Food file

A collection of stories about food

Little pitchers

They’re among the most admired (and the most comfortable) restaurant chairs in Dublin, so perhaps we’ll learn where they came from in Nick’s Bistro, TV3’s fly-on-the-wall series documenting the setting up of Pichet restaurant on Trinity Street earlier this year. In episode one (Monday, 8pm), it’s two weeks until opening day, and Maître d’ Nick Munier (below) and chef Stephen Gibson haven’t reached agreement on a menu, and the premises has yet to be renovated . . .

FOODIE FUN AT THE RDS

Our appetite for food fairs is huge, and when they combine the opportunity to watch expert chefs in action, sample new and interesting products, road-test dream kitchens and do some shopping at the same time they’re irresistible. Which is why the FoodWine Magazine Christmas Show at the RDS in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 (November 27th-29th) is worth red-circling in your diary. Tickets from ticketmaster.ie.

Foraging for Christmas dinner

Gathering up the multitude of special foods that go into creating Christmas dinner can be a bit of a chore, so Eveleen and Pamela Coyle of Fabulous Food Trails have devised a special seasonal walking, and tasting, tour of Dublin. Following the trail leader on a leisurely 2½ hour stroll, you’ll be able to get hand-picked cheeses, cakes and puddings, sauces and condiments, and order your turkey and ham, from specialist producers. You’ll be able to taste much of the merchandise before you buy, as plentiful tastings will be offered, along with discounts and special offers.

“We’re trying to make Christmas shopping less of a chore, to make it fun,” says Pamela. They’ll even provide a trolley dolly (shopping bag on wheels) for you to transport your goodies. The trails are running on Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings, starting at 10am, until mid-December, and the cost is €45. See www.fabfoodtrails.com, or book on 01-4971245.

The freshest olive oil in Ireland?

IMAGINE YOU’VE BEEN invited to taste some really special Tuscan extra virgin olive oil, the pure unadulterated juice of Frantoio and Leccino olives grown on the slopes of the Lucchese hills that have been picked, milled, bottled and transported to Dublin within 24 hours . . . and then told no, you can’t actually buy any of it – it’s produced in such small quantities that the owners of the olive grove don’t even have enough to see themselves through the year, and around next August will have to resort to buying more oil from their neighbours.

Just as well, then, that the Shannon family, who run Bistro One restaurant in Foxrock, Dublin 18, love to share their bounty, so you’ll find bottles of the very fine extra virgin olive oil they produce at their Italian home in San Gennaro on the tables of their restaurant at every mealtime – until it runs out, that is.

On Wednesday of the week before last, Mark Shannon and his family, two of whom – Kate and Rory – work with him in Bistro One, gathered at their house near Lucca, a former grain store. They harvested 312kg of olives, brought the fruit to a local mill, then packed their suitcases with the fantastically fresh new oil, inviting hefty excess baggage fees, and took the last Ryanair summer season flight out of Pisa so that their customers in Foxrock could, the very next day, try the new oil for themselves – drizzled over warm bread, on salads and certain soups, and to add a finishing touch of freshness to several dishes on the restaurant menu.

“Our goal was to share the experience with our customers,” says Mark Shannon. So the family’s extremely mellow oil, which only at the last minute reveals its traditional Tuscan pepperiness, isn’t yet offered for sale. This year, in their third harvest, the fledgling olive oil makers achieved a 15 per cent yield from their crop, which produced about 50 litres of the precious liquid.

“It should keep us going in the restaurant until about August. I’ve frozen some, to use with Caprese salads, when the tomatoes are in season. If you freeze the oil on the day it’s made, you can take it out and enjoy it later in the year and it will be just like it was on day one.”

Bistro One, 3 Brighton Road, Dublin 18, tel: 01-2897711, www.bistro-one.ie