PADDY SNACKERY: In honour of St Patrick's week, Domini Kempmakes the case for celebrating Irish food and supporting our artisan producers
WHEN I FLICKED through the pages of Colman Andrews's new book, The Country Cooking of Ireland, it struck me that it's amazing how an "outsider" sees our food when we can sometimes find ourselves immune to its charm. I've often felt that, as a nation, we tend to knock ourselves and doubt our place on the international stage – unless we're given a thumbs-up by someone who isn't a Paddy. Maybe that's insecurity, but if ever there was a good reason to shout about our food culture, surely the time is now. Andrews's book is a stunning reminder of why Irish food, and our artisan producers, are so special, and why they are a perfect antidote to the commercial excesses of the past decade.
The recession has prompted some amazing characters to start up their own food businesses. Financial hardship and creative bursts go hand-in-hand. We’ve seen new restaurants opening up, serving good food at great prices. We’ve seen the better farmers’ markets continuing to attract plenty of customers, and the arguments about whether we should pay more for quality products seems to have been put on the back-burner. We seem to understand that you get what you pay for, and that small really is beautiful.
Just because we support the small Irish producer, shop or deli does not mean we have to become xenophobic. Promoting the use of Irish cheeses such as Glebe Brethan does not mean you can’t enjoy Parmesan. But isn’t it great to be aware of similar, and in some cases superior, local products, such as Bill Hogan’s hard cheeses Gabriel and Desmond. Parma ham is wonderful, but so are James McGeough’s air-dried meats and salamis.
Organisations such as Euro-Toques Ireland and Good Food Ireland are promoting the best of the best, which happens to be Irish, local and seasonal. Initiatives such as Bord Bia’s “Just ask” campaign encourage consumers to think about what they’re eating and where it comes from each time they go into a restaurant. It can be difficult for the public to decipher which guidelines they should follow or whose endorsement is best, but even though the three organisations are separate, they do agree on one thing: the blanket rules and regulations imposed on food businesses are often too harsh for the artisan producer. A drum of protest about legislation that strangles the small producer is being heard in certain corners, although many artisans would argue that progress is much too slow. Brussels has given the green light for loosening up regulations that are not practical for certain small businesses, and although the system is far from perfect, relaxation of regulations can be authorised by local authorities such as the FSAI (Food Safety Authority of Ireland).
Lobbying by Euro-Toques Ireland and Bord Bia’s Taste Council, especially under the chairmanship of Peter Ward (of County Choice in Nenagh, Co Tipperary) and, currently, of Evan Doyle (of BrookLodge, Co Wicklow), is a vital part of this ongoing process of interpreting legislation from Europe for local implementation.
I would love to see co-operation between the Department of Agriculture and the Revenue Commissioners. If our former taoiseach can get tax exemption for writing his memoir (because it was deemed to have cultural or artistic merit), then surely the “artists of our land” should be offered the same courtesy? As Brillat-Savarin, the French 19th-century writer and gourMand, said: “The discovery of a new dish confers more happiness on humanity than the discovery of a new star.” Artisans definitely offer our country plenty of artistic and cultural merit.
For me, the bottom line is this: choice is good, markets are great, and you get what you pay for. I hope that in my lifetime the plans that have been touted for a Dublin city food market to rival Cork’s English market eventually come to fruition. For the moment, I try to live by these simple rules: Make dinner. Sit at the table. Turn off the TV, and talk. Break bread and savour. George Bernard Shaw said: “There is no love sincerer than the love of food.” I have to say, I often feel the same way.
