I know I said that my next article would be on creating a kitchen garden, but the weather has been so lousy that I couldnt think about taking some photos about progress to date, and I have been very busy with other stuff in the meantime. Including a visit this afternoon to Dublin's Bloom Festival (not to be confused with Bloom's Day in June celebrating James Joyce!). The Bloom Festival is Ireland's answer to the Chelsea Flower Show, and is in its second year. Last year, I attended on the only sunny day - this year it looks like the weather will hold up to be fine (in direct contrast to the rain and wind we've had all week).
The Festival has been extended this year to cover a bigger area and the gardens have expanded to match. There were some great examples of both ornamental and vegetable/herb gardens from which to take inspiration - along with some newcomers (to me anyway!) from both arts and crafts and artisan food suppliers. The range of garden plants that could be purchased also seemed to be more adventurous than last year, and I ended up buying a lovely fern for my pergola - I am assured that the plant I bought (a dryopteris) will do wonderfully under the shade. There were lots of gardens where herbs and/or vegetables were the main theme, and also gardens where herbs in particular were sneaking in all over the place in amongst the other planting. Definitely, edible planting is a major fashion right now - hopefully it'll take root for the future (sorry for the pun...). Obviously my own inclinations towards this style of planting isnt an isolated whim, but rather part of a societal shift - interesting that in the UK, the sales of vegetable seeds has outstripped ornamental flower seeds for the first time since World War II - even if this is partly due to the availability of flowering plants even in small corner shops. When we see vegetables and herbs being sold like the ubiquitous marigold or trailing lobelia, then we'll know that growing your own veg isnt just a whim...
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
Bottle of wine joke...
This joke has been doing the rounds. I liked it!
THE BOTTLE OF WINE
For all of us who are married, were married, wish you were married, or wish you weren't married, this is something to smile about the next time you see a bottle of wine:
Mary was driving home from one of her business trips in Northern Arizona when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road. As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and asked the Navajo woman if she would like a ride.
With a silent nod of thanks, the woman got into the car.
Resuming the journey, Mary tried in vain to make a bit of small talk with the Navajo woman. The old woman just sat silently, looking intently at everything she saw, studying every little detail,until she noticed a brown bag on the seat next to Mary.
"What in bag?" asked the old woman.
Mary looked down at the brown bag and said, "It's a bottle of wine. I got it for my husband."
The Navajo woman was silent for another moment or two.
Then speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder, she said:
"Good trade....."
THE BOTTLE OF WINEFor all of us who are married, were married, wish you were married, or wish you weren't married, this is something to smile about the next time you see a bottle of wine:
Mary was driving home from one of her business trips in Northern Arizona when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road. As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and asked the Navajo woman if she would like a ride.
With a silent nod of thanks, the woman got into the car.
Resuming the journey, Mary tried in vain to make a bit of small talk with the Navajo woman. The old woman just sat silently, looking intently at everything she saw, studying every little detail,until she noticed a brown bag on the seat next to Mary.
"What in bag?" asked the old woman.
Mary looked down at the brown bag and said, "It's a bottle of wine. I got it for my husband."
The Navajo woman was silent for another moment or two.
Then speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder, she said:
"Good trade....."
Thursday, May 15, 2008
The Tasting Room logo
This is the current version of our logo-in-development. Our designer is working on making the olives a bit more recognisable, but otherwise we really like it. Any suggestions?
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
The building of the pergola in time for the party
One of the essential elements in the party planning is space maximisation, so the long-fingered plan to build a pergola in the back garden came to the forefront in January 2008. The plan was to construct something with a roof so that people could shelter there if the day of the party turned out to be wet. The son of a friend - a really talented cabinetmaker called Paul O'Mahony - agreed to work with us on designing and building a wooden structure in the back garden. I had some ideas, Paul shaped them into an actual design, and he and a few friends built it over the following number of weeks - this was in the middle of the wettest months in Dublin. Finally, we painted it a pale green and it is now settling in. As the garden is a typical inner city courtyard and little else, the pergola is now a significant proportion of the entire space, and even if I say so myself, it is a real addition! Now that the weather has actually improved, we are all spending quite a lot of time sitting in it. Of course, the rest of the garden is also getting a bit of attention as well - my plans to turn the usable soil space into a mostly edible productive area is now taking shape. Subject of my next blog!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
50th Birthday party planning
Last August, I foolishly volunteered to host my sister's 50th birthday party in my house, and to do the catering for it. As she lives in London, her options were limited as to where she could have the party without it ending up costing a fortune, and even those places she had checked out werent really what she had in mind. So I (no doubt fuelled by several glasses of wine!), found myself offering my house as the party venue. My rationale was that not only would I be doing her a favour, it would also mean that all the various jobs that I had planned to have done to 'do up' the house would have a focus and a deadline. And that is exactly what is now happening!
First, a bit about my sister. Most of her career has had a focus on organising events of one kind or another, so she knows how early you have to start the PLAN. Her attention to detail is phenomonal - she actually likes making sure the details are right! This is in direct contrast to myself, where I apply the 80-20 rule to most of my endeavours, and have to force myself to pay attention to the rest of the programme. However, the sister does trust me on the food front, she trusts Colm on the wine front, and she plans on managing the rest by remote control.
So, what needs to be done?
Guest-list - the most important element - a very eclectic guest list is being planned - people are travelling from far-flung regions of the world to attend.
Venue - the house is a typical late Victorian terraced house, which has had a conservatory added on in recent years to give much needed light into the back of the house. However, it is still a modest house, and the challenge posed by having about 70-80 people in the house is an interesting one. Given that the party is being held in August, there is a good likelihood that using the garden will be an option. On the other hand, given that we are talking Dublin, Ireland, and the recent wet weather we've had in Augusts, fall-back strategies will definitely be required. Plus, as the entertainment planned involves having a piano located somewhere in the middle of things, that adds another complication into the mix (more of that later!).
Food - menu planning for 70-80 in a domestic kitchen is definitely a major challenge to get right. An important occasion requires interesting food, and when food is your business, then it has to be right.
Wine - well, that also has to be right - The Tasting Room's reputation is at stake on that front (as it is on the food front as well!) - so no pressure.
Entertainment - the sister is handling that side of things - a pianist/entertainer friend is coming over from London for the party, so all I have to do is to provide the space for the piano. The sister is organising for it to be moved from its present location in Meath, and for it to be tuned etc on its arrival. Precise location in my house as yet undecided.
And talking of the house, many a minor decorating (and not so minor) job now have to be faced into, along with clearing the house of a substantial amount of furniture and other unnecessary accoutrements which have accumulated over the years.
Project Planning
First, a bit about my sister. Most of her career has had a focus on organising events of one kind or another, so she knows how early you have to start the PLAN. Her attention to detail is phenomonal - she actually likes making sure the details are right! This is in direct contrast to myself, where I apply the 80-20 rule to most of my endeavours, and have to force myself to pay attention to the rest of the programme. However, the sister does trust me on the food front, she trusts Colm on the wine front, and she plans on managing the rest by remote control.
So, what needs to be done?
Guest-list - the most important element - a very eclectic guest list is being planned - people are travelling from far-flung regions of the world to attend.
Venue - the house is a typical late Victorian terraced house, which has had a conservatory added on in recent years to give much needed light into the back of the house. However, it is still a modest house, and the challenge posed by having about 70-80 people in the house is an interesting one. Given that the party is being held in August, there is a good likelihood that using the garden will be an option. On the other hand, given that we are talking Dublin, Ireland, and the recent wet weather we've had in Augusts, fall-back strategies will definitely be required. Plus, as the entertainment planned involves having a piano located somewhere in the middle of things, that adds another complication into the mix (more of that later!).
Food - menu planning for 70-80 in a domestic kitchen is definitely a major challenge to get right. An important occasion requires interesting food, and when food is your business, then it has to be right.
Wine - well, that also has to be right - The Tasting Room's reputation is at stake on that front (as it is on the food front as well!) - so no pressure.
Entertainment - the sister is handling that side of things - a pianist/entertainer friend is coming over from London for the party, so all I have to do is to provide the space for the piano. The sister is organising for it to be moved from its present location in Meath, and for it to be tuned etc on its arrival. Precise location in my house as yet undecided.
And talking of the house, many a minor decorating (and not so minor) job now have to be faced into, along with clearing the house of a substantial amount of furniture and other unnecessary accoutrements which have accumulated over the years.
Project Planning
Hmmm, not sure whose responsibility this is, which is a sure-fire way for lots of things to fall between the cracks - what happened to all the rigorous project planning skills that I honed over the years? Why do they not seem to apply to this situation. Must discuss with the sister, along the lines of:
Preplanning - Over the coming fast-dwindling number of months - what do we need to do ahead of time, working backwards along critical paths as to when the latest certain things need to be done, and in what order
For the day planning - what do we want to happen when and how (needless to say the chances of them actually working out according to plan is fairly slim, but at least we'll feel in control)
Organisation of food, wine, guests, venue, entertainment etc
Clean-up afterwards and post party entertainment for the hung-over the next day
Plan for a few days away to recover from it all
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Portuguese wines - how they turned out
The visit to the Algarve turned out great - the weather was lovely, and we all really enjoyed it.
Best place to buy wines in the supermarket turned out to be Appolonia, in the town of Almancil, with a great range of different wines to chose from. As supermarkets go, it is at the higher end of the spectrum for both food and wine, so it probably isnt the cheapest option, although I checked equivalent prices in other places and they compared quite well. As I was only there for a few days, I didnt get the chance to explore the breadth of wines available, but most of what I did try were of pretty good quality.
Definite recommendations include:
White - inexpensive - Giro Sol (Vinho Verde DOC) from Projecto de Dirk Niepoort, made from the Loureiro grape - this was perfect summer wine, very fresh grassy & citrusy flavours
White - mid-price - Alvarinho grape (Sub-region of Mancao - Branco) - I tried a couple of these, and they were a bit variable, but overall well worth a go - same grape as Albarino, which is one of my favourits
White - mid to expensive - Chardonnay - had a couple of these in restaurants and they compare very well with the french equivalent, not too oaked
On the red front (as I was with mostly red wine drinkers, I tried a few more of these!), although didnt get the chance to delve into the cheap end of things - maybe next time!
Red - mid-price Casa de Saima Bairrada 2001 - 95% Baga grape, which turned out to be very smooth tasting, like a rich pinot noir
Red - mid-price - Esparao Allentejo DOC Reserva 2000 - mix of Trincadeira, Aragones and Cabarnet Sauvignon, tasted of ripe fruit and softened down tannins
Red - mid to expensive - Quinto do Carmo Vinho Regional Alentejano 2002 with Aragones, Alicante Bouchet, Trincadero and Castelao - this was a really lovely wine, and more than one bottle of this one was consumed. Local grape varieties made this a really interesting wine.
Red - expensive - Quinta da Bacalhoa 2005 Vinho Regional Terras do Sad0, which was a Cabernet Merlot mix. Great wine, could compare well with its Bordeaux equivalent.
All of these were really good wines to drink, and many of them also feature on restaurant wine lists.
Best place to buy wines in the supermarket turned out to be Appolonia, in the town of Almancil, with a great range of different wines to chose from. As supermarkets go, it is at the higher end of the spectrum for both food and wine, so it probably isnt the cheapest option, although I checked equivalent prices in other places and they compared quite well. As I was only there for a few days, I didnt get the chance to explore the breadth of wines available, but most of what I did try were of pretty good quality.
Definite recommendations include:
White - inexpensive - Giro Sol (Vinho Verde DOC) from Projecto de Dirk Niepoort, made from the Loureiro grape - this was perfect summer wine, very fresh grassy & citrusy flavours
White - mid-price - Alvarinho grape (Sub-region of Mancao - Branco) - I tried a couple of these, and they were a bit variable, but overall well worth a go - same grape as Albarino, which is one of my favourits
White - mid to expensive - Chardonnay - had a couple of these in restaurants and they compare very well with the french equivalent, not too oaked
On the red front (as I was with mostly red wine drinkers, I tried a few more of these!), although didnt get the chance to delve into the cheap end of things - maybe next time!
Red - mid-price Casa de Saima Bairrada 2001 - 95% Baga grape, which turned out to be very smooth tasting, like a rich pinot noir
Red - mid-price - Esparao Allentejo DOC Reserva 2000 - mix of Trincadeira, Aragones and Cabarnet Sauvignon, tasted of ripe fruit and softened down tannins
Red - mid to expensive - Quinto do Carmo Vinho Regional Alentejano 2002 with Aragones, Alicante Bouchet, Trincadero and Castelao - this was a really lovely wine, and more than one bottle of this one was consumed. Local grape varieties made this a really interesting wine.
Red - expensive - Quinta da Bacalhoa 2005 Vinho Regional Terras do Sad0, which was a Cabernet Merlot mix. Great wine, could compare well with its Bordeaux equivalent.
All of these were really good wines to drink, and many of them also feature on restaurant wine lists.
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