Food & Drink

Sundays are made for Afternoon Tea at Ferrycarrig Hotel

Sunday afternoons are for Afternoon Tea at Ferrycarrig Hotel in Wexford with the hotel having recently launched not one, but three brand new Sunday Afternoon Tea options: their amazing ’Sunday Afternoon Tea’, their ‘Vegetarian Afternoon Tea’ and their ‘Vegan Afternoon Tea’. Talk about choice! Everything on each menu is created in-house or locally sourced from the region's top-quality artisanal producers. Each Sunday afternoon, the beautifully appointed Reeds Restaurant at Ferrycarrig is transformed into a haven where guests can enjoy Afternoon Tea in a cosy atmosphere with majestic views of the River Slaney and live piano music. The Ferrycarrig kitchen team, who have been decorated with two AA Rosettes for culinary excellence and also named the top hotel restaurant in Wexford and in the top five hotel restaurants in Leinster at the Restaurants Association of Ireland awards, has ensured that only the best superior local producers are used to create this delicious new menus.

Diners can enjoy a delicious range of sandwiches including Brioche Bun with Truffle Chicken Mayonnaise; Ballyhack Smoked Salmon with Pickled Cucumber on Ferrycarrig Guinness Brown Bread; Egg and Chive Mayonnaise on White; Irish Ham with Tomato Relish on Brown; and a Warm Irish Pork and Apple Sausage Roll. Guests can also indulge in a selection of homemade cakes and pastries including individual Classic Battenberg Cake; Lemon Curd Tart, White Chocolate and Berry Mousse; Decadent Triple Chocolate and Hazelnut Brownie; Mirror Glazed Strawberry Cheesecake; and Praline Chocolate and Hazelnut Truffle. Along with a selection of warm scones served with whipped cream and, of course, Wexford preserve. The Vegan Afternoon Tea Menu offers guests a delicious array of tea sandwiches including Waldorf Salad Mayonnaise; Smashed Avocado and Mature Cheddar; Smoked Tofu and Rainbow Coleslaw; Tomato, Garlic & Chive ‘Vierge’ Crostini; and a Vegan Sausage Roll. Warm Scones with Wexford Preserve and Coconut Cream are served along with treats like a Vegan Chocolate Brownie; Homemade Flapjacks; Praline Chocolate and Hazelnut Truffle; a Raspberry Frangipane Tart; and an Aqua Fabba Meringue with Fruit Compote. The Vegetarian Afternoon Tea offers tea sandwiches including Waldorf Salad Mayonnaise with Brioche Bun; Smashed Avocado and Mature Cheddar; Egg & Chive Mayonnaise on White; Tomato, Garlic & Chive ‘Vierge’ with Guinness Bread; and a Vegetarian Sausage Roll. Sweet treats include Classic Battenberg Cake; Lemon Curd Tart, White Chocolate and Berry Mousse; Decadent Triple Chocolate and Hazelnut Brownie; Mirror Glazed Strawberry Cheesecake; and Praline Chocolate and Hazelnut Truffle. And of course warm scones with Wexford Preserve and Whipped Cream.

All Sunday Afternoon Teas are served with a great selection of traditional and infused loose teas from Kingfisher Teas of Wexford including Darjeeling, Earl Grey Blue Flower, Irish Breakfast Tea, Japanese Sencha Green Tea and Rooibos Lemon (caffeine free). The Sunday Afternoon Tea at Ferrycarrig Hotel is priced at €25 per person and is served from 2 pm to 4 pm. And for those who enjoy some ‘bubbles’ with their Afternoon Tea – there’s a range of options starting from €4.50. For reservations call 053-9120999 or see www.ferrycarrighotel.ie

Please note: If you wish to opt for the Vegan or Vegetarian options it is important to let the hotel know in advance. n The ‘Slaney News’ can wholeheartedly recommend the Ferrycarrig Hotel’s new Sunday Afternoon Tea having thoroughly enjoyed our experience there on a recent Sunday. The food was wonderful, the portions copious, the staff and General Manager Derek Coyne so attentive, prize-winning Head Chef Tony Carty made sure to check in with all diners to see if everybody was happy, and of course the wonderful Fintan Cleary live on piano, all made it an afternoon to remember. Our advice is to book early – telephone in advance on 053-9120999.

Your local Slimming World Consultants in Enniscorthy Providing you with a huge choice of sessions throughout the week:

Tuesdays @ 6.30pm The Salt n Pepper Pot, Community Workshop Call Tony on 087 1785384 Wednesdays @ 9.30am, 11.00am, 5.30pm and 7.00pm Enniscorthy Rugby Club Call Trish on 087 3607615

Saturdays @ 9.00am and 10.30am The Salt n Pepper Pot, Community Workshop Call Tony on 087 1785384

First strawberries at Wheelocks

Above: Cyril Wheelock picking some of this year’s first strawberries at Wheelocks Fruit Farm, Enniscorthy.

Below: Some of the staff at Wheelocks proudly showing the new season’s impressive crop now on sale at the Village at Wheelocks.

Jackford wins

bronze at international event

Congratulations to Enniscorthy’s Jackford Irish Potato Gin which recently was awarded a bronze medal at the International Wine & Spirit Competition 2022. This is Jackford’s fourth award in this competition and hopefully more to come. The International Wine & Spirit Competition has been awarding medals to the world’s best wines and spirits for over 50 years. The aim is to reward excellence in wines and spirits worldwide, ensuring recognition for the very best wines and spirits.

Community food growing initiative

Irish author and wellness advocate, Caroline Foran, has launched the Energia Get Ireland Growing campaign for its sixth year running, to help raise awareness around the benefits and joy of community growing. This year Energia is giving away 300 community growing starter kits across Ireland worth €42,500. Register now for your chance to win at GetIrelandGrowing.ie This year the Energia and GIY 'Get Ireland Growing' initiative aims to sow the seed of community food growing by giving away 300 community growing starter kits across Ireland worth €42,500.

Due to Covid-19, people are re-evaluating how important local communities are for physical and mental wellbeing. As Ireland continues to reopen and normalise, Energia and GIY hope to encourage communities to regenerate green spaces in their local areas and further re-ignite community spirit and connection. How to get involved: If you are already part of a community group, for example a residents’ association, a Men’s Shed, a Tidy Town Association, a parents’ association, or an environmental community network, now is your chance to bring food growing into your group activities. If you are not yet part of a community group, you can still take part. Bring the idea to a friend group – bring seeds along to the coffee morning or evening book club. Then, plan your activities. You could plant in each other’s gardens or host a growing morning together to swap seedlings. You could go one step further and see if there is a local vegetable patch in your community or a local star grower that you can learn from. And connect with your county council. To register with 'Get Ireland Growing' and be in for the chance of winning a Community Growing Kit that contains seeds to share with your group, please visit www.getirelandgrowing.ie n

New Bord Bia CEO

Bord Bia has announced that Michael Murphy will assume the role of Interim CEO in June. He will work alongside Tara McCarthy, who is stepping down in June, until her departure.

Bord Bia is the Government agency responsible for the promotion of the Irish food, drink and horticulture industries around the world.

Mr Murphy has worked in Bord Bia for over 20 years and has progressed from managing its London office to leading its European office network and was Markets Director for nine years.

Mr Murphy is also a former Wexford Food Family member. n Michael Murphy, Bord Bia.