com, tel: 044-9390370.
ForFoodsSakeIreland.blogspot.com
Check out this blog for information on what these food fanatics who run regular discussion nights and group tastings, as well as occasional food movie nights, are up to. Their next event is a debate on the topic of “Meat – Do We Eat Too Much?” at The Sugar Club, 8 Lower Leeson Street, Dublin 2 next Thursday evening, November 24th, at 7pm. Derry Clarke of L’Ecrivain restaurant, David Flynn of The Happy Pear in Greystones, Dr Oliver Moore, food journalist and academic, and food historian Frank Armstrong join Aoife Carrigy on the panel, and Ireland’s foremost vegetarian chef, Denis Cotter, who is in Canada at the moment, will take part by Skype conference call. Tickets are €5 on the door.
BAKING BASICS
If you were inspired by our recent seasonal recipes from Eunice Power, but still haven’t managed to get baking, you can learn first hand from the master baker herself at a one-day course at The Tannery Cookery School in Dungarvan on Saturday, December 10th. Old Fashioned Christmas Baking is the title of the course, but you can expect Power to have quite a few stylish and modern recipes to share as well. The class runs from 10am to 4.30pm and costs €150. See Tannery.ie
From building to baking
Alice Burns is the latest in a string of Irish architects who, when faced with an altered professional landscape, have directed their creativity to starting a food business. In her case, it’s a stylish cafe and cake shop in what was once the manager’s drawing room in the former Bank of Ireland building that is now home to Brian S Nolan interiors in Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin.
In May 2008 Burns married her college classmate Clive Deasy, who is a professional yachtsman, and the pair spent two years running a private yacht charter in the Caribbean and the US, with Burns running the galley. “I blagged my way on as the chef,” says the self-taught cook.
On their return, Burns put plans in place to open an architectural practice in Kildare, where she is from, but at the last minute the deal on the premises she had located fell through. A chance discussion led to the opportunity to follow another career path, and just three weeks later she opened her cafe, White Tea, in Dún Laoghaire.
That was almost 12 months ago, and since then she has been cooking up a storm, serving breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea. The menu is concise, running from breakfast staples to a lunchtime offering of interesting sandwiches, salads and savoury tarts, with a tempting display of home-made cakes, buns and biscuits available all day (opening hours are 9am to 4pm, Monday to Saturday). Tea, served in vintage china, is sourced from Solaris Botanicals in Galway, and coffee is by Fermoy roasters Badger Dodo. White Tea is on the first floor of Brian S Nolan Interiors at 102 Upper Georges Street, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin.
the buzz
Tune in to Twitter . . .
Thomasina Miers @thomasinamiers: Went through my freezer and found 6 litres stock, 4 different moles, 48 sausages, 12 chorizo, more bacon, 1 St John Eccles cake (yip!)
Bord Bia @Bordbia: We’re getting ready for Salon Du Blog 2011 in France. Looking forward to having @edibleireland @Biscuits4ABear there to represent Ireland
Channel 4 Food @Channel4Food: Christmas Countdown #1: Pour vodka over apple slices and cinnamon sticks, then leave to infuse for as long as you can resist
CrackBird Restaurant @CrackBIRDdublin: The accountant is cooking for his kids later; asked me how do you defrost a tiramisu
