Tasty food fayre on the menu at The Burren

The fifth annual Burren Food Fayre takes place on October 29-30th in Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare. The food event is part of the Burren Winterage Festival that celebrates the farming heritage of the region.

Supported by the Clare County Council-managed Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark, this year’s Burren Food Fayre features a comprehensive programme of food demonstrations and workshops, hosted by food writers, producers, and restaurants from the Burren and further afield.

Food celebrations kick off at 1pm on Saturday, 29th with artisan food workshops and food demonstrations in the Spa Wells Hall and Café in Lisdoonvarna.

Members of the public are invited to come along and learn a new skill, or even an old one, with demonstrations on smoking fish at home (Birgitta Curtin of the Burren Smokehouse), Make Paneer in 3 easy steps (Sinead Garvey, The Irish Cheese Queen), Making the best of your Burren Beef and Lamb (Burren craft butcher, Neil Hawes), Kombucha (Valerie O’Connor, Cook and Food Writer, Photographer and Author of ‘Bread on the Table’), Combining vinegar and foods for wellbeing (Lisa Guinan, Herbalist) and Nature Connection – wild roots, nuts, and berries (Ceribhuil Ni Fhionghusa). There will also be a Burren Beílíní showcase Café to indulge the taste buds and Beílíní making demonstrations.

Sunday’s activities take place in The Pavilion in Lisdoonvarna where Enda McEvoy, Michelin Star Chef of the year of Loam Restaurant in Galway will officially open the Fayre. Sunday’s Food Fayre will feature cookery demonstrations and the Burren Culinaire competition where the areas “Up and Coming” Chefs compete against one another in educational cookery demonstrations to the lift the title in this year’s contest.

Oonagh O’Dwyer of Wild Kitchen will lead a foraging walk in the surrounds of Lisdoonvarna to start the activities on Sunday at 11am. The full Fayre will open its doors at 12pm with the official opening, walks, food stall displays and tastings to cater for the estimated 1500 people expected to pass through The Pavilion on the day. The cookery demonstrations start at 1pm with Chef Matthew Luca “Everyone Loves an Italian” making fresh pasta and fillings, including pulled pork from Burren Free Range Pork.

Budding home chefs are invited to the Fayre to create a dish comprising local and home-grown ingredients from around the region for the Burren Masterchef and junior Masterchef Cookery Competitions. The competition features two categories for adults and secondary school students and entries will be assessed on the day by a panel of judges.

Chris O’Neill, Organiser, Burren Food Fayre described the Fayre as “a celebration of food produce and cooking techniques throughout the Burren.”

“This festival invites members of the public to really ‘taste’ the Burren where local food producers and restaurants have established a reputation for providing quality, locally produced and sourced food,” stated Ms. O’Neill.

The Fayre concludes at 5.00pm on Sunday with the announcements of the winners of the Burren Masterchef and Burren Culinaire competitions taking place from 4pm along with the publically voted ‘Taste of the Fayre’ and the ‘Most Attractive Stall’ awards.The 2016 Burren Food Fayre takes place from 1.00pm to 5.00pm on Saturday October 29th and 11am to 5.00pm on Sunday, October 30th.

Visit www.burren.ie for the full programme and booking details. Artisan Food Workshops can be booked through eventbrite.com.