Some of our greatest producers have stalls at the farmers’ markets; such as Sheridan cheesemongers, Ballymaloe Cookery School, Gubbeen Farmhouse Products and Belvelly Smokehouse to name just a few.
You will be putting money back into the community.
You will be keeping Irish cultural and culinary traditions alive.
Artisan producers and farmers’ markets have revitalised local rural economies, providing employment and attracting younger generations back in droves. The government is desperate to find a way to encourage young generations to stay on family farms, and these local traditions provide fantastic opportunities. Top chefs are beating a path to stall holders to get the best produce, and tourists are flocking to buy and taste locally produced food, so this is clearly an industry worth supporting and encouraging.
So why is it that the government doesn’t take the farmers’ markets seriously? Why doesn’t it get involved with the markets and support artisan producers? Why isn’t the government working alongside the producers to come up with regulations that meet the producers’ needs as well as adhere to legislative requirements? The way to show the government how serious we are about our food culture is to support it by using the farmers’ markets.
The markets have reunited us with producers and given us back a connection with the food we are consuming. I’ve written this book as a celebration of all the fantastic produce we have in Ireland and as an encouragement for others to start searching out their local markets. The recipes are a guide for what can be cooked at home using local and seasonal produce. If you don’t happen to live in Ireland, seek out your local market and ask the producers to suggest substitutes for produce that you may not be able to get. The best lesson that I ever learned as a chef was that if you use the best of local and seasonal ingredients you can’t go too far wrong. Plus, nothing is more rewarding than sitting at home with your family around the kitchen table, talking about where your food came from and looking at the delight on their faces as they take their first bite. I have written profiles of my favourite producers who have changed my idea of food and who have helped create this Irish food revolution. I hope that it gives you an insight into these fabulous characters. You will also find lots of useful information at the back of this book: recommendations of places to eat, how to find the markets and how to contact the producers. I hope this book opens your eyes to the wonderful produce we have in Ireland, just as the last six years have done for me…
Many of the food products sold at farmers’ markets are from artisan producers who are members of the Slow Food movement, which was started by Italian philosopher Carlo Petrini. He wanted to educate people about the great tradition of artisan food production that still thrives in the Italian countryside. Petrini saw young Italians queuing outside a notorious fast-food burger joint and it occurred to him if people knew about great artisan food, if they tasted the difference, they might just choose to eat it instead.
By celebrating and promoting artisan produce, Slow Food ensures that these delicious foods continue to be enjoyed and are not lost under an avalanche of standardisation, bureaucratic hygienics and over-commercialisation.
Slow Food now has chapters in 40 different countries. In Ireland, it acts as a lively umbrella organisation for our artisan producers, entrepreneurs and, increasingly, for consumers who care about methods of production, traceability, quality, and who agree with the ‘buy local, fresh and seasonal’ message. Here are a few more reasons to join us at Slow Food:
Slow Food is about taking the time to put good food first; the time to grow it, the time to prepare it, and the time to sit down with family and friends and enjoy it.
Slow Food is the antidote to fast food. In the face of over-commercialisation and homogenisation we make people aware of the rich tradition of artisan food production.
Slow Food promotes the awareness of artisan food production and farmers’ markets.
Slow Food supports artisan producers who are being suffocated by overly stringent EU rules and regulations.
Slow Food is working to educate the next generation about Irish Food and its production.
Pictured left: A stall holder takes a break in her Slow Food Ireland apron.
All the recipes in this book are based on ingredients you’ll find at farmers’ markets. I choose to buy free range or organic produce, but what do these terms mean? Put simply, ‘free range’ refers to meat, poultry and game that has been allowed to roam outside, rather than raised in contained areas. ‘Organic’ means that the food has been produced to set specifications and without the use of synthetic chemicals, such as fertilisers, pesticides, antibiotics or hormones. Rather confusingly, products can be both organic and free range. One of the great reasons for buying at the markets is that you can talk to the stall holders and find out exactly how the food has been produced.
You may wish to take this book with you when you go shopping. When you first get to your farmers’ market have a walk around and see what is available, then flick through the book and see what recipes you could make. If you decided, for example, that you want to make the Aubergine and Goat’s Cheese Rolls (see page 113) then ask at the cheese stall what local soft goat’s cheeses are available. Once you are feeling confident with this book, try adding your own alternatives. But always remember the producers at the farmers’ markets are experts in their field and will only be too happy to help you with alternatives and suggestions.
Cooking with an Aga
I adore my Aga – I love the way it breathes life into my kitchen. Agas are perfect for making slow-cooked food that brings the family together.
The recipes in this book are given in conventional oven temperatures (Celsius, Fahrenheit and Gas Mark), but if you cook with an Aga, as I do, here is a handy conversion chart:
Really good bread is a healthy, easily digestible, source of energy and one of the most nutritionally balanced foods available. It is full of carbohydrate, fibre, protein, calcium and B vitamins. I don’t mean the supermarket loaves that stick to the back of your teeth and line your stomach like glue. I mean great artisan bread with a beautiful texture, made from the finest flour and baked with true skill and care.
There is a world of difference in the taste and nutritional value of a good loaf and a bad one. So what makes the difference? The answer lies in the flour used, the milling and the way the bread is baked. Wheat grain