A Dublin vegetable grower says she only found out her produce was on the menu for the European Political Community (EPC) dinner in Dublin on Wednesday when someone sent her a picture.
The likes of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy, French president Emmanuel Macron and Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni were among the guests in Dublin’s National Gallery at a dinner hosted by Taoiseach Micheál Martin.
The State dinner was prepared by award-winning chef Mark Moriarty and one of the items on the menu was “Jenny McNally’s Roasted Cabbage”.
Since 1997, McNally and her husband Patrick have operated an organic, family farm in north Co Dublin.
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“I had no idea at all,” she tells The Irish Times. “Mark orders stuff from us and he had ordered some cabbage, but we had no idea it was going to be on the menu.
“Someone sent me a photo of the menu, and I just thought, ‘Wow, amazing’,” she adds with a laugh.
McNally says it was a “great honour and a privilege” to “be with such great Irish producers”.
“Mark and his team showcase what Ireland has to offer ... we’re a brilliant food nation altogether.”
McNally hasn’t really had time to process the news, as she was selling her produce at a market on Friday morning as she always does.
“There was something on [RTÉ Radio’s] Morning Ireland about it, and all my customers were coming up and congratulating me. I haven’t had a chance to absorb it yet, but it’s just amazing to be up there with these brilliant producers.”
Other Irish producers to feature on the EPC menu were Sally Barnes, who has been smoking wild fish for more than 45 years in west Cork under the Woodcock Smokery’s label, and family-run Glenilen Farm also in Cork.
It is not the first time McNally’s food has been in the spotlight, as her produce was also on the menu during the late Queen Elizabeth’s state visit in 2011.
“She had the mashed potatoes! They were our potatoes ... And now we’ve fed them, the world leaders and European leaders. It can’t get much better than that. I think it’s pretty good going.”
McNally’s business is very much a family affair with three of her five children working on their 99-acre farm in Balrickard, Dublin, where they also run a farm shop.
The official menu in full for the EPC state dinner:
Baked Potato Sourdough – Glenilen Farm Butter
Celeriac Baked in Barley – Yeast, Hazelnut, Celeriac and Fino Sherry Sauce
Sally Barnes Wild Irish Smoked Salmon from Co Cork- BBQ Butter Sabayon, Green Apple
Striploin of Dry-Aged Ridgeway Beef from Co Wicklow – Artichoke, Seaweed, Roasted Bone Marrow Jus Gras
Side service to share:
Jenny McNally’s Roasted Cabbage, Bacon, Herbs
50/50 Mashed Potato
Irish Coffee Gâteau Opéra – Salted Irish Milk Sorbet
