Harvest Food Festival - Slow Food - Waterford

"There's nothing quite like the grilled octopus in Paros port..."
"...it can hardly be compared to a prosciutto/stracciatella piadini on the Bologna boardwalk..."
"..But have you ever tasted ripened pineapples in a middle Queensland summer?"

Blah, blah, blah & yawn. All very glamorous. What they're really saying is, foreign food is scrumptious: I wish I lived there.

Well, you do. As far as food is concerned. Ireland has got to have the most under-celebrated gastro-culture in Europe. It's hard to wade through the jungle of discardable imports, but if one looks closely, there's a trove of yuminess in the brush. Now, I could list off a few of my favourites, but why not try them for yourself?

Head down to Waterford between the 11th-13th September for the Slow Food Harvest Festival. Learn chocolate making, get a 'whiskey tutorial' at the Chamber of Commerce and eat spit roast lamb in the Waterford feast. There's a national farmer's market of Slow Food confederates. That means locally produced honey, cured venison, organic ice cream, Omega beef, Connemara lamb, goat's butter, etc. Imagine the flavours. From the source.

Listen, it's family friendly, there are speakers from the Times, Darina Allen (the Slow Food empress) is going to talk, there's a big Grow It Yourself conference if you want to learn to put veggies in the back garden, and lots of smiling, open minded foodie colleagues.

If you've never heard of Slow Food, now's your chance to learn. It's about taking it easy, taking your time, slowing it down.

For more information visit Slow Food Ireland or email Donal Lehane.

DIARIT: ?/10

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