Boyne Valley Bliss

The Foodie in me had a real treat the other night. No Longer Single kindly invited GASP and I over to attend the Boyne Valley Series event being held in Sage and Stone. We decided that this constituted a perfect date night as it involved food and other people to talk to, as The Blonde, Victor Meldrew and the Financial Advisor were also due to be in attendance. We arrived to find Mixologist Mick out in the sunshine whipping up Negroni's so the Blonde and I happily took one and found ourselves to be quite merry after that one potent little drinkie. The Duracell Bunny was also in attendance , proving herself as always, to be a lady who can put a smile on your face without even trying. We headed into the restaurant to the strains of beautiful Irish music and sat down for what proved to be an absolute feast of local produce. Boy oh boy did we eat like Royal County Kings ! Our starter of Hugh Maguire's smoked Black Pudding with elderberry dressed salad and a large crouton was simply divine, even if the Blonde nearly took the guitarists eye out when she tried to cut the crouton sending a piece flying across the room. The conversation started then with Sparkle and the Ballymaloe Babe as to whether or not we should start a Cook Book Club, whereby each month you would choose a cook book to review and you had to arrive with a dish prepared from it. We all thought this was a splendid idea except the Blonde ( an avid reader) who advised us she would come and eat the food but preparing it was a step too far...she was prepared however to be a club member.
The next course arrived accompanied by a Boann Distillery Lager, Ale having being drunk alongside the Black Pudding. This course was my favourite as it consisted of beautiful flat cap mushrooms stuffed with spinach and Boyne Valley Goats cheese ( who knew !) served with Kaleslaw ( sexy healthy coleslaw)and walnuts.... I just loved it. Clarke's Farm Raspberry Granita cleansed our palates as we tucked into a full bodied Montepulciano D'Abruzzo and I had a sneak over Victors shoulder to check the football score on Rose Tinted Tiernan's phone.
The main course delighted men and women alike as it was Bacon, Cabbage and soft creamy spuds...yum....GASP was drooling at this stage. I was a bit too but this was more to do with the combination of Negroni, Lager, Ale and Red wine, so needless to say when I was offered a glass of Cooney's Irish Cider to go along with my meal I graciously accepted ! Gorgeous pale sparkling cider was a perfect accompaniment to Tom Lynch's Bacon and the plates were fully cleared , out tummies in a state of sheer delight. And then, just when you thought it could not get any better out came white mounds of the Duracell Bunny's meringues dripping in whipped cream and carrying a bevvy of Clarke's delicious strawberries...I thought GASP would actually cry with delight. It was sublime and a light scrumptious end to a truly excellent meal.
There's a lot to be said for checking out what is available in your local area and using freshly sourced ingredients. The Boyne Food Series is a brilliant way to do this, bravo to all our local producers and well done Sage and Stone !

http://www.discoverboynevalley.ie/plan-your-visit/food-and-drink/sage-stone

https://boynevalleyflavours.ie/