Chew The Fat

For the first episode of our brand new podcast called Chew The Fat, we're sticking around our hometown area of the Boyne Valley. This region of the Republic's northeastern coastline is becoming more and more noted for its incredible food and drinks producers. Every few months, we're beaming with joy to discover a new product is on the shelves and has been produced only up the road from us, so we went out into the field, armed with a microphone and wanted to know more about some of the most fabulous produce that's grown minutes from where we live. The Boyne Valley Across the country, from the top-tier restaurants to neighbourhood bistros, chefs are cooking with the ingredients grown, produced, distilled and devised in an area that has always been home to us. Three in particular are especially prolific: Marita Collier, who we refer to as the "Queen of Garlic", owns and runs Drummond House Garlic, which broke the mould when by growing something that seemingly no one else was taking a chance on in Ireland when they began operations in 2013. It all started with a trip to the Himalayas... Maria Flynn, along with her husband David, runs Ballymakenny Farm, who are now famed for their unique varieties of coloured potatoes, the purple ones in particular. Coveted by chefs the country over, her seasonal varieties of colourful, unique and exotic tubers in the Irish market are becoming the menu ingredient du jour and those in the food industry are clambering over one another to get their hands on boxes of these – which actually arose as a solution to tough times and a by-product and passion project of the family farm's raison d'etre which was commercial potatoes and corn. Maria opens up about how through adversity and struggle, she saw a lucrative gap in the market... You can't have food without a drink, right? We drop into Listoke Distillery & Gin School in their new, larger location in Tinure, Co Louth. At the time of publication, they are only the only gin school in Ireland, and give visitors the opportunity to create their own unique blend to take home with them, while also getting under the hood of just how gin is made. We speak with Blánaid O'Hare, one of the founders of the operation and a co-creator of Listoke 1777, a small batch, craft Irish gin whose popularity is soaring right now, and can only keep continuing... We didn't set out to interview only female food and drink producers, but that's the story we found in the Boyne Valley food region right now. Enterprising, everyday women who have made a career out of a unique idea and a passion for food and drink. All three have similar stories, with very different backgrounds and experiences, but what unites them all is their desire to make the best food & drink possible, and to make the Boyne Valley one of Ireland's top foodie destinations. We're so proud of the area we're from, which you can read more about it here, so we're delighted to give our first podcast over to those making the region a truly great place. If you'd like early access to future episodes of Chew The Fat, or just offer support toward what we do please pledge on our Patreon page! 

One of our favourite activities to do whenever we visit a city is to link up with some local tour guides and explore the city through their eyes. Among the top tours we've done without doubt is the Belfast Food Tour, founded by Caroline Wilson. Now an empire consisting of several tours around Belfast and beyond, Caroline knows this city inside and out, and as you listen to this edition of "Chew The Fat", you'll hear just that. Belfast, and Northern Ireland in general is really one of the most exciting food scenes in the UK & Ireland right now. Producers who are making award winning food and drink, restaurants are constantly becoming more and more prominent within the critic circles and beyond, but Belfast really is the epicentre of it. This podcast is also chock-full of up-to-date recommendations for where to eat in the city, so have your notebooks at the ready! With an ever transforming dining scene, Caroline knows exactly where to try out and what selection you should make whenever you visit. https://www.instagram.com/p/BiC0qDmFaBL/ We spend the first section of the podcast chatting with Caroline at Co Couture, Belfast's best chocolatier, getting Caroline's opinion on the dining scene in Belfast before hitting the streets to catch a glimpse of her tour. If you'd love to book on one of Taste & Tour's offerings, visit their website. Caroline and her team will give you a fantastic couple of hours on the Belfast Food Tour. For more on Belfast and Northern Ireland, visit the travel section of our website! IF YOU’D LIKE EARLY ACCESS TO FUTURE EPISODES OF CHEW THE FAT, OR JUST OFFER SUPPORT TOWARD WHAT WE DO PLEASE PLEDGE ON OUR PATREON PAGE! 

Sometimes this blog has allowed us go on pilgrimages of sorts. This episode of our podcast Chew The Fat really was just that. For years, we've loved Bertha's Revenge, a small-batch Irish milk gin, made on the grounds of Ballyvolane House, Co. Cork. Behind the magical spirit is business partners Justin Green and Antony Jackson, who as experienced gin drinkers really struck a cord with those of us most enthusiastic about the spirit when they launched this whey-based product (named after the oldest cow in the world) on the market a couple of years back. We met the pair at the Irish Embassy in London back in 2016 at an event called "Spirit Of Sharing" organised by Bord Bia, which linked us up with so many of Ireland's finest drinks producers over the years. In the most part, it became the basis of our incredibly popular "Best Irish Drinks To Try" post, which showcases many of them, but it also gave us a chance to try new innovations which people like Antony and Justin have been doing. We've long championed this gin and are happy to say it's among our absolute favourites- and a trip to visit Bertha's home has been on the cards for some time. You see, gin is commonly made using a grain spirit, but Bertha's Revenge is different. It's made with milk whey, a byproduct from dairy production which gives the gin a smoothness. The botanicals used are spicy and citrusy, full-on flavour from both the scent and taste. We always say that Bertha's Revenge is a gin lover's gin, but we believe all should try at some point. It's at the premium end of the market, but a very special product which we have a lot of love for.   From botanical to bottle, Bertha to Ballyvolane, we hear about the process in this edition of Chew The Fat, and learn more about the men behind it. We were lucky to be able to get a full experience too of Ballyvolane House which you can read here. A gorgeous guesthouse that you may never want to leave!

Guinness. Love it or hate it, there's no denying the global impact this Dublin-born and Dublin-made beverage has had on the world, no more so than in Ireland itself – it's still the most ordered and most recognisable pint in every pub in the country. But this podcast episode is about the Open Gate Brewery – a brewery inside a brewery. One of the most recognisable drinks the world over, the black stuff is an iconic stout, and St. James' Gate in the heart of Dublin is the epicentre of it all. The Guinness Storehouse is among the most visited attractions in Europe, with over 13 million people through the doors since it opened in 2006, and is the most popular tourist attraction in Ireland. Its Gravity Bar is also the tallest bar in the city, you might not have known, with a vista overlooking bustling Dublin below. However, the Storehouse isn't our focus in this edition of Chew The Fat. Instead our focus lies on the Open Gate Brewery and two individuals who live and breathe this place. Back in 2015, a new section of the iconic St. James' Gate site was opened to the public for the first time. This space wasn't anything new to many of the employees of Guinness, but it was a place very few would go to. Sort of like a brewer's playground, this was where teams would come up with new ideas, flavours, styles and innovations for about 100 years. Now it's where Guinness experiment and push their profession of beer brewers to the limits. Keen to note that they aren't a craft brewery, it's easy to see why many might wrongly call it so. It's an experimental brewery, churning out keg after keg of new and exciting products every day. Some, such as Hop House 13, Citra IPA or the Pure Brew Non-Alcoholic Lager, have progressed from a 12-keg project into staples in bars both nationally and internationally. Here, we talk to two of the men who are at the forefront of the Open Gate Brewery and Guinness as a whole: Pádraig Fox, general manager of the Open Gate Brewery, is infectiously passionate about the beers produced here. We've met him many years ago and it's his mission to show people that there is really a beer for everyone. Ian Colgan, who is the Food & Drink Expert on the site, is the man with the difficult task of bringing the food offering at Guinness and the Open Gate Brewery to the forefront, to make it a food & drink experience, rather than a drinks-only one. Warning: this podcast about Guinness' Open Gate Brewery will make you thirsty. So press play and delve into this beer brewing palace and a Mecca of experimental brewing in Ireland. If you fancy finding out about some more of Ireland's other drinks producers, please click through to this post. DrinkAware.ie - Always Drink Responsibly

We've talked to producers, tour guides, distillers and brewers so far in the first few episodes of Chew The Fat, now we're talking to our first restaurateur. Actually, a pair of restaurateurs. Las Tapas De Lola burst onto Dublin's dining scene in 2013 and five years later it's stronger than ever. Positioned on arguably the casual restaurant highway of Dublin running from Dame Street straight to Rathmines, Anna Cabrera and Vanessa Murphy are right in the middle of it all with their traditional Spanish neighbourhood restaurant and bar. We've already written about how special and important this place is personally to us - it was where we shared our last supper of sorts with some of our closest friends before moving to London - and we've long been fans of this little slice of Spain in the centre of Dublin, a stone's throw from Stephen's Green. The Flavours of Spain; The Spirit of Dublin But we wanted to delve a little deeper into the story of how Lola's became what it is. We wanted to get to know Anna and Vanessa, the couple behind - and co-owners of - the business, a little bit better. We ask them all about how they got their inspiration to open the best Spanish restaurant in Dublin; what some of their most iconic dishes are; what the challenges over the past five years have been; and whether Lola will get a little sister of one these days... IF YOU’D LIKE EARLY ACCESS TO FUTURE EPISODES OF CHEW THE FAT, OR JUST OFFER SUPPORT TOWARD WHAT WE DO PLEASE PLEDGE ON OUR PATREON PAGE! 

Golden. Delicious. Creamy. Salty. Rich. Butter. In this week's episode - which marks the half-way point of series 1 of our new podcast Chew The Fat - we find ourselves in the beautiful rolling emerald hills of Co. Down at the home of Abernethy Butter, the award-winning, handmade butter brand based out of Dromara, created by husband-and-wife duo Allison and Will Abernethy. Driving through Northern Ireland admiring the stunning natural beauty is always time well spent, if you ask us. As we traversed the border northwards into Northern Ireland from the Republic, the scenery gets even more beautiful, all lush fields of every shade of green, rolling hills, endlessly thick forest and tiny towns dotted around. Back to that lush grass though, you can imagine how the cows grae endlessly, happily and leisurely on it – their resulting milk resplendent in silkiness and lush creaminess. Naturally, that same milk must make exceptional butter, and it does. Abernethy happens to be the best, that's a fact. Check the awards. Revered by critics, championed by Michelin-starred chefs, adored by bakers, and coveted by home cooks in-the-know, this Co. Down butter is a Great Taste Award winner, Blás na hEireann recipient and remarked as one of the Top 50 Foods in Europe. Did you ever think you would find a cult-status butter? A simple product of two ingredients – cream and salt? Well, you better believe it, and that's because this butter is so sensationally special. Over scones and piping hot coffee, we chat to Allison at her kitchen table about how she and her husband turned a sometime hobby into a fully-fledged business. Then, we head in to their fairly tiny production unit to see the magic happen – churning, paddle slapping and curling the butter into those simply iconic Abernethy curls, then chilling, wrapping in their iconic paper packaging and adorning with their traditional and beautiful labelling. Simple, but skilled, and allowing the finest raw produce to shine without bells and whistles. We ask all about how Abernethy, the brand, came into being, what the couple has learned over the years in business, how chefs and social media helped spread the word and how a little butter making team in Co. Down became the toast of London town, their product served on all the finest menus. As Nigella has said: "Abernethy Butter is everything". We'd have to agree. IF YOU’D LIKE EARLY ACCESS TO FUTURE EPISODES OF CHEW THE FAT, OR JUST OFFER SUPPORT TOWARD WHAT WE DO PLEASE PLEDGE ON OUR PATREON PAGE! ALTERNATIVELY, YOU CAN MAKE A ONE OFF DONATION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE.

This week’s episode of Chew The Fat is all about the spoils of the sea, from the captain of the ship steering Ireland as a whole towards enjoying more seafood – Niall Sabongi. Sitting in his Seafood Cafe on Fownes Street in the heart of Temple Bar, we ask about his beginnings in the restaurant industry, how he built a shellfish-led empire across the city in the form of his trio of KLAW restaurants and also the wholesale arm of his business and the plans for an ‘urban monger’ changing up the idea of a fishmonger in the capital. From beginning with Rock Lobster to taking over with his trio of KLAW restaurants dominating the seafood game in the Irish capital, Niall is a man with an undying passion for seafood, and wants to change the way we all perceive the spoils of the sea. We should respect it and sustain it, but we should also buy it, cook it and enjoy it much more than we have been doing. So more than a man with a taste for the sea, Niall Sabongi is a man on a mission. Coaxing his customers into trying new things whilst also trying to change both the conversation and the landscape as a Fáilte Ireland Food Champion, Niall is someone everyone knows, and if you don’t yet, you need to get to know him.  We also ask those burning questions you always wanted to know – like where does one find the best chips in Dublin and can cheese and fish ever get into bed together? What else would you expect?   IF YOU’D LIKE EARLY ACCESS TO FUTURE EPISODES OF CHEW THE FAT, OR JUST OFFER SUPPORT TOWARD WHAT WE DO PLEASE PLEDGE ON OUR PATREON PAGE! ALTERNATIVELY, YOU CAN MAKE A ONE OFF DONATION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE.

Cluck, cluck! In this week’s episode of Chew The Fat, we chat to Fowl Play owner, The Big Grill co-founder and all-around BBQ genius, Andy Noonan.  Chatting to him in his restaurant within a pub - the live fire chicken joint Fowl Play within the Square Ball Pub around Grand Canal Dock - we ask about how we chose to open his first kitchen in such a unique place, as well as some BBQ tips for those who feel amateur in their grilling skills and asking where he derives his global inspiration from. The Big Grill Festival is Ireland's biggest BBQ and craft beer festival, which takes place every August in the leafy confines of Herbert Park, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. A celebration of the art of cooking with fire & smoke, with local chefs and international talent coming together in a big barbecue love-in, this year (taking place 16-19 August) the line-up is stellar including some of our personal favourites: Jess Murphy (Kai, Galway), Paul Flynn (Tannery, Dungarvan), Robin Gill (The Dairy, London), Grainne O'Keeffe (Clanbrassil House, BuJo) and Fingal Ferguson (Gubbeen), plus so, so many more.     IF YOU’D LIKE EARLY ACCESS TO FUTURE EPISODES OF CHEW THE FAT, OR JUST OFFER SUPPORT TOWARD WHAT WE DO PLEASE PLEDGE ON OUR PATREON PAGE! ALTERNATIVELY, YOU CAN MAKE A ONE OFF DONATION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE.

Comber, a town outside Belfast in Northern Ireland, is fast becoming a food destination – because of one pair in particular, really. In this week’s episode of Chew The Fat, we drop by Indie Fude – a deli and speciality food shop that’s a Mecca for food lovers, wonderfully-stocked with small, artisan, craft producers from the island of Ireland exclusively. Throughout this debut series of Chew The Fat we’ve spoken to distillers, chefs, restaurateurs, food producers – all people immersed in the food industry and playing different parts in bringing tastes and flavours to the palates of the general public. So, naturally, we now turn to those who champion other producers. Those who fill their shelves with gorgeous, must-try produce and act as a treasure trove for people looking to try new things – whether that’s seeking out something exotic in flavour or just wanting to support and stock up on local produce. We chew the fat with Johnny McDowell and Laura Bradley who co-run Indie Fude as they open the doors to their new, larger premises. We met them a year or two ago at the Blás na hEireann awards, then earlier this year we took a first-time visit to their previous space in the same town, but now we find them in Indie Fude version 3.0… or is it 4.0? Tune in to hear more! IF YOU’D LIKE EARLY ACCESS TO FUTURE EPISODES OF CHEW THE FAT, OR JUST OFFER SUPPORT TOWARD WHAT WE DO PLEASE PLEDGE ON OUR PATREON PAGE! ALTERNATIVELY, YOU CAN MAKE A ONE OFF DONATION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE.

Okay, we are pinching ourselves that in this week’s episode of Chew The Fat we are speaking with a Eurovision legend, who actually loves talking about food as much as we do. Yes, this week, we are coming to you from Niamh Kavanagh’s kitchen for a very different edition of the podcast. Eurovision Song Contest winner AND Celebrity Masterchef Champion, we find ourselves having a long and amazing chat with Queen Kavanagh in her Carrickfergus kitchen all about how she was almost the star of The Commitments, how a lesser-known session singer from Dublin stormed Millstreet in Cork to win Eurovision for Ireland for a fifth time and swapping cooking tips, recipes and bits of food knowledge.  Niamh won Eurovision at one of the smallest contests of recent times, and well and truly adores the contest still to this date. She represented Ireland once again in 2010 with the track "It's For You" which we chat about during this podcast. We also talk in depth about her time as a contestant and winner of Celebrity MasterChef 2017, where she beat the likes of Samantha Mumba and Simon Delaney to win the coveted trophy, which still has pride of place in her kitchen. We do know that this is a significantly longer episode than all of our other Chew The Fat episodes so far, and a bit of a curveball, but it was so good we could hardly leave anything on the cutting room floor. We spent hours with Niamh, so this is just a snippet of our afternoon chatting away with her. We think you’ll agree that Niamh’s passion is infectious and we loved chatting food and music with a real Idol of ours! There are a lot of laughs throughout, and a lot of great stories and tales! IF YOU’D LIKE EARLY ACCESS TO FUTURE EPISODES OF CHEW THE FAT, OR JUST OFFER SUPPORT TOWARD WHAT WE DO PLEASE PLEDGE ON OUR PATREON PAGE! ALTERNATIVELY, YOU CAN MAKE A ONE OFF DONATION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE.

In this week's episode of Chew The Fat, the penultimate episode of series one of our podcast, we sit down with Donal Skehan to talk penning cookbooks, family life, presenting entirely in Swedish, travel inspirations and his guilty pleasure – Eurovision! Source: Donal Skehan (Instagram) Before you knew him as the accomplished food writer and TV presenter fast becoming a household name the world over, Skehan worked in TV production, spent summers cooking in Sweden (to woo his future wife, Sofie) and even had a fledgling music career in the short-lived band Industry. He also vied to represent Ireland at Eurovision once upon a time and was only narrowly beaten by a fowl-mouthed, out-of-tune puppet named Dustin The Turkey – the less said about that debacle the better! https://www.instagram.com/p/BkErNRQAYVF/?hl=en&taken-by=donalskehan We've met Donal a handful of times over the years and he's always a joy to chat to – however brief. Always smiling, always joking around, and with boundless energy and excitement we're so excited we got the chance to sit down properly and Chew The Fat about the many lives he's had already and try to get to know the guy behind it all a little better – we could have talked for hours, in all honesty! Donal Skehan is quickly becoming one of the most successful cookbook authors, presenters and social media personalities in the food sphere and beyond. Originally from Howth in Dublin, but now based in Los Angeles, Skehan has penned no less than eight cookbooks, fronted countless TV shows (Saturday Kitchen, Junior MasterChef, his own cookery and travel programmes for Food Network and RTÉ) and is an incredibly accomplished food writer and photographer. He's incredibly hard-working and it's inspiring to see his star rise and rise on a global scale, not just in Ireland and the UK. https://www.instagram.com/p/BkLQywVgHBH/?hl=en&taken-by=donalskehan Forever on-the-go and one of the most in demand of his ilk in the industry, we managed to nab him on-set for a half-hour chat on a very busy trip back to Dublin to film his next RTÉ series, Donal's Meals In Minutes. IF YOU’D LIKE EARLY ACCESS TO FUTURE EPISODES OF CHEW THE FAT, OR JUST OFFER SUPPORT TOWARD WHAT WE DO PLEASE PLEDGE ON OUR PATREON PAGE! ALTERNATIVELY, YOU CAN MAKE A ONE OFF DONATION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE.

So here we are, 12 weeks later. Three months since we took you on a tour of our local area, The Boyne Valley, for the first episode of "Chew The Fat". Thousands upon thousands of listens later, episode after episode of fantastically interesting and diverse personalities, after the newspaper articles, inclusions and mentions, after the dizzying heights of topping the Apple Podcasts charts on many occasions, it's time to say goodbye (for now) to Chew The Fat. The first series was supposed to be just six episodes long as a bit of a first foray and introductory trial, but we never expected the huge reception we got, so had to double it to keep feeding your appetite! But now, we're taking a break from chewing the fat and bowing out for season one with our final episode... We always had it in the back of our minds that it would just be us two in the final episode, then we actually put the feelers out about what the listeners wanted for the final podcast and a lot of people really wanted an episode of just us two chatting and chewing the fat. So – what you want, you get! We kept it simple, sitting at our kitchen island with mugs of tea and coffee, chatting through our pasts, our careers which led us to create both our blog and the podcast we hope you've enjoyed over the past while. We also go through some of our personal struggles which we rarely speak about, or which rarely play into our dealings as bloggers and writers – but are integral parts of who we are as individuals. You know us by now – we cut the bullshit and are forever keeping it real and incredibly honest; this weeks' episode is no exception. A little different from the past eleven episodes, but one we hope you'll really enjoy. If you do, let us know, we might make it a podcast in it's own right in future? Who knows! Either way, we're incredibly grateful for the support and love over the past 12 weeks and we look forward to bringing back Chew The Fat in October for another 12-episode series which will have a great variety of voices from the world of food, farming and... further afield!   IF YOU’D LIKE EARLY ACCESS TO FUTURE EPISODES OF CHEW THE FAT, OR JUST OFFER SUPPORT TOWARD WHAT WE DO PLEASE PLEDGE ON OUR PATREON PAGE! ALTERNATIVELY, YOU CAN MAKE A ONE OFF DONATION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE.

Round 2! Chew The Fat is back for its second series, taking us right up until the end of the year with 12 more exciting and entertaining episodes for your listening pleasure. After our brief break - to take a breather and try and digest the massive response to the first series - we hope you enjoy listening to each Chew The Fat episode as much as we enjoy making them! We love heading out around the country, microphone in hand and an appetite to learn more from some of the most knowledgeable and inspiring people we know! For the debut episode of series two, we're in Waterford to chew the fat with Michael Kelly and Karen O'Donohoe, founder and Head of Community development respectively at Grow It Yourself Ireland's base at Grow HQ. Our fingers turned seriously green when their debut RTÉ series, Grow Cook Eat, hit the airways in 2018 and now we're real converts to the ethos behind Grow It Yourself. Where have these green-fingered fiends been hiding within ourselves all these years? GIY is celebrating 10 years in operation this year. What started off as a local meeting group has spawned thousands of members, a book, a TV series and a state-of-the-art cafe and educational centre in the heart of Ardkeen, Waterford City. We sat down with Mick & Karen in Grow HQ to chat more about what they've done, what they hope to achieve and some funny tales from over the years. We're also excited to share that we're part of GIY's 'Homegrown' series of pop-up dinners at Grow HQ. We're heading down and taking over the kitchen for one special night only, which will take place in late January 2019. Full details will be released in the coming weeks, so keep an eye on our Twitter and Instagram as well as on the GIY website! IF YOU'RE ENJOYING CHEW THE FAT AND WANT TO HELP SUPPORT US WITH THE COSTS OF RECORDING, EDITING AND PRODUCING THESE FREE PODCASTS, YOU CAN MAKE A ONE OFF DONATION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE.

We've got such grá (love, as Gaeilge, for international listeners) for Northern Ireland... but you knew that already! From walking the streets of Belfast with Caroline Wilson to pulling up a chair at Alison Abernethy's table in Co. Down, we've already documented some of our favourite people in NI food in this podcast; but we're only getting started. We've written about driving along Northern Ireland's Causeway Coast route (a MUST-DO!) before, but in this episode we took stops along the way to visit some of the Antrim Coast and Glens region's best food and drink producers – Broighter Gold, Corndale Farm, Lacada Brewery, and Broughgammon Farm. Firstly, we visit Broughgammon Farm just outside Ballycastle where Charlie Cole and his family run a unique farm focusing on kid goat (cabrito) meat, free-range rosé veal and seasonal wild game. Then, continuing westwards we make our way to Limavady, 30 minutes outside Derry and about the same from Coleraine, we chew the fat with Leona Kane who alongside her husband Richard runs Broighter Gold, a family-run arable farm producing the most exceptional rapeseed oil. Gold in both name and nature, this stuff really is liquid gold. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm0yLYeHON4/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1gzjg48va0ak9 Then, a few miles up the coast we navigate the backstreets of picture pretty seaside town Portrush and stumble upon Lacada Brewery, a booming craft beer business which is run as a community co-operative, begun by founding member Laurie Davies who takes us through some of the flavours and how it all started. Then, we conclude at Corndale Farm where Alastair Crown introduces us to his happy, inquisitive and funny free-range pigs and talks to us about the opportunities and challenges of better-than-free-range pork farming and his stunning range of charcuterie, from fennel salami and chilli chorizo to lomo and venison (by way of Broughgammon) salami. There's a common thread between all four, even though they have wildly differing products, unique approaches and individual business visions, but a sense of community underpins everything they do and what it comes down to is an undying passion for their produce. It's tough work for each one of them, challenges are around every corner, but they wouldn't do it without the love of it – and that shines through in every single word they say. Enjoy hearing their stories. For more on Taste Causeway, visit the Causeway Coast & Glens website.   IF YOU'RE ENJOYING CHEW THE FAT AND WANT TO HELP SUPPORT US WITH THE COSTS OF RECORDING, EDITING AND PRODUCING THESE FREE PODCASTS, YOU CAN MAKE A ONE OFF DONATION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE.

In this week's episode of Chew The Fat, we are sitting down for a chat with none other than Nigella Lawson. One of the most iconic food writers in the world right now, with eleven books to her name, Nigella landed in Dublin this week for a special show at the National Concert Hall celebrating 20 years of "How To Eat", her debut book, and we were lucky to be able to get some time to sit down and chat through a range of topics. We have met Nigella a couple of times at various book signings, as many do. But over the past few years, we've regularly been in touch with each other over Twitter and we were all delighted that we managed to arrange some time to record an episode of Chew The Fat while Nigella was in town on a flying visit following her show at the National Concert Hall. Throughout our chat, what is obvious to us is the sheer love of food that she possesses and it's hard not to find that joy utterly infectious. In our hour long podcast, we chat about our favourite foods, what Nigella enjoys most about Ireland, who inspired her as a food writer as well as an in-depth discussion about a mutual passion of ours - chips! Nigella's show, "An Evening with Nigella" is currently touring around the UK & Ireland, and will reach Australia in 2019 too. About two hours of stories, musings, questions and answers with plenty of laughs thrown in for good measure too. It's worth checking out the schedule here if you are interested in the UK dates, and here for the Australian shows.     APPLE PODCASTS | GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC | STITCHER | SPOTIFY  IF YOU'RE ENJOYING CHEW THE FAT AND WANT TO HELP SUPPORT US WITH THE COSTS OF RECORDING, EDITING AND PRODUCING THESE FREE PODCASTS, YOU CAN MAKE A ONE OFF DONATION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE.

Every October, Dingle is the destination for food lovers. Not only is the fantastic and ever popular Dingle Food Festival taking place, but it's also time for the Blas na hÉireann awards, the top food awards for producers in Ireland. In this episode of Chew The Fat, we wish to give you a little glimpse behind the scenes, to tell the story behind the sticker, so to speak. We've been lucky for the past couple of years to be part of a group of judges invited down to County Kerry to taste, judge and evaluate the best food Ireland has to offer. Everyone is equal here- cottage industry producers are held to the same standards as the supermarkets and major suppliers, known as the multiples within the industry. Over the course of the day, each judge will have tried over 40 different products, ranking them on a fair but foolproof scoring chart. https://www.instagram.com/p/BZn9z6rAXu4/   APPLE PODCASTS | GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC | STITCHER | SPOTIFY  IF YOU’RE ENJOYING CHEW THE FAT AND WANT TO HELP SUPPORT US WITH THE COSTS OF RECORDING, EDITING AND PRODUCING THESE FREE PODCASTS, YOU CAN MAKE A ONE OFF DONATION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE.

This week on Chew The Fat we're in London to chat with Ryan Riley, the food writer and stylist who is founder of Life Kitchen. A project founded in memory of his mother, Krista, who died five years ago at the age of 47 from small-cell lung cancer. In a short space of time, Life Kitchen has hosted cookery classes for over 500 guests, many of whom are living with cancer, and has been a vocal force in education, awareness and  empowerment. Since founding the charity and social enterprise, praise and plaudits have come from across the food world, with support from the likes of - our guest a few weeks back - Nigella Lawson, as well as Sue Perkins, Jamie Oliver and so many more. Life Kitchen recently won 'Best Ethical Food Project' at the Observer Food Monthly awards too. In this episode, Ryan gives a backstory to his career pre-Life Kitchen as a superstar food stylist in demand as well as the work involved with the charity, plus discussing the future plans and why he has undertaken the work.   View this post on Instagram   Yep still this excited about winning last night. @obsfood #ofmawards2018 A post shared by Ryan Riley (@ryanrileyy) on Oct 19, 2018 at 9:45am PDT IF YOU'VE ENJOYED THIS EPISODE OF CHEW THE FAT AND WANT TO HELP SUPPORT LIFE KITCHEN, PLEASE GO TO THE GOFUND ME PAGE HERE APPLE PODCASTS | GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC | STITCHER | SPOTIFY 

There’s a guy about Dublin. He’s the man behind so many of the city’s iconic fast-casuals. He’s one of the city’s hospitality scene’s most notable and iconic faces. He’s really a one name diva: Joe. So much so, that his name is the moniker for his first restaurant, Jo’Burger. Then, we all later got to meet some of his next incarnations - Crackbird, that iconic fried chicken joint, Skinflint (amazingly-topped pizzas before speciality pizza exploded across the city) Bear (incredible value steak cuts and strong cocktails) and now his recent additions to the city’s dining and drinking scene – Hey, Donna and Bar Giuseppe. This week, we Chew The Fat with Joe Macken. An enfant terrible of Dublin food, some would say. The man who created a beautiful monster of a restaurant group that has changed, transformed and shaken up Dublin dining. The man who created several success stories within the ashes of the recession. You know his restaurants and bars, you might not know him personally just yet FYI This episode contains some strong language throughout! APPLE PODCASTS | GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC | STITCHER | SPOTIFY  IF YOU’RE ENJOYING CHEW THE FAT AND WANT TO HELP SUPPORT US WITH THE COSTS OF RECORDING, EDITING AND PRODUCING THESE FREE PODCASTS, YOU CAN MAKE A ONE OFF DONATION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE.

Two giants of the Irish food industry shouldn't collide... the best ones collaborate. In this week's episode of the podcast, brought to you by GastroGays, we Chew The Fat with Peter Hannan of Hannan's Meats/The Meat Merchant and Pat Whelan of James Whelan Butchers. Two absolutely stellar Supreme Champions in their fields (with a ridiiiiculous amount of awards between them), 2018 marks the first in a key partnership and a future collaborative process. Us Irish are absolutely blessed from this point on, because 2018 marks the first time Hannan Meats' products will be available to the general public in ROI via James Whelan Butchers. Hannan is a master of Himalayan Salt Aging and we chat (and tasted) his stunning sirloin, which is now tastily available via Pat Whelan's butcher brand. More products will follow, which is seriously exciting. Pulling up a pair of seats to the table amongst food industry royalty, and heroes of ours, we quite literally chew the fat with Peter and Pat all about their respective businesses, their start in the food industry, how they met, how the countless awards they've held between them have helped their operations and what's in the future seeing as this sole new product marks the first in a BIG collaboration between the pair of master butchers, more more importantly between a pair of friends.   James Whelan Butchers is our butcher of choice (and thankful our closest shop, Swords, opened a year or two ago to keep us well-stocked) and we were delighted to get the rare opportunity to interview both men together and get to know them a little bit more. If you're interested in Irish food, and you're as passionate about high quality meat as we are, these are two people in the industry you will no doubt know the names of and a pair of men you absolutely need to get to know! APPLE PODCASTS | GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC | STITCHER | SPOTIFY  IF YOU’RE ENJOYING CHEW THE FAT AND WANT TO HELP SUPPORT US WITH THE COSTS OF RECORDING, EDITING AND PRODUCING THESE FREE PODCASTS, YOU CAN MAKE A ONE OFF DONATION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE.

In this episode of Chew The Fat, we're in one of our favourite places on earth to eat, Eastern Seaboard – and it happens to be in the town we call home. We sit down with Jeni Glasgow and Reuven Diaz to chew the fat about being creatives in a business world, ten years of a groundbreaking restaurant in residential Drogheda, aspirations for the future and revealing the BIG changes planned for 2019 as the pair embark upon the next decade of the story. Firstly - think about how we’re eating these days: Global palates expecting exotic dishes but those same plates passionately appointed with as-local-as-possible produce. Neighbourhood restaurants, which leave as good an aftertaste with the service as the dishes they deliver. A drinks list that seamlessly segues from the contemporary sip to the classic cocktail – natural, organic, biodynamic wines and craft ciders but still serving the classic pint of the black stuff, and serving it well. Customers who are open to trying new things and being led by the chef’s choice or the specials whilst also (hopefully) far more conscious and ‘woke’ about animal welfare in their menu picks. Smaller plates. Sharing. Veg-centric. Producer-led. Value equating to ingredient quality. Art and food almost intertwined. Sounds new and modern but Eastern Seaboard in Drogheda has been doing this for ten years. Albeit it’s been tightened up, evolved and strengthened over that time, but for a restaurant that began in a residential area of a commuter town in County Louth right at the beginning of the global financial crash, Eastern Seaboard now looks to its next decade. You know already that before we've called this 'The Best Restaurant in Drogheda', and it still is. Probably the best in Louth, for sure a contender for best in Leinster. Jeni Glasgow and Reuven Diaz are the pair behind ESB - her at the coalface, him at the pass - and what they’ve achieved in a decade has been exceptional, but not unexpected either. Their talent blazes like a shooting star across the night sky as they’ve single-handedly changed the dining scene in Drogheda and put the historic town on the map for its food credentials. When it comes to Eastern Seaboard, it’s kind of that thing: if you know, you *know*, and if you’ve never tried - or never heard of it - well, all we’ll say is: listen on. APPLE PODCASTS | GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC | STITCHER | SPOTIFY  IF YOU’RE ENJOYING CHEW THE FAT AND WANT TO HELP SUPPORT US WITH THE COSTS OF RECORDING, EDITING AND PRODUCING THESE FREE PODCASTS, YOU CAN MAKE A ONE OFF DONATION ON OUR PAYPAL PAGE.