Taste one of Eugene McSweeney's watercress-and-potato soups and you will be astounded by the lilt of something wild and unidentifiable in the background seasonings. Taste his ginger creme brulee, and you'll swoon over the richness and velvety texture of its component cream and eggs.
McSweeney's deceptively simple food belies 36 years behind a stove, the past 17 at Lacken House in Kilkenny. This charming restaurant/inn, a labour of love for him and his sommelier wife, Breda, is now for sale, but the couple's legacy won't soon be forgotten.
An early proponent of "new Irish cooking", in which indigenous Irish foods are showcased, McSweeney goes beyond merely advocating fresh, natural ingredients to his students and fans of RTE's Pot Luck, in which he is a regular participant - he's the man neighbours turn to if they have a glut of freshly caught salmon, or if they have stumbled on an enormous puffball mushroom whose firm white flesh, sliced and fried in butter, has all the macho "meatiness" of a steak.
When ingredients don't come to McSweeney, he goes looking for them. He traces a longtime passion for foraging wild foods to his childhood in Portlaoise in the 1950s. Then, with no television and few diversions for youngsters other than playing in the fields, he learned from older men how to snare rabbits and find the juiciest blackberries. Today, he combines foraging with his other great passion - horse riding. Every morning, rain or shine, he and his horse, Max Flight, set out from the Top Flight Equestrian Centre in Warrington, Kilkenny to assess what's ready to eat. He will return on foot, with a basket, to collect what they spot. Aside from its health benefits, the ritual is a great way to escape from a high-stress kitchen. "I have a free mind in the fresh air," he says.
On a sunny morning after days of rain, with the Kilkenny countryside sparkling with moisture, I set off foraging with McSweeney. As Max Flight and my mount, Harry, snorted and twitched their noses, we moved along hedgerows emitting the aromas of a combined tangle of honeysuckle, wild marjoram, elderflowers, wild roses and mint. There must have been a million buttercups blooming underfoot.
"Look over there," says McSweeney, directing my attention to the mass of vegetation comprising the hedgerow.
Studding the branches of a large blackthorn shrub are numerous small, green berries, which will eventually turn dark purple. "Sloe berries," says McSweeney. "Great for making sloe gin." Though the berries can be picked in September, it's better to wait until after the first frost, when the fruits' skins soften. Sloe gin makes an excellent Christmas gift.
Likewise, elderberry bushes abound. Their lacy, cream-coloured flowers, whose aroma suggests a paler version of hyacinths, can be used for fritters, sorbets and wine. The shrubs' mature berries are the basis of a delicate jelly.
Though all field-greens are at their best when they are young and tender, McSweeney harvests older, tougher stinging nettles for soup by collecting only the top three sets of leaves off each stalk. Similarly, he uses young, small, dandelion-greens year-round to add a peppery tang to salads, and wild sorrel for its tartness. Wild garlic, another favourite, is liberally snipped into salads, soups and sauces, or crushed with olive oil to make pesto.
As we pass by the Nore River, its shallow waters drifting over stones, McSweeney excuses himself and takes time out for a gallop. Man and horse disappear, then reemerge, jump a few fences and return elated. "I'm so lucky to have this," he says.
Focus and bravery - as in riding - are key to McSweeney's approach to cooking. "Don't mess with the classics," he says, admonishing those who would pervert such standbys as bearnaise sauce, hollandaise sauce or Caesar salad into something unrecognisable. On the other hand, he favours innovation: if it's summer and Seville oranges aren't in season, use sweet oranges, grapefruits and lemons to make marmalade, for example. Or take a traditional Irish dish such as colcannon and make colcannon soup. "Keep food simple, keep it pure and enjoy it," he says.
Checking the progress of the gnarly, hard fruits on a line of crabapple trees near a sweep of wild irises, McSweeney says they will be ready to harvest soon, when they are the size of apricots. Patience is needed when dealing with nature. We find no sprouting field mushrooms in the "fairy rings" - circular, slightly darkened areas of grass where McSweeney often finds them - or sweet wild strawberries underfoot.
Wishful thinking for now, but there's always tomorrow.
Hints On Harvesting
Get permission from the landowner before foraging.
Dress according to the weather conditions; remember gloves for picking prickly items.
Pick wild food well away from the road, so your fruit/herbs will be free of dust and pollution.
Pick only what you can use; over-picking depletes natural resources.
Only pick fruit/herbs that you can identify; if in doubt, don't!
Buy or borrow a simple book on wild foods.
Remember to close all gates after you.
When you get home, gently rub the fruit/herbs with a damp cloth; do not wash as this will remove many essential oils and flavours. Shake edible flowers over newspapers to extract any foreign bodies.
Get a simple recipe and use it; then you can experiment further with more complicated recipes or your own variations.
McSweeney's Recipes
Crab apple Jelly with Fresh Mint
This makes a beautiful pink jelly with a great flavour. You can substitute other fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, lemon balm, etc.) for the mint. The jelly goes well with pates, cold meats, roast lamb, bacon, chicken and pork.
2 kg (41/2 lb) crab apples
1 1/2 litres (54 fl oz) water
Granulated sugar
65 g (21/4 oz) shredded fresh mint leaves, or more to taste
Chop the crab apples and place in a preserving pan with just enough water to cover. Slowly bring to the boil, and let simmer for one hour. Gently stir to extract the pectin.
Very carefully, ladle the fruit into a jelly bag or muslin cloth and allow to drip for several hours. Do not attempt to force the juice through, as this will result in a cloudy jam.
Measure the collected juice, and for every pint of juice add a pound of sugar. Put the mixture into a preserving pan and stir while bringing to the boil. Boil for 10 to 15 minutes. Add mint five minutes before the jam is ready. When jam is ready, skim and pour into sterilised jars.
Makes approximately 2 pints.
Sloe Gin
Sloes, pricked with a needle
50g (2 oz) granulated sugar
1 bottle gin
Half-fill two clean, dry gin bottles with the clean, pricked sloes. Add the sugar in two 25 gram-batches to each bottle, neat. Top off the bottles with the gin.
Replace the cork on each bottle, and store for three months in a slightly warm place. Shake every couple of weeks.
When ready, strain and rebottle. Use as you wish or keep for that special occasion!
Makes two bottles.
Spring Nettle Soup
Spring Nettle Soup
225g (1/2lb) sliced onions
150g (6oz) butter
225g (1/2lb) chopped potatoes
225g (1/2lb) nettle tops
2 pints (40 fl oz) vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 pint (10 fl oz) milk
In a stockpot, fry the onions in the butter until soft. Add the chopped potatoes and cook for five minutes. Next, add the washed nettle-tops, stock and seasoning. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Puree in a liquidiser and return to the pot. Bring to the boil and add the milk. Season to taste.
Makes about 10 portions.