Girolles season just about to start...

It won't be long now, the first of the Girolles poking their heads through the leaf litter in the West of Ireland. There is also an abundance of wild plants available at the moment. The dish below makes extensive use of all what is good out there right now:


Local Girolles, Gubbeen Chorizo, sauteed potatoes, caramelised onions, Sheep Sorrel, Wood Sorrel, Wild Garlic seeds and leaves, Wild Pea (Vetch) leaves and flower, Pennywort leaves and flower stems, Wild Garlic and Sour Cream emulsion, Lovage oil.

Galway Food Festival

At the recent Galway Food Festival I had the opportunity to represent Slow Food Galway with three very local and wild dishes......

At the cookery demonstration I showcased the following three dishes:

• Wild Garlic and Green Pea Soup
  with Scallop, Prawn Tapioca, Prawn Gel, Wild Pea and Scurvy Grass

• Duo of local Spring Lamb - Herb Crusted Rack, Lamb Belly Roulade
  with Sow Thistle, Carrot Purée, Confit Celeriac, Elderberry Capers, Elderberry Gel, St George's Mushrooms, Natural Jus, Wild Garlic and Lovage Oil

• Goats Milk and Gorse Flower Panna Cotta,
  with Rhubarb Gel, Spruce Sugar, Roasted Hazelnuts, Wild Primrose and Wood Sorrel

The foraged wild food basket included:

• Mushrooms: St George's, Scarlet Elf Cup, Jew's Ear
• Sandwort Leaves
• Scurvy Grass Leaves and Flower
• Sea Beet
• Sow Thistle Leaves
• Dandelion Leaves
• Wild Garlic Leaves and Flower
• Wild Primrose Flower
• Wild Pea (Vetch) Leaves
• Wood Sorrel Leaves and Flower
• Pennywort Leaves
• Gorse Flower
• Spruce Shoots

Preserved wild foods included:

• Elderberry Capers
• Elderberry Cordial
• Elderberry Vinegar
• Pickled Wild Garlic Flower Buds

Local produce was supplied and sponsored by:

• Goats Milk, Cream and Yoghurt - The Galway Goat Farm, Dunmore
• Scallops and Prawn Shells - Gannet Fishmongers, Galway
• Spring Lamb - McGeoughs Butcher, Oughterard
• Vegetables, Herbs and Honey -  Cait Curran’s Organic Vegetable Stall, Galway and Moycullen
• Rhubarb - Kate O'Dwyer, Headford
• Mustard - Brigid Brophy, Barna

For recipes of the dishes follow the link to my Recipe Section

GMIT Open Day Cookery Demonstration

At the recent open day of GMIT on January 25th 2014 the College of Tourism & Arts featured a cookery demonstration for possible future students, below are two dishes specifically created for the event.

A new take on beetroot texture with leek ash coated goats cheese, dandelion and hairy bitter cress.

Gorse flower & coconut Panna Cotta, mango & passionfruit gel, toasted coconut, spruce sugar, penny worth and wood sorrel