Master Pastry Chef from Lavey Shane Smith.jpg

Cavan food champions bring flavour to Savour Kilkenny

Some of Cavan's most renowned names in the culinary field are heading south to take part in a major Kilkenny Food Festival. Neven Maguire from MacNean House and Restaurant, Blacklion and Shane Smith, Master Pastry Chef from Lavey are proving a major attraction to this year’s Savour Kilkenny Festival of Food.

The event takes place over the bank holiday weekend [October 27 – 30] and over 30,000 visitors are expected. Some of Cavan’s finest food producers and stallholders are also taking part include Barry John Gourmet Sausages, Corleggy Cheeses and Mr Muffin Man.

“We are so happy to welcome our stars and producers from Cavan who always prove a very popular draw to our festival,” said Marian Flannery, Savour Kilkenny Organiser. “We invite visitors, people who love great food, fun and family events – to come to Kilkenny and join in the festivities.”

This year’s festival will host a festival of firsts with new events, new venues across the county, new producers and some of Ireland’s best-known personalities making their cookery demonstration débuts in Kilkenny.

Festivities will be held by Kilkenny Castle and throughout the city, with the finale in Thomastown for the first time. With over 100 events, mostly free, and 100 stallholders Savour Kilkenny 2017 features a packed programme for all ages.

This year adds a second chef demo stage on the city’s Parade. Chefs making their festival debut include MasterChef Winner and Olympic sprinter, David Gillick; actor and Celebrity MasterChef finalist, Simon Delaney and Oliver Dunne of Bon Appétit, Ireland’s youngest chef to receive a Michelin star and Pamela Black, Ballymaloe Cookery School.

The festival also welcomes national treasure and Chairperson of the National Ploughing Association, Anna May McHugh, demonstrating delicious favourites and talking about her incredible life experiences with TV Chef, Edward Hayden. Festival favourites Neven Maguire, Rory O’ Connell, Anne Neary, River Cottage’s Steven Lamb and Stuart O’ Keeffe are back by popular demand.

Kilkenny’s new Medieval Mile Museum presents A Medieval Food and Craft Village giving a ‘step-back in time’ glimpse into medieval food and craft making. Festival visitors can also enjoy a Gunpowder Gin Mixology Class at The Wine Centre, a Mushroom Hunt at Castlecomer Discovery Park, Agri-Aware’s Mobile Farm, food meets science with ‘Foodoppi’ Molecular Gastronomy Demonstration for children, an action packed programme for children and families, and lot’s more.

The largest Craft Brewers and Distillers Pavilion yet is set to be one of the most popular attractions with DJ beats and an array of craft beers, ciders and spirits from across Ireland, including Kilkenny’s Highbank Orchard Gin, a Wine Makers Tasting Table and local craft brewers O’ Hara’s Brewery, Costello’s and Sullivan’s Brewing Company.

Ballykeefe Distillery will also premiere at the festival with master-distiller, Jamie Baggot, giving an exclusive insight into how he started growing with the humble potato which now makes his ‘Best Gin in the World’ as awarded in San Francisco last year.