I called into Martin Divilly's butcher's shop in Westside and picked out some treats from their quite amazing selection. They have practically every meat type available that you can think of, and of course much of their focus is on providing meat that is prepped and ready for the oven. I sampled some of the stir fries selection and can recommend the Hong Kong stir fry made with round steak, the Piri Piri stir fry made with pork, and the Mexican stir fry made with chicken. Perhaps the handiest way to cook them is to just pop it in the oven for 15/20 minutes and serve.
If you feel like a proper home cooked Irish breakfast for just you and your partner then a really simple solution is a pre-packed breakfast for two containing Divilly's own sausages, black pudding, white pudding, and rashers – all for €4.99. This is a very clever way of buying just exactly the amount you need with no waste. Another great value and tasty dish is three very large marinated Barbary duck breasts on offer for €10; that is seriously good food and outstanding value — just €3.33 per person for a roast duck dinner. If you are catering for a large group try the whole leg of Irish lamb at just under €20. This will easily feed six people and is a perfect Sunday roast. To prepare, just stick the pointed end of your knife into the lamb and pop in several slices of garlic and sprigs of rosemary and that's it.
I can also recommend the home cured centre cut bacon – very low in salt and delicious, in fact of all the items I sampled this was the best. I am going to buy a piece of this for Christmas Day and avoid the trouble of baking a ham. There is a fantastic array of sauces and marinades including a range of pure sauces that are free from E numbers, MSG, artificial colours or flavours, allergens, and trans fats.
I picked up a garlic cream sauce from a German company called Hela and if you like your steak or kebabs or burgers with a creamy garlic sauce this is the one for you. They have a huge range of flavoured sausages and my favourites are the chilli and coriander and the smoked pork
Finally, I want to mention that there will be a food and wine fair in the Salthill Hotel on Sunday December 7. This could be a great way for anyone with a new food production idea to showcase their product and to get a lot of feedback in one day. The reason I am mentioning it here is that the cost of a stall is quite reasonable at €99 for the day, and at that price it is within the reach of most people. There will be cookery demonstrations by Charlie Chan from Asian Fusion in Oranmore and Kate Wright of Cobblestones Café. Many of your favourite food purveyors will be there so why not make a date for your diary and sample what’s on offer? If you would like to book a space to display your product call (091 ) 568674.
