Winter Food

Winter food is a new series which will be taking a seasonal approach to food.  Each week the programme will focus on the best ingredients of the season and a panel of producers, food writers and chefs will talk about how things are grown, where they are found and most importantly the best ways to eat them!

There will also be occasional special programmes based on food traditions, foreign food cultures, Halloween and of course, a highlight in the cookery year, Christmas.

The programme is presented by Clodagh McKenna who trained as a chef at Ballymaloe Cookery School, before going on to work as a chef in Ballymaloe House for three years. She is editor of the Slow Food Ireland Guide to Producers and writes regularly for The Sunday Tribune, The Irish Times, Food and Wine Magazine and Saveur (USA). She has appeared as a cook and promoter of local produce on RTE's, Out of The Blue; Rick Stein's Food Heroes, (BBC2) , TV3's Ireland AM Show and is a regular chef presenter for UKTV's Good Food Live and Good Food Bites. Clodagh is currently working on a cook book based on Irish Farmers Markets and opening her own Deli/Tapas Bar in Cork, Ireland. Producer: Aoife Nic Cormaic.

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WINTER FOOD: 15TH APRIL

This is the last programme in the current series of Winter Food and we decided to have a look at what was available both in Ireland and abroad in terms of Cookery Classes.

Catherine Fulvio runs the cookery school and guest house in Ballyknocken House in Co. Wicklow.

Judy Kavanagh runs the Cook Club where she teaches people to cook in their own homes, and Sinéad Gleeson is a journalist with Food and Wine Magazine.

WINTER FOOD: 8TH APRIL

This week we invited three guests in to talk about what they would like to eat for dinner on Easter Sunday.  As expected at this time of the year, Spring Lamb was talked about as was roast pork.

Clodagh was joined by wine writer John Wilson, Derry Clarke from L'Écrivain Restaurant and Peter Ward from Country Choice in Nenagh.

WINTER FOOD: 1ST APRIL

This week on the programme Clodagh and her guests, Leylie Hayes from Avoca and Denise Dunne from The Herb Garden, talk about growing and cooking with herbs and they also have some great recipes for seasonal Spring salads.

WINTER FOOD: 25TH MARCH

This week's focus is the potato.  Although a relative latecomer to Ireland, the potato quickly established itself as the main staple in the Irish diet.  Clodagh is joined on the programme by Domini kemp from Itsa 4 in Sandymount, by Pádraig Óg Gallagher from Gallagher's Boxty House and by food historian and writer Regina Sexton.

Earlier this month, Keelings Farm in north Co. Dublin won an award from the Irish Food Writers Guild Food awards for the quality of their Irish grown peppers.   We visit the farm and speak to David Keeling about how the pepper farm came into being.

WINTER FOOD: 18TH MARCH

This week on Winter Food, we're looking at food and cooking for children.  In studio we have Yvonne Rosenkanz who runs Junior Chef, a cookery school for children and nutritionist Rozanne Stevens who has plenty of great ideas for easy and healthy lunchbox fillers.

We also visit St Thomas's Junior School in Jobstown in Tallaght where the children in the Early Start classes learn how to make pizza.

WINTER FOOD: 11TH MARCH

This week on Winter Food we're looking at the relatively new and very successful phenomenon of farmers markets. There are over ninety farmers markets in Ireland today, spread all over the country.

Middleton Market was one of the first of these and it is also one of the most successful- many of the traders who are there today have been there from the beginning.

Winter Food visited Middleton market to speak to some of the traders and the customers.  We also spoke to Caroline Robinson, chairperson of the Irish Food Market Traders Association about the logistics of becoming involved in a market or of establishing one in your local town.

WINTER FOOD: 4TH MARCH

This week Winter Food features three artisan producers based in Kerry.  Olivier Beaujouan and his partner Maja live in Castlegregory. Maja makes Dingle Peninsula Cheese and Olivier makes a wide variety of products, from tapenades to patés, all based on wild Irish seaweed.

On the other side of the Dingle peninsula, just outside Dingle town, Seán and Kieran Murphy make Milseoga Uí Mhurchú or Murphy's Ice Cream and they guide us through the process of making ice cream.

WINTER FOOD: 25TH FEBRUARY

This week on the programme we speak to a variety of people involved in producing organic foods.  Joseph Finke runs an online organic shopping service called Ballybrado Direct, John Purcell is the Director of the Good Herdsmen, which distributes organic meat.  Margot Brennan is a nutritionist with the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute, Brian Kelly runs the organic section in Superquinn and Cáit Curran is an organic grower and editor of Organic Matters Magazine.

WINTER FOOD: 18TH FEBRUARY

This week on the programme we visit the Cook's Academy in Dun Laoghaire to talk to one of the founders of the school, Vanessa Greenwood and to nutritionist Rozanne Stevens about their 'Green Living' cookery courses.

And we also speak to Stefano Crescenzi from Dunne and Crescenzi about the goodness of olive oil.

WINTER FOOD: 11TH FEBRUARY

This week, we're devoting the programme to chocolate.  We visit Emily Sandford from Cocoa Bean Chocolates in Limerick and The Cherry Tree restaurant in Killaloe, where chef Mark Anderson shows us how to make a 'disaster-proof' chocolate soufflé.
Neil Doherty asks some shoppers in Dublin's city centre about aphrodisiacs and Rachel Hegarty talks about her life as a timeline of chocolate.

WINTER FOOD: 4TH FEBRUARY

This week's programme comes to you from Kish Fish shop in Smithfield in Dublin where we speak to Tadhg, Bill and Fidelma O'Meara and to Jimmy Smith. 

We also speak to chef Terry Sheehan in Mackerel Restaurant in Dublin about cooking the perfect scallop and finally we speak to Teresa McNally, the hard working chef in Chill Baby in Dublin, a new company specialising in organic baby food.

WINTER FOOD: 28TH JANUARY

This week on Winter Food we celebrate two very different festivals- the Chinese New Year on the 29th of January and St. Brigid's Day on the 1st of February.

Clodagh visited Furama Chinese Restaurant in Donnybrook and spoke to the owner Rodney Mak about some of the food traditions associated with the Chinese New Year and then he showed Clodagh how to cook a celebratory Roast Belly of Pork.
Clodagh was also joined by food author Biddy White Lennon, author of 'Festive Cooking', who talked about the culinary traditions associated with St. Brigid's Day.

WINTER FOOD: 21ST JANUARY

This week on Winter Food, we talk to Declan Ryan, chef and owner of Arbutus Breads in Cork and to chef and food historian Regina Sexton.

And Aoife Nic Cormaic talks to staff and students at the  National Bakery School in Kevin Street DIT in Dublin.

WINTER FOOD: 14TH JANUARY

This week on Winter Food, Denis Cotter talks to Clodagh McKenna about seasonal vegetables, including squash, kale and leeks. Also joining Clodagh is Thomasina Miers, chef and co-editor of 'Soup Kitchen', a book of soup recipes collected from well known chefs. 'Soup Kitchen' is published by Harper Collins

WINTER FOOD: 7TH JANUARY

This week on Winter Food, Clodagh and her guests talk about food intolerances.  The main intolerances people talk about are wheat, dairy, yeast and sugar and the programme includes recipes and suggestions for wheat and dairy free meals.
This week's panel are wholefood chef Éilis Davey, nutritionist Patricia Quinn and Luke Sweetman, co-author of the book 'What to eat when you can't eat anything'.

WINTER FOOD: NEW YEAR'S EVE

This week Clodagh Mc Kenna is joined by three people who are involved in different ways in the Irish food industry- Derry Clarke, chef and owner of L'Écrivain Restaurant in Dublin, Ernie Whalley, editor of Food and Wine Magazine and Vanessa Greenwood, co-founder of The Cook's Academy in Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin.

WINTER FOOD: 24TH DECEMBER

On Christmas Eve, Clodagh is joined by chefs Domini Kemp and Paul Flynn to chat about cooking the turkey and ham, ideas for leftovers, vegetables side dishes, cocktails and hangover cures!

WINTER FOOD: 17TH DECEMBER

This week on Winter Food, Clodagh McKenna is joined by wine writer John Wilson, Leylie Hayes from Avoca and by Dorene Palmer from Divine Foods.  The programme features suggestions for edible gifts, good value wines and a vegetarian alternative to the traditional Christmas dinner.

WINTER FOOD: 10TH DECEMBER

This week, Clodagh and her guests are talking all about Irish Farmhouse Cheeses.  Jacque Barry from Jacques Restaurant in Cork and Kevin Sheridan from Sheridan's Cheesemongers in Dublin and Galway are with Clodagh in studio and we also pay a visit to Giana Ferguson who makes Gubbeen cheese in Schull, West Cork.

WINTER FOOD: 3RD DECEMBER

This week on Winter Food, Claire Nash talks us through some of her favourite recipies.

WINTER FOOD: 26TH NOVEMBER

This week on Winter Food, Myrtle Allen from Ballymaloe House in Cork talks us through making the perfect Christmas Pudding.  Her recipe was originally reprinted in her book 'The Ballymaloe Cook Book' which is still widely available.

Christmas puddings should be given about 6 weeks to mature but as Myrtle herself says, if you haven't got six weeks just make them when you can!

WINTER FOOD: 19TH NOVEMBER

This week on 'Winter Food', we're focusing on fish and on the Irish fishing industry.   Questions like- should we eat cod?  How big is the problem of overfishing and are fish farms good or bad are discussed by Michael Keating, the fisheries development manager with Bord Iascaigh Mhara and Charles Clover, journalist and editor of the book, 'The End of the Line- How overfishing is changing the world and what we eat'.

Also joining Clodagh in studio is Aidan Mac Manus, chef and owner of the King Sitric Restaurant in Howth, Co Dublin.

WINTER FOOD: 12TH NOVEMBER

This week on 'Winter Food', Clodagh and her guests will be talking about winter root vegetables. 

Denis Healy is an organic vegetable grower who supplies many of the farmer's markets around the country.  Sheila Ahern is an enthusiastic vegetarian cook and Paul Waddington is the author of the book 'Seasonal Food'.

WINTER FOOD: 5TH NOVEMBER

This week's theme is Irish Game including game birds and venison.

Clodagh McKenna speaks to Ross Lewis, owner and chef at Chapter One Restaurant here in Dublin about the best ways to prepare and enjoy game, and Des Crofton from the National Association of Regional Game Councils about the rules and regulations governing game shooting in Ireland.