Clodagh McKenna will be holding free public cooking demonstrations using only Irish organic produce at the inaugural National Organic Food Fair taking place tomorrow in Marlay Park from 10.30am to 4.30pm.
Her demo is taking place at 12.30pm and 2pm, and it will be on a first come, first seated basis. The National Organic Food Fair is a collaboration between the Organic Trust and the Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association (IOFGA), with the support of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
There will also be an organic market beside Marlay House which will have an array of outdoor stalls and stands displaying a range of organic produce, as well as organic food vendors to tempt the taste buds. Visitors can try Highbank Orchards Organic apple syrups and ciders; Clanwood Farm Organic Burgers and Glenisk Organic Yogurts to name just a few. Alongside this, selected producers and industry leaders will give practical displays, with tastings, on how they prepare their foods and discuss why organic food is important in their business.
In addition there will be a series of seminars, the objective of which is to strengthen and promote the message that organic, local and seasonal foods offer the best quality ingredients for home cooking as well as the advantages of supporting jobs, economic growth and local development. Highlights on the day include looking at industry leaders in the sector and how they have developed their organic businesses.
There are a number of events planned with a range of workshops of interest such as beekeeping; growing your own organic food; juicing organic fruit and vegetables and the value of organics in your weekly meal plans.
Speakers will include Klaus Laitenberger from Organic Trust (renowned author and Organic Inspector); Vincent Cleary of Glenisk; representatives from Grow Your Own along with a practical discussion on the increasingly popular subject of bee-keeping .
Targeted discussions for organic industry members will be also held and provide an overview on where the organic sector is at present and how best to move forward from the current position to one of sustainable growth.
The industry and technical discussion topics include:
• Fulfilling and growing the needs of the domestic market through import substitution and co-operation amongst producers.
• Exploiting the growing demand for organic products in the export markets
• Capitalising on the potential in Green Public Procurement
• Harnessing of consumer awareness and interest in organic produce and the promotion of those products and goods
Chef Clodagh McKenna pictured with seven-year-old Molly Hayes at the launch of The Innaugural National Organic Food Fair/Photograph Aidan Crawley
