Lots to get your teeth into at food festival

THE streets of Dingle will be lined with food this weekend and vehicle access will be restricted to provide for the smooth running of the Food Festival.

Among the myriad of tasty morsels on offer, one will be dear to the heart of the people of West Kerry – burgers made from the meat of heifers reared as part of the Dingle Salted Grass Beef and Lamb project. The animals were raised by a group of young farmers who will have their produce on offer at a stall on Goat Street.

Meanwhile, speakers from Bord Bia, ICOS, Ring of Kerry Quality Lamb and South West Gnó will share the platform with Colm Murphy and Gavin McCarthy of the Dingle Salted Grass Beef and Lamb Project at the farmer’s Forum in An Diseart at 8pm on Friday. Rib eye of salted grass beef will be cooked on the night for tasting.

Some streets will be closed to facilitate the thousands of visitors to the festival. From 5pm on Friday to 6pm on Sunday, Grey’s Lane, Strand Street (from Strand House to O’Keeffe’s Chemists), and Bridge Street (from Holden Leather Goods to Avondale) will be closed. Also from 11am to 6pm on Saturday and from 1pm to 6pm on Sunday, Green Street will be closed.

The crowds that attend the festival events, on the Saturday in particular, are legendary and Dingle is almost booked out for the weekend with only rooms at premium rates available. The accommodation booking website Booking.com even suggests that people might consider Ventry at 49% cheaper and Ballinloughig at 61% cheaper.

Locals from around West Kerry who lend their support to the festival include Dingle Cycling club who will set off on Saturday morning with a cycle in memory of highly respected Dingle man John Browne who died last year. The Dingle Fire service will demonstratec how to deal with a chip pan fire and T ransition Town Corca Dhuibhne is tackling waste generated by the festival with its ‘greening the festival’ initiative.

On the creative side, there is a popup art exhibition in what was formerly Pattie Atty’s in Green Street as well as art exhibitions in galleries and restaurants around town. The very popular make your own chopping board workshop returns to the Original Kerry Craft shop on Green Street, while other workshops taking place include fermentation, beekeeping and the medicinal use of food.

A new recipe book by Trevis Gleason containing a collection of recipes from the chefs of Dingle will be launched by Brian Mc Dermott in the Distillery on Friday evening. For the culinary elite the tasting menus in the Global Village restaurant and Ida’s offer refined eating at its best, while cookery demonstrations will take place in St. James’s church, on Saturday and Sunday.

Children’s events in the town park on Saturday and Sunday include the fun packed ‘ bumper ballz’, suitable for children under 10 to enjoy rough and tumble without the hard knocks. .

Education is central to the food festival and the Where’s Dory seafood workshop for children aged 6-12 will provide a fun introduction to seafood, places are limited so booking is recommended. Education is not limited to children with Kerry ETB announcing their National Commis Chef Apprenticeship Programme, a 2 year programme for people interested in pursuing a career as a chef.

Each year the festival provides the backdrop for the Blas na hÉireann, Irish Food Awards. Starting on Thursday, judging takes place of the produce from the finalists selected from 2,500 entries for 130 awards. This is followed over the weekend by a major food trade show with buyers expected from across the island of Ireland and UK.

The organisers of Blas na hÉireann are passionate about supporting small producers and this year they have organised a series of workshops and networking events in the ‘Backyard at Blas’ – a new initiative which sees a partnership between Blas na Eireann and Bank of Ireland.