Cavan taste great!
The eighth annual Taste of Cavan Food Festival is well underway at the Cavan Equestrian Centre and will continue tomorrow (Saturday), August 10.
The food festival, which is fast becoming a firm favourite with chefs and foodies nationwide, was officially opened by celebrity chef Neven Maguire at around 10:30am this morning.
Celt Editor Linda O'Reilly was in the Equestrian Centre this morning and teamed up with chef Shane Smith and Philip Brady of Coole Swan for a special cookery demo - to make a delicious Strawberry Coole Swan Milkshake.
Organisers say it has all the ingredients for a fantastic family day out - top chefs, amazing local produce, craft beers, ciders and gin, a free kids’ zone and a dedicated craft corner.
New for 2019 is a Taste of Cavan Health & Wellness Village, where visitors young and old can enjoy health and nutrition talks, food demonstrations, yoga classes and more - all geared towards promoting health and wellbeing.
Cookery demos
As always, Taste of Cavan boasts a stellar line-up of chefs for the Ulster Bank Chefs’ Kitchen including Neven Maguire (MacNean House), Weekend AM’s TV star Simon Delaney, nutrition gurus Jeeny Maltese and Tom Coleman, ‘My Gluten Free Kitchen’ author and chef Gearóid Lynch (Olde Post Inn), Brian McDermott (Foyle Hotel), Shane Smith (Airfield Estate), Adrian Martin (author of ‘Create Beautiful Food At Home’), Máire Dufficy (Bord Bia), Daniel Willimont (Farnham Estate), and Elena Martínez Otero (Crover House Hotel)!
Fashion Show
This year, visitors to Taste of Cavan will also get to savour the latest style trends at the first ever Taste of Cavan fashion show with celebrity MC and TV personality Noel Cunningham reviewing the catwalk action.
The hugely popular ‘Cook Along with Neven’ cookery masterclasses will return in 2019, giving members of the public the opportunity to cook alongside Ireland’s favourite chef, Neven Maguire.
Cavan Food Trail
Another firm ‘Taste’ favourite, the Taste of Cavan Food Trail, will run in conjunction with the festival throughout Cavan Town and Butlersbridge, where participating restaurants will offer patrons the opportunity to sample a delicious taster dish at a reduced price.
Tommy Ryan, Chief Executive of principal sponsor and event promoter Cavan County Council, said this year’s Taste of Cavan boasts the most exciting and varied line-up yet.
“I’d like to acknowledge the support of Taste of Cavan’s other main sponsors SuperValu, Ulster Bank, FBD Insurance, Crover House Hotel, and Local Enterprise Office, Cavan, and encourage everyone to visit Taste of Cavan over the next couple of days.”
Carmel Biggane, Food Academy manager, SuperValu, said: “SuperValu Food Academy is delighted to be involved with the Taste of Cavan and supporting local producers across Cavan & Monaghan for this important local event.”
Once again, Taste of Cavan is teaming up with Ulster Bank to present the Ulster Bank Chefs’ Kitchen, featuring the country’s top chefs.
Over 130 stalls are in attendance at this year's event showcasing the very best of local and regional produce, and offering plenty of delicious free samples. The Crover House Arena will also be home to a special cocktail bar, where Crover House’s resident mixologists will delight with spectacular creations from their new cocktail menu.
County Cavan is making an impact on the national food scene and has for the second year in a row made it into the Top Ten Foodie Destinations of Ireland. Voting and judging is currently underway with the winner to be announced in the Autumn.
Ample free parking is available on site, and hourly LocalLink shuttle buses will operate from Cavan Town. Admission is €7 per adult, with kids under 12 going free when accompanied by a guardian. To find out more, visit www.tasteofcavan.ie or follow @tasteofcavan on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.