Have a read of the wonderful article on BlackSheep Foods in the current issue of Social & Personal Weddings.
Social & Personal Weddings Autumn 2016 issue
TOP 5 HEALTHY WEDDING CATERERS by Social & Personal Weddings
http://socialandpersonalweddings.ie/inspirations/top-5-healthy-wedding-caterers/
More couples are opting for outside caterers and the choices are endless, but you might be panicking about the idea of giving your guests something healthy as well as tasty. We have five healthy caterers for you to check out.
Blacksheep Foods
With their main focus being healthy, delicious food, Black Sheep Foods use only the highest standard of ingredients and always use local producers where possible. Bringing healthy and tasty together, Blacksheep Foods cater for a number of weddings a year, bringing the finest, seasonal ingredients to get the most out of your healthy menu.
Red Pepper Catering
With healthy eating at the forefront of their mantra, Red Pepper Catering has grown from catering small parties to weddings and corporate events. You can rest easy in the knowledge that their food nutritious and made with fresh, quality ingredients. They offer both buffet style catering and plate service and once the menu is finalised, they will take care of everything for your wedding.
The Soul Food Company
With canapés, fine dining, buffet-style, salads and desserts there are plenty of healthy food options for your wedding with The Soul Food Company. Using organic produce where available, their priority is to stay on top of the latest food trends as well as enriching the depth and quality of more traditional menus. They proudly present their passion for food in healthy dishes using the best of fresh, local and sustainably grown ingredients.
Naomi’s Kitchen
With almost ten years’ catering experience, Naomi Byrne has been trained at the world-renowned Ballymaloe Cookery School and has worked for the original Avoca Café in County Wicklow. As well as corporate events, both big and small, Naomi’s Kitchen also caters for weddings. Everything is homemade from start to finish, using only natural ingredients and local producers when possible. She has a wide range of hot and cold canapés, buffet and plated menus to choose from.
Delicious Catering
Specialising in “eating out” at home, Delicious Catering is an ideal choice for anoutdoor wedding that requires delicious food and professional caterers. Priding themselves on wholesome food, they source natural, fresh ingredients from local producers when possible and will help guide you every step of the way to choose your perfect menu, adhering to any dietary requirements. They will help advise you on the menu that will best fit your wedding style.
– Jenny Darmody
Chapel Lane
10 INSPIRING IRISH INSTAGRAMS TO FOLLOW
We were delighted to be chosen by Irish Country Magazine amongst such talent to be included in their top 10 inspiring Irish Instagram accounts to follow! Click the link below to see who else was featured.
Cod,peas,asparagus & cocnut at Forest & Marcy
Forest & Marcy
This is the stunning new sister restaurant to Forest Avenue. It's described as a small neighbourhood wine room and kitchen, run by chef Ciaran Sweeney. You're in for an elegant experience.
They don't take reservations so we arrived at 5.30 for fear we wouldn't get a table. The restaurant is small, but cleverly layed out. The interior and attention to detail is simply stunning. Having lived in New York for such a long time time, it reminded me of being nestled away in the heart of the West Village.
Quinoa, carrot, goats cheese & truffle Forest & Marcy
We all decided on the Chef's tasting menu for €39. It's a little more fun when you don't know what to expect and was suitable for the occasion, we were celebrating a birthday. What followed was simply stunning.
We were first brought out a caramelised onion bread with aged butter, delicious. This was followed by small bites, first we were given quinoa crisps with pickled carrot, goats cheese and truffle. Wow, the combination of flavours and crispiness of the crisp was perfection. Next was an artichoke crisp with ceps, hazelnuts and onion. Probably two of my favourite things combined, artichoke and mushrooms so I was delighted. Next was whipped brandade with lemon and cod skin chips, this actually reminded me of one of my chef's in New York, I know he would appreciate this. Bear in mind all these small bites come out separately, you're given time between each. They're the perfect bites to come in and have at the bar with a glass of wine and are priced individually on the menu between €4-€6.
Smoked salmon, lovage, radish Forest & Marcy
Next we were given smoked salmon with lovage and radish. Beef tartare with oyster, celeriac and tarragon, and beetroot with walnuts and borderlaise. The precision of these plates is an art. The combination of flavours makes each dish exciting. These are also priced separately on the menu between €10-€12.
Lamb, artichoke, anchovy, samphire Forest & MArcy
Onto the larger plates. We were given the cod with peas, asparagus and coconut and lamb with artichoke, anchovy and samphire. Both were exquisite. This is fine dining but without the fussiness. The staff were friendly and inviting. We had to have dessert and opted for one of each on the menu, which was a tart with lime leaf custard, strawberry, hibiscus and meringue and a white chocolate yogurt with almond and dill sorbet. Silence came over the table until each morsel was eaten. This may sound like an awful lot of food but it was actually perfect. Nothing is too overpowering, the portions are controlled and the menu fits perfectly together.
Beef, oyster, celeriac, tarragon Forest & Marcy
White chocolate, yogurt, almond & dill sorbet Forest & Marcy
This restaurant takes pride in what it does and is doing it well. We look forward to our return.
www.forestandmarcy.ie
The perfect marinade recipe for your summer barbecue
The key to a great barbecue is to seal in the flavour!
You need to master the art of the marinade. Barbecue season is upon us once again. The supermarket aisles are laden with all the essentials. Marinades are great for tenderising and adding moisture to meat whilst also livening up a potentially dull piece of meat such as the chicken breast.
I'm starting with our absolute favourite. The famous Argentinian Chimichurri sauce. You could literally put this sauce on anything and it'll taste delicious. It's traditionally served with grilled steak, and is an essential part of the Argentenian parilla, but it also works great with chicken, fish, grilled vegetables or even as a salad dressing.
Chimichurri
1/2 a red onion
3-4 garlic cloves minced or finely sliced (this is to your own taste)
2 cups of parsley (finely chopped)
1/2 cup coriander (finely chopped)
1/2 cup fresh oregano (finely chopped) (2 teaspoons dried is ok too)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3/4-1cup olive oil
salt and red pepper flakes to taste
Method
Mix onion and garlic in a food processor, by hand or in a pestle and mortar.
Add all the finely chopped herbs, red wine vinegar and mix. You don't want this to turn into a puree! Add olive oil, salt and red chill flakes. Taste and season accordingly.
Reserve 1/2 the sauce and add your meat to the remaining marinade, cover and chill for at least an hour, 3 would be great. Place on hot barbecue, once meat is cooked to your liking, drizzle meat with the remainder of the sauce.
Enjoy!
Cauliflower Tabbouleh
This is the perfect dish to make this Summer. It's extremely easy to make, delicious and very healthy. It's also great if you're looking for a low carb/gluten free recipe. The traditional Mediterranean classic is made with bulgar wheat so I have just swapped that out for the cauliflower rice.
Cauliflower is low carb, high in fiber and packed with nutrients. It is an excellent source of vitamins C, K and B6. Because of it's high sulfur content, cauliflower is a powerful detoxifying food and also provides anti-inflammatory benefits.
I love it served with a nice piece of grilled meat or fish but it can also be served on it's own as a salad or as a base to a delicious fish stew. You don't have to follow the exact recipe below. I sometimes will crumble some feta cheese over the top, add charred aubergine or depending on what herbs I have I may add some fresh coriander. It takes less than 20 minutes so give it a try it and let us know how you get on.
Julianne and Lydia
Cauliflower Tabbouleh
Serves 5
- 1 head of cauliflower roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 red onions diced
- 3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- Sprig of fresh rosemary finely chopped or herbs de Provence
- 1 teaspoons of salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- Bunch of parsley, basil and mint roughly chopped
- 1/2 a cucumber cut into small chunks
- Cherry tomatoes cut into quarters
- Handful of toasted flaked almonds
Method
- Place chopped cauliflower into a food processor and pulse a few times until it resembles the consistency of cous cous.
- Place large pan over medium heat. Add olive oil and onions. Let cook for 2 minutes making sure the onions don’t burn. Add in garlic, rosemary, salt/pepper and let cook for another minute.
- Pour in cauliflower and stir to mix. Add lemon zest and juice and let cook for a further 5 minutes stirring every so often to ensure nothing burns (add in a splash of water if pan is too dry)
- Pour mixture into a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Taste and season accordingly.
Enjoy!
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Missing the warmer weather and the abundance of local produce available at Maynooth Organics!
Cos Spring/summer 16' press day
BlackSheep Foods souping
What is souping?
We will supply you with five days worth of soups (2 per day) that are nutritious, heart warming, gluten free, vegan and delivered direct to your home or business. The soups will be delivered to you on Sunday evening/Monday morning ready for the week ahead. You receive 5 different flavours every week and the delicious soup flavours change weekly depending on what is available. There is also an option of adding a homemade health-loaf to your order.
Cost: Ten soups for €40.00. regular/ gluten-free homemade health loaves also available at a cost of €5.00.
Delivery €5.00 or pick up from our collection point in Maynooth.
Please E-mail us at blacksheepfoods@gmail.com, message us on Facebook or call Lydia 083-3240072/ Julianne 083-1756992 to sign up. Places tend to fill up fast, so get your name down early.
RiverIsland Spring/Summer 16' press day
Fresh organic juices, Granola,coconut yogurt pots topped with fresh berries and basil.
Picking up some cheeses at Sheridans to fill all the Christmas hampers going out. One of our favourite shops to visit!
