A Workshop For Chefs on Wild and Foraged Food

A Course in Catering Skills

A new course in catering skills is now offered to those with a passion for food and a desire to learn and develop their interest in the catering industry. The eleven week course provides an opportunity to develop basic, practical skills on a part-time basis.

The aim of the source is to provide each participant with excellent working knowledge to make them become employable in the catering industry and build a foundation to help them excel in the field.

Course Director and Cookery School Manager, Eithna O’Sullivan explains “The course has a specific focus on the practical skills required to work in the catering sector.  We will spend time on theory and practical skills from hygiene and safety in the kitchen and kitchen management through to knife skills, preparing and cooking breads, soups and starters, meat, fish and vegetarian and even desserts and decorating. Funding is available for the course and we would encourage participants to enquire by attending our Open Evening next Thursday”.

To learn more about this course you are invited to attend an open morning Thursday 29th September from 11am until 1pm at the Source Sligo Cookery School. Jenny Rose Flynn MBE Skillnets will attend open morning with information on funding. The course commences Tuesday 11th October  and will each Tuesday from 9:30am until 3pm for 11 weeks. There will also be work experience available for qualified participants.

For more information visit www.SourceSligo.ie or phone 071 91 40266.

Irish Examiner gives Aniar Restaurant in Galway an A+

Another excellent review for Aniar Restaurant in Galway.
Elevating food to an art form, The Irish Examiner gives Aniar an A+ rating. 'A taste of Galway on a plate'.

The Bases of Great Pizzas

Authentic handmade pizza bases now available at your local supermarket. The Artisan Pizza Company has expanded their distribution of artisan pizza bases, Pizza De Piero, to over 100 stores nationwide.

Hailing from Terviso, outside Venice in Italy, Piero De Vallier is very particular about how authentic pizzas are made. Each Pizza De Piero pizza base is individually handmade over a two-day period, using only flour, water, extra virgin olive oil, salt and a very small amount of yeast.

Using only the simplest of ingredients, the difference is in Piero’s method, combining his vast experience of techniques from Italian artisan bakeries. Because of the skill and time required, this long fermentation process is very rarely used by other bread or pizza manufacturers.  It ensures a light, highly digestible base that won’t leave that bloated, carb-overload feeling . In fact, with such a high level of digestibility and the polyunsaturated fats of the olive oil (containing high levels of antioxidants, omega 3, 6 and 9), these thin bases can be described as truly healthy.

Pizzas are cooked in less than 5 minutes and offer busy Mums a healthy choice for their kids while using up whatever leftovers are in the fridge. They will also freeze and defrost within minutes. The pizzas come in transparent packs of two or three and sell with the brand name ‘Pizza da Piero’. RRP is €6.50 for three bases. Look for them in the fridge department of your local Superquinn or see www.ArtisanPizza.ie or full list of stockists. This is how pizza was supposed to taste!

Cheers To Sherry

Cava Spanish Restaurant and Tapas Bar are celebrating the Jerez SherryFestival which takes place this time of year in Spain by offering weekly sherry specials for the month of September.

This week it's Grilled Pork Fillet with a glass of Amontillado Sherry (€9.50) and Foie Gras with a glass of Palo Cortado Sherry (€9.50).

That'll help take the chill from our wind swept bones.

Aniar: 'Astonishing food with a lot of style' Catherine Cleary Irish Times

"Aniar is the new venture of young chef Enda McEvoy with JP McMahon and Drigín Gaffey, who own Cava, a Spanish restaurant and tapas bar that sits next door on Galway’s Lower Dominick Street.

They’re calling themselves a terroir restaurant. The word (typically associated with wine) means a sense of place and indigenous flavour, a dig-where-you-stand approach to food. It’s all very earnest. Don’t expect to see tiger prawns or Kenyan sugar snaps here any time soon.

It’s my third trip to Galway in recent months, the first two involving excellent eating. Aniar has some stiff competition in this city".

Full review read here: http://bitly.com/oCtw7j

Sligo Has The Best Value in Ireland

Looking for an excuse to head to Sligo? Here you go, Hargadons Pub and Restaurant scooped the top prize for Good Value at the recent Food and Wine Awards.

Pictured at the Food and Wine Awards - Grainne Sheridan, Joe Grogan and Miriam Harte

Hargadons Bar and Restaurant Win Top Award for Value in Ireland

Situated on O’Connell Street, Hargadons won a top award at the prestigious Food and Wine Magazine Awards at the weekend. The Award presented to Hargadons was for first place in Good Value in Ireland 2011.

Comments from the judging panel, "All the judges were in agreement that Hargadons pub in Sligo serves up some of the best pub grub in the country. Their menu is simple yet well thought out, costing not much more than a tenner, with their sister wine shop around the corner, the price for a decent tipple is pretty appealing too”.

Hargadons Restaurant, expertly managed by Joe Grogan and Miriam Harte has already established itself as a special venue where good quality home cooked food is served in a friendly atmosphere. Joe comments, ‘We are delighted with this win, showcasing that great value can be offered without comprising on quality. We use organically produced food where at all possible and all food is sourced locally.”Hargadons is proud to list its local suppliers on the menu. Salads and vegetables are home grown at the owner’s facility in Sligo.

Serving lunch and evening meals expect seafood specialities, salads, and a great value lunch time special of three courses all for less than 10euro. Evening meals include Crab Linguini, Steak Sandwich on Foccacia and Tiger Prawns in Chilli and Garlic all for under 11euro.

For more details see www.Hargadons.com

Vamos! Takeaway Menu from Cava Spanish Restaurant Launched

Finally Galway has a takeaway option that is more then pizza or chips. Hurrah! welcome the Cava Takeaway Menu.

Cava Spanish Restaurant and Tapas Bar in Galway have launched a Takeaway Menu with a diverse range of tapas and other dishes for you to enjoy at home. Rid yourself of ‘takeaway guilt’ as all food to go is made to order and using the high quality Cava has become renowned for.

Try a Paella for two Arroz con Pollo (€18) or some of the all time Cava favourites like Patatas Bravas (€4), Spanish Omelette with Romesco sause (€5.50) and Spinach with apricots, pine nuts and garlic (€6). All tapas include homemade bread. If planning a romantic dinner you could save yourself a lot of work by ordering the Sirloin Steak with spinach, pan fired potatoes, French mushrooms and sherry cream sauce (€22.50)

For the full menu of over 50 tapas and other dishes see www.CavaRestaurant.ie

Just phone with your order to 091 539884 and collect. Good food, real simple.

Review of Aniar by Willie Shaw in Today's Galway Advertiser

Donate Your Snooze to Charity

Sleeping beauties rid yourself of Snooze Guilt and do your bit for charity. A new App allows you to donate each time you hit the Snooze button on your alarm. A novel way for Charities to fund raise.

iPhone Alarm Clock Donates Your Snooze to Charity

See Chairty Box Blog to read more about how to fundraise, PR and manage your Charity Marketing Spend