Kilkenny Boot Camp
In an age when a new generation of food producers are going to find that the only way to run a business is to bootstrap rather than to borrow - simply because the banks have no money to lend - then the inaugural Food Camp at the Savour Kilkenny Food Festival was the best possible introduction to running a speciality food business with wit and guile. There was a real air of ideas sparking off each other as the subjects of Next Generation Farmers, Social Media, Honey, River Trout, and Breakfast Guilt were all explored by a range of speakers who have begun to master the new challenges for anybody working with food.
Highlights from the afternoon included two terrific women from two State Agencies, Una Fitzgibbon from An Bord Bia and Susan Steele from BIM, both of whom showed their mastery of their brief. We have no doubt that the Food Camp idea will be replicated all over Ireland, but as usual Savour Kilkenny, and in particular Mags Kirwan from Goatsbridge Trout Farm, whose idea it was, got there first.
Good to think, and of course, as you always find in Kilkenny, good to eat.
Savour on the Plaza
We believe the sun is going to shine tomorrow (Sunday) so you should aim to spend a long time at the Savour on the Plaza market, right in the shadow of Kilkenny Castle. There are many fantastic food stalls and amongst the Don't Miss new foods make sure to pick up Highbank Organic apple syrup and Secret Recipe Co cucumber pickle.
There's loads of fantastic cooking, including the Goode Life BBQ pork from Wicklow, Mary Walsh's Chickens, Ballyhoura Apple Farm, and some fantastic fish from John Hoyne of the Fishman's Market. The black charro from Waterford even have fresh hand-made tortillas. You may have to join the queue, but it's worth it. And don't miss Catherine Fulvio's demos during the day.
