A hearty meal is made out of A Taste of Cavan

Sinéad Hogan

Organisers and exhibitors made a hearty meal out of A Taste of Cavan last weekend attracting 22,700 visitors over the two days.
Food producers from Cavan and the surrounding counties showcased their wares in a marquee at Cavan Institute drawing in foodies from all around.
With 55 exhibitors, there was a taste to tempt every palate (even those of us who could never consider ourselves foodies, having been reared on a ’70s and ’80s working class diet where staples were cornflakes, white sliced pan and mince).
But whether you were after haute cuisine à la Neven Maguire or Clodagh McKenna or just the best bangers in the land for your Saturday morning fry-up, you could follow your senses to it in the marquee. The sounds, the smells and the sights of foods being cooked at every corner called you a little closer to where you could touch and taste.
Sausages, chicken, burgers and other meats were sizzling; locally baked bread was buttered and jammed if you liked; there was boxty, artisan cheese, almonds, omelette, chocolate, cakes, buns, marshmallows and other tasty treats too numerous to list. You could wash it all down with a gulp of cider, liqueur or fruit juice.
Familiar names included Corleggy Cheese, Aine’s Chocolate and Cully’s Bakery, but there were lots and lots more local producers to be discovered each offering samples.
For my €2 entry fee, I filled my belly with what amounted to a patchwork sausage (important to find the best), some goats’ cheese, hand cooked and flavoured almonds, boxty, omelette and a couple of pieces of free range chicken.
Family entertainment, from donkey and cart rides to jazz bands, were provided at the adjacent Con Smith Park and playground and facilities in Cavan Institute were well-used.
A spokesperson for the festival commented on how the festival is promising to bring successful results for exhibitors.
‘Last year five companies secured contracts. Already this year, a number of companies have entered into negotiation with suppliers, although we are unable to confirm at this stage if contracts secured.’
One of the organising team from Cavan County Council, Paddy Connaughton, expressed their pleasure with the success of the event, noting the crowd this year was three times the 7,500 who attended last year’s inaugural event in the Hotel Kilmore.
Regarding the prospect of continued growth next year, he said:
‘I don’t think we can get a better venue than Cavan Institute but we may have to look at the possibility of a bigger marquee.’
He wanted to thank the IFA, County Enterprise Board, Macra, Breffni Integrated, the ICA, Cavan Institute chefs, especially Cavan chefs Neven Maguire, Gearóid Lynch, Fergus Murphy and Shane Smith, and all the food producers.
The fair was officially closed on Sunday evening by Fine Gael TD for Cavan and Monaghan, Deputy Joe O’Reilly, standing in for Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney TD.
Concluding, the Deputy said: ‘We are lucky to have a great food sector here in Cavan with a real potential to grow local jobs, right here on our doorstep. One cannot over-emphasise the importance of the food sector here in Cavan. We have 5,279 farms in the County with approximately 15,000 people employed directly from them and a total farm income of €74 million per annum. The value of our agricultural output here in the county is €238 million and the total value of exports arising from agricultural output in the county is €337 million. The agri-food sector is very strong in this region, with approximately 20 large food and drink employers in the county providing 1,860 people with jobs. This weekend’s event was a real showcase in local talent.’