Artisan Co-Labs
Mix'n'Match your Irish Pantry this Christmas
There has never been a better time to enjoy Ireland’s artisan pantry products, and this win-win goes both for the producers who make them, and for us consumers.
Now is the time to stock your pantry, and why not mix’n’match.
We’ve put together a selection of great pairings from our experiences this year, and we have also seized upon inspiration from a North/South event, sponsored by Bord Bia and Invest Northern Ireland. The location was Dingle, hosted by the Blas na hEireann awards. Under the care and direction of Kathleen Collins and chef Ian Swift from West Kerry Care of the Aged Kitchen, the students of MTU Cork created some classic combos from the Blas Award winners.
Here are some all Ireland champion food combos for your Christmas festivities.
Ballymaloe Beetroot and Coppenagh House Farm
The new Ballymaloe Irish Beetroot is deeply rooted in East Cork, having been grown, cooked, pickled and packed in the zone. When it first hit the shelves, they sent us some in a pack with some of the Coppenagh House Farm burgers, and this is a match made in heaven. The Stanley family’s Coppenagh House is a farm and farm shop near Tullow in County Carlow, who specialise in rare breeds and farm-to-table hampers, and their Bob’s Smash Burger Box comes with the deluxe ingredients you need to make your own burger heaven: Coolattin cheddar, Clo and Ali’s red onion marmalade and Achill Island sea salt.
O’Flynn’s Black Pudding with The Apple Farm Crisp and Cashel Blue
Blue cheese and black pudding is one of the classic duos, and paired with these Apple Crisps from Con Traas’s The Apple Farm you have the trio to make the perfect canapes. In Dingle, the chefs sandwiched the pudding slices with slices of Cashel Blue. Cashel Blue celebrated 40 years of production in 2024, whilst O’Flynn’s is a fourth generation family company celebrating no fewer than 10 decades in production of fine sausages and puddings. Black ‘n’ Blue, baby!
Burren Proper Digestive Biscuits with Cult Ch*ese and Peggy’s Crab Apple Jelly
Everybody agrees that Cult! Plant-Based Che*se have cracked the plant-based, dairy-free cheese-not-cheese conundrum. Great flavour and texture means this is an eye-opening product, which is in search of just the right biscuit. Luckily, the busy Burren Balsamics have gifted the world with some “Proper” digestive biscuits, which are also suitable for vegetarians. Top the twosome with some piquant jelly, here some Crab Apple and Clove from Peggy’s Family Farm in Armagh. Winner!
Burren Smokehouse and McNiffe’s Boxty
Rosti and Smoked fish is one of the great brunch foods, but here the classic pairing is served Celtic style with a Pan Boxty from McNiffe’s, from lovely Leitrim. Pan Boxty combines raw and cooked potato in a cake that is the perfect foil for Birgitta Curtin’s Burren Smokehouse fish, served with a dollop of creme fraiche. And maybe a little soupçon of fizz because, you know, yolo.
James Whelan Salt Beef and Foxford Piccalilli
In Dingle this tasty masterpiece from James Whelan Butchers was served on Rustic Boowa Bakery’s rye bread, from County Kerry, which serves as the perfect platter to be adorned with the spicy salt beef and the agrestic pickle from Foxford. A good craft baker might have the rye bread you want but, if not, some crisply toasted sourdough will do the trick.
Velvet Cloud Sheep’s Cheese on Hassett’s Smoked Chilli & Seasme Cracker
Crisp smoky Hassett’s Bakery cracker laden with soft, sinuous Velvet Cloud sheep’s milk cheese = some kind of wonderful, and it is simplicity itself. A velvet cloud is your only cloud.
Crisp Co-Labs
These brawlers both punch like Mike Tyson on a good day. Rivesci’s hot honey sets O’Donnell’s crisps on fire, whilst Clogherhead sea salt and a sup of white wine vinegar makes the Glens of Antrim crisps all a-tingle from Dunnes. Take the advice of the late Jeremy Round, and serve these beauties with heroic quantities of very pink gin.
Important Public Service Announcement
Do not listen to any cook or writer who insists that turkey cooks after 15 mins per pound weight, plus 15 mins. This is outdated info that hangs around at Christmas like a zombie, refusing to die. It’s not about time, it’s about temperature. More details here.