Last weekend was quite busy again. We had barely recovered from the Ballymaloe Lit Fest adventure and by Saturday morning, we were embarking on another trip to a food festival: The Sheridans Irish Food Festival which is one of my favourite food festivals in Ireland.
Organised by Sheridans Cheesemongers and held in Sheridans' HQ in Virginia Road Station in Co. Meath, this festival has it all: food, music, workshops, demos and talks. I love the fact that every year, I come home stuffed and with one or two new food findings.
This year, wasn't the exception! I came across this amazing organic vinegars called Wildwood Vinegars. I was blown away by the stunning flavours and the passion of the producer. Their heather vinegar or the elderflower one are my favourites. Watch out for them in Bloom!
We arrived a day earlier as we were attending a pre-festival dinner organised by the Sheridans at chef Richard Corrigan's new place in Cavan, The Virginia Park Lodge. The place is still in the refurbishing stage, but one can see a promise of greatness in it. I can't wait to stay there again once it has officially opened.
The gardens are beautiful, full of old trees and hiden gems. The golf course and a view of the lake frame the place perfectly. Dinner, although a bit late, it was worth waiting for as we were presented with seven great courses. The atmosphere was relaxed and the service impecable. After a good night sleep and a very tasty full-Irish breakfast, we headed to Virginia Road Station for the day.
The Sheridans Irish Food Festival was great. I arrived early enough so was able to browse the stalls and chat to producers before the masses desended on the grounds. There was music and plenty of activities for the kids. Great food to have there and food to go. Over 60 stalls with everything from fruit, vegetables and artisan bread, to icecream, nettle pesto, craft beer and smoked fish!
The National Irish Brown Bread competition was held there too. The weather was not great, but this is one of those festivals that you can enjoy regardless of the rain. There were tons of different cheeses, goat's milk, raw milk, preserves, jams, crisps, pastry, chocolates, teas, baked goods, coffee and even a celebrity turkey (and I'm not talking of Dustin the Eurovision turkey)!!
In the afternoon I booked a demo on Seaweed by Sally McKenna, author of Extreme Greens, where we learned a lot about seaweed and its usues and I also attended a talk/rant on the issues facing food producers and restaurants in Ireland.
The festival was mostly free this year, even the parking, which made it a great day for families and since the place is dog friendly, dog owners can enjoy it too! It is one of my favourite festivals of the year. Thank you to Sheridance Cheese Mongers for the hospitality and for making this a great weekend.
