Food & Drink

Sunday afternoons are for Afternoon Tea at Ferrycarrig Hotel in Wexford with the hotel having recently launched not one, but three brand new Sunday Afternoon Tea options: their amazing ’Sunday Afternoon Tea’, their ‘Vegetarian Afternoon Tea’ and their ‘Vegan Afternoon Tea’. Talk about choice! Everything on each menu is created in-house or locally sourced from the region's top-quality artisanal producers. Each Sunday afternoon, the beautifully appointed Reeds Restaurant at Ferrycarrig is transformed into a haven where guests can enjoy Afternoon Tea in a cosy atmosphere with majestic views of the River Slaney and live piano music. The Ferrycarrig kitchen team, who have been decorated with two AA Rosettes for culinary excellence and also named the top hotel restaurant in Wexford and in the top five hotel restaurants in Leinster at the Restaurants Association of Ireland awards, has ensured that only the best superior local producers are used to create this delicious new menus.

Diners can enjoy a delicious range of sandwiches including Brioche Bun with Truffle Chicken Mayonnaise; Ballyhack Smoked Salmon with Pickled Cucumber on Ferrycarrig Guinness Brown Bread; Egg and Chive Mayonnaise on White; Irish Ham with Tomato Relish on Brown; and a Warm Irish Pork and Apple Sausage Roll. Guests can also indulge in a selection of homemade cakes and pastries including individual Classic Battenberg Cake; Lemon Curd Tart, White Chocolate and Berry Mousse; Decadent Triple Chocolate and Hazelnut Brownie; Mirror Glazed Strawberry Cheesecake; and Praline Chocolate and Hazelnut Truffle. Along with a selection of warm scones served with whipped cream and, of course, Wexford preserve. The Vegan Afternoon Tea Menu offers guests a delicious array of tea sandwiches including Waldorf Salad Mayonnaise; Smashed Avocado and Mature Cheddar; Smoked Tofu and Rainbow Coleslaw; Tomato, Garlic & Chive ‘Vierge’ Crostini; and a Vegan Sausage Roll. Warm Scones with Wexford Preserve and Coconut Cream are served along with treats like a Vegan Chocolate Brownie; Homemade Flapjacks; Praline Chocolate and Hazelnut Truffle; a Raspberry Frangipane Tart; and an Aqua Fabba Meringue with Fruit Compote. The Vegetarian Afternoon Tea offers tea sandwiches including Waldorf Salad Mayonnaise with Brioche Bun; Smashed Avocado and Mature Cheddar; Egg & Chive Mayonnaise on White; Tomato, Garlic & Chive ‘Vierge’ with Guinness Bread; and a Vegetarian Sausage Roll. Sweet treats include Classic Battenberg Cake; Lemon Curd Tart, White Chocolate and Berry Mousse; Decadent Triple Chocolate and Hazelnut Brownie; Mirror Glazed Strawberry Cheesecake; and Praline Chocolate and Hazelnut Truffle. And of course warm scones with Wexford Preserve and Whipped Cream.

All Sunday Afternoon Teas are served with a great selection of traditional and infused loose teas from Kingfisher Teas of Wexford including Darjeeling, Earl Grey Blue Flower, Irish Breakfast Tea, Japanese Sencha Green Tea and Rooibos Lemon (caffeine free). The Sunday Afternoon Tea at Ferrycarrig Hotel is priced at €25 per person and is served from 2 pm to 4 pm. And for those who enjoy some ‘bubbles’ with their Afternoon Tea – there’s a range of options starting from €4.50. For reservations call 053-9120999 or see www.ferrycarrighotel.ie

Please note: If you wish to opt for the Vegan or Vegetarian options it is important to let the hotel know in advance. n The ‘Slaney News’ can wholeheartedly recommend the Ferrycarrig Hotel’s new Sunday Afternoon Tea having thoroughly enjoyed our experience there on a recent Sunday. The food was wonderful, the portions copious, the staff and General Manager Derek Coyne so attentive, prize-winning Head Chef Tony Carty made sure to check in with all diners to see if everybody was happy, and of course the wonderful Fintan Cleary live on piano, all made it an afternoon to remember. Our advice is to book early – telephone in advance on 053-9120999.

Wexford General Hospital has been rewarded for implementing healthier food options for staff and visitors. The Happy Heart Healthy Eating Award programme, run in partnership between the Irish Heart Foundation and the HSE’s Healthy Eating Active Living Programme, has led to numerous facilities adopting new cooking practices and transforming food choices over the last 25 years. The programme supports hospitals, nursing homes, disability services and other facilities to reduce the fat, sugar and salt in meals, increase the vegetable, salad and fruit offering, offer healthier snacks and beverages, measure portion sizes, provide high fibre choices and reduce processed meats. Across 2020 and 2021, the initiative was implemented at 30 sites nationwide, supporting the health of over 24,000 staff, with their efforts recognised at the annual Happy Heart Healthy Eating Awards, hosted by the charity and the HSE. Nationwide, the 2021 awards saw three facilities achieve the bronze standard, six achieved silver and 21 were awarded gold, including Wexford General Hospital.

A healthy and balanced diet with an active lifestyle helps reduce the risk of chronic conditions such as coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and some cancers. Chronic diseases, including coronary heart disease and stroke, cause seven in ten premature deaths in Ireland. The programme supports facilities to reduce the fat, sugar and salt in meals, increase the vegetable, salad and fruit offering, offer healthier snacks and beverages, measure portion sizes, provide high fibre choices and reduce processed meats.

Irish Heart Foundation CEO Tim Collins, who presented the virtual awards recently, said the initiative to ensure healthier food promotion and provision in workplaces was a “highly effective way to tackle heart disease and stroke”.

“The Irish Heart Foundation is delighted to recognise each of these locations for creating a culture of health and wellbeing and positively influencing people’s cardiovascular health by providing a longterm sustainable programme that demonstrates commitment to staff and visitors,” he said.

Irish Heart Foundation CEO, Tim Collins

“Healthcare workers are essential for promoting the health of the nation and we are passionate about creating a healthy work environment for this important group in society.” “We are delighted to have partnered with the Irish Heart Foundation to roll out the Awards programme exclusively across the health services,” said Sarah O’Brien, National Lead of HSE’s Healthy Eating and Active Living Programme. “Catering services and staff have an important role to play in positively influencing the quality and nutritional content of food and beverages available, making the healthier choice the easier choice for all.

“The Nutrition Standards for the provision of food and beverages sets out clear standards and guidelines and we are delighted to support sites to work to implement these.

“Congratulations to all those receiving their 2021 Award for their hard work and dedication. We look forward to working with new facilities who sign up for the Awards programme in 2022 and will continue supporting those already engaged to achieve the highest standard possible,” she said. n

Wexford TD and Minister of State for Law Reform James Browne has welcomed the news that Enniscorthy will receive €250,000 in funding under the Historic Towns Initiative for a food and community hub, while Wexford Town will get €40,000 for a heritage-led regeneration plan. Minister Browne and his government colleagues have prioritised Historic Towns Initiative projects related to heritage-led regeneration. €250,000 will fund the renovation of the ground floor of a Templeshannon heritage building. It will be transformed into a food and community hub. The project will be delivered over this year and 2023. Welcoming the investment, Minister Browne described how “the major funding investment to create a food and community hub in Templeshannon is a significant boost in Enniscorthy’s community infrastructure. Enniscorthy has previously benefitted from the Historic Towns Initiative through enhanced streetscape appearance works on Slaney Street and Mary Street. Today’s investment shows how my Government colleagues and I are keen to support further heritage-led business regeneration in Enniscorthy. “Templeshannon food and community hub will develop facilities related to food production while also providing a strong community amenity. Today is a positive day for Enniscorthy as today’s funding will tap into the town’s terrific potential. The funding is sure to deliver fruitful economic and social results for Enniscorthy,” said Minister Browne.

Deputy Paul Kehoe has also welcomed the announcement of €250,000 in funding saying, “A new aspect of this year's initiative was a call for proposals that encourage the specific re-use of historic buildings which we will see with the transformation of one of the historic buildings in Templeshannon. Enniscorthy is a town with massive potential and huge historical significance. This funding initiative will help to bring a historic building and area back to its former glory, while ensuring that they play a role in today’s day to day life of the town.”

Meanwhile, the €40,000 for Wexford Town will allow a heritage-led regeneration plan to be developed for the town. n

Templeshannon to get a food and community hub.

Last month, NSAI (The National Standards Authority of Ireland) recognised organisations from the commercial, public, and SME sectors across Ireland for their recent achievement in obtaining certification to world-class business standards.

One such company was Enniscorthy-based Fresh Today which achieved I.S. EN ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management. It joins an elite group of almost 4,000 companies that have received NSAI certification in areas like Quality Management, Environmental Management, Occupational Health and Safety Management, and Energy Management. Obtaining NSAI certification gives companies a major advantage over their competitors when it comes to winning new business at home and abroad. For further information, visit www.NSAI.ie n

Gorey Senator Malcolm Byrne has been raising in the Seanad the issue of Ireland’s reliance on imported flour. He has asked the Minister for Enterprise that in light of the potential global food security crisis “what measures are in place to support the commercial production of flour in Ireland.” Malcolm explains that we import most of our flour, about 80%, with most of that coming from the UK. With the war in Ukraine restricting the supply of wheat on the world market it will inevitably lead to substantially higher flour prices in the weeks ahead. So Malcolm believes there is an urgent need to look at domestic milling now. He says that, for example, the Kavanagh Brothers in Ballycarney already have permission to construct a commercial mill but some government support is needed. n

Senator Malcolm Byrne

There are exciting times ahead at Wells House & Gardens for 2022 as they welcome back Arnaud and his La Kav Wines. They are returning to the Courtyard at Wells to open a wine shop and to promote their new Irish wine, created in Gorey, which will be available later this year after harvesting their grape crop grown in a sunny vineyard in Co. Wexford. The top quality white wine is produced with grape varieties adapted to the Irish climate. This is the work and passion of Arnaud Clopin, Philippe Guillaumond and their team of wine experts. Arnaud, originally from the Champagne region in France, has experienced the hardships of working with Irish soil and with the damp and relatively cold climate. He has heartbreakingly lost crops in the past and nearly gave up. But fuelled by passion and a sincere desire to make this work, he created a second crop. This time, in his “Field of Dreams”, he has grown a hardy grape and it will produce his first white wine this year. This hasn’t been an easy path. Arnaud has had to deal with pests native to Ireland as well as frost in May last year –something we don’t usually expect in Ireland.

This is an extraordinary story of perseverance, of dedication to a dream in honour of his friend, Jean Christophe, a lover of wine, who passed away at an early age. All of this is done knowing its limitations, but pushing passed them anyway. Arnaud is a French man, living in Gorey for decades, married to Aine and father to four children, who are great helpers in the vineyard. His passion is this crop of wine but also, he says, “how wine brings us together”. Arnaud has set up a beautiful wine shop in Wells House under the management of the friendly and helpful Louis Menon who is full of wine knowledge and with a passion to share his expertise.

Arnaud Clopin of La Kav Wines

We are told that Arnaud’s Wexford white wine will be “fruity, refreshing with a nose of nettle, hedgerows, then melon and the typical Irish apple crumble”. Sounds good – an amazing Irish wine with a French heart and commercially available later this year, and every year. Pop in from Friday to Sunday to the Courtyard at Wells House to find out more. n

Coast Kilmore Quay is situated in the heart of historic Kilmore Quay within walking distance of beaches, walking trails, and the harbour. This family friendly hotel with its welcoming staff is now under new, local management. Our photographer caught up with some families enjoying Mother’s Day there on 27th March. Right: Enjoying Mother’s Day at the Coast Hotel Kilmore Quay were L-R: Vivian, son Stephen, daughter Olivia and husband Ollie. Below left: Fiona Murphy with husband Paul McCormack and son Kyle Murphy-McCormack. Below right: Jo Moore (centre) with sons Johnny on left and Damien on right. n

Peter Donnellan, Farm Manager, and Jimmy Kearns, Proprietor, at Kearns Fruit Farm, Curragraigue, Ballindaggin, Enniscorthy, with their first strawberries of 2022. n

Above: Miriam Galvin, Richard, Caragh, Cormac Simpson and Lisa McDonald.

Right: Tara, James and Abigale Hegarty and Isabel Furney. Below: Some of the organising committee of the Gorey Night Run in aid of North Wexford Hospice. Below right: Jack Byrne ran in the Gorey Night Run.

Above: Shirley, Eli and David Stanners. Below: Enda and Eoin Whelan.

Above: Murrintown Confirmation, Friday 11th March 2022, in Murrintown Church. Mr Johnny Murphy’s class with Fr Pat Mernagh, Fr Lorenzo Cleary and Fr John O’Reilly with pupils and teachers. Left: Sarah, Emer and Paul Quirke.

Right: M.J. and Pat Dempsey.

Four photos below, L-R: 1. Richard, Sophie, Lee and Linda Ennis. 2. Pat, Sinead and Finn Devereux and Niamh Larkin. 3. Barry O’Leary, Caoimhe, Cormac, Barry, Ciara, Darragh and Ruarí Pettitt. 4. Oscar, Susie, Anne and Mark O’Connor.

Michelle Hutchinson and Evan Quigley.

Damien and John Joe Byrne.

Anne Dillon and Philip Hughes. Matt Blackburn and James O’Brien. Elsie Murphy and Yvonne Nolan.

All set to go: Breda O’Brien and Bridget Storey. Rathnure Panto Group characters. Tom Murphy, Bridget Sinnott and Tom Byrne.

Martina and Paul Merrigan and Mol Molloy. Harry and Susanne Roban.