Recently in Food on the move Category

Between Little Missy, my work as a freelance journalist and the Husband setting up his own business, it's not so easy to get away these days. As a result, any time we do head off, there's as much food packed into the time as possible.

Last weekend we waved Little Missy off on her holidays to Nana and Grandad's house just before Saturday lunchtime. All free and easy then (it's amazing how easy it is to pack for just two instead of two + a small one), we threw bag and baggage into the car and hit off to Limerick in time to have a quick look at the newly covered Milk Market, grab a bag of Pónaire coffee and fly past the The Green Apron's stall to buy some of her get-out-of-the-bed-to-eat-it-by-the-spoonful raspberry chocolate conserve (as tasted on the Food Blogger Country Outing), a jar of wholegrain whiskey mustard and some yummy onion confit.

A light lunch was had at one of my favourite Limerick spots, the Sage Café. Light for me was a starter-sized portion of well dressed caesar salad but in the Husband's case was a large bowlful of creamy pasta. So much for leaving room for dinner! We moved on to Lisdoonvarna and checked into the cheap and cheerful Sleepzone: The Burren hostel. As a freelance journalist, my pockets are never weighed down by cash and I'm more in favour of spending money on food than accomodation on weekends away, especially when we'll be only in the room for a night's sleep. This hostel was formerly a three star hotel called the Carrigann so all rooms are en suite, if basic (make sure to pack your own towel) but, at pocket-friendly prices - €50 for a double for the night - is definitely to be reccommended. Also, as you'll be surrounded by dozens of foreign students and travellers while you're there, it's a great way of feeling like you're having a weekend abroad while still in Ireland.

After a quick run into the Burren Smokehouse for some smoked spiced mackerel and oatcakes - a potential breakfast, especially with some St Tola organic cream cheese - it was time to settle down in the Roadside Tavern to maximise our child-free status and relax over some pints and the paper.

All chilled out, it was then time for the main point of the night away - and only reason that we were in Lisdoonvarna: a stroll up the road to the Wild Honey Inn for dinner. With the Husband not being entirely starving - large lunch plus a couple of pints put paid to that - we shared a starter of Liscannor Crab Claws in a spicy chilli butter sauce to start, before getting stuck into plates of roasted monkfish and neck fillet of lamb from the specials board. My fish was superbly cooked, and came with a bright yellow carrot purée, a contrasting mound of spinach with a chicken wing confit on the side. All the flavours worked beautifully together but the dish was far eclipsed by the Husband's lamb, which was spicy, sticky and savoury and almost disappeared before I could claim my share. For desert we shared another choice from the specials: a bowl of poached cherries, that came with a rich vanilla ice cream and a fragile chocolate crisp. The only bone of contention was the background music: soft rock is definitely not my listening choice although the Husband was happy and, when I mentioned it to the helpful barman, he said that they got as many compliments for it as complaints.

Music aside, and it's very much an aside, this was a first class meal that was definitely worth travelling for and, judging by the amount of cars outside and constant stream of customers, many do. And, if you're not within driving distance, there's a handy - and very quiet, despite the crowds staying there - hostel well within stumbling distance. I'll be back.

Useful addresses in Limerick and Lisdoonvarna
The Milk Market, Limerick: www.milkmarketlimerick.ie
Pónaire Milk Market Roastery and Coffee Bar: www.ponaire.ie
The Green Apron, the Milk Market, Saturday mornings: www.thegreenapron.ie
The Sage Café: www.thesagecafe.com
Sleepzone: The Burren: www.sleepzone.ie
Burren Smokehouse: www.burrensmokehouse.ie
Wild Honey Inn: www.wildhoneyinn.com

Gardens and food in the sunshine: what's not to like? The Husband and I - Little Missy landed with the Little Sister for a day's worth of chasing the dog in my parents' garden - headed up for the Friday of this year's Bloom festival. It was a day for sunscreen and sunglasses as we sat under umbrellas in the beer garden, enjoying Dungarvan Brewing Company's Helvick Gold and, although there was an unfortunate lack of ice, Llewellyn's Double L cider. That was the Husband and his friend happy for the afternoon, and I had a place to leave the bags of food that I spent the day acquiring.

The food marquee was buzzing with crowds in search of lunch, with salads, pies and plenty of samples on offer. My first port of call was Olvi Oils. When I worked in Urru in Mallow, these fabulous pestos, vinaigrettes and relishes were used in the sandwiches we made at lunchtime. With Urru, Bandon the only Cork stockist, I appreciated the opportunity to pick up the Little Sister's favourite basil pesto and some mango vinaigrette which I use drizzled over salad leaves, topped with a sprinkling of seeds (Good4u's toasted chilli seeds are especially good with the sweet mango).

For lunch I picked up a hot smoked trout salad from the energetic Mags at Goatsbridge Irish Trout and couldn't resist taking away a pack of fillets for later experimentation. To my perishables, I added a round of Knockdrinna Snow soft goat's cheese and chunks of Knockdrinna Gold and the intensely-flavoured Knockdrinna Meadow. I also brought home a tub of their pesto, made with goat's cheese, which gives it an entirely different, and definitely moreish, flavour.

While I'll never be weaned away from my beloved olive oil, I like the opportunity to get my hands on an Irish product and Irish rapeseed oil, with its high flash point and oodles of unsaturated fats, is gradually becoming more well known. I grabbed a bottle of pleasantly nutty extra virgin rapeseed oil from Derrycamma Farm in Co Louth. I went for their plain option but they were also selling garlic, chilli and Indian flavoured oils. I also had time for a brief stop at the Living Flavour stall to admire their beautiful herb garden (pictured right), take a picture of the little chilli pepper plants they had for sale and thank them for the flourishing parsley I got to take home from the Bord Bia bloggers event.

While I didn't get to give my full appreciation to the gardens on show, I did relish the chance to have a good look at the Phoenix Park walled vegetable garden, a neat, ordered and abundant space that is simultaneously inspiring (look at the artichokes!) and discouraging (neat rows just don't work at the cottage). Happy in situ at the beer tent, it took the promise of dinner in Jaipur followed by drinks at the Bull and Castle - and a rather large man asking them to leave - to wheedle the by then very happy Husband and friend back into town. A rather fabulous day - I'll definitely be back!

Just picture the scene: an ancient chateau set amidst vineyards in the heart of the Bordeaux countryside, guests from all over the world gathering together on the terrace to celebrate a wedding, May sunshine breaking through the clouds as the couple stand in front of friends and family. C'est tres romantique, non?

This was the idyllic setting for our friends' wedding last Saturday week at Château Lagorce. Just back at the cottage after days of travelling, the whole event still seems dream-like. The location was amazing, the French celebrant's memorable accent bringing to mind Rowan Atkinson's priest from Four Weddings and a Funeral and the continuous stream of pre-dinner canapés were extraordinary (earthy beetroot gazpacho, perfectly seared scallops, crunchy fried morsels of tête de veau or calves head). I, unfortunately, had to leave before  dinner was served - Little Missy decided that it was time for bed - but I did see plates beautifully cooked duck going past as we headed for home and heard tales of croquembouche (a French profiterole wedding cake) for afters.

We - suckers for punishment - decided to drive over so that we could camp but unfortunately the weather wasn't warm enough. Of course, we only found this out after a very disturbed night under canvas when LM decided to tell all our neighbours exactly how bloody cold it was at 3am. A move to a nearby hotel for the wedding and a subsequent stay in a cosy mobile home at an exceptionally good camp site near Saint-Émilion proved to be money well spent as we all got much more sleep. So the tent didn't get too much use this time round but at least it didn't take up too much space in the car and there was plenty available for wine loading on the way home. And that wasn't all we loaded. With whole aisles of cheese and chocolate in the hypermarches, I was in heaven. When the Husband unloaded the car I'm sure he wasn't surprised to discover stashes of chocolate bars, saucisson, camembert, cider, tins of duck and pork cassoulet, and bread tucked in amidst the clothes and sleeping bags! 

A few recommendations: 
We travelled over on Irish Ferries' Oscar Wilde from Rosslare which is perfectly adequate although very slow (9.30pm departure, 5pm arrival the following day) but came home on the more comfortable Pont-Aven with Brittany Ferries, which delivered us straight to Cork after only 14 hours. It is slightly more expensive but the fact that it cuts down on travel time at sea and in Ireland and also serves better food and coffee makes it well worth the extra money. 

Landing in Cherbourg and leaving from Roscoff (nice town, good for food) meant that the area around Rennes was a good place for stopping in each direction. On the way down we stayed at an Accor hotel on the outskirts of the city which was far nicer that its unpromising outside appearance. For the homeward journey, the bride's sister pointed us in the direction of the inexpensive and easy to find Logis Auberge Du Cheval Blanc in the picturesque town of Chateaugiron so we didn't have to do battle with Rennes traffic for a second time

We also took advantage of her research for places to stay after the wedding, ending up at the wonderful Domaine de La Barbanne. They have a range of campsites and well-equipped mobile accommodation options, it's 30 minutes walk to Saint-Émilion, has two free buses going each way from the campsite every day and there are plenty vineyards within 10 minutes walking distance. I'd go back there in a shot - if it didn't involve 7½ hours driving from Cherbourg in a car with a Little Missy.

Stirring tagines in Morocco, making fish cakes in Bangkok or buying the ingredients for Chicken with Apples in Normandy, make the most of your holidays by taking a cookery class while abroad. On SilverCircle.ie Caroline Hennessy gives some ideas for locations where the recipes you learn will last far longer than a suntan.

Useful Contacts
The Wilde Kitchen, Normandy, France
www.wildekitchen.net
The Hanoi Cooking Centre, Hanoi, Vietnam
hanoicookingcentre.com
La Maison Arabe Cooking School, Marrakech, Morocco
www.lamaisonarabe.com
Baipai Thai Cooking School, Bangkok, Thailand
www.baipai.com

Blue skies plus a good morning's work under my belt were the perfect excuses for heading off to my favourite farmers' market in Mahon Point today. It seemed that I wasn't the only one with that idea as I got stuck in traffic during the lunchtime rush there and our first choice for lunch - Green Saffron curry - had already sold out.

While filling the bag and Little Missy's pushchair with a few other purchases (cheese and chorizo from Gubbeen, Green Saffron's fragrant mixed spice, dried goods from Len's Cereals, Arbutus wholemeal sourdough), I spotted a new arrival in the corner. With the name Volcano at the front of the stall, three people working with a neat wood-fired oven on wheels were turning out irregularly-shaped pizzas to what looked like an appreciative audience. While I regularly make pizza dough and did a workshop in building my own wood-fired oven a couple of years ago, I still haven't managed to put the two skills together and it's fairly difficult to get your hands on a decent pizza in this angle of North Cork.

This, however, is pizza that you would travel for. Rolled and stretched in front of me, the thin base, not overloaded with toppings, blistered up in the heat of the oven, was sprinkled with cheese, fresh herbs and chilli, served and eaten within minutes. Really good quality dough, a simple tomato sauce and mozzarella made the margherita worth waiting for (a 7" round for €6) but the pizza with Gubbeen salami is definitely going to be on order for my next trip to Mahon market. Talking to stallowner Simon, it seems that himself and his gorgeous oven (is it possible to have oven envy? I've pretty sure I'm afflicted) are going to be heading to the markets in Limerick's Crescent Shopping Centre (Wednesdays), Cobh (Fridays) and Douglas (Saturdays) in the near future.

Volcano is definitely one to watch out for, especially if you have the presence of mind to order your pizza first, scoot around the market while its cooking, and return to pick up a delicious lunch. Oh, and if you can finish up with some coffees from Cork Coffee Roasters and a few of  Pâtisserie Regale's café bars (don't miss the new chocolate one) then you have a lunch made in heaven - or Cork - especially if you get to eat it in the sunshine.

And goodbye to all our new friends at the noodle stalls lined up on the roadside just around the corner from where we were staying.

A few mornings of breakfasts there and we were regulars. With a choice of Pho Ga (chicken noodle soup), Pho Tofu (noodle soup with, yes, tofu) or Banh Cuon (rolled rice pancakes) from the three ladies cooking at the stalls and a bar for coffee just across the road, this was good eating.

Little Missy also enjoyed herself, getting whisked away by the drinks lady - that's her, on the left - to sit at the corner and be cooed at, clucked over and her mother queried whether she had dressed the child warmly enough!

Breakfasts back in Ireland just aren't the same.

A cup of hot coffee with milk at Café Mai, 79 Le Van Huu Street, Hanoi. Dark, strong and very sweet - there's a layer of condensed milk at the bottom of the cup - Vietnamese coffee is just the thing to get you going in the morning, and for the rest of the day.

The coffee often comes sitting in a bowl of warm water to keep it hot and with a glass of water for dilution purposes: I prefer to drink it straight, leaving the syrupy milk sitting at the bottom until the coffee is gone, then using the teaspoon to eat it from the cup.

It's a one-stop breakfast, available everywhere, and normally drunk while Little Missy inspects the kitchens, courtesy of an adoring waiting staff! I've not had the chance to eat so many meals with two hands for the last 10 months.

...to blue skies and lakeside walks, to fabulous food (we've been truly spoiled by the Husband's Mother!) and rich, dark coffees, to post-swim fish and chips and bowlfuls of fresh, seasonal fruit, to Little Missy figuring out how to pick the fresh peas from a homegrown pod and lazy bach days.

It gets more and more difficult to leave New Zealand each time but at least we're not heading home just yet. Next stop - via a brief stop tonight in Kuala Lumpur - Vietnam! I've heard there's more food to eat over there.

While in New Zealand, staying with the Husband's parents, our nearest café is actually a boutique winery called Fossil Ridge. We pass the small vineyard on our daily walk (sometimes several times a day as the Husband tries to balance lots of eating his mother's fabulous food with regular competitive brother-in-law weigh-ins!) and the walk does occasionally get a little interrupted. An attractive wooden building, set amidst olive groves and overlooking a pond covered with water lilies, the cellar door is a relaxed setting to enjoy a selection of platters and light lunches to accompany its wines. The pond also plays host to a number of ducks, which are endlessly fascinating to a Little Missy who, if she hasn't fallen asleep in the pushchair on the walk there, is often determined to make her presence felt.

We haven't yet tried much of the savoury side of the menu - too well fed at home, we are! - but we're becoming regulars for coffee, which is served with delectable little homemade cookies. Their lemon shortbread is worth checking out and they also make a crunchy Macadamia Caramel Square with locally grown nuts. Each year we visit, we also make a date to try out their wines. For NZ$7, you get to choose four out of their six wines for your tasting plate, accompanied by a few olives and walnuts (although, as the Husband pointed out, both the number of olives and quality of nuts has depreciated since our last visit in 2007).

Although it was their Pinot Noir that we fell for last time round, their latest Pinot vintage, from 2007, didn't do anything for me. I am, however, a long-time fan of their zesty, slightly honeyed Riesling (2007) and the 2008 Gewürztraminer was a spicy, aromatic mouthful.

Small enough for the personal touch and with just enough wines to taste without confusion, Fossil Ridge is well worth dropping into if you are nearby. Although tempted to try and squeeze a couple of bottles into my luggage, it might be more reasonable to track them down in Ireland. A good excuse for another visit, perhaps...

Pavlova and barbeques, hokey pokey ice cream and long blacks: we've abandoned the cold and damp of an Irish December for Christmas in New Zealand! The Husband, Little Missy and I left Cork last Saturday and eventually arrived in Nelson on Tuesday. This way LM gets to spend her first Christmas with her Kiwi family and we all get to enjoy some proper summer weather (we are, however, hoping to bring the sunshine home with us...)

This time we travelled with Malaysia Airlines, who, we discovered, are brilliant at dealing with children, overnighting in Kuala Lumpur on the way. Travelling with an eight-month-old baby is a little more challenging than travelling solo, to say the least, but at least we're two to deal with one, rather than the other way round. It would have been quite useful if the one out of the two doing the packing had managed to travel a little lighter but small baby = many nappies, changes of clothes, sleeping bags, small toys and books for distraction - and that's just the carry on luggage.

One of the other advantages of coming over with Malaysia Airlines is the food. Take the Malaysian offering for meals and you won't go far wrong, with dishes like nasi lemak and beef rendang on offer. LM didn't fare as well in the dining department, both flights having only two basic Heinz baby foods but I was able to bring a good amount of food, both homemade and jarred, through security in Cork, Heathrow and KL airports without any problem.

Little Missy was great on the plane from Ireland but I wouldn't like to have been the hapless inhabitants of the room next door during that night in KL as she disregarded the eight hours time difference and stuck resolutely to her normal sleep time, which turned out to be 4.30am in Malaysia! Still, it was worth it for the break from travelling, not to mention the mugs of teh tarik, trays of roti telur and, one of my all time favourites, spicy laksa johor that we got a chance to devour while there.

Now, with Christmas almost upon us and a family wedding fast approaching, we're planted here for most of the next month. Plenty of time to soak up the sunshine, enjoy vineyard and brewpub visits, savour the fantastic food both at home - the Husband's mother is a fantastic cook - and around Nelson, and introduce LM to all her family in the southern hemisphere. Merry Christmas to all!