One thing I’ve realized about the food here in Ireland is that everything is local. From meat to seafood to beer to vegetables, it all seems to come from somewhere in Ireland (which means max 6 hour drive away). It’s not just at Ballymaloe that this seems to happen, but in most restaurants and cafes even in the cities. Hell, I’ve even seen fast-food joints serving only Irish beef and lamb.
What I love though about Ballymaloe’s food is that it’s so simple and homey. No fancy dishes, no exotic ingredients, just straightforward delicious displays of quality ingredients. Their vegetable dishes always seem to be my favorite, many of which are picked straight from the garden I’ve worked in (give me the credit for Ballymaloe’s awards).
Fresh, local, just-picked food isn’t just environmentally friendly…it tastes so much better. It’s why when working in the garden I always try a bit of asparagus or radish straight from the ground, a leaf of mustard green, or a steal of a gooseberry. I don’t really care that I’ve eaten way too much soil these last two weeks…the food tastes good. Anyways I could go on but when shopping for food, I’d ALWAYS go for the farmer’s market over the grocery store (although the farmer’s markets these days seems to be less and less about food…next thing you know we’ve got a stand for Abercrombie & Fitch at the market). Last note—honestly there’s something way more interesting about vegetables these days—there’s so many varieties, preparations, etc that people should eat more vegetables and less meat…seriously meat is getting boring in the food world, just ask Jose Andres (link).
And this morning we’re getting the first Irish downpour!
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