Arcadia Ireland
Farming Fun with Northeastern!
Date
June 3, 2015
Last Friday I was lucky enough to accompany our students from Northeastern University on their trip to Airfield Farm. This farm is a real little gem! Situated in the shadow of one of the biggest shopping centers in Europe, this 38 acre farm is an amazing break from the hustle and bustle of Dublin.
We stopped off first in the farms café, where they serve their own coffee. Of course I had to try it and I was not disappointed!
We were extremely lucky that the weather was on our side and the farm really did look spectacular in the sunshine. We were able to learn about ethical farming and food production as well as check out all the cute baby animals. We even had a chat with the head gardener and the restaurant chef who explained how the food they produce is brought straight to the restaurant. They even let us try a few bits of beet and carrot straight from the earth.
We finished up our farm experience back in the café to an incredible lunch; I was impressed by the thought that that the food we were eating only grew a few feet away and was as fresh as possible.
We left Airfield happy and fed but the day was only half over; next stop Cooks Academy for a Cookery Class with Cornucopia Chef James de Burca. I was super excited about this, I even have the Cornucopia cook book was always too scared to try anything from it; well this was all about to change!
We were greeted on arrival to a selection of Cornucopia pressed juices, as well as canapés of beetroot pate and sundried tomato amazingness. After a safety talk we got to meet the Chef, James who gave us a great introduction to Vegan food and to what we would be cooking.
We were split up into two groups so it felt a bit like an episode of MasterChef! Together we made Tempeh and Brazil Nut Roast, served on a bed of cauliflower puree with a spiced plum sauce. Our meal was finished off with a desert of Orange Chocolate and Avocado Pots with Raspberry and Hazelnut Crumble.
Yum!! I can’t decide what part I liked more, the cooking or the eating…who I am kidding definitely the eating!