Let’s go for a drink (with cheese)
Last month, Dublin's food and wine rumour mill was fuelled by the sight of Brian Ó Caoimh fitting out a space on Drury Street with mahogany and marble counters. Word on the street was wine and cheese. Ó Caoimh is the co-owner of Meet Me in the Morning and Reference Coffee on Pleasant Street, and he's partnered once again with chef Kevin Powell, this time to bring a Barcelona-style bodega to Dublin's city centre. Expect cheeseboards and platters of Gubbeen, The Wooded Pig and Broughgammon Farm charcuterie paired with natural wines, and cheese toasties for lunch, six days a week from 10.30am til late. The new place is called Loose Canon – inspired by the French expression boire un canon which roughly translates as "let's go for a drink".
Charcuterie masterclass
If you’re into Irish charcuterie, you’ve probably heard the name Rob Krawczyk. Having sharpened his knives alongside Richard Corrigan, Alice Waters and Martijn Kajuiter, Krawczyk recently opened his own spot, Restaurant Chestnut, in Ballydehob, west Cork. He has been building on the head start in charcuterie he was born into thanks to his father, Frank, who set up West Cork Salamis in the late 1990s. To highlight the craftsmanship of charcuterie, Bushmills Irish Whiskey is hosting two meat curing masterclasses with Krawczyk on July 24th in D.I.V.E., Belfast, and on July 25th in The Drury Buildings, Dublin. This free masterclass is one of a series of events hosted by Bushmills this summer to highlight its premium blend of Bushmills Black Bush. Register for free at blackbushstories.com.
Breaking – and making – bread
Join Evan Doyle and the Macreddin Village Baker for a masterclass on the history of bread making in Ireland, and pick up some tips and tricks along the way. The classes take place at Brooklodge & Macreddin Village in Co Wicklow on a number of Wednesdays throughout July, August and September. For €165pp, you can go to the class, enjoy bed and breakfast at Brooklodge & Macreddin Village, lunch in the Waterside Lounge and head home with your very own baked brown bread. For dates, see brooklodge.com
Tips on food waste
Are you struggling to figure out how to reduce your food waste? The Hopsack in Rathmines, Dublin 6 is tackling the subject with a talk hosted by Craig Benton of the EPA supported programme Stop Food Waste and the minimal waste activist Sundara O’Higgins. Together, they will share their knowledge on how to plan, shop, store, prepare, cook and reuse food more efficiently at the talk on July 26th, 7pm-8.30pm. Tickets €15 via thehopsack.ie.
Grab a brew
It was while working in Canada that friends and business partners Emmett Kerrigan and Keith Loftus, originally from Galway, got their first taste of the fermented tea, kombucha. When the pair moved home, they launched their own kombucha brewery and health food stall. Pick up a bottle of their refreshingly fermented All About Kombucha at their food stall, Avo Nice Day, at markets in Galway and at festivals nationwide throughout the summer. And grab a plate of their deep-fried avocado sushi rolls while you’re at it. Keep an eye on them via their Instagram @avo.niceday and @allaboutkombucha.
Marie Claire Digby returns next week
