Arcadia Ireland

Here at Arcadia Dublin we like to keep things new and exciting. Living in a country that also strives for that makes our job a little easier. One scene that cannot be ignored in Ireland at the moment is the growing food scene.  From Irish foodies, bloggers and innovative restaurant owners, the traditional idea of a plate with ‘one meat, two veg’ (one of which was always potatoes- obviously!), is slowing draining away, and the exciting fresh fodder that Ireland produces so beautifully is coming to the fore.

As a food enthusiast myself, I was so happy when, returning from my recent culinary experience in Asia, I saw that the Irish food industry was booming. As there are lots of new faces with us in Ireland for spring 2017, we decided that in keeping with our local Ireland theme, food related events would be interesting to host in Dublin and Cork. 'Fab Food Trails’ showed us the ropes and helped us get a handle on literally ‘a taste’ of what’s to offer in Ireland’s culinary scene.

Roisin in Dublin and Noelle in Cork were our hosts from ‘Fab Food Trails.’ They got us in the mood for food with a brief explanation of Ireland’s culinary history. It seems as though Irish people were very adventurous with their cooking and ingredients for many years, but with the introduction of the potato in 1589 by Sir Walter Raleigh and new rules meaning families plots of land became smaller and smaller, people started to experiment less. Years later we had The Great Famine (1845) and our reliance on potatoes soon left many starving. According to our guides, this trauma took hundreds of years to overcome and it is only now that Ireland is really recovering. After the introductions we headed off into the streets of the cities to find some hidden gems.

Irish cheese, local beef, seafood caught that day and all-organic meals were tried and tested by our students and each one was better than the next. As we scurried through rainy streets we chatted about how great it was to find these hidden gems. It was nice to see parts of the cities that we hadn’t been to, and even better that we were getting to eat at the same time.

Thankfully, our students are getting to experience the food boom and we’re hoping that they’ll become more adventurous with their Irish palettes.  To encourage this, there are plenty of links to fellow Irish food enthusiasts that I think are worth following.

Whether you’re in Dublin or just Ireland in general, ‘Lovin’ or 'Lovin’ Dublin’ are must follow pages. They introduce readers to a range of cool Irish things, but have stuck to food as their main criteria.

The Independent’s take on ‘mad food trends’ that will influence the Irish food scene talks about everything from seaweed being the new kale, to making healthy take-aways a thing- it’s definitely worth a read. Check it out here.

The foodies that ‘Lovin’ Dublin’ suggests here are all worth a follow on most forms of social media. Not only do they make incredibly delicious meals using mostly local produce, but they all tend to be great craic and their love of food is infectious.

Next there are the likes of the ‘Our Table’ group. An innovative bunch of foodies  who are determined to end direct provision in Ireland and to create an environment where people can learn new skills and share their love of food as a common interest.  Although ‘Our Table’ don’t have a permanent base at the moment, they’re constantly hosting events and pop ups that are definitely worth a look.

There are plenty of famous cookery schools in Ireland too. The best known is the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Cork. If you spend time in Ireland and don’t try Ballymaloe tomato relish then people will question whether or not you were actually here. 

Of course then there are culinary tours that span the country, bringing you to each region and showing the best of the best. Along with this, there are the essentials such as the Guinness Store House and Jameson Distillery that make food almost as well as they make drinks.

Food festivals are also a popular event in Ireland and if you check out this list, you’ll be sure to never go hungry! Not only is the food guaranteed to be delicious, but these events are always all year round, usually free, and buzzing with atmosphere.  

The food scene in Ireland is adventurous, ever-changing, and becoming something of a hobby for young Irish people. Here’s hoping that our Arcadia students head home with tales of Irish culinary genius.