Part of the Burren Winterage Festival, the food event celebrates the farming heritage of the region. Organised by the Burren Ecotourism Network and supported by The Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark this year’s Burren Food Fayre featured a comprehensive program of food demonstrations and workshops, hosted by food writers, producers, and restaurants from North Clare and further afield.
It began at 1pm on Saturday October 29th with artisan food workshops and food demonstrations in the Spa Wells Hall and Café in Lisdoonvarna. The public were invited to come along and learn a new skill, or even an old one, with demonstrations on smoking fish at home, making paneer in three easy steps, making the best of your Burren Beef and Lamb, kombucha, combining vinegar and foods for wellbeing. There was also a Burren Food Trail Cafe, a Burren Beílíní Buffet and Beílíní making demonstrations to indulge the taste buds.
Sunday’s activities took place in The Pavilion in Lisdoonvarna where Enda McEvoy, Michelin Star Chef of the year of Loam Restaurant in Galway officially open the Fayre. Cookery demonstrations were also on the menu and the Burren Culinaire competition where the areas “Up and Coming” Chefs competed against one another in educational cookery demonstrations.
Oonagh O’Dwyer of Wild Kitchen lead a foraging walk in the surrounds of Lisdoonvarna beginning at 11am on Sunday. The full Fayre opened its doors at 12pm with the official opening, walks, food stall displays and tastings to cater for the estimated 1500 people that attended at The Pavilion on the day. The cookery demonstrations started at 1pm with Chef Matthew Luca making fresh pasta and fillings, including pulled pork from Burren Free Range Pork.
The Fayre concluded at 5.00pm on Sunday with the announcements of the winners of the Burren Masterchef and Burren Culinaire competitions taking place from 4pm along with the publically voted ‘Taste of the Fayre’ and the ‘Most Attractive Stall’ awards.
