Food file: Tastes to savour around the country

Choco online

Niall and Rosemary Daly’s The Chocolate Shop in Cork’s English market has just taken delivery of these exquisite single origin chocolate bars from Vietnam (€7.90). Marou, run by two Frenchman who live in Vietnam, makes five bars, from cacao grown on trees planted in the shade of taller fruit trees such as coconut or cashew on family farms. The packaging is as beautiful as the chocolate is delicious. Buy it online from chocolate.ie.

Italian demo

Truffles, olive oil, chocolate . . . Sheen Falls Lodge in Kenmare, Co Kerry, has treats in store at its Culinary Weekend on November 21st to 23rd. Chef Lorenzo Polegri from Umbria will give an Italian cooking demonstration concentrating on the classics – ciabatta, pasta and tiramisu. Local chocolatier Benoit Lorge will give a class on chocolate making. The truffle, olive oil and wine tasting sessions, classes and a copy of Polegri’s book, a lunch and a five-course Italian dinner, costs €660 for two sharing. You can also attend the cooking demonstration (€50 with lunch), and the gala dinner on Saturday night (€95, with wines). See sheenfallslodge.ie

Savour Kilkenny’s crafty ways

Kilkenny gets to showcase its bountiful larder and well stocked tableware cabinets when the food producers and craft workers who participate in Trail Kilkenny host a Long Table Artisan Feast on October 26th, during the Savour Kilkenny food festival. The event is open to the public (tickets €60) and takes place at 7.30pm in the Mill in Bennettsbridge.

The food will be a taste of Kilkenny’s best, including Goatsbridge trout, Knockdrinna cheese, Lavistown sausages (pictured above), Gerry O’Brien lamb and spiced beef, and Mary Walshe duck.

Wine will be supplied by Le Caveau and apple juice from Highbank Orchards.

The table will be adorned with throws from Cushendale Woollen Mills, candles from Moth to a Flame, pottery from Nicholas Mosse, Rosemarie Durr, Andrew Ludick, Mark Campden, Klaus Hartmann, Karen Morgan and Ray Power and glassware from Jerpoint Glass. Tickets can be booked with Harry Everard, tel 056-7752111, email: harry.everard@cklp.ie.

There’s a beautiful pottery bowl by Ray Power of Castle Arch Pottery to give away. Just email your name, address and telephone number to trails@trailkilkenny.ie by next Friday to be in with a chance of winning. Please put the words “long table dinner” in the subject field.