In this chat we talk about the history of Irish baking including the early forms of bread baking, the impact of soda on the Irish kitchen and traditional folklore stories and fables…. Don’t forget to put a cross in the top of your soda loaf to let the fairies out!

Graham has travelled extensively and with so much cultural diversity in Ireland’s kitchen today, Graham brings an expertise into blending flavours and incorcoporating these international influences into his culinary creations. 

And of course, we get some baking tips and advice from Graham that even the most novice of bakers will appreciate. 

So without further ado, let’s dive into the world of flavours, food memories and traditional Irish baking with that modern twist with Graham Herterich. 

Bake is available now through Nine Bean Row Publishers and can be bought through their website or through anywhere that sells good books.

https://ninebeanrowsbooks.com/products/bake

 The Bakery by the Cupcake Bloke, Graham’s flagship spot where you can pop by 6 days a week and sample his creations is on South Circular Road, Dublin. 

https://thecupcakebloke.com/

https://www.instagram.com/thecupcakebloke/

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Welcome to the NeighbourFood Podcast, today we have a special replay episode for you as we gear up for Street Feast 2023. We're joined by the incredible Sam Bishop, a true force of nature in the realm of community activation. Sam is a remarkable individual—a community activist, an initiator, and a doer. He's the kind of person who not only has brilliant ideas but also brings them to life with unwavering dedication. 

Sam’s extensive involvement in various endeavors is a testament to his boundless energy but what truly captivates us about Sam is his talent for inspiring others and getting things done in the most ingenious ways. And one of these large scale achievements is the annual nationwide day of community feasting, which is aptly called Street Feast. Without Sam's persistent efforts and commitment, Street Feast wouldn't be where it is today. It's truly impressive to witness the way he has nourished this event year after year.

Street Feast is all about celebrating a lovely lunch with your neighbours. Food is not just a matter of sustenance; it’s about connection and conviviality. Sharing a meal and fostering community bonds are just as vital as the nourishment on our plates.

Mark your calendars, Street Feast 2023 will be held on Sunday June 25 this year. But remember, this is an annual event, so if you can't make it this time, keep an eye out for next year's edition or as we discuss in our chat, Street Feast has a way of unexpectedly happening and popping up at any time.

We hope you enjoy this chat with Sam Bishop, founder of Street Feast, as he takes us on a journey through the heart and soul of this extraordinary community gathering.

Find out more on StreetFeast.ie

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Today Eric works with as the Powers Distiller, Maturation & Innovation Specialist at Midleton Distillery. He studied an Msc in Brewing and Distiling in Heriot-Watt University and then went head first into Irish whiskey distilling working a distillery operator since 2010 with Midleton and been working in the world famous distillery ever since. He is regular contributor to Irish Whiskey Magazine and was secretary of of Cork Whiskey Society for some time and also curated and ran the Cork Whiskey Walk before taking up his current role as the Powers Distiller.

Get ready for a fascinating synopsis of the timeline of Irish whiskey, starting from the 6th century Irish monks who first distilled the "water of life."  We are going to learn how this spirit has evolved over the centuries, from its humble beginnings to the thriving distilling scene we know and love today.

We'll also tackle the question of whether whiskey was indeed invented in Ireland or if its origins lie elsewhere. ….and learn about key events and figures that shaped the industry, with captivating anecdotes and stories from the past.

But it doesn't stop there! Because Eric also guides us through the evolution of Irish whiskey production techniques, highlighting the innovations and changes that have occurred over time. 

We'll also explore the impact of prohibition and other historical events on the Irish whiskey industry, understanding how these challenges shaped its trajectory and what it took to overcome them. And of course, this whole time we have some delightful and intriguing fun facts guaranteed to capture your attention and leave you thirsty for more knowledge about this beloved spirit.

Lastly, we unravel what truly sets Irish whiskey apart from other renowned whiskies around the world. Is it a matter of historic roots, provenance, and ingredients? Or is it the result of techniques, methods, and good marketing? Eric will provide us with his expert insights on this.

So stay tuned, as we embark on this incredible journey into the heart and soul of Irish whiskey, guided by the expertise of Eric Ryan.

Find out more about Eric on

Instagram @ericwilliamryan

Twitter @ericwilliamryan

Powers Whiskey

Instagram @Powers_Whiskey

www.powerswhiskey.com

Irish Whiskey Magazine

www.irishwhiskeymagazine.com

Cork Whiskey Society

https://corkwhiskeysociety.wildapricot.org/

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Dr. Tara Shine is an Irish environmental scientist, policy advisor and science communicator. She spent 20 years as an international climate change negotiator and adviser to governments and world leaders on environmental policy. She was Special Adviser to the Mary Robinson Foundation-Climate Justice and The Elders before setting up “Change by Degrees” with co-founder Madeline Murray who partner with businesses and organisations to empower and educate people to deliver sustainable solutions.

She is also the author of How to Save Your Planet One Object at a Time, a book written to help everyone how to change their daily habits and live more environmentally friendly in home and at work. Her book is all about starting small, making incremental changes in behavior to build momentum and foster discussions around sustainable actions. Tara emphasises the crucial role of personal action in combating climate change and reducing food waste. While systemic changes are necessary, she believes in the power of grassroots change to drive transformative shifts and throughout our chat offers practical guidance for us all to decrease our environmental footprints without overwhelm.

We hope you enjoy these valuable insights from Tara , who has dedicated her career to catalyzing change at both the global and individual levels, and discover how we can all contribute to a more sustainable living and future.

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Mary explains the importance of connecting with nature and learning from it, allowing it to teach us valuable life lessons. She talks about building an "ARK" (Act of Restorative Kindness) by donating part of your land or garden, creating sanctuary corridors, and restoring natural ecosystems and habitats.

Throughout the conversation, Mary emphasises the crucial role of biodiversity and the need to take personal responsibility for our impact on the environment, encouraging us to listen and work with our natural world, making conscious choices in our daily lives to become true guardians of the earth and all life it carries.

To learn more about Mary's work, visit her website at marymary.ie or find her on Instagram @wildmarymary. You can also visit wearetheark.org to learn more about building ARKs and the movement that Mary has started. And don't forget to pick up one of Mary's beautiful books, "The Garden Awakening" (2016), or "We are the Ark" (2022).

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Kari's expertise, experiences and passion are a beautiful insight into her world, methods of working and the intersection of art, nature, and food. We hope you enjoy listening. 

Links:

https://www.karicahill.com/

https://www.instagram.com/karicahill.studio/

https://www.layoftheland.ie/

https://www.instagram.com/layofthelandproject/

#NeighbourFoodPodcast #KariCahill #SiteSpecificArtwork #NaturalPaintSmith #ArtAndFood #FoodArt #NatureInspired #PodcastRecommendation #NewEpisodeAlert #ArtistInterview #CreativeProcess #ArtInspiration #ArtChallenge #FoodInspired #PaintMaking #ArtMaterials #ArtInNature #CreativeCommunity

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In this episode of the NeighbourFood Podcast, we have a conversation with Anna Hogan, a flower farmer from Seekings Flower Farm in Ballymacoda, East Cork.  Anna cultivates Irish cut flowers from bulbs or seeds, creating nature-inspired bouquets that include fragrant herbs like fennel, dill, and mint. Anna is also a member of the Flower Farmers of Ireland, a network of sustainable flower growers who redefine the global cut-flower industry by producing locally-grown, seasonal, and scented blooms. During our conversation, we explore the significance of flowers, the state of the Irish flower industry, and the growing sector's impact on education, public awareness, social farming, pollination, and green matters. Additionally, Anna shares tips for hobby gardeners looking to grow their garden of paradise.

https://www.fromseekingsflowerfarm.com/

https://www.instagram.com/fromseekings/

https://flowerfarmersofireland.ie/

https://www.instagram.com/flowerfarmersireland/

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week’s podcast which is all about Wild Food.

It’s abundant, free, full of adventure, resourceful and sustainable and celebrates the beauty and bounty of our landscape. So we discuss why it’s important to eat from our natural surroundings and what are the benefits of eating wild foods for our health. 

Fiona also tells us about the value of running a small business, as she and her husband Malcolm upped sticks from London, moved to a 5-acre farm in Co. Wexford and now run an environmentally sustainable food business, appropriate called Wild About, which along with countless awards has presented them with many creative opportunities.  

In December 2021, we first chatted to her, and this here podcast is a re-play of that conversation. So we touched based with Fiona this wee to get an update on things on the farm. And as it turns it out they are getting on great! They are still living their mantra of “small is beautiful”, they are developing a food tourism side to the business and along with VisitWexford are hosting farm tours for visitors. Dreams and plans are afoot for a custard apple farm in Maderia with a tourism offering. Sounds exciting. And if you want to meet this vivacious woman in person, you will be able to catch them at Bloom in the Park this coming June 2023.

Further more, we decided to re-play this episode as Spring is a particularly great time to get out and about in search of wild goodies and Fiona gives us a delicious and tempting recipe and now is the perfect time to give it a shot. 

And what’s more, that song you hear at the start of the podcast, well that’s an original piece of music - made specifically for the NeighbourFood podcast. From blackberries to mushrooms, wild food is also a huge passion for musician Peter Broderick. 

Peter, a Maine man, now living in Galway loves to forage for wild, edible plants. Though we may be so bold as to suggest writing the theme music for our NeighbourFood podcast was one of his greatest musical feats, what may interest you more is his song “Wild Food” from his album Blackberry, which is all about gathering, foraging, hunting, and munching! It's catchy (see what we did there?). So later you will hear from Peter and what he finds inspiring about “Wild Food”. 

*******

Wild About’s Nettle Beer Recipe

Ideal for brewing around St Patrick's Day (17 March) when the nettles are young

2 carrier bags of nettles (approx 500grams)

12 liters of water

1.5 kg sugar

60 grams cream of tartar

Yeast

Optional - 2 oranges, 2 lemons, Ginger

Boil the water. Once it comes to the boil, take off the heat. Add the nettles. Cover and leave it to infuse for a minimum one hour, but preferably overnight. 

Strain the mixture through a muslin cloth. Heat this mixture only enough to dissolve the sugar and the cream of tartar.

Add the juice of the orange, lemon, and ginger spice (these are optional)

Leave cool at room temperature and then add yeast. Cover with a tea towel and leave in a dark, warm place for four to five days.

After this time, remove the scum from the brew bucket and siphon it into plastic bottles. Leave to settle in a cool place such as a fridge.

Ready to drink after seven days and we are told it tastes like a Breton cider!.

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Our guests are Angela Nöthlings, Ryes & Shine, Cork; Laura O’Donovan So-Doh, Renvyle, Connemara and Gráinne McGough of Grá Arán, Wicklow 

These are three stories of three different solopreneurs who join us to talk about their experiences with starting and growing their individual business from their kitchen counter tops to repurposed studios and garden sheds. We also talk about about the network of microbakers both in Ireland and around the world who support, encourage, mentor and inspire each other, and of course we hear about the importance of real bread from a health perspective, with the simplicity of the most basic of ingredients ingredients in making a wholesome and nutritious loaf. 

We found it inspiring listening to their can-do attitudes, an insight into their microbaking world and perhaps even motivation for anyone who is thinking of going down the microbakery route themselves.

*****

List of links mentioned in the show:

Real Bread Ireland

Riot Rye Bake House and Bread School

Our previous NeighbourFood podcast with Joe Fitzmaurice of RiotRye on “The Parable of the Local Bakery”

The Sourdough Podcast - https://www.thesourdoughpodcast.com/

Plötzlich Bäcker, Lutz Geissler - https://www.ploetzblog.de/podcast/

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In this episode of the NeighbourFood podcast, we chat with him about the ecological state of Ireland today; the EU’s new “Nature Restoration Law”; marine protected zones; what’s exciting about some new policies and movements and take a look at COP15, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). 

And while Ireland and the world may be in a catastrophic state biodiversity wise, we talk about the vision for bringing nature in all it’s glory back into our lives, by changing mindsets and actions.

Padraic’s knowledge and passion for nature is a pleasure to listen to. A massive thanks to him for his time in joining us to chat and if you are motivated by any of these topics today and would like to find out more, check out the Irish Wildlife Trust website iwt.ie or for some nice listening after you finish this, why not check out Irish their podcast series “Shaping New Mountains”. 

https://twitter.com/whittledaway

https://twitter.com/Irishwildlife

https://www.facebook.com/IrishWildlifeTrust/

https://www.youtube.com/user/irishwildlifetrust

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Using spent coffee grounds collected from the University College Dublin campus, the team grows fresh oyster mushrooms in a customised, retrofitted shipping container on site. The mushrooms are then used to create ragu and chilli sauces, which are sold around Dublin. 

We speak to co-founder Paddy Arnold about how the project came about and where it is going. We learn how UCD have given them not just a place to work, but a stream of eager volunteers and research students, providing a science-based, data-driven approach, aiming to discover if this is a sustainable way of growing food here in Ireland. We learn how they have changed their approach several times and stayed flexible and how putting the environment first can have social and circular economic benefits for us all. 

Find out more on https://revolutionfarmkitchen.com/

Video Explaining Process - https://youtu.be/_XuJi5j615g

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We hear about Tracie’s journey to get to this point, which included growing up in a B&B, running an award-winning Kilkenny Cafe, teaching students from around the globe in the world-famous Ballymaloe Cookery School, to recipe testing and mentoring fellow food business owners. 

​

This award-winning entrepreneur now consults, mentors, guides, teaches, writes recipes, designs menus, creates social media content, and looks at operational systems and waste among other things. 

This January 2023, she is has come together with other leaders of industry and academic expertise, to devise and launch a pair of low-cost online events called AtThePass.ie which is targeted towards the current needs of hospitality-related business owners, who, let’s face it are having a tough time right now. 

We speak about the current climate and the challenges of working in the food and hospitality industry and Tracie gives some really practical survival tips for those struggling. We speak about the strength in numbers and the importance of support for small business owners. And though hospitality can be a great and rewarding place to work, how do we keep our momentum in tune and our focus on the positives? This is a really good chat for anyone who is already running a food business or looking to start one. But to be honest, Tracie is just so positive and uplifting, it’s just a good chat in general, so listen up!

Find Tracie online at 

www.traciedaly.com

instagram.com/tracie_daly_business_growth/

tiktok.com/@tracie_daly

facebook.com/FoodBusinessCoach

twitter.com/TracieDalyFBC

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We spoke about the many uses of hemp in our lives, the science, the processes, the challenges, and of course, the regulatory complications as this market and potential super crop explodes worldwide. 

We also chat about the Hemp4Soil project, a Regenerative Farming Experiment in Loop Head in conjunction with ten local farmers, who were encouraged to grow an acre of hemp to see how hemp not only improves the overall quality of the soil and benefits local biodiversity, but could also provide sustainable income streams to the farmers in the future.

And in a very exciting turn for our podcast, we have a special offer! A Free 5ml bottle of CBD Oil shipped out to your door. No catch…. but you’ll have to listen to find out how. 

Find out more on wildatlantichemp.com 

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Imagine beavering away for many years as a freelancer, unknown behind the scenes, quietly testing, tasting, proofing, writing, editing hundreds of books and thousands of recipes and and then BOOM, at a notion, deciding to starting your own food publishing company?

The Irish Examiner has called our guest today ‘Ireland’s top cookbook editor’ and that she is along with being a freelance editor, food writer, and project manager. We are talking about Kristen Jensen. Founder of Nine Bean Rows, Blasta Books, and Scoop magazine. These are all Irish food writing publications that are the voice of modern Irish cuisine. 

An emigrant herself, Kristen came from the States and has shaped her career in food writing. She talks to us about her publishing projects, and the international voices of Irish cuisine, and we ask, what is Irish food today? And get some tips for people who dream big and want to publish their own cookbooks. This is a fascinating chat for anyone who wants an insight into the writing world or just who has a passion for good cookbooks and great food stories. 

Just as a little note, we have to apologise, my internet speed wasn’t quite up to scratch the day we were recording this online, as the audio does go a bit crackly in places. But, stick with it, this is an amazing conversation and the next hour is going to fly by. We promise!

You can find out more about Blasta Books on blastabooks.com , Scoop Magazine on scoopfoodmag.com and Nine Bean Rows at ninebeanrowsbooks.com

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From head chef at Michelin Star “House”, three bricks and mortar premises called “Bites by Kwanghi” to two food trucks of the same name, a spice and other Asian ingredients wholesale business called Chan Chan, recipe and tv appearances, Kwanghi is a busy man. Not just that Kwanghi was the first person to write the spice blend recipe for the infamous “Spice Bag” which has since been copied by McDonalds - An odd accolade. 

Kwanghi is a passionate voice for Irish food though and he represents Irish food in Asia on behalf of Bord Bia, with many visits to Hong Kong, promoting quality Irish Artisans to that massive market. 

Most recently Kwanghi penned his first cookbook, WOK - Book number 4 in the new exciting Blasta Books series that sees 4 Irish chefs release bitesize books throughout the year. We took the opportunity to grab Kwanghi for a quick chat about his life growing up in Donegal, his fusion of influences from China and Ireland, along with his fusion of experience from fine-dining to street food. Kwanghi is a fascinating man but most of all, he’s just a pleasure to chat to. 

Enjoy our chat with Kwanghi Chan.

https://twitter.com/kwanghi_

https://www.instagram.com/kwanghic/

https://www.facebook.com/chefkwanghichan/

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In this episode, we speak about his new book The GIY Diaries, which invites you to join the food revolution with a beautifully illustrated diary of a year in the vegetable patch. Month by month readers learn how to create a space that gives you fresh, wholesome fruit and veg that tastes far better than anything you can find in the shops.

We also discussed growing, soil health, seasonality, the importance of scale when sending your message, the state of commercial growing in Ireland, how growing affects your home kitchen, flavours and much, much more. 

Mick is at this a while and his calm, passionate, interested, informed take on sharing information has touched MILLIONS of people with the work Mick and the GIY team have done!! 

Find out more at www.GIY.ie

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Inspired by the island, epic landscape, botanicals they could forage locally and a love of Vermouth, they set off on their own dream of creating a brand new product for the Irish shelves. And this was something that was born in their home kitchen and now they have even more bigger dreams and plans of building a distillery and visitors centre right there on Valentia Island. 

And Valentia Island is a special place, the birthplace of world wide day communications, as this was the location of the first transltanic communications cable connecting the Europe and America together, so we also speak to national tour guide Mary Murphy O’Donoghue who told us about this significant place in modern history. 

. 

In this chat, we learn how Anna and Orla are deeply committed to sustainable and cradle-to-cradle design principles in their foraging, packaging and environmental sustainability within their community. We hear about the early days of their business, the processes involved, the experience of drinking vermouth… i can tell you it’s good! And what we can expect down the line from them down the line. 

Get your hands (responsibly) on a bottle of “Or” - Valentia Island Vermouth’s -  Ireland’s first commercial vermouth in your local off licence or find out more on valentiaislandvermouth.ie

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A truely out-of-this-world eating experience at a restaurant is only achieved by an attention to detail that goes beyond the food on your fork: It’s the lighting and sounds in the room; the colours on the walls; the smells as you enter; the tone and pace of the servers. Chef’s and restauranteurs explore deep details of your entire experience with them to create a harmonious moment that will resonate with you long after you have swallowed your final bite. 

This is theatre, and top class theatre at that. Why wouldn’t the hands behind the plates, bowls and cups not view it in the same way? Stephen and Alexis have brought to their work this same attention to detail, philosophy and personalised approach to each of their commissions which is why you will eat off their works at most of Ireland’s top restaurants such as Aimsir, Anair, Allta, Ichigo Ichie, Ox and many more. 

Today we chat to Alexis and Stephen of Fermoyle Pottery Studio about what inspires them the most, from the landscape to the people they work with, to the chefs tables where their plates are served. We heard about their background as fledgling potters and artists to where they are today and dig into what makes them and their ceramics business stand apart.

Find out more on fermoylepottery.ie

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For decades, visitors to Ballymaloe House have looked forward to finishing a delcious meal with something sweet from their tempting dessert trolley. JR Ryall, Head Pastry Chef and the man behind these sensational desserts, is our guest today.

JR has been working on a cook book, simply titled “Ballymaloe Desserts” sharing the recipes used in the sweets kitchen over the years. He has been working in the kitchen there since his school days, and the idea came about almost 10 years ago when Hazel Allen asked if he’d be interested in writing a little book to sell from the hall table in Ballymaloe House. 

Fast forward a decade later and when the pandemic came, the time was right time for him to put pen to paper and the project took off. This little book has flourished intro an impressively large hardback book, published by Phaidon and features these iconic recipes and stories alongside stunning photography by Irish photographer Cliodhna Prendergast. It is being launched this month, September 2022 in Ireland and around the world. 

During our chat JR told us about his life in Ballymaloe and the great inspiration Mrs Allen was to him in his culinary career. We hear some of those great food and personal stories, along with his best loved recipes and kitchen tips. And of course, we get into the nitty gritty of book publishing; how he first met with his publisher, signing a book deal and the importance of a great mentor. We went into the whole process of writing and editing, recipe selecting and then the detail, time and craft involved in photographing each recipe. Now that the first book is off the press, JR told us about upcoming book tour and pop up dessert trolleys he is planning in London, Chicago, Toronto and New York. What a whirlwind.

This is fascinating, fun conversation, full of wow! We hope you enjoy.

https://www.instagram.com/jrryall/

https://www.phaidon.com/store/food-cook/ballymaloe-desserts-iconic-recipes-and-stories-from-ireland-9781838665272/

https://www.phaidon.com/store/food-cook/ballymaloe-desserts-iconic-recipes-and-stories-from-ireland-9781838665272/

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The pandemic of 2020 provided the perfect motivations for such businesses to emerge and today’s guest is one such business. Founded in June 2020, Foxglove Cocktails was formed by Tara Copplestone and her brother Rory. The goal was to create non-alcoholic cocktails to buy in retail environments and take home to finish with your alcohol of choice.

We spoke to Tara about how “non-alcoholic” has always been a key part of their approach to their business, not just to circumvent the licensing laws, but also to consider the non-drinker in a group and allow them a delicious drink too while out with friends. 

We talk about her career so far and how her path in PR and working with Jameson in the US took her up the corporate ladder and inspired her to realise she was actually happiest behind a bar and in front of customers.

Tara’s knowledge of drinks, recipes, flavours, and the mechanics of how we have a drink is endless and we got lots of tips for great sips throughout this chat. Enjoy. 

https://foxglovecocktails.ie/

https://www.instagram.com/foxglovecocktailco/

https://www.facebook.com/foxglovecoccktails/

https://twitter.com/FoxgloveCork

https://www.neighbourfood.ie/producers/foxglove-cocktails/84857

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This recording took place in front of a live audience and was kindly hosted by Crawford Art Gallery in Cork city centre as part of the first Cork on a Fork food festival, supported by Cork City Council. The 5 day celebration of food takes place from August 17 - 21 and features a long-table style street dinner, unique experiences, food trails, tasting masterclasses, street events, bite-size food talks, cooking demos, free events, Cork on a Fork specials, family fun, night-time food experiences and more. For events, experiences, participating venues and bookings, see corkcity.ie/corkonaforkfest or @corkonaforkfest on social media. #CorkonaForkFest.

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In this podcast, we hear their story and get some insight into how this family navigate such a diverse business and also hear of Avril’s great passion for Forest Bathing.

Find out more on www.rosscarberyrecipes.ie

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In this conversation we learn about island life; the intricate process of how they farm their kelp and what products they make. We also learn about the nutritional benefits of seaweeds to all our diets and what other byproducts can be made from kelp. We discuss the environmental benefits of farmed and natural seaweed along our coasts. Kate also shares some of the challenges of small food producers and her hopes for the future of her industry. 

Find out more on www.islanderkelp.com

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We spoke to them about their own family farm, why and how Jerry transitioned from dairy farming into dry cattle, which are now exclusively Dexter. How his sons Conor and Diarmuid brought technology and a group of like minded small farmers together as a co-operative to support each other, produce and sell their quality meat collectively both online, in selected butcher shops and NeighbourFood markets.

Conor is hands on in the farm and has a particular interest in animal welfare and environmental sustainability, so we spoke to him about what this means for him and the work they do on the farm. And how we, as consumers, can play a part in this too by choosing a flexitarian diet and meat as a special treat. 

And then of course, we learn of course about Dexter cattle, a Celtic cow, who are small in size, but big in flavour and hear the story of Jerry’s first encounter with this traditional breed. 

Here are two Brave Herders.

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Throughout this episode we have with lots of contributors who tell us why this is. 

We speak to food writer John McKenna of McKenna's Guides about Ireland’s romantic connection to the food that let us down in our past and yet how we return time and time again, like a faithless lover to the spud we love so well. 

Did you know the process of flavouring crisps was invented here in Ireland? That’s right and Tayto Crisps are responsible for the world-famous cheese and onion flavour! We tracked down Peter Murphy, son of Joe “Spud” Murphy, the founder of Tayto who told us about his entrepreneurial dad, his Peter Pan existence and that Ah-Ha moment when they stumbled across the much-loved Cheese and Onion flavour combination. 

There are small farmers throughout the country growing potatoes for their local market. We speak to Maria Flynn of Ballymackenny Farm Potatoes who taking over the family farm,  realised they were never going to survive on glowing Roosters and Queens alone. So they took a chance on growing heritage and heirloom speciality potatoes and targeting chefs with their more unusual produce. When the pandemic hit, they lost 100% of their customers overnight, so we hear their story of survival. 

Now, do you think it’s possible to live on Potatoes alone? We find a man in India who claims to do just that. The Aloo Baba lives in the mountains in Pushkar, India and eats 10kg potatoes a day!!!! That’s some feat, but he claims it keeps him young and gives him clarity. Vikrant Naidu, chef at The Lodge, Myrtleville, Cork steps in to translate and also gives us an insight into the culture of potatoes in his home county of India.

And finally, potatoes are far more than a carbohydrate on our plate, they also make an interesting ingredient in spirits, such as Poitin. Michael O’Boyle of Baoilleach Distillery in Donegal explains why spuds were sometimes used in the mashbill of poitín makers back in the day and when he chooses to continue this tradition in his own poitin collection “Mulroy Bay”. 

Enjoy this spudcast full of poppy love.

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And this week’s chat with beekepper Mark Riordan, founder of HiveMind.ie

While Mark got into beekeeping about 10 years ago, in somewhat an accidental fashion, his work with bees has developed into a fascinating enterprise called HiveMind, allowing companies and individuals to sponsor a hive. We’ll hear more of this journey, as well as his honey experiments into beer, fermenting and sometimes accidental kinds of vinegar. 

We also learn about what you find in typical Irish honey from hawthorn to blackberries and more.

Mark of course also tells us of the importance of bees to every single one of us, how they are all key to our existence and the impact and threat that our environmental footprint is having on the bee population today. 

We mentioned during the course of this podcast a live beehive sound recording which you can download here

Check out the Irish Beekeepers Association on www.irishbeekeeping.ie

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We speak to food writer, Kate Ryan of flavour.ie who recently penned the article “The Aleph: The Story of Irish Food in One Pudding”. It is based on her studies in Irish Food Culture Post Graduate Course at University College Cork, where Kate did a research paper on the topic. 

We got stuck into the medieval process of making black pudding and how it’s done today. We learned about the exchange of recipes and meitheal of preparing food in the community. We talked about the history of this quintessentially Irish ingredient of fresh blood (now Protected Geographical Indication Recognised in parts of Ireland) and the ingenuity that is shown by butchers around the country in their preparation of pudding today. We then tested and compared three different black puddings, local to Kate’s hometown of Clonakilty. They were Rosscarberry Recipes, Clonakilty Black Pudding and Haulie O’Neil of MJ O Neils Artisan Butcher Shop in Clonakilty. She gave us some tips on to cook pudding at home and eat it at times, other than breakfast… who knew?!?!?  

Kate Ryan is a food writer and founder of Flavour.ie dedicated to championing Irish Food through writing and food adventures. Follow her on instagram ( @flavour.ie ) or facebook ( @flavourwestcork )

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We chat to Sam about the origins of Street Feast, all our experiences hosting events, how to go about hosting your own community Street Feast, the importance of community and we learn about the other things Sam is involved in such as the NeighbourHood Network, aswell as who is inspiring him at the moment. 

Head along to StreetFeast.ie to find out more. And for a Street Feast to happen, it doesn’t matter if you live in an apartment or house, all you need is a space to bring people together. There have been feasts organised in front gardens, on streets and greens, in car parks, laneways, local parks and community centres and can’t wait to see what you come up with!

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Now running the business with her partner Eoin, she told us about all the great things that this clean, sustainable and environmentally friendly type of farming can offer. From a small site, you can produce huge yields, with a surprisingly high profit and healthy product, packed full of protein and adored on dining tables throughout Europe. 

We spoke about how Eva got started in the business; what a day in the life of a snail farmer looks like; the worldwide snail market and how Irish snail farmers are popping up all over the country and this is kind of thanks to Eva and her snail farming school, which we also learn about!

And if you’ve never tried, or been brave enough to taste a snail, then Eva has got lots of ideas of how to cook them up. Or indeed restaurants where you can taste Gaelic Escargots including her top recommendation of The Legal Eagle in Dublin, who serve them with roasted bone marrow, braised oxtail and garlic butter. For home cooks and adventurous chefs, you can order their snails through their website GaelicEscargot.com

This is also the point of contact for anyone who would like to know more about snail farming, dip their toes in the field or get some mentoring on this unusual, but fruitful farming method. 

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Mark is also one of the key members of the Dingle Food Festival which happens in October each year, so we spoke about what it’s like to run a festival

But there are many other strings to Mark’s bow, as he is also the owner of The Little Cheese Shop in town. It’s a foodie emporium with over 90% Irish cheese, so we discussed the wonders of Irish cheeses.

This was the conversation that kept on giving, because then we talked the joys of being out on the water and catching your own fish. Mark and the team at the Dingle Cookery School, which is his other enterprise, do a popular Catch and Cook session. So he filled us in on this and the other fun things they get up to during the year.

https://dinglecookeryschool.com/

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Apples are an integral part of Irish culinary culture and history. To prove this the first recorded pips date back to 5000 years ago, discovered at an archaeological dig in Co. Meath. These pips were almost certainly from the wild Irish crab apple Malus Sylvestris and although rare can still be found in the Irish landscape today.

In the 7th and 8th centuries AD the ancient Irish Brehon Laws classed the Apple tree among the ‘seven nobles of the woods’ and the fine for cutting down one of these trees was 5 milk cows and double that if the tree belonged to a chieftain!

So today, you guessed it, the topic is all about Apples!  We are going to find out all about these crunchy wonders of the world; from interesting history to today’s growing scene. 

We speak to Con Traas from The Apple Farm in County Tipperary, one of Ireland’s leading apple growers; We spoke to Dermot Callaghan find out about the research that’s happening in the field from Teagasc; learn a little more about Ireland’s craft cider industry from William O’Callaghan of Longueville House Beverages, who one of the first artisan cider producers and also speak to Elaine Garde of Future Orchard, an eco enterprise and community orchard founded in 2009. 

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Colman has got more energy than a bunny rabbit munching on an organic carrot while jumping on a trampoline. He’s full of the happy buzz. It must be the organic fitness lifestyle, which we read on the internet was consistent with our hunter-gatherer heritage and this is the point where we jump into this interview, but during our conversation, we asked him for a few tips on achieving a healthy and balanced approach to exercise and how this really is different for everyone. 

And as Coleman is a grower himself, How does all this relate to our food? Is food labelled "organic" ultimately more nutritious?  What about Cooked versus raw foods? Different diets, sources of proteins, supplements and ultimately the motivation to keep on top of healthy food and healthy movement. 

But first, the organic fitness…. What is this all about?

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And for this chocolate-filled story, we asked Niamh O'Reilly and the team at Hungry Crow Chocolates in West Cork, if we could get a glimpse into their busy chocolate lab at Easter time and gain some insight into why they love chocolate so much. Expecting a response of just being too busy to entertain us, the answer was quite the opposite and they opened the doors to their busy, laughter-filled kitchen with an invitation into the “madhouse” on what is surely their craziest week of the year. 

We hope when you sit down with your easter egg this weekend that you enjoy this episode of chocolatey goodness. 

https://hungrycrow.ie/

www.instagram.com/hungry_crow_chocolates/

https://www.facebook.com/HungryCrow/

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Oonagh has a huge passion for artisan producers and during the pandemic, she decided to put her money where her mouth is (literally) and buy foods and drinks from a list she compiled of Irish artisan food producers. We chatted to her about her motivations for this project, who and what she discovered and the digital directory she still keeps updated today. 

You may have also come across her book “Money for Jam - an essential guide to starting a food business”. This book contains everything that someone who is new to the food business will need to get started, but more importantly, how to keep going. This came about after mentoring and helping hundreds of small food businesses over the course of 10 years to do the same and of course she also dispensed some golden nuggets of business advice for us too on this episode!

We also discussed a number of other business support services in Ireland, such as the Local Enterprise Offices. We talked about the importance of sustainability, profitability, what does success look like and is growing your business just for the sake of growth a good thing or maybe not?

Oonagh works from her base in Dromahair in North Leitrim so we started by asking her about the food scene in the West of Ireland. We hope you enjoy the conversation.

Links:

Money for Jam 2e: The Essential Guide to Starting Your Own Small Food Business (2017) by Oonagh Monahan

ISBN 1781192952, 9781781192955

You can purchase directly from Oonagh here - https://alphaomega.ie/product/money-for-jam/ or through your local bookstore. There are multiple copies available for loan in the Irish library catalogue.

Reach out to Oonagh online @OonaghEats via twitter, instagram, facebook, LinkedIn or her website alphaomega.ie

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Donal runs an environmental and food waste consultancy called Waste Down. So in his day to day work, he spends lots of time with school groups, community groups and so on, but he also works commercially with companies who want to compost. He’s recently joined the team at CUSP; Cork Urban Soil Project,  so he will give us an update on that. For regular listeners of our podcast, you may remember the chat we had with Virginia O’Gara, who told us all about that particular project, and how food waste is not waste at all, but an asset! It’s a good listen.

But for the majority of today’s chat, Donal is going to give us the lowdown on how to get to grips with home composting. So think this podcast more as a workshop, because we are looking at how nature provides the blueprint for creating great compost; what are the reasons we should all be doing this in the first place; what are the mistakes that composting newbies make and how can we rectify them?; we look at a few different composting methods including traditional composting bins, wormeries and bokashi, great examples where these systems have been used and if composting became a more integrated part of all our lives, what would that mean for our future?

Here are some useful links and resources to help you on your composting journey.

compostingireland.ie

https://stopfoodwaste.ie/resources/composting

https://stopfoodwaste.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/2017-Compost-Booklet-Web-Version.pdf

https://www.antaisce.org/Handlers/Download.ashx?IDMF=8f851b65-e334-4463-b89e-e302c0175ce9

https://wastedown.com/

https://www.instagram.com/waste_down/

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So we wanted to ask the question, is this even possible to do this in Ireland or is it even the answer?  Turning immediately to someone with a mountain of grain knowledge, Andrew Workman of Dunany Organic Flour in Drogheda, Co. Louth laid bare the realities of growing and milling here in Ireland. It’s not exactly a simple answer to a simple question! 

And this brings us to a real hot topic of food security and can Ireland feed itself? It seems like the answer should be yes, but the reality is very different. So perhaps the question should be worded - Could Ireland feed itself if national food policy considered it a priority? Then the answer would be yes!

To get into the nuts and bolts of this, we looked no further than Ruth Hegarty who recently penned an article for The Irish Times of the same name as this episode which started us on this research. 

Ruth's business is Egg & Chicken, an agency with a focus on food, farming and sustainability. Ruth has dedicated her career to advocating for small food producers and farmers, a fairer cleaner food system, food education, and access to good food for all.

We talked to her about Ireland’s food systems and policies; Ireland’s food culture, is it really thriving like everyone says it is or should it come down to the brass tacks of accessible healthy nutritious food for everyone? We look at below cost selling; industrial agriculture; where the hope and opportunity lies for Irish food and our people. 

But first, let’s dive straight into the topic of Food Security and Food Sovereignty. What’s the difference? Where should we be focusing our efforts? Where are the vulnerabilities in Ireland’s food system at the moment and why is the war in Ukraine highlighting this, when it’s a system that has been fragile for a long time. 

Links:

Can Ireland feed itself? - Irish Times Article by Ruth Hegarty

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/food-and-drink/can-ireland-feed-itself-yes-a-nutritious-diet-not-at-the-moment-1.4824313

La Via Campesina

https://viacampesina.org

Farming for Nature

https://www.farmingfornature.ie

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The couple run Cuskinny Court, a historic property, hosting lots of outdoor group-based activities for kids and adult teams, as well as immersive family theatrical experiences at Christmas and Halloween. The property has an old walled garden, which up until this point had been used for archery and kids' games. But everything changed, as they took up a shovel and began sketching plans, building raised beds and crop planning. 

We hear from Erik on how these plans emerged, how he went from a very limited personal knowledge on the subject to a successful garden growing over a dozen crops. He explains how setting up a NeighbourFood market introduced him to other growers and the mentoring and encouragement he received from them and finally how he sells his produce to local buyers and cafes. 

If you’ve been inspired by Erik’s story, and want to learn more about setting up a market garden, then we highly recommend you tune into our previous episode with Richard Mee, head gardener at GIY - Grow It Yourself. This episode covers lots more technical and useful information in creating the foundation for a successful market garden.

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Who better to get down and get dirty with than, GIY’s Head Grower Richard Mee, who is based at Grow HQ in Waterford city. GIY are a non-profit, social enterprise, helping people grow food, learn about food sustainability and ultimately teaching the country to GROW IT YOURSELF- GIY!

Richard is an expert in biodiversity and horticulture and believe it or not, started growing at only 3 years old with his dad and since then has accumulated over 40 years of growing experience!. He studied for a BSc in Horticulture at Reading University and an MSc in Organic Farming at the Scottish Agricultural College. In addition to the UK and Ireland, Richard has grown veg all over the world, including Central America and Africa.

We talk about the type of research you need to do before you set up, the size and the location of the land. We explore sowing, growing and harvesting including Crop Planning and Production, Soil Preparation, Sourcing Seed, Planting your crops and the type of equipment you might need. The type of Maintenance you can expect during the year and finally Harvesting and storing your produce

Of course, financial considerations are important too, so we get Richard’s tips on selling your produce. What type of investment would you need to start off in terms of time, resources and equipment. What kind of ongoing financial costs should I expect, and ultimately, is it worth it financially to grow vegetables and how much money can I make?

But growing is far more than a financial reward and Richard is clearly passionate about this topic. So get stuck in, notebook at the ready, there’s lots to learn here!

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You may know our guest from her incredibly prolific Instagram account where she keeps everyone up to date with her personable and enjoyable kitchen creations.

We are of course talking to Lilly Higgins and in this conversation, we talk about the art of food writing and what her job is all about and which books and writers are inspiring her at the moment. We got into feeding the family and how you build a good food culture at home. We found out what she loves about her job and the best thing about being a food writer?

Lilly’s Cook Book recommendations

One: Pot, Pan, Planet: A Greener Way to Cook for You and Your Family: A Cookbook

by Anna Jones

Mamushka: Recipes from Ukraine & beyond

by Olia Hercules

Blasta Books #1: Tacos

by Lily Ramirez-Foran

In Bibi's Kitchen: The Recipes and Stories of Grandmothers from the Eight African Countries that Touch the Indian Ocean

by Hawa Hassan and Julia Turshen

Palestine on a Plate: Memories from My Mother's Kitchen

by Joudie Kalla

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In this week’s NeighbourFood Podcast we speak to flower farmer Anna Hogan, from Seekings Flower Farm, in Ballymacoda. In the growing season, you will find row upon row of beautiful, Irish cut-flowers, all cultivated from bulbs or seed. Her nature-inspired bouquets are full of romance, colour and fragrance. Now it’s not just flowers you’ll find in her bunch, as she often compliments this with aromatic herbs such as lemon verbena, fennel, dill and mint, all of which further enhance their beautiful scent.

Anna is also part of the Flower Farmers of Ireland who are a nationwide network of Irish sustainable flower growers. It’s all part of the floral revolution,  a movement mainly driven by female flower farmers who are connecting with nature, much like the farm to fork movement. And in many ways, this is redefining the global cut-flower industry, by producing much loved, locally-grown, seasonal, scented blooms and fresh cut foliage for people who love their flowers to look and smell as if they were picked from the garden this morning.

And that was the focus of our conversation, where we hear about the significance of flowers and why we feel so connected to them. What the Irish flower industry is like, as well as how much is imported and how much is locally grown? We learn that Irish flower farming is a growing sector in more than the obvious sense, but in terms of education, public awareness, social farming, pollination and green matters. And as spring is the perfect time to get planting, we also get a few tips for hobby gardeners like ourselves in starting to grow our own little slices of garden heaven. 

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So today, we are chatting to Virginia O’Gara, who along with her husband Donal are My Goodness, the much-loved raw vegan food company based in Cork city, whose business are the founders and partners of this project.

And what the team are hoping to do here is completely close the loop by composting all of their waste, turning it into healthy nutritious soil and build a small urban micro farm right between My Goodness HQ and the Marina Market, which for anyone who is familiar with this site, might think it’s an impossibility. It’s located on a dark, very steep slope in the Marina Commercial Park, which is grounds of the old Dunlop’s factory. Sure it’ll never work!

So this is a story of hope, it’s a story of community. It's the story of the challenge this group of ecologically driven people are taking up. A group who genuinely believe that it is always the right thing to challenge the status quo, to rethink the fate of waste and prove to us all that there is a healthier, ethical and more sustainable way to live. 

In this conversation with Virginia we talk about her rebel upbringing in Texas, her time in the Americas, her pilgrimage to permaculture, the hilarious suspiciousness people have about veganism and her motivations for a plant based diet. But ultimately, we are talking here about a great big circle which brings us back to the importance of soil health, eliminating food waste and the motivation behind the Cork Urban Soil project. 

Social Links:

https://www.urbansoilproject.com/

https://twitter.com/thecusp_ie

https://www.instagram.com/urbansoilproject/

https://www.facebook.com/Cork-Urban-Soil-Project-624787484670448/

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We explore stories of interest with interesting people and learn a bit along the way. And we are always trying to find ways to connect people with their local farmers and food producers. Because who doesn't love fresh local produce with ultra-low food miles and minimal packaging?

But ultimately we are here to entertain with lively and interesting stories from people who are endlessly passionate about what they do. 

This is the NeighbourFood podcast. 

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Although in existence for centuries it was an enterprising group of dairy farmers in the 1970’s who spearheaded the Irish Farmhouse Cheese evolution. Siobhán tells us how Irish cheese stands apart from our European counterparts where the quality of our land, pasture and milk along with Irish cheese makers' creativity, confidence and innovation has brought us to where we are today. We speak about the seasonality in cheesemaking, the cost of producing genuine food and what we should look out for with cheese labelling. 

We are encouraging everyone to cheese the day and try out some of the many wonderful flavours of the 200 different Irish farmhouse cheeses from 60 cheesemakers in 32 counties across Ireland.

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In this week’s episode, we explore raw milk. With the growing popularity of natural, local, farm-sourced foods many people are now consuming raw milk which is basically milk directly from the cow in its purest form, with minimal intervention. 

The most important thing to realise with raw milk is that it has not been pasteurised, which is the process of heating the milk to 71.7°C for at least 15 seconds to kill any pathogens or bacteria making it safe for human consumption while also extending its shelf life. 

However, there are countless advocates who argue that it is not only creamier and tastier, but has superior health and nutritional benefits that pasteurisation would have eliminated. 

So we ask, is Raw Milk a superfood or is it a dangerous fad? And to help us answer this, we speak to a number of experts on this topic including Dr. Wayne Anderson from the Food Safety Authority of Ireland; Elisabeth Ryan, one of the founders of Raw Milk Ireland; organic raw dairy milk farmer Sean Condon of Temple Roe Organic Dairy Farm and Deirdre MacMahon, host of NeighbourFood Limerick.

***

Links mentioned in show:

See a list of raw milk producers who have registered with Department of Agriculture here 

Google Earth shows that cow and deer herds align like compass needles

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Colin is an academic strongly committed to public engagement; he co-founded and served as Chair (2013-19) for the Cork Food Policy Council. He retired as Senior Lecturer in the Department of Geography at UCC and now works as an independent scholar on food systems and sustainability from his base in Portugal. He is an author and book editor on environment and food and is preoccupied with the contemporary food system, its social and environmental consequences, and ways of developing healthier, more sustainable, and resilient food provisioning alternatives.

In this conversation, we spoke about the way food and the environment interconnect. And while this is far more than just a climate issue we focus in on some of the discussions around food policy at COP 26 and other climate meetings. 

We look at some of the Irish agriculture policy in relation to climate issues and will food production and how we approach it to play a role in solving the trend of environmental harm we are seeing?

Colin’s other expertise include civic initiatives for social change, so we speak to him about his work with Cork Food Policy, in particular, the role of community gardens and how he believes that “the moment you put your hands into the soil, your relationship to food changes absolutely fundamentally”

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The Gnomes are brothers Raymo, Shane, Marty, and lifelong friend Jason. Together they are hosting a productive micro urban farm on a quarter of an acre, on the grounds of Dublin City University community garden. 

As you may know, this month we have been chatting to The Next Generations of Food producers. Marty, a ripe 29 years of age, came to good food for the taste and a break from computers and found a whole lot more. In this episode, he tells us his story of how the Gnomes came to be and how this micro urban farm has become such an integral part of community and DCU campus life. We hear about the people they meet, their methods of farming, and how “The Gnomes” success is ever-growing. 

Find out more on https://marketgnomes.com/

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This is an urban farm, unlike others. It was set up by Brian McCarthy and his friend Thay Carlos as a lockdown project back in March 2020. He says himself they were only “trying to grow produce for ourselves, not with any commercial motivations, just purely for downtime during lockdown” and today it is fair to say, it has grown legs everywhere.  

This project began as a 7,000 square feet area on the rooftop of his family’s business premises in the heart of Cork city just around the corner from where Brian lives. 

Before they knew it, Brian and Thay were assembling a polytunnel, planting seeds, receiving soil deliveries, building raised beds, and transplanting plants. Now fast forward a short 18 months, and this project has morphed into aeroponics, microgreens, pasture-raised hens, a no-dig market garden, and an army of people working with them. Cork Rooftop Farm has just opened a farm shop downstairs which sells of course their own produce, grow-it-yourself products, house plants, wholefoods, and supplies from other organic producers in the area. 

Brian is certainly the type of guy that sees an idea, gets inspired and goes for it. He’s like in, 100% in. We hope you enjoy our chat with him which goes into detail of all the ins and outs of the farm, what his philosophies are, some of the issues facing young farmers today and lots more. 

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We spoke to her about her early days, who inspired her back then, who is inspiring her now, what are her hopes for the new generation of people working in food and what are her hopes for the future?

We began our conversation by asking her to bring us back to day one of opening the cookery school in Ballymaloe Cookery School. What was that moment like and where was she at that time? But she invites us back even before then to her school-going days as this is where her journey in food really began. 

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In this week’s episode, we speak to Katie Sanderson from her home in Connemara. 

Katie, who is in her early thirties, spent her youth between Hong Kong and Ireland. Already she has had a colourful and jam-packed career, self described as a "nomadic-chef" creating pop dinners, collaborations with other chefs, working in the Fumbally, catering at yoga workshops, dance residencies, and festivals, and forming Dillisk, a pop-up food project with her partner Jasper in a boat shed in the west of Ireland. 

These days she is working with Jasper on White Mausu, a range of Asian-inspired condiments. It’s a far cry from periwinkles on the Irish seashore but is a reflection of her upbringing in Hong Kong and her love of taste explosions. She tells us about the challenges along the way, and equally the wins and how the progression from a business idea in 2017 has now grown to five full-time staff and is available in specialty food shops throughout Ireland and the UK. 

This is a lovely conversation that traces her journey, hopes, and inspirations. We hope you enjoy it. 

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But what about festivities around the world and what is a traditional fayre in other countries? 

From Bethlehem to Burgundy, we speak to a host of international people who have an Irish connection, to tell us about the celebrations in their own country and more importantly what is for dinner? ‘Cause we are always hungry!

Thank you to Takashi Miyazaki of Ichigo Ichie, who told us about Christmas in Japan, and gave us the most unexpected answer ever! Pascal Rossignol of Le Caveau Wines who told us about a traditional French Christmas in his home town of Burgundy. George Khan, from Bethlehem, the Palestinian city and birth place of Jesus who celebrate with a massive Christmas tree in the town square. Chef Norza of Malay Kitchen on a typical Malaysian Christmas and Luke Hickson on the twelve Polish dishes of Christmas eve in particular Śledzie, the Polish pickled herring delight. 

This has been a mouth watering journey around the world, and we hope you enjoy listening to these traditions and voices of our international Irish community. 

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone.

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But, it’s a lot more than this because Kevin’s techniques of farming are more on the unusual side for Ireland, as he implements a system called Korean Natural Farming. Gathering indigenious microbes from his natural environment, Kevin ferments and produces natural plant solutions to produce fertile soils that yield high output without the use of synthetic herbicides or pesticides.

He explains how some of these practises work include a visit to a local forest to find an old tree in pristine condition that is south facing. He buries a sample of par cooked rice in a natural basket under the tree and collects the fungi and microbes which is then mixed with brown sugar cane and composted with compostable materials which he adds to the soil. 

As the name might suggest, Korean Natural Farming (KNF) was developed in South Korea in the 1960s by Dr Cho Han Ky, This was partially in response to increasing dependence on synthetic chemicals.  He wanted to design a way for local farmers to generate all or most of a farm’s own fertility needs out of waste products from the farm itself—egg shells, compost, wild plants, etc. Dr. Cho thus combined plant biology with a Korean love for fermentation and, through much testing, developed what is now referred to as Korean Natural Farming.

This is a fascinating conversation about these ancient systems but we also discuss the importance of soil health, the value of nutrition of our food, and what is really local. We get a little insight into Kevin’s ambition for the farm. We hope you are as inspired as we were after our visit to New Leaf Urban Farmers. 

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It’s abundant, free, full of adventure, and celebrates the beauty and bounty of our landscape. So we discuss why it’s important to eat from our natural surroundings and what are the benefits of eating wild foods for our health. 

We learn about what we can find in the wild and what we can do with something as simple as a nettle, including a delicious and tempting recipe for nettle beer.

Fiona also tells us about the value of running a small business, as she and her husband Malcolm upped sticks from London, moved to a 5-acre farm in Co. Wexford and now run an environmentally sustainable food business which along with countless awards has presented them with many creative opportunities. 

From blackberries to mushrooms, wild food is also a huge passion for musician Peter Broderick who is our second guest in the show. He's a Maine man now living in Co. Galway and loves to forage for wild, edible plants and has amassed an impressive mushroom collection this season. Though we may be so bold as to suggest writing the theme music for our NeighbourFood podcast was one of his greatest musical feats, we think you will be far more impressed with his fun song “Wild Food” from his album Blackberry, which is all about gathering, foraging, hunting, and munching! It's catchy (see what we did there?).

*******

Wild About’s Nettle Beer Recipe

Ideal for brewing around St Patrick's Day (17 March) when the nettles are young

2 carrier bags of nettles (approx 500grams)

12 liters of water

1.5 kg sugar

60 grams cream of tartar

Yeast

Optional - 2 oranges, 2 lemons, Ginger

Boil the water. Once it comes to the boil, take off the heat. Add the nettles. Cover and leave it to infuse for a minimum one hour, but preferably overnight. 

Strain the mixture through a muslin cloth. Heat this mixture only enough to dissolve the sugar and the cream of tartar.

Add the juice of the orange, lemon, and ginger spice (these are optional)

Leave cool at room temperature and then add yeast. Cover with a tea towel and leave in a dark, warm place for four to five days.

After this time, remove the scum from the brew bucket and siphon it into plastic bottles. Leave to settle in a cool place such as a fridge.

Ready to drink after seven days and we are told it tastes like a Breton cider!.

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Joe Fitzmaurice of riot rye is one of the pioneers of modern sourdough breads in Dublin and one of the founder members of Real Bread Ireland. His career in food was hugely influenced by his family and we begin this conversation with some of Joe’s lingering food memories of his mother’s cooking in particular wholemeal naturally fermented sourdough bread and simple nutritious, macrobiotic foods. In 2004 Joe and his wife Julie decided to join Cloughjordan Eco-village and build a wood-fired bakery: Cloughjordan Wood-fired Bakery. A decade later they decided to set a new course with their business in response to the continuing demise of true artisan and craft bakeries in Ireland and set up riot rye.

Our conversation traverses the parable of the local micro-bakery in Ireland. What is our culture of bread baking in this country and how is this evolving today? What is life really like as a baker? And how are micro bakeries in small communities becoming a hub of employment and nutrition. What is really going on with sourdough? These are just some of the questions and topics we found ourselves indulging in with Joe. 

We hope you enjoy this listen and if you feel the need to stretch and fold your own sourdoughs, check out Riot Rye Bakehouse and Bread School’s extensive selection of online tutorials , in-person classes, and their shop of Irish baking ingredients.  

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We speak to food writer John McKenna about Ireland’s romantic connection to the food that let us down in our past and yet how we return time and time again like a faithless lover to the spud we love so well. 

Did you know the process of flavouring crisps was invented here in Ireland? That’s right and Tayto Crisps are responsible for the world famous cheese and onion flavour! We tracked down Peter Murphy, son of Joe “Spud” Murphy, the founder of Tayto who told us about his entrepreneurial dad, his Peter Pan existence and that Ah-Ha moment they stumbled across the much loved Cheese and Onion flavour combination. 

There are small farmers throughout the country growing potatoes for their local market and we speak to Maria Flynn of Ballymackenny Farm Potatoes. After taking over the family farm, they realised they were never going to survive on glowing Roosters and Queens alone, so they took a chance on growing heritage and heirloom speciality potatoes and targeting chefs with their produce. When the pandemic hit, they lost 100% of their customers overnight, so we hear their story of survival. 

Now do you think it’s possible to live on Potatoes alone? We find a man in India who claims to do just that. The Aloo Baba lives in the mountains in Pushkar, India and eats 10 - 12 potatoes a day!!!! That’s some feat, but he claims it keeps him young and gives him clarity. Vikrant Naidu, chef at The Lodge, Myrtleville, Cork steps in to translate and also gives us an insight into the culture of potatoes in his home country of India.

And finally, potatoes are far more than a carbohydrate on our plate, they also make an interesting ingredient in spirits, such as poitín. Michael O’Boyle of Baoilleach Distillery in Donegal explains why spuds were sometimes used in the mash bill of poitín makers back in the day and why he chooses to continue this tradition in his own “Mulroy Bay” poitín collection.

We hope you enjoy this spudcast full of poppy love. 

The NeighbourFood Podcast is presented by Jack Crotty and Joleen Cronin.

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With so much choice and often overwhelm when hearing all these words, does it really make a difference to choose one over the other and why? What about sulfites? What exactly are they and are they bad news or should we embrace them?

These are just some of the questions we asked Pascal Rossignol of Le Caveau independent wine merchants when we sat down with him. So pour yourself a glass and enjoy this lovely conversation all about wine and the fascinating world of small vineyards and growers from around the world. 

You can find out more about Le Caveau Wines on their website or by visiting their shop in Kilkenny of course through NeighbourFood. 

We also have a number of other independent wine merchants supplying the NeighbourFood markets network. So find your local one, ask the questions and enjoy that bottle all the more!

The NeighbourFood Podcast is presented by Jack Crotty and Joleen Cronin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Caitlin is a chef, originally from New Hampshire in the States, and found her way via Belgium to Timoleague in West Cork. Her career has brought her to Lettercollum House, Dillons and Deasys where she gained a reputation for serving sensational seafood and a Bib Gourmand. 

Most recently Caitlin has taken to cliffs, beaches and roadsides with a new food truck adventure. The hero in all her dishes is whatever she can get hold of from her local growers. Hyper-local is what she calls it. 

We had a chat with her about the importance of sustainable food choices, how creativity can flourish in this vagabond approach to serving food and how she only takes on interesting jobs. 

Find out more about Cailtin on :

www.instagram.com/caitlinruthfood/

https://caitlinruthfood.ie/

The NeighbourFood Podcast is presented by Jack Crotty and Joleen Cronin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

However, salmon farming comes with a cost. We speak to NGO activists Salmon Watch Ireland, who tell us about the impact that salmon farms have on wild salmon and sea trout and express concerns about general fish welfare, such as sea lice and overcrowding. 

We visited an Irish organic salmon farm, Bradan Beo Teoranta, part of the Irish Seafood Producers Group in Connemara on the west coast to see firsthand how these farms work and how fish welfare is handled. We learn how organic principles are put in place and how the treatments for sea lice and disease happen on the farm.

We also speak to Susan Steele, recently appointed director of the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) who from a young age worked on salmon farms and has vast experience in the regulation of the aquaculture industry. 

But is there a way for wild fish and salmon farms to live in harmony? We learn about potential solutions such as closed containment systems (RAS), semi-closed containment at sea, and other new technological developments in the farming industry. 

This is a fascinating listen with stories and opinions from all sides. We hope you enjoy it. 

Listeners may also be interested in these articles on salmon farming in Ireland

https://www.noteworthy.ie/nw-troubled-waters/news/

https://www.marine.ie/Home/site-area/areas-activity/aquaculture/sea-lice

https://bim.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/BIM-The-Business-of-Seafood-2020.pdf

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/what-ever-happened-to-the-irish-salmon-farming-industry-1.4123596

The NeighbourFood Podcast is presented by Jack Crotty and Joleen Cronin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First up is Sally Barnes, a key figure in the Irish artisan food renaissance of the last 40 years. She began traditional smoke-curing as a means to preserve the bounty that she and her husband at the time were catching from the West Cork coastline. Working as a fisherwoman herself, she smoked her first fish in 1979 and through endless trial and error, established a famously unique recipe that began winning awards and accolades for her now legendary cold-smoked Wild Atlantic Salmon. These days Sally runs a school in the Woodcock smokery, near Castletownshend in West Cork, hosting masterclasses in the artform of hot and cold smoking as well as coastal foraging. 

We spoke to her about why she loves this fish so much, what motivates her to pursue this artisan craft and how she has witnessed first hand the decline in salmon stocks.

We visit Mark Boyden, co-founder of StreamScapes ( http://www.streamscapes.ie ) and the Coomhola Salmon Trust near Bantry in West Cork. This environmental education and research facility engages with schools and community groups promoting awareness of local waters and wildlife. He tells us about the importance of salmon’s presence in our waters and explains about the salmon life cycle. 

StreamScapes have also brought out a beautifully illustrated educational booklet called “Salmon Sanctuaries” about the life of the wild Atlantic salmon which is available as a free download. 

Finally, we chatted to salmon angler Alan Nolan of the Lee Salmon Anglers who has been fascinated by this fish since a child. Spending days at the river bank, he tells about the thrill of the sport, why it is regarded as the King of fish, and how human intervention is putting the salmon in danger. 

As a side note, listeners may be interested in the one-hour documentary “River Runner” (2018) by Declan O’Mahony, which tells the story of the river Lee from the salmon’s perspective and Alan explains in detail the impact of man-made weirs and dams on wild salmon.

The NeighbourFood Podcast is presented by Jack Crotty and Joleen Cronin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We speak to two inspiring Irish food truck entrepreneurs; Niamh Hegarty, from Niamh’s Larder, East Cork, and Shannon Forrest of Rívesci, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. As it happens both are also NeighbourFood hosts in their own towns.

While their stories are similar through the adversity of a global pandemic and innovation that occurs as a result, we hope you will be inspired by their individual journeys and great love of local food. 

Viva la Food Truck Revolution! 

The NeighbourFood Podcast is presented by Jack Crotty and Joleen Cronin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a new podcast by the NeighbourFood team, Jack and Joleen find out what the craic with eggs is and speak to one of Ireland’s most loved food personalities and founder of the Ballymaloe Cookery School, Darina Allen about her love for hens, her favourite way of eating eggs, how to recognise the freshest of eggs and how to source the best ones. Spoiler alert; Befriend your farmer is the key advice here!

But which came first, the chicken or the egg? We pick the brains of food historian Dr. Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire, lecturer in Culinary Arts in the Technological University Dublin for this age-old question who explains how eggs first came to Ireland, the recognition of their nutrition in Irish folklore (seems we’ve been eating them a long time indeed!) and how eggs were sold to pay the rent instead of feeding the poor during famine times. 

A lovely listen with some surprises that might crack you up along the way.

If you’d like some more info on the history of eggs in Irish cuisine and culture, this is a fascinating read by Dr. Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire

Finally, did you know that the number of pleats in a chef's hat was meant to represent all the different ways you can cook an egg? We've made a printable chef's hat for a fun activity you can do with the kids at home. Send us a pic of your creations on our social media channels @NeighbourFoodMarkets

The NeighbourFood Podcast is presented by Jack Crotty and Joleen Cronin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The show is hosted by NeighbourFood’s co-founder Jack Crotty and food lover, photographer, and content creator Joleen Cronin, who chat with the rest of the team to find out what they are working on right now and what plans are in the pipeline for this exciting Irish software company who work with small to medium-sized food producers. NieghbourFood is online platform is designed to directly connect consumers with these producers through local NeighbourFood Markets giving them the fairest price. 

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