THE BIG PICNIC:For some festival-goers, the food on offer is as important as the music – so what can you expect at next weekend's Electric Picnic, writes DEREK O'CONNOR
TIME, LADIES AND gentlemen, please – autumn awaits. That said, you’ve got at least one more chance to experience that summer feeling en masse: next weekend’s Electric Picnic festival at Stradbally, Co Laois. The Picnic remains the end-of-season blow out of choice, a weekend-long music and arts happening-cum-lifestyle option that still manages to give the whole “boutique” concept a good name. The real secret of its success? It’s all about the grub.
At the inaugural Electric Picnic in 2004 dodgy burgers and half-cooked chips were jettisoned in favour of upmarket dining options, from stone-baked pizza and Thai curries to rustic French cuisine. The punter response was instant.
“We were the first Irish festival not to have fast food on site, and that was a very conscious decision from day one,” says Vanessa Clarke, who co-ordinates the food outlets for Picnic promoters Pod Concerts. Along with a resounding eco-friendly stance, more recent Picnics have embraced Fair Trade products and the Slow Dining movement.
These days, when people rave about their Picnic experience, chances are they’ll get as excited about the pies as they do about the acts. With 85 different food retailers trading on-site, further complemented by a variety of upmarket snack outlets, the discerning Picnicker remains spoiled for choice – the result of a year-round search to cater for every taste.
“Six years ago, the types of caterers we were actively seeking just weren’t there,” says Clarke. “Now, when we say we know where our food’s coming from, we really know. There’s one farmer we deal with in Kerry, for example, and his herd of cattle supplies a lot of our beef. We’ve found that smaller is better every time.”
This year’s Picnic line-up – and we’re still taking food, not music – includes a festival debut for Dublin-based outfit Butler’s Pantry, which will get into the spirit of things by plying its wares from an ornate, shocking-pink pagoda, dishing up everything from Gubbeen chorizo to handmade croissants.
“Unlike a lot of other festivals, where it’s just about getting off your head, there’s a very family-friendly atmosphere, which appeals to us – it feels like a good match,” says events manager Maria Reidy.
The investment on the part of participating traders is considerable. Butler’s Pantry, for example, will have six full-time staff, working three 12-hour days, along with an additional crew of drivers and delivery men, and a full prep team back at its Bray base.
Certain understandable preconceptions might linger when it comes to dining à la festival: the Food Safety Authority Of Ireland (FSAOI), after all, recently closed food outlets due to potential health and safety issues at both Oxegen and Dún Laoghaire’s Festival Of World Cultures. The bottom line is to always go with your gut. “We always tell people to simply use their eyes and their common sense,” says FSAOI director Ray Ellard. “Is the workplace clean? Is the food being covered properly? Has the person serving you washed their hands? If you don’t like what you see, complain.”
Then there is the sensitive issue of value for money. Pricing across all food outlets at Electric Picnic is monitored. Working on the general understanding that the average festival goer – and there will be some 35,000 of them – will eat at least three times daily over the course of three busy days, there’s several million euro in business being done.
What are the raw ingredients, then, for Electric Picnic success? If you’re Donegal-based hotel and restaurant Rathmullen House, winner of a Bridgestone Guide award for excellence for its 2009 Picnic debut, the list includes: 50 fillets of beef, 24 whole salmon, 30 kilos of crab, garnished with 50 tomato plants – to make a formidable tomato relish – 100 heads of different varieties of lettuce, and three plots of leeks and potatoes to make soup, all harvested directly from its own garden.
“Our intention was always to bring our restaurant experience to the festival,” says manager Mark Wheeler, “but what amazed us was the word of mouth factor. We didn’t expect e-mails from people afterwards thanking us. We definitely felt the love.”
When you’ve satisfied your hunger pangs, make your way to one of the Food Forums in the Bridgestone tent, where a panel of food writers will be taking part in a series of open-forum discussions with some leading Irish chefs, including Paul Flynn of the Tannery, Clodagh McKenna of the Café at Lyons and Darina Allen of Ballymaloe.
The Electric Picnic takes place in Co Laois next weekend, electricpicnic.ie
On the menu
Pieminister (Main Arena):Gourmet pies, served with creamy mash, mushy peas and gravy. Best festival grub ever? We think so. Recommended: The Steak Guinness combo, aka The Shamrock, €11
The Hurly Burly (Body Soul area):Gourmet veggie grub, created in a solar-powered kitchen, served by singing and dancing waiters, housed inside a converted school bus. Very Electric Picnic. Recommended: Moroccan chickpea stew, €8
The Charcoal Grill (Late Night Area):It's barbecue time. One of the few places you'll find Ireland's national dish – curry chips (€3.50). Recommended: Large German ham sausage in a bun, €5
Natasha's Living Food (Body Soul area):Popular raw and living food emporium. The desserts are sublime. Recommended: Raw orange ganache tart, €4
Flaming Cactus (Late Night Arena): Burritos served from a Jetstream trailer. Shiny. Tasty. Recommended: Chilli Con Carne, €7
