Food File: The weekly food news round-up

Crackling idea
If you want to know the secret to crispy pork crackling, or you need inspiration to turn chops, which account for 44 per cent of pork sales in Ireland, into something delicious, check out Bord Bia's new Pork Deliciously Versatile campaign. There are recipes for all cuts and joints of pork, including this roast rack with smoked paprika and sage, apple and blueberry sauce. See bordbia.ie.

Cheesy co-op

The cutely named Little Milk Company is a co-operative of 10 get-ahead organic farmers in Munster and Leinster who have banded together to add value to their product. It is a forward-thinking idea as the deadline for the end of milk quotas approaches. The co-op already has mild, mature and vintage cheddar, Irish Brie-type cheese and Brewer's Gold, a craft beer rind-washed cheese, in production. Its latest product is both versatile and clever – cream cheese pots topped with either basil pesto or red pepper coulis.

"We recommend them for dunking and dipping with crackers, as a stir-in sauce for pasta or spread over crusty bread," says spokeswoman Teresa Phelan. They are available for €3.29 in SuperValu nationwide.

Beefy bonus

Pádraig McCarthy, winner of the Taste of Success TV show, chalks up another cash bonus every time a Lidl shopper reaches for a box of his winning Irish beef short ribs with smoked pancetta and apple cider sauce and pops it in their trolley.

His cash prize of €50,000 is augmented by royalties from sales, capped at €100,000. The €4.99 dish has been on sale since December 12th and a Lidl spokesperson said it was selling well, but declined to say if McCarthy was on course to hit the jackpot.

The dish is made for Lidl by Ballymaguire Foods in Lusk, Co Dublin.

Old vs new
You can test your knowledge of new world wines versus old world when they are matched with a special menu created by Graham Neville, chef at Restaurant Forty One in Dublin, next Tuesday. Sommelier Victor Nedelea will be putting a Burgundy up against a Chilean Chardonnay and a Tuscan red against an Argentinian.

A South African sparkling and a sweet Riesling will top and tail the menu of scallops, venison and a dessert of milk jam, vanilla cream cheese and popcorn ice-cream. Tickets, €85 inclusive, from the restaurant, tel 01-662 0000.

mcdigby@irishtimes.com