Kitchen cutting boards are something most of us use every day, yet they are often taken for granted. Bob Toal of the Triggerfish Cookshop kitchen equipment shop in Blackrock, Co Dublin, believes it is worth seeking out one that works well, and looks good enough to be on permanent display.
“When I opened the store in 2017, the first big ticket item I took home from all my new stock was a large wooden cutting board. I spent years looking for the right one to leave out on my counter top permanently. It had to be big, thick, tough and smart looking. I knew straight away when I saw Skagerak of Denmark’s dark teak boards that they were it.”
There are many considerations involved in choosing a cutting board, in addition to aesthetics. “They are made from FSC-certified teak, which is extremely hard wearing, but is smooth to touch because of its high content of natural oils. This also makes them kind to your blades. The boards are made joining dozens of end-grain rectangular blocks with unique opposing patterns. This process makes it far less likely for the board to warp. They are completely flat on one side and have a grooved moat on the reverse for carving meat.
Concerns about the efficacy and safety of wood over plastic are misplaced, Toal believes. “Wood is naturally antibacterial. It will wear over time depending on use but this adds to its character. Plastic cutting boards get grubby and chip away, so we don’t sell them.”
The Skagerak teak boards come in small, medium and large. The largest one measures 56x35cm, with handles carved in at each end for ease of lifting. It costs €235, see triggerfishcookshop.ie.
Wine dinner
Wine and food writer Leslie Williams hosts a Rias Baixas wine dinner with Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant, Circa, in Terenure, Dublin, on Monday, August 30th. Head chef Darryl Haynes, and new team members Laura Dent (formerly at Aimsir) and Conor Morrissey (previously at Pigeon House) will be serving a six-course "end-of-summer" inspired menu, paired with wines from the region.
The menu will include swordfish ceviche with chilli, ginger, yuzu, cucumber, monk’s beard and caviar; Manchego and jamon Iberico de bellota croquette, and n’duja and red snapper with brown shrimp, hispi cabbage. The event will be in Circa’s outdoor dining space. Bookings are being taken by email at info@restaurantcirca.com, and tickets are €90.
Guaranteed Irish hampers
Sharon Fitzpatrick of Fitzers Catering, and chief executive of The Green Grocer's Daughter, has launched an Irish artisan food and drink hamper range, in conjunction with Guaranteed Irish. The hampers can be shipped nationally and internationally. In addition to the Guaranteed Irish range, there are fresh produce hampers, including afternoon tea, available for delivery in Ireland and the UK. See greengrocersdaughter.com.
Fresh new packaging
McCormack Family Farms, a family business in Boycetown, Co Meath, has given its range of baby salad leaves and cut herbs a makeover. McCormack's supplies supermarkets nationwide with salad leaves, herbs and edible flowers. The new look packaging features more sustainable materials. The company supplies unwashed salad leaves which, they say, have a shorter route from farm to fork, meaning better flavour, quality and texture. See mccormackfarms.ie.
