From The Garden & The Field

Much of Ireland’s income was, and to some extent still is, gained by agriculture in the past and much work has been carried out in the past number of years on it’s development and progression. At one stage much of Ireland was covered by forest and couples with our climate the undergrowth did, as it continues to do produce a wonderful array of wild food.

Traditional foodstuffs

Perhaps one of the most traditional dishes that we are familiar with in Ireland is bacon and cabbage, and cabbage is used quite extensively in the Irish Diet. It is of the traditional ingredients for another Traditional Irish Dish, Colcannon.

Commodities like wild mushrooms, wild garlic, sapphire and damsons are becoming popular again and like all older foodstuffs and traditional dishes are coming back into vogue again with a greater presence on restaurant menus.

Regional variations

Variations in topography can impact largely on the growth of different fruit and vegetables. Wexford strawberries and potatoes must, by now, be known and recognised world wide.

Lettuce

Lettuce growing in the garden

Image courtesy of Anne Marie

Lettuce
Image courtesy of Anne Marie

Lettuce

Lettuce growing in the garden

Image courtesy of Anne Marie

Enlarge image

Production

Prior to the 8^th century there is little documentation to suggest that people actually grew their own vegetables, and relied mainly on vegetables that grew in the wild like sorrel, nettles and watercress. Nowadays with the advent of garden allotment schemes and other vegetable enthusiasts, growing your own vegetables is quite a popular activity, with many selling their wares at local farmers markets. . In recent years organic vegetables have become more popular and are on sale throughout the country. In our restaurant we have quite an extensive vegetable garden, herb garden and an orchard boasting a range of delicious summer and autumn fruits.

Cooking methods

For the vast majority of us, vegetables make up the primary part of our main meals. The secret of cooking vegetables, in my opinion, is not to over cook them. Many of us tend to boil vegetables for very long periods of time and in so doing tend to remove all of the goodness from them. I love stir frying vegetables of steaming them as I think it is much easier to ensure that vegetables are not overcooked. As with all your cooking requirements, using the best possible quality produce ensures high end results.