Ah, the Ireland jet-lag (not to mention hangover!) is finally over. Now that I’ve recovered and have finished production on our upcoming fall issue of Canadian Gardening, it’s time for me to muse about all things, well, Irish! It’s amazing how ten days in a country as spectacular as Ireland can really monopolize your mind! In particular, of been thinking about the incredibly dairy products that I consumed regularly on my Irish sojourn. There’s something rich and decadent about Irish cheese, butter and milk. As much as I love cheese, I tend to avoid it (as well as butter) due to its high fat content. But when you’re faced with something as decadent as Irish dairy, it’s hard to say no!
Our first day in Ireland was spent at a farmer’s market. There, we discovered the homemade cheeses by the quirky and talented cheesemaker Silke Croppe. With her flaming red hair and coordinating red and white tent, there was no escaping finding her at the tiny Dublin market. Little did we know that it would not be our first taste of Silke’s fine cheeses - throughout our journey, her name would reappear as a supplier on menus of such fab restaurants as the Winding Stair in Dublin! Her cheeses, made from raw goat’s milk and cow’s milk, is simply divine.
Silke's homemade cheeses
We purchased a “tasting” box of cheese for our outdoor picnic at the Farmleigh estate in Dublin (of course it poured rain so the picnic was done under cover!) and we all, including Tourism Ireland contest winner Peggy, her sister Jackie as well as photographer Stacey Haines. If you like homemade cheese, as I do (I think it’s even worth the calories!!!), a couple of terrific shops in Canada worth checking out are The Cheese Boutique in Toronto (my boyfriend’s kids are obsessed with it - in particular the ridiculously creamy brie allegedly favoured by Napoleon) as well as David Wood Cheese on Salt Spring Island (you can buy Salt Spring goat cheese all over Canada now - yum!). If you have any other fantastic suggestions of homemade cheeses that you would recommend, please let me know!
As an interesting aside, I am completely obsessed with attending farmer’s markets this summer. More next time on my new favourite: The Stop at the Wychwood Barns in Toronto!
