A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Designs on good quality organic oils
Philippe Starck doesn’t do olive oil, but if he did . . . That’s not strictly true, Starck does do olive oil, in so far as he has designed the packaging for a range of organic extra virgin oils, and accompanying vinegars selling under the label LA Organic. The oils are made in Andalusia, Spain by Cristino Lobillo, to a flavour profile created by winemaker Michael Rolland. There is a Suave version, with sweet notes of almond, and an Intenso, with more assertive flavours. In addition, there’s a multi-purpose blend selling under the LA Cuisine name, which has been created to appeal to chefs for its versatility. Starck’s design hand is most evident in the sturdy, tactile bottles for the accompanying LA vinegars, which come in sherry balsamic and apple balsamic varieties. The oils are priced from €7.50 for 375ml of the Cuisine, up to €17 for 500ml tins of the Suave and Intenso, which are intended for drizzling and dressing rather than cooking. The vinegars are costly, at €10.95 for the sherry version, and €14.85 for the apple, but they are very concentrated so a little goes a long way. Stockists are Donnybrook Fair, Morehampton Road, Dublin 4 and Greystones, Co Wicklow; Mitchell Sons, IFSC, Dublin 1; and Morton’s of Galway.
Web watch
guysavoy.com
Set aside seven minutes to enjoy this short film of a day in the life of Paris restaurant Guy Savoy, on the restaurant’s website. On second thoughts, make that 14 minutes, as you’ll probably want to rewind immediately after the credits roll. Beautifully crafted, lovingly filmed, with just a touch of humour to prevent it being too precious, this is a fascinating peek inside the workings of a Paris landmark. And you’ll need sound, too, to enjoy the glorious music. It will make you want a reservation at this three-Michelin-star establishment . . . immédiatement, s’il vous plait.
If the eye-wateringly expensive tasting menus dampen your enthusiasm, there is a summer special running until September 15th (except August 8th-25th) of five courses accompanied by five wines, for €130.
Elizabeth David supper club
She lived in Italy for a while, so it’s no surprise that food writer and TV presenter Clodagh McKenna has sourced Rustichella d’Abruzzo artisan pasta and Campanini carnaroli rice for the shelves of the General Store that sits alongside her new Canal Café and Cookery School at Lyons Estate, Celbridge, Co Kildare. The cookery school has something happening almost every day, and a farmers’ market on Fridays (10am to 3pm). There’s a monthly supper club – the next one takes place next Thursday (7-9.30pm) – and on this occasion McKenna will be cooking her favourite Elizabeth David recipes. Supper with wine is included in the €90 fee. Book at villageatlyonscookeryschool.com.
