John Relihan, the Kerryman who first found fame as one of the young chefs-in-waiting on the Jamie Oliver TV series Fifteen, went on to become head chef at Oliver’s Barbecoa restaurant in London, and later opened Holy Smoke in Cork city.
His expertise at cooking over fire is second to none, and his latest collaboration with Pat Conway and Jim O’Brien of Smokin Soul in New Ross, Co Wexford is a day-long immersion in the world of low ’n’ slow, combined with an eight-course dinner, followed by music and storytelling.
Conway and O’Brien build grills and smokers, and teach workshops on grilling and smoking, as well as running what they describe as “a travelling food theatre” devoted to cooking over fire. Relihan is joining them for a monthly event, Twe12ve Fires, the first of which takes place at the Smokin Soul headquarters in New Ross on Saturday, September 25th, from noon to 6pm. It is sold out, but more will follow.
As well as the grilling workshops and butchery demonstration, the €199 ticket price includes snacks throughout the day and an eight-course seasonal dinner menu with drinks and after-dinner entertainment. For more details, see smokinsoul.ie/twe12vefires
Spanish week
Spanish Food and Wine Week runs from October 4th-10th and there are some great events all around the country. Irish Times restaurant critic Corinna Hardgrave kicks things off by hosting a six-course Spanish wine dinner at Circa restaurant in Terenure on Monday, October 4th, and later in the week you can catch her hosting another at Liss Ard Estate in west Cork.
Irish Times wine writer John Wilson will be conducting a Spanish wine tasting in the opulent surroundings of The Duke's Rest wine room at Carton House in Co Kildare, also on Monday, October 4th, and the week concludes with a Journey Through Spain, with sommelier and general manager Fergus O'Halloran at West restaurant at The Twelve Hotel in Galway. Bookings can be made with the host venues and the full programme of events is available at foodswinesfromspain.com/spanishwineweek. You will also find promotions and discounts in wine and food shops selling Spanish products.
Toastie on film
The perennially popular cheese toastie gets a twist in a new short film featuring Donal Skehan and upcoming food TV star Nico Reynolds. The lads visit Gubeen and Durrus cheesemakers in west Cork, and collect supplies to create their ultimate version of the classic.
Skehan uses Gubbeen, Coolea and Cheddar, along with ham hock, spring onion, mustard and Hunzo hot sauce in his version. Reynolds opts for Durrus Og and Gubbeen, together with ham and spring onion, with lime and coriander bringing a bit of a lift to his sandwich.
Who wins? You'll have to tune in to find out. But a word of warning, have the ingredients at hand to satisfy the inevitable cravings. Donal and Nico's Cheesy Road Trip is available to watch on RTÉ Player and also on Skehan's YouTube channel which recently reached a milestone one million subscribers.
Gluten-free baking classes
Tara Gartlan, who works at Chapter One by Mickael Viljanen, was diagnosed coeliac while studying to be a pastry chef. Initially sceptical of gluten-free baking, she put her mind to solving all the common problems associated with baking without gluten, and now believes her desserts and pastries are as good as, or even better than those made with it.
She is hosting a six-week virtual gluten-free baking course as part of the Chef Supper Club, beginning on October 3rd. The two-hour classes will run on Sunday afternoons, 2.30pm to 4.30pm, and the €70 per week subscription includes the non-perishable ingredients required for the class. Bookings are now open at thechefsupperclub.com.
Charitable seafood
Shines Seafood based in Killybegs in Co Donegal is donating 20 per cent of all sales from its website for the month of September to Lost At Sea Tragedies, a community-based charity that promotes safety at sea as well as providing welfare services to fishermen and their families. In addition, it is offering online customers a 10 per cent discount for the month using the code LAST10.
With back to school and return to work lunches to be made, the wide variety of tuna and other bottled and canned fish at shinesseafood.ie is a useful store cupboard ingredient worth stocking up on.
