My visit to Sheridans Irish Food Festival 2013

One of the highlights of my recent visit to Ireland was the Sheridans Cheesemongers' 4th Annual Irish Food Festival near Virginia. Getting there was a treat in itself - just over a two hour drive through the lush countryside of Tyrone, Monaghan, Meath, and Cavan. 

The setting was perfect and the weather obliged as well for the more than 80 Irish food producers who provided samples of beautiful food and chatted with folks about their products and processes.  

This year's festival included the first National Brown Bread baking competition - so I decided to enter! 

Here are a few photos and notes from the day. 

Séamus Sheridan getting the judges started at the first National Brown Bread competition; delicious looking jellies from Killycoony House Preserves.  

Silke Cropp's (Corleggy Cheese) Cavanbert which I tasted and thoroughly enjoyed.
This cheese was awarded a gold star in the Bloomy Rind Cheese category at the 2013 Irish Cheese Awards at Bloom in the Park recently. 

These are the two loaves that I entered in the Brown Bread competition! Although I didn't win a prize, it was great fun participating. 

Altogether, there were more than 50 entries from all across Ireland. 

Pauric White of the nearby restaurant, The Forge, lead brown bread baking demonstrations with school children. 

More divine Corleggy cheeses. 

Our strolling was accompanied by beautiful music of these two talented youth. 

We had a triple scoop of ice cream from Burke's Farm Ice Cream. The number of people lining up for this ice cream was mighty, but it was worth the wait. We sampled a combo of apple crumble, caramel, and honeycomb ice cream.

We couldn't resist the smell of this beef & onion cooking - lunch! I've misplaced the card I picked up for this producer, so if anyone reading was there and knows, please tell me in the comments. 

Judging continues...

More gorgeous produce. 

You have to love Lilliput Foods who traveled not only with their goods, but with their own fireplace. They were just lighting the fire here. 

Lastly - and what made this feel even more like a real country food fair to me - was the fundraisers being staged for local football teams. This one was perhaps the most heavily visited - the dunk tank (or dunk "chair" as they called it). These guys raked in the Euros - and for a great cause. I tried my hand, but no luck!

I so enjoyed this day. While strolling around, I met Nessa Robbins, Lisa McGee, and Imen McDonnell - three fantastic women of the Irish food world. Nessa's book, Apron Strings, is newly published (and currently being shipped to me!), Lisa's the force behind Isle Magazine (eager to see Issue 3!), and Imen's Farmhouse Films will soon be releasing Small Green Fields - over a year in the making and highly anticipated. Imen's bread took the runner-up prize in the competition!

I can see myself planning next spring's trip to Ireland around this festival. If you're thinking of going to Ireland and are a food enthusiast, this festival is for you.

Come again!