Richys Restaurant Cork is Bord Bia’s Just Ask! Restaurant of the Month, July 2011

Richys Restaurant, Clonakilty, Cork has been awarded Bord Bia’s Just Ask! Restaurant of the Month for July 2011.

The award, which recognises restaurants that provide information to their customers about where their food comes from, coincides with the launch of a new venture by Richys Restaurant called R café.  R Café, which will exist alongside the restaurant will serve breakfast/brunch, lunch, afternoon tea and delicious cakes all day with great coffee whilst continuing to serve the best local, in-season food the region has to offer. 

Richys Restaurant and R Café prides itself on serving the best seasonal produce sourced locally in West Cork. Its wide-ranging menu contains information outlining the origin of the key ingredients in each dish, the names of all their local suppliers and a list of foods that are in season at the time. Their website, richysbarandbistro.com, also provides a listing of local suppliers (including a supplier of the month).
 

Richie Virahsawmy, Head Chef at Richys

‘Our menus change seasonally’, said Head Chef, Richie Virahsawmy ‘Being in West Cork we are spoiled with wonderful artisan producers such as Ummera Smoked Products where we source our smoked duck breast from; Edward Twomey’s famous Clonakilty black pudding; Devoy’s Organic Farm fruit & vegetables and Dave Bushby’s wonderful Rosscarbey strawberries. Our fresh meat is supplied by Ballyburden Meats in Ballincollig and Shannonvale Poultry in Clonakilty supply our chicken. Shellfish de la Mer in Castletownbere and Bantry Bay Seafood provide us with seafood’’ .

Richys new Cook Book

As a member of both Euro-toque Ireland and Good Food Ireland, Richie is proud to highlight his commitment to sourcing local and promoting small food producers wherever possible.

Just Ask! is a Bord Bia campaign which aims to encourage consumers to look for information on where their food comes from when eating out and encourages chef’s to provide the information on their menus. According to recent research from Bord Bia, 81% of Irish diners believe it’s important that restaurants use local produce with 72% deeming it important that the origin of meat is listed on the menu.

Speaking about Richy’s Georgina Campbell said, ‘It’s not often that you come across a menu like this, it not only names the origins of key ingredients in each dish and credits their valued local suppliers at the end, but also lists some of the foods that are in season at the time – and even gives a glossary to explain some of the less usual ingredients and cooking terms!’

As part of Bord Bia’s Just Ask! programme, restaurants listed on Georgina Campbell’s ireland-guide.com website are invited to submit copies of their menus and sourcing statements.  On a monthly basis, a Just Ask! winner is chosen by Georgina Campbell in agreement with Bord Bia. In addition, an overall Just Ask! annual award winner is selected as part of the Georgina Campbell Awards which take place during October.

To get involved in Just Ask! or to find out more, see www.bordbia.ie. With so many great value restaurants right on your doorstep, eating out is still on the menu!

For more information on Richys Bar & Bistro see www.richysbarandbistro.com

Don't forget to Feed the Fish at the bottom of this post!
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Ashford Castle is Bord Bia’s Just Ask! Restaurant of the Month, May 2011

Ashford Castle, Mayo, has been awarded Bord Bia’s Just Ask! Restaurant of the Month for May. The award recognises Ashford Castle’s use of local produce and inclusion of this detail on the menus at the castles four restaurants – The Drawing Room, Cullen’s at the Dungeon, Cullen’s at the Cottage and the George V Dining Room. The menus of executive Head Chef Stefan Matz are a tribute to the wonderful produce available in the West of Ireland, notably its wonderful fresh Seafood and Connemara lamb.

The George V Dining Room dedicates a full page at the front of its menu to introducing all the food suppliers to Ashford Castle. The more contemporary informal Cullen’s menus provide diners with a more intimate descriptive style, inviting visitors to ask questions about the producers who are named on every dish.

Just Ask! is a Bord Bia campaign which aims to encourage consumers to look for information on where their food comes from when eating out and encourages chef’s to provide the information on their menus. According to recent research from Bord Bia, 81% of Irish diners believe it’s important that restaurants use local produce with 72% deeming it important that the origin of meat is listed on the menu.

Commenting on his win Stefan Matz said, “I have a passion for the wild and artisan food of the West. My well trained staff like nothing better than to chat to guests about each and every ingredient named, which sets the food in context and makes a wonderfully evocative culinary introduction to the region for visitors”.

Georgina Campbell congratulated Ashford Castle on becoming the Just Ask! Restaurant of the Month for May adding, “While there may be a hint of artistic license to the Ashford Castle motto ‘Excellence since 1228’, there is no questioning the excellence offered today, and every time food is served in this magnificent place it showcases the produce with the area with pride”.

As part of Bord Bia’s Just Ask! programme, restaurants listed on Georgina Campbell’s independently assessed ireland-guide.com website are invited to submit copies of their menus and sourcing statements. 

On a monthly basis, a Just Ask! winner is chosen by Georgina Campbell in agreement with Bord Bia. In addition, an overall Just Ask! annual award winner is selected as part of the Georgina Campbell Awards which take place during October.

To get involved in Just Ask! or to find out more, see www.bordbia.ie. With so many great value restaurants right on your doorstep, eating out is still on the menu!

For more information on Ashford Castle visit http://www.ashfordcastle.ie.

Farmgate Café, Cork awarded Bord Bia’s Just Ask! Restaurant of the Month for April 2011

1^st April, 2011 and Farmgate Café, Cork has been awarded Bord Bia’s Just Ask! Restaurant of the Month for April 2011.  Situated overlooking Cork’s famed English Market; Farmgate Café is an example of what is best about sourcing ingredients locally. Farmgate Café prides itself on using fresh Irish food that has travelled as short a distance as possible to reach customers’ plates, with almost all of the produce coming straight from the market counters downstairs.

Farmgate Café only uses beef, lamb, chicken, eggs and vegetables produced in Ireland. Against the backdrop of a bustling market, freshly shucked oysters are brought straight to the table from O’Connell’s fish stall downstairs. Meat, locally reared, comes from trusted Market craft butchers, and the finest of fresh fish is chosen every morning from O’Connell’s and Ballycotton Seafood – the Market is the café’s larder. Cork cheese makers, Molaga Honey and Thornhill Organic salad leaves from West Cork are delivered directly to the Café.

Just Ask! is a Bord Bia campaign which aims to encourage consumers to look for information on where their food comes from when eating out and encourages chef’s to provide the information on their menus. According to recent research from Bord Bia, 81% of Irish diners believe it’s important that restaurants use local produce with 72% deeming it important that the origin of meat is listed on the menu.

Farmgate Café owner, Kay Harte said, “Situated in the oldest Market in Ireland, centuries old traditional, seasonal, regional, even ‘forgotten’ foods are at the core of Farmgate ethos, and a visible link between the menu and the wonderful array of produce downstairs in the Market plays a key role in how our menu is written each day. We work closely with Market traders, as well as an array of local and regional producers to bring simple but wonderful Irish food to the table.”

Georgina Campbell said, “Farmgate provides a uniquely Irish eating experience and plays a role in supporting a vibrant Irish food culture while truly embracing how good indigenous ingredient and food products are and as virtually all ingredients are purchased from the market downstairs daily, or from other trusted suppliers nearby, it doesn’t come much fresher or more local than this.”

As part of Bord Bia’s Just Ask! programme, restaurants listed on Georgina Campbell’s ireland-guide.com website are invited to submit copies of their menus and sourcing statements.  On a monthly basis, a Just Ask! winner is chosen by Georgina Campbell in agreement with Bord Bia. In addition, an overall Just Ask! annual award winner is selected as part of the Georgina Campbell Awards which take place during October.

To get involved in Just Ask! or to find out more, see www.bordbia.ie. With so many great value restaurants right on your doorstep, eating out is still on the menu!

For more information on Farmgate Café visit www.farmgate.ie/corkhome.htm