Dancing at the crossroads, for real

I thought you folks might like this clip of the Curtlestown wren boys playing at my local crossroads which is a rural Irish tradition on St. Stephen's Day. These days no wren is hunted or killed as was the pre-Christian custom but the wren boys (and girls) still wear the traditional raggy clothes, straw "mummers" hats and disguise themselves. Many years ago the wren boys hunted a wren through the hedgerows which eventually came to a sticky end, poor thing. The wren had a lot of negative beliefs associated with it but as those superstitions passed the musical tradition lived on. In many areas of rural Ireland you will see the the wren boys out on St. Stephen's Day; playing traditional Irish music and collecting for local charities once the short concert ends. This is dancing at the crossroads for real, and even in the times we live in we had couples waltzing, a slip reel danced by a very competant Irish dancer and I even did a few turns myself with my small daughter. The first clip is of my neighbours dancing a waltz and below that is the handsomely attired tiger wren doing a short number with a brush. Enjoy x

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyqFG0jUdYg&context=C37b6c9aADOEgsToPDskK9TiFjiypR4CkE_eUPEatY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWJjjTkQizI&context=C37b6c9aADOEgsToPDskK9TiFjiypR4CkE_eUPEatY

Avoca's new venture: high concept, well-executed and beautiful

In my part of the country the Avoca brand is a bit of a food institution. When news appeared that the Pratt family were opening a new branch of their food/lifestyles business in Monkstown, South Dublin it was greeted with much glee by all who enjoy decent grub. The new outlet, in an area perfectly pitched for its customers is sure to be as consistently busy (even in planet recession) as their other food shops and restaurants.

For my foreign readers here's a bit of background: Avoca Handweavers (which the chain was originally named) grew from a cafe and crafts shop at the Avoca woollen mill in the small village of the same name in rural Wicklow. The mill is still there, as is the shop and cafe, but in the last decade the Pratt family who bought the business have extended their homewares, food shops and cafes to outlets all around the country. The shops have become food and homewares meccas; a great stop for buying a quick gift, picking up a set of meringue nests for an emergency dinner or grabbing a chocolate cake to die for en route to a childrens party.

What's interesting about the new shop in Monkstown is that there is now fresh fruit, vegetables and meat on offer. As someone who lives sandwiched between the Enniskerry and Kilmacanogue outlets I often run in to grab a salami for a pasta dish, goats cheese or some lovely Aine Rudden chocolate made in Co. Cavan. But I cursed the fact that picking up veg or fresh meat at the same time wasn't an option.In the Pratt's new venture fresh vegetables are on offer, there's a beautiful cheese room, rotisserie Irish chicken and most exciting of all a new butcher shop outlet from Pat Whelan from Clonmel.

Pat is a great believer in local food, farms his own cattle and it's great to see his type of quality beef landing up in my neck of the woods. The range of veg is the Monkstown outlet is gorgeous; all kinds of exiting things but one thing I'd like to have seen more of was Irish produce. I know that if you

want courgettes in December you're not going to find them grown in Ireland but I think there is more local vegetables available then what they are stocking at present. This could be an issue of availability - sourcing Irish is often confined to particular volumes and of course price, but hopefully in the future we'll see more of our local vegetables on the shelves.

Research shows that even in the midst of recession consumers like buying Irish. I think retailers should exploit this more and remember that "Irish" and "local" conveys a halo affect onto everything around it - a fascinating dynamic often abused by the large supermarkets but used to great affect by Supervalu and smaller independent shops. What the Monkstown store has plenty of is Irish pork from small farmers and producers, Irish Chicken and of course Pat's meat.

This is premium food in a premium location. The restaurant in this outlet, named Salt is superb, and booking is recommended - as usual with any new Avoca venture it was out-the-door busy. This shop is not the sort of place many are going to do their weekly groceries. At the same time retail such as this is crucial in re-branding Irish food as contemporary, authentic and desirable.

Avoca food always delivers on taste. It's not cheap but I don't think good value is about something being cheap. Cheap food is a downwards spiral for all of us as it narrows our methods of producing food into a "lowest margin possible" morass that ultimately resembles factory farming.

It's funny for me to write about Avoca as I feel a strange vested interest towards the place. Several of my friends work in the Avoca shops and restaurants near to me. I frequently have work meetings there as it saves

people travelling up the godforsaken mountain roads to visit me and my kids are well familiar with me landing in them in the door for coffee and cake. I wish them the

best in their new shop. To a degree we all should be proud of what the Avoca brand has achieved. It's a successful re-imagining of what Irish food and Irish retail should be. It's high concept, well-executed and always a pleasure to visit. Keep up the good work x

Budget Day - and €105 taken out of Irish Agriculture, what does it mean for farmers and food producers?

Round One of Budget 2012 happened earlier today, with the axe falling on €1.4 billion of public spending by the Irish Government. The main headlines were changes to child benefit, increased registration fees for students and changes to health spending. But across the country many from the farming and food sector anxiously watched Minister Brendan Howlin's budget speech for news on what would happen to farm incomes. Then it was announced that €105 million is to be taken out of the agriculture budget, a move that will affect 50,000 full and part-time farmers. In that respect it could have been a better day. But to be honest it could also have been a hell of a lot worse.

I've outlined the main points of the cuts below. On the positive side (yes there is one), farmers countrywide are relieved to see no change in the suckler cow welfare scheme, which aids those producing beef animals. There's also beef discussion group funding and money for the BVD scheme. The main cut is to the Disadvantaged Area Scheme where €30 million is to be taken out of the system. This will really be felt by the farm families who farm in less productive parts of the country, where in short, it can be very hard to make money. Uplands, wetlands and bog is all too common in Ireland and while it might look poetic, it certainly isn't poetic trying to pull an income out of it.

Also notable is the €6 million being cut from the agri and food bodies such as Teagasc, Bord Bia and BIM which offer invaluable support to farmers, food producers and promote Irish food both here and abroad. In reality a lot of this €6 million saving will occur anyway through employees not being replaced and changes to funding models. But it may still mean a merging of some agri-food bodies which was what had been rumoured.

Summary of the cuts:

Disadvantaged Area Scheme

ƒThis will be implemented through reduction of those entering the scheme via eligibility and

qualifying criteria. The proposed amendments are subject to approval by the

European Commission. Planned saving - €30 million

ERAD, Disease eradication scheme

ƒSavings from anticipated lower disease incidence and operational changes. €10 million

REPs

ƒImplement reduction in expenditure through changes in the payment of transaction costs to scheme participants. The proposed amendments will require Commission approval.

€19 million in savings over 2012

Administrative Budget of the Department of Agriculture

"ƒD/AF&M rigorously reviews every area of expenditure and is committed to further staffing reductions and reductions in costs, including in procurement and shared services."

€12 million in savings

Non Commercial State Sponsored Bodies (NCSSBs)

Total grants-in-aid to five non-commercial State bodies (Teagasc, Bord Bia, BIM, the Marine Institute and the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority) amount to some €200 million per annum. "While the emphasis in 2012 will be non-pay expenditure cuts, funding models and overall levels of funding will be examined critically, particularly in the context of the Government’s commitment to streamline the number of State bodies."

The announcement also factors in Miscellaneous Savings of €28 million to bring the total of agriculture cuts to €105 million. Tomorrow will see the announcements on VAT which will greatly affect food producers and as they predict, shrink demand for their goods. It's rumoured that the new VAT rate on bagels, garlic bread etc (the bread that's not bread story) may not go ahead which is great news for small bakers. As always, I'll keep a close watch on announcements tomorrow and keep you all posted. Keep the chins up x

If you're one of the 700,000 Irish people buying a turkey in the next few weeks you might want to read this...

Let's Talk Turkey by Suzanne Campbell

Irish Independent 1st December 2011

Many of us would like to buy an Irish turkey this Christmas and ordering one from your nearest butchers seems a great way to keep money in the local community. But a surprising quarter of the 700,000 turkeys we'll eat this Christmas are likely to be imports from Italy and France with many being sold as Irish birds by local retailers and butchers.

Under current law it's not mandatory to label imported turkey as Italian or French so we may think we're buying a locally reared turkey. Unlike most Irish-grown turkeys sold this Christmas, birds from Italy and France are farmed more cheaply but are routinely sold at around the same price as Irish turkey.

As they are shipped here they are less fresh and could be more likely to cause food-borne illness. So how can you ensure you're getting a fair deal and a Christmas turkey that's healthy, succulent and a meal to remember?

Turkeys from butchers and small retailers

Ask your butcher if the turkey is Irish. Under current labelling law, retailers are not required to show country of origin on the turkey itself but if asked they must tell you where the bird was slaughtered and indicate if it's an import.

"We encourage our members to sell as much Irish product as possible, but it's not for us to tell butchers what to do," says Dave Lang of the Association of Craft Butchers.

"There are imported Christmas turkeys for sale, but I don't think there's subterfuge going on. "Many butchers and small retailers will stock Irish birds but you should ask rather than assume. "If you see a Quality Assured mark on a turkey in an Irish retailer, you know it was grown in Ireland to high production standards," says David Owens from Bord Bia. "However, last year we saw over 160,000 imported turkeys coming into the country and consumers should be aware of that. These turkeys should be cooked immediately and not frozen."

Turkeys from supermarkets

Most Christmas turkeys sold in supermarkets are Irish birds grown by the three large turkey producers in the country. These are white turkeys which mature in about 16 weeks and are reared in large indoor housing without access to the outdoors.

Many of these supermarket turkeys will have a Bord Bia Quality Assured mark which means the farms are inspected for welfare standards, stocking density and the type of feed and medication the turkeys are given.

What's a bronze turkey?

If you want to your turkey to have had a longer life and increase the chances of a tasty tender bird, buying a free-range bronze turkey is increasingly popular. Bronze turkeys are the old-fashioned black coloured bird once common on Irish farms.

As they are slower to grow they should taste more tender than a commercial turkey. The meat is also said to have more flavour as the turkeys forage in grass and have a more varied diet. "There is no such thing as a dry bronze turkey," says Ronan Byrne who is rearing 600 free-range turkeys at his farm in Athenry.

"My birds take almost six months to grow and that's why I compare them to Aberdeen Angus beef. They're tender, juicy and have lots of flavour."

Free-range turkey

If a turkey is labelled 'free- range' it means the turkeys were allowed access to an outdoor area and the farms are inspected to comply with free-range regulations. Because of increasing demand many supermarkets, large retailers and farmers' markets now sell free-range, which may be white or bronze birds.They are more expensive than commercially farmed turkey but Mr Byrne says there's always a certain amount of customers that want quality. "Once people make the change they come back to me year after year."

Organic

Organic turkey is the most expensive of all the options as the turkeys are fed a diet of grains and grasses which have been grown without pesticides. They must also have access to grass and be free-range.

Taste-wise, organic will be very similar to a bronze free- range turkey but more expensive as organic feed drives price significantly upwards. If you choose to buy a premium product such as an organic turkey, check that the packaging or that the producer has an IOFGA (Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association) or Soil Association stamp.

Buying locally

Buying from a local farm is often a cheap way to get a good turkey as it cuts out the middleman.Many farms now sell direct from farm gate and some deliver turkeys to your door. If you want to be sure a turkey is free-range, buy it from a farmer you know or visit the farm. Many farmers encourage customers to see their farms and to collect turkeys once they are ready.

It also makes a lovely outing for children around Christmas time. If you're short on time, many farms now sell online.

Irish Independent