A SLICE OF SMALLTOWN PRIDE

and Italian-style cheeses

Grate expectationsCheesemaker Maja Binder’sdairy creations includeseaweed-flavoured offeringsand Italian-style cheeses

F O O D HOT SIPSMartin Moran onwhat to look forin Lidl’s French

wines saleP27

Valerie O’Sullivan

KATYMcGUINNESS

Ayear ago, the RestaurantsAssociation of Ireland named Dingle thecountry’s top “foodie town”. The westKerry fishing port beat heavyweightcompetition from Galway, Kilkenny andCork to win the inaugural prize. As thenominations close for the 2015 contest,highlighting once again just what it takesto become a renowned destination forculinary tourists, just how did tiny Dingle,home to fewer than 2,000 souls, do it?Dingle is blessed with a picturesque

coastal location and its boats can landcatches within metres of restaurantkitchens. The rugged hinterland alsosuits the mountain sheep, the proximityto the sea imparting a salty tang to theirmeat (Dingle butcher Jerry Kennedy sellslamb considered by many to be the bestin Ireland). In addition, the local dextercattle, which are small and hardy and areideally adapted to the area’s roughterrain, produce meat that is richlymarbled and much prized by chefs.Having great fish and meat is not

enough, however. For a town to establishitself as the country’s premier fooddestination, it needs not only fishermenand farmers, but also growers andforagers, cheesemakers and artisanfood producers, shopkeepers, chefs,restaurateurs and cafe owners. It needscraft brewers and distillers, and bar-owners committed to making theirpremises welcoming and convivial — notforgeting hotels and B&Bs where thehospitality comes easy.When all these like-minded folk come

together and collaborate with singularpurpose, they can create a vibrant and

How did Dingle becomethe country’s top culinarydestination? By creatinga vibrant community oflike-minded foodies

SUNDA

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Local heroesClockwise from topright: Murphy’s hasintroduced sorbetsmade from rainwater;award-winningrestaurants includethe Global Village; Outof the Blue chef EricMaillard rewrites themenu each day,depending on thecatch; pubs such asDick Mack’s offermusic with localbrews. Seafood,below, is a speciality

Burgess will serve delights that includeespresso martinis, with his parents, sisterand brother drafted in to help. “I’mexcited for our first festival,” he says.After coffee, you could do worse than

try a scoop or several of Murphy’s icecream — Kerry Cream Vanilla, ToastedIrish Oats and Dingle Sea Salt, perhaps —made from the milk of the indigenous

Kerry cow, a breed that had languishedfor years until the Murphy brothersremembered the deliciously creamyquality of its milk and decided to use it intheir products.This year, the Murphys have

introduced a range of Rainwater Sorbets,capitalising on one of the town’s mostabundant natural resources, and nowhave two shops in the town, as wellas outposts in Dublin and Killarney.The raspberry and chocolate versionsare exquisite.Then you could drop in to Maja Binder’s

Little Cheese Shop on Green Street, whereyou will find the German cheesemaker’sDingle Peninsula cheeses, including theseaweed-flavoured Dilliskus, as well asOlivier Beaujouan’s On the Wild Sidecharcuterie, and Saorla O’Corrain’sDovinia range of handmade chocolates,including cheese chocolates — flavoursinclude Milleens, Cashel Blue andGortnamona — which must be tasted tobe appreciated fully.“I’m so pleased that people like what

I’m doing,” says Binder, who comes fromthe Black Forest, trained as a cheesemaker in Switzerland and arrived inIreland in 1997, founding DinglePeninsula Cheese the following year. Shesays she is coming to the end of herbusiest summer yet.As well as the shop, Binder has a stall

at the Dingle Farmers’ Market, which is ahuge draw for locals and tourists andtakes place every Friday on Holyground,near the harbour. Binder sells her driedDingle truffle cheese for grating overpasta and salads, as well as freshmozzarella and cream cheese that shemakes every few days in the summermonths. At the festival, she will beserving a Swiss-style fondue laced withred wine and poitin.In the Dingle food park, Michelle

O’Sullivan’s neighbours include DingleSushi and Seamus Fitzgerald’s newbutcher, Micilin Muc, making sausages,black and white puddings and dry-curedbacon. Fitzgerald started up only amonth ago, but his products are alreadythe talk of the town. He says he set up hisbusiness as an alternative to being on thedole, using skills he picked up over15 years working in the trade in the UK.“All I have is a mincer, and I’m making

sausages the traditional way, so thetexture is coarser than most commercialsausages. I think it gives better flavour.It’s a small operation so I’m not afraid oftrying new things. It’s just me, so it ishard work, but it’s going great,” he says.Also in the food park is the Dingle

Cookery School, run by chef MarkMurphy — who has stints at LonguevilleHouse, L’Ecrivain and Global Village onhis CV — and his business partner,Muireann nic Giolla Ruaidh.“We’ve had a brilliant first year,” says

Murphy. “Over the winter it’s mainlylocals, either for month-long, one-night-a-week courses on learning tocook, or improving skills, or pastry, orfor one-day courses on bread, or gluten-free or edible Christmas gifts. Our Pig ina Day [pork nose-to-tail butchery andcookery] course was really popular, too.“Then in summer it’s more tourists.

The ‘Catch & Cook’ course [whichcombines Atlantic sea fishing withcooking and eating the fresh catch] isreally fun — people get so competitiveand there’s always one poor fella whocatches nothing and another who catches10. The North Americans in particularlove the Traditional Irish course. We givethem tea and scones and teach themabout the history of Irish food.”On the Friday of the food festival,

people from the Camphill community

sustainable food community for thebenefit of the whole town — and that ishow it appears to be in Dingle.For the first-time visitor, the town can

be a little overwhelming. Where shouldyou begin? Coffee is always a good placeto start. Bean in Dingle, on Green Street,opened in June and is a modern spacewith a large communal table and awindow bar, serving its own blend ofcoffee roasted to order by Badger & Dodoin Cork. It offers cinnamon rolls from theBacus Bakery, in nearby Cloghane, andmuffins and sausage rolls made byMichelle O Sullivan’s Bluirini Blasta, inthe Dingle food park.Bean in Dingle’s owner, Justin Burgess,

moved to the town with his family14 years ago, aged 11, and spent eightsummers working as a barista atMurphy’s Ice Cream while studying fora degree in environmental science atUniversity College Cork.“I got great coffee training there,” he

says. “And I got to know Brock Lewinfrom Badger & Dodo, who is a lovely guy— very dedicated, with a real passion forcoffee. When I found the premises onGreen Street, I went to him and chose the

blend [coffee nerds will want to knowthat it’s 50% Brazil ipanema, 25%Guatemala san juan, and 25% Ethiopiayirgacheffe], which is quite differentfrom anything that was available inDingle before, smoother and sweeter onthe palate. People seem to enjoy it, we’vehad overwhelming local support.”At next month’s Dingle Food Festival,

06 .09 . 2015 / 25

Over to you

How to prepareMix together dressing ingredients and season well. Place beets in a pot, skins on, andcover with water. Bring to boil, then simmer until tender. Remove from water and allowto cool slightly, then, remove skins, using a cloth. Purée beets in a blender with some ofthe cooking liquid and some of the butter. Season well with salt and pepper.

To prepare greens, separate them and remove large stalks but keep them.Put a drop of rapeseed oil into a pan on a medium to high heat. Season fish, then lay

fillets in pan, skin-side down. Fry until skin is golden and crisp, and fillets are cookedtwo-thirds of way through. Turn fish over, reduce heat and cook for about two moreminutes. When almost cooked, add small bit of butter. Turn off heat and allow to rest.

Meanwhile, wash greens gently, retaining a little water on them. Heat a pan. Addstalks to pan with a little water and cook for about a minute, before adding greens andcooking for two more minutes, or until wilted. Season. Place some greens in centre ofplate, spread some beetroot around and place fish on top. Drizzle dressing over fish, thensprinkle with seaweed flakes.

Serves 6-8What you willneed110g/3¾oz buttercubed110g/3¾oz sugar2 eggs225g/8oz self-raising flour

4 large cookingapples, peeled andsliced finely2 tbsp milk25g/1oz flakedalmonds1 tbsp brown sugarchantilly cream orcustard, to serve

K E R R Y A P P L EC A K E

How to preparePreheat oven to 170C/gas mark 4. Creambutter and sugar, beat in eggs and milk,then sieve in flour. Mix, then add theapples. The mixture should be quite wet.If it is a little dry, add a drop of milk. Placein a 9in deep, greased tin and top withflaked almonds and brown sugar. Bake for30 minutes. Serve warm with some

Serves 6What you willneedFor the filling450g/16ozboneless lamb(shoulder or leg.Keep bones forstock)1 onion, dicedfinely2 cloves garlic,minced2 carrots, finelydiced½ stick celery,finely diced400ml/14 fl ozstock2 tbsp flour

(optional)Bunch parsley,choppedLeaves frombunch thymeSalt and pepperFor the pastry350g/12ozwhite flour175g/6oz butter(or 100g/4ozbutter cubedplus 75g/2ozlard)100ml/3½ fl ozwaterPinch salt1 egg, beatenwith pinch ofsalt

D I N G L E P I E S

H A K E A N D S E A S O N A L G R E E N S

At the Dingle Cookery School, Mark Murphy teachesa traditional Irish cuisine course that is popular withvisitors, writes Katy McGuinness. Below, we share threeof his recipes with you. The hake dish uses locallycaught fish and the Kerry apple cake is based on atraditional recipe. “The recipe for Dingle pies is ourversion of a dish that was served on fair day in Dingle,”says Murphy. “We use Dingle Peninsula lamb and mix itwith onions, celery, carrots and herbs. Traditionally,most pies would have consisted only of mutton.”

Serves 4What you will needFor the dressingJuice of 1 lemonLeaves from 5-6 sprigsthyme

100ml/3½ fl oz rapeseed oilCider vinegarSalt and pepperFor the fish2 beetroots, washed50g/1¾oz butter

Salt and pepperBunch of seasonal greens120g/4oz hake per portion(180g-200g/6oz-7oz formain course)Dried seaweed flakes

How to prepareTo make the pastry, sieve flour and salt into a bowl making a well in thecentre. Dice butter, or butter and lard, and bring to the boil in a pan withthe water. Pour liquid into flour and mix quickly, beating to a smoothdough. Wrap in clingfilm and allow to rest for at least a half an hour.

For the filling, sweat onion in oil over a low to medium heat for threeto five minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper. Add garlic and cookfor another two to three minutes, then add celery, carrots and thyme.Cook until shiny.

Mix meat with flour and a little salt and pepper. Place a pan overmedium to high heat, then add a little oil and some of meat pieces.Cook until browned. Remove and repeat with more meat. Add meat tovegetables and cover with stock. Season and add a bay leaf. Cook overa low heat for two to three hours, until lamb is tender and falling apart.Add parsley, taste and season again.

Preheat oven to at 200C/gas mark 6. Oil a muffin tin, roll out pastryand cut into small discs to fit tin, then cut lids for pies. Press a disc intoeach round of tin and fill with lamb mixture. Brush egg wash over edgesof the pastry and place a lid on each pie. Crimp edges with a fork, brushwith egg wash and pierce small holes in centre. Bake for 25 minutes.

30 minutes. Serve warm with somechantilly cream or custard.

I’m making sausages the traditionalway. All I have is a mincer. it’s just me, soit’s hard work, but it’s going great

will give demonstrations of cheese-making at the cookery school.When it comes to dinner, Martin

Bealin’s award-winning Global Villagerestaurant is a must-see. The way Bealintells it, it’s a simple matter of fresh fishfrom local inshore fisherman, meat fromfarmers who operate sustainable policyand practices, and seasonal vegetablesgrown in the restaurant’s own chemical-free and biodynamic garden. But all thattakes a lot of hard work, and Bealin stillmanages to produce food that issophisticated yet unpretentious, themenu a joyous celebration of all that theDingle Peninsula has to offer.Alternatively, head to seafood eaterie

Out of the Blue, where the menu isrewritten each day according to whateverthe boats have landed at the quay across

the road or the catch dropped in byanglers. It’s the restaurant you havelooked for in every seaside town youhave ever been to, and seldom found. Themodest appearance and casual ambience— it’s a shack, not to put too fine a pointon it — belie the excellence of its offering.Or you could try the Chart House,

Doyle’s, the Half Door, Ashe’s, LordBaker’s, An Canteen, the Boatyard,Fenton’s, Idas, Reel Dingle Fish, theGrey’s Lane Bistro (formerly the Goat StCafé) or the Goat (located in what used tobe the Goat St Café). Truly, you are spoiltfor choice.There are great pubs, too. There is the

celebrated Dick Mack’s, but there is alsoFoxy John’s or Curran’s (both of whichdouble as hardware shops, and both ofwhich have upped their game in recent

broader base. It still has excellent pubs,and they will always be one of the draws,but food has become of greaterimportance, recognising the change in,and diversity of, visitor priorities.Much lip service is paid to local and

seasonal produce, but the Dingle foodcommunity is the real deal. Provenance isnot just a fancy word on the town’s menus,but an ethos that it lives and breathes,with local produce highlighted almosteverywhere that food is served. The naturalsynergies that exist in Dingle have createda genuinemodern food community withpride in its heritage and optimism about itsfuture, well deserving of its selection asIreland’s first foodie town.

The Dingle Food Festival takes place fromOctober 2-4. dinglefood.com

times and now offer better facilities andan improved range of drinks). The DingleDistillery’s vodka and gin is widelyavailable (the whiskey is due at the endof the year), as is Tom Crean’s locallybrewed lager.Dingle could teach many larger towns a

lesson. Its tradition of hospitality hasmoved seamlessly from being pub-focused, towards a more varied offeringthat anchors the appeal of the town to a