A Taste of Kildare

Claire O’Mahony talks to the people feeding racegoers at the Irish Derby

CAST your mind back a few years and you’ll remember that the typical fare at race days woulduld not have been regarded as one of the event’s highlights. Falling into the ‘ food as fuel’ category, the Irish tradition that is the ‘ hang’ sandwich and a ( probably) greasy burger and chips might have been thee zenith of racegoers gourmet aspirations.

But, in recent times,, Irish tastes have evolved to become rather sophisticatedd and whether it’s a music, arts or racing festival, highend, artisan foodfood now has top billing.

This is reflected in the Derby Food Paddock’s gourmet dishes, a showcase of the best of local restaurants and producers that provide ‘A Tastee of Kildare’, with each dish costing €8.50. Whether you hanker after organic chicken, chorizo anointed in rapeseed mayonnaise, with crispy bacon, smoked Knockanore cheese and mixed leaves on a soft Waterford Blaa or pulled pork on a homemade bap with slaw, you’ll find them here, and not a dreaded hang sandwich in sight.ht.

“We’re trying to bring the food offerings to another level,”,” says Natalie Collins, one of the stallholders at the Food Paddock.ck.

“Irish palates have changed hugely in the last ten years andd there’s this whole emphasis on street food, which we’re bringinging to the racecourse. It’s working really well.”

Collins, a Ballymaloe-traineded chef who worked with Terence Conrad in London and whose father was the late, legendary trainer Con Collins, is at the helm of the Silver Restaurant in The Newbridge Silverware Visitor’s Centre. The emphasis at the restaurant is on great quality local produce, with everything made freshly on site, using a variety of Kildare suppliers including Newbridge Meats, Jane Russell’s Original Handmade Sausages, Rooney’s vegetables from Rathangan and Nick’s Fish in Newbridge.

Throughout the Derby, the Silver Restaurant will be serving Hereford Irish beef burgers with a herb dressing, topped with Hegarty’s farmhouse cheese (a smooth Irish cheddar which complements the burger beautifully), in toasted focaccia bread, accompanied by a homemade pepper relish.

“Ireland is renowned for its grass-fed beef and we in Ireland take it for granted. When you go to different countries, it’s a like a luxury to have a grass fed animal,” says Collins. “And the Hereford Irish beef has a very good marbling of fat and the flavour really comes through.”

Kildare has much to offer the foodie. As a culinary destination, it boasts a largesse of ingredients and produce. Brian Flanagan, general manager with Silken Thomas restaurant, which will also have a presence at the Derby Food Paddock, makes the case that Kildare could almost be selfsufficient as a county. “It has its beef, it hahas its pork, it has plenty of vegetables and potatoes. If we were to beb cut off from the rest of country, we’d survive as such!” he says.

This year, Silken Thomas will be dishing up slow braised Irish beef, with a roasted garlic and horseradish aioli, peppery rocket leaves and sweet red onion marmalade on ciabatta bread, a dish representative of the restaurant, which is synonymous with great Irish beef – the latter comes from Kildare Town craft butcher Paddy Byrne.

“Silken Thomas has been 40 years in business, and serving food for 30 of those and Paddy sources all of our beef for us,” explains Flanagan, who says that the majority of his ingredients come from suppliers within a five-mile radius.

Fancy some fish and chips? Naas-based East Coast Seafood will be on site, selling their spankingly fresh cod in a panko batter, with chips and homemade tartar sauce. For Derby visitors wanting a sweet treat, the ice cream, sorbets and waffles from Rossmore Farmhouse Ice Cream promise to hit

the spot. Made by the Stanley family since 2009 and using milk from their small dairy farm, it’s made with a crème anglais base and is entirely additive-free.

“It’s just milk, cream, egg yolk, sugar and whatever flavouring and it’s as good and natural as you get,” says Rossmore’s Rebecca Stanley. New flavours for them this year include salted caramel, while their vanilla ice cream is a perennial favourite with customers, and such is its popularity, theyth find it difficult to keep the honeycomb variety in stock.

There’s a huge appetite for Irish ice- cream – last year director Francis Ford Coppola declared it to be the best in the world – and tthe Stanleys have found that while sunny weather gives their sales a boost, we Irish like to eat ice cream all year around.

“The flavour and the way we never compromise on how we make the ice cream or the ingredients is Rossmore’s unique selling point,” says Stanley.

While the fine racing at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby is always going to the main draw, the fine food is certainly contributing to the overall festival experience here.

“There’s a great buzz in our food village and there’s a great atmosphere between the stallholders,” says the Silver Restaurant’s Natalie Collins. “This is high end, quality of food for everybody.”