Cookery & Artisan Foods - Inspired by BLOOM

The June bank holiday weekend had plenty going for it this year – not least the sunshine – and Bord Bia Bloom celebrated its 20th year of transforming a (very) large site in the Phoenix Park into Ireland’s biggest festival of gardening, food, and sustainable living. It was especially exciting in the early days, because we’d never had anything like this before in Ireland and, being relatively small and pleasingly personal, it stood up surprisingly well against the obvious point of comparison, Chelsea. Two decades on, Bloom has been mindfully developed and, while much bigger – really too much of interest to do justice to on a one day visit now – it has retained a sense of connection as you’re bound to see familiar faces at every turn. Thursday is always my day at Bloom (‘ahead of the crowds’ - well maybe not so much these days) and - aside from the demonstration theatres, show gardens, and other big attractions on the gardening, wellness, sustainability and tourism side (some good regional representatives and several hospitality associations attended, including Irelands’ Blue Book) - the big magnet for me has to be the producers. The food and drink exhibitors were more impressive than ever at both The Food Hall. (73 quality producers, covering everything from fresh seasonal produce, meats and processed fish, to specialist cereal products, preserves and accompaniments, salt, chocolate and much more) and Bloom Inn (34 independent brewers, distillers and wineries, including some of Ireland’s longest established producers such as O’Hara’s / Carlow Brewing Company ) to recent success stories like Leitrim’s The Shed Distillery).

It was great to catch up with so many brilliant producers and the chat was mighty. To get things in focus, I asked many of them about their recent developments and new or most popular products, and it was interesting to see the themes developing. Starting with a total one-off, Westport artist-turned producer Fionntán Gogarty was there with his wonderful Wildwood Balsamics (recipient of many awards, including from the Irish Food Writers’ Guild) and – despite his impressive display of the ever-growing, and exceptionally sustainable, range – his main point was the wish to ‘remain small’. He makes everything himself with very little help and that, he says, is the secret to keeping the passion. A useful comment for small producers to consider when a buy-in is on the cards ,perhaps. Irish sea salt was well represented too – Achill Island Sea Salt is thriving and they’re opening a new visitor centre this year, and I’ve long admired the innovative tack that Oriel  have taken, by focusing on the health and energy benefits of the mineral content, especially magnesium, rather than culinary use.

Fom salt to chocolate is an easy leap, as there were plenty of premium chocolatiers at the show – Aine’s, Bon / Butler’s, Grá, and Lily O’Brien’s among them – and nearly everyone mentioned salted caramel as a best seller, along with core products that we all seek out such as gift selections. Cheese lovers were happy too, queuing to taste and buy from long-established producers like Cashel Blue and Cooleeney and new products like Sage & Onion Cheddar from the Traditional Cheese Company. When it comes to accompaniments Ballymaloe Foods led the pack (and the original Ballymaloe Relish is still the favourite) but it was good to see excellent new ones too, eg Builin Blasta from the café of the same name in Connemara (Smoked Onion Mayo is the winner there) and Sage by Kev Aherne, of the former restaurant in Midleton, whose natural dips and sauces are proving a big hit. It was good to see cereals and bakery represented by outstanding producers like Kilbeggan Organic Foods, whose products are all made from oats grown on their own farm, and Wildberry Bakery whose gluten-free cakes have a following (carrot cake tops the bill for them).

No shortage of terrific fish, meat and poultry either, with the amazing Birgitta Hedin-Curtin of Burren Smokehouse and Mags Kirwan of Goatsbridge Trout (their caviar is still a stunner) working their magic, and Carlingford Oysters wowing the crowd with their oyster-opening demo and tastings.
Of meats and poultry, Wexford’s ever-reliable O’Neills Bacon shared that original is best, with their best selling products still including their dry-cured back bacon (consumer) and dry-cured streaky rashers (food service) and, while Loughane’s of Galway were introducing an amazing 15 new products (chicken sausage being most wanted). Everything’s a winner at Silverhill Duck their super Confit Duck Legs is tops for hospitality, while home diners can’t get enough of their Crispy Duck & Pancake duo.

But best of all perhaps, on a hot sunny day at Bloom, was the fresh produce from McCormack Family Farms (where spinach is most-wanted, which was nice surprise) and the queues told the story about the luscious berries from Clarkes Fresh Fruit (grown by Pat Clarke’s family at Stamullen Co Meath for over 60 years) and 3rd-generation Greenhill Fruit Farm in Wexford. And of course some of that fruit ends up in delicious preserves, some of it made by Wexford Preserves – and it will come as no surprise that strawberry jam is still the front runner.

RECIPES Inspired by BLOOM

SMOKED TROUT WITH POACHED EGGS & HOLLANDAISE SAUCE 
This appealing recipe using cold smoked trout, was contributed to the Charity Goatsbridge Cookbook, Fishwives 
by Anne Neary of Ryeland House Cookery School, Co Kilkenny. 2 servings

100g cold smoked trout
4 free-range eggs
¼ fennel bulb, sliced
Salt and cracked black pepper
125g/5oz butter
2 free-range egg yolks
Salt
½ tbsp white wine vinegar
½ lemon
2 large slices of sourdough bread, toasted

First make the hollandaise sauce. Very slowly melt the butter in a pot over a low heat. Once fully melted, pour off the golden butter fat into a separate saucepan leaving the milky proteins behind. Keep the melted butter warm while you heat a pot of water until simmering. Place the egg yolks, a pinch of salt, and vinegar in a bowl (large enough to fit over the pot of water) and whisk together until combined. Place on top of the simmering water and continue to whisk until the yolks thicken (this should take three to five minutes). Take off the heat and add the melted butter, in a slow trickle, while whisking continuously. The sauce will gradually become thick and creamy. Finish with a squeeze of lemon. Cover and keep warm while you poach your eggs.
Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Reduce the heat and swirl the water with a whisk. Crack one egg into a small bowl and gentle slide into the whirlpool of water; quickly repeat with the remaining three eggs (at this stage the water should be bubbling very gently). Cook for approximately three minutes.
To serve, divide the cold smoked trout between two warm plates of buttered toast. Top each pile of trout with two poached eggs and spoon over the hollandaise sauce. Garnish with some thinly sliced fennel if you wish and season with cracked black pepper.

SMOKED DUCK WITH STRAWBERRY DRESSING 
This is a lovely starter from Neven Maguire, who uses Pat Clarke’s big and juicy Irish King Strawberries for summer menus at his famed MacNean Restaurant This recipes proves a little can go a long way – you will only need a 120g packet of Silverhill smoked duck, which is available in large supermarkets and good delis. It works well with Ummera smoked chicken from West Cork.
Ingredients
120g packet sliced Silverhill smoked duck breast
1 large orange, flesh cut into segments
100g Pat Clarke king strawberries, hulled and diced into cubes
50g (2oz) mixed salad leaves
3 tbsp toasted flaked almonds
Strawberry Dressing:
finely grated rind of ½ orange
3 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 tbsp strawberry vinegar
1 tsp runny honey
1 tsp snipped fresh chives
sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper

Method:
To make the dressing, whisk the orange rind in a bowl with the rapeseed oil, strawberry vinegar, honey and chives and then season to taste.
Divide the smoked duck between the plates. Arrange the orange segments between each duck slice. Sprinkle the diced strawberries over the duck and oranges. Mix the salad leaves with the dressing and arrange in the centre of the duck slices. Drizzle any remaining dressing over the top, then scatter over the toasted almonds to serve.

STRAWBERRY SHORT CAKE 

A rambling old coaching inn set in lovely gardens alongside the River Vartry, Hunter's was one of the founding members of the Irish Country Houses & Restaurants Association (The Blue Book ) and has a long and fascinating history - it's one of Ireland's oldest coaching inns , with records indicating that it was built around 1720 so it has probably been in business for nearly three centuries. Today the meal they are most famous for at Hunter's is an Afternoon Tea of fresh scones, home-made jams, biscuits and cakes which, in summer, is taken in the garden beside a wonderful herbaceous border.
Hunter's Shortbread is often on the tea tray:

5 oz/150g butter, at room temperature
4 oz/100g caster sugar
10 oz/275g flour.

Preheat a moderate oven, 350'F/180'C/Gas mark 4 and grease a swiss roll tin, 12"x 9"/30x23 cm. Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl, then gradually work in the flour with a wooden spoon or an electric mixer. Press this mixture into the prepared tin with the fingers, prick lightly all over with a fork and score deeply into fingers. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown, then remove from the oven and leave in the tin to cool. Turn out onto a board, break or cut into fingers on the lines marked out before baking and store in an airtight tin until required.

Ingredients
Shortbread:
• 6 ozs (175g/1 1/4 cups) flour
• 4 ozs (110g/1 stick) butter
• 2 ozs (50g/1/4 cup) castor sugar
• 1/2 lb (225g) strawberries
• 8 fl ozs (250ml/1 cup) Chantilly cream – whipped sweetened cream
• 1 teaspoon icing sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Garnish:
6 – 8 whole strawberries and fresh mint leaves


Method
Rub the butter into the flour and castor sugar as for shortcrust pastry. Gather the mixture together and knead lightly. Rest for a few minutes if you have time.
Roll out into 2 circles 7 inches (17.5cm) in diameter, 1/4 inch (7mm) thick.
Bake in a preheated moderate oven 180°C/350°F/regulo 4, 15 minutes approx or until pale golden.
Remove and cool on a rack. One circle may be marked with a knife into wedges while still warm, to facilitate cutting later.
Shortly before serving sandwich with chantilly cream and halved sugared strawberries.
Sieve icing sugar over the top and decorate with rosettes of cream, whole strawberries and fresh mint leaves.

Note: Individual strawberry shortcakes may be made with 3 inches (7.5cm) discs of shortbread.

Cut the strawberries lengthways and brush with red currant jelly if available.