Its been a busy little week.
It started on Monday with the Euro-Toque Food Awards in The Westin in Dublin. The Westin chefs did us proud and I was hoping to just relax and enjoy this one but unfortunately Myrtle Allen didn’t feel up to the trip so I ended up introducing it, again.
Most of the work however was very ably done by Nevan Maguire who presented the prizes.
There were six awards, to Glenilen Farm for their yoghurts and fromage frais, to Flahavans for their porridge, Ditty’s bakery in the north for their breads, farls and biscuits, Michael Mc Grath in Lismore, a butcher to treasure, Coastguard Seafoods in Co. Louth who keep all the boys in Dublin in excellent fish and a special award to Darina Allen for services to food.

Flahavans had been my nomination. I went on a Slow-Food trip there last spring and was immensely impressed not just with their product but also with their green-ness. They have re-harnessed the Mahon to supplement their electricity and have also converted an old boiler to burn their (previously discarded) chaff which now dries and steams the oats.
I visited Michael Mc Grath a few weeks ago with Myrtle and bought some excellent lamb, the best I’ve eaten for some time.
He is one of the last of a dying breed of farmers/ abattoirs/ butchers who tell us something about the real meaning of traceability.
Glenilen in West Cork which I visited –again with Myrtle- last summer are doing a marvellous job with their dairy, their Quark is superb and the yoghurts and cheese cakes just brilliant.
I was delighted also to see Darina getting an award, she has truly carried on her mother in law’s pioneering work and has contributed an aware and canny breed of kitchen workers from her school. One of the great moments at the Terra Mardre in Turin last autumn was when Alice Waters stood up to say that she would always be happy to employ any of Darina’s graduates.

On Friday I found myself again filling in, this time for WLR’s Billy Mc Carthy at the Ardkeen Food Fare in The Waterford Museum of Treasures.
This was a brilliant affair, the stalls were outside the door in marquees and scattered throughout the museum, the museum staff gave food and wine related tours and in the little theatre there were various talks, interviews and tastings.
And it was all for People in Need.
My job was in the theatre, mainly being a sort of M.C but also being involved as the host in a sort of interview they labelled; “Martin Dwyer in conversation with Paul Flynn of the Tannery and Kevin Sheridan of Sheridans Cheese”
I discovered the main function of an interviewer is to get the guests to talk but must admit, with my normal garrulity, I found it hard not to put in my oar for an hour.
Our final speaker on the night was Darina and she gave a wonderful talk on the theme that cheap food is never cheap.
There were prizes there too.
Best food in show went Cramers Grove unctuous Pistachio Ice Cream and the wine prize was to Alberto Zenato’s fabulous Ripassa red.
A busy week but a good one for food.