Thousands to take a Bite at Dublin’s top food festival

OVER 20,000 Irish food and drink lovers are expected to descend on the RDS this weekend (November 18-20) for the second annual Bite Food Festival.

Bite 2016 will showcase the best of Ireland’s artisan food and drink producers to huge audiences in the run-up to the Christmas season, and gives festivalgoers the chance to try their hands at making gourmet recipes at the Bite Cook Along classes.

The festival will feature top chefs and food experts as well as a huge range of producers, who are there to sell, sample and educate people about their unique products.

Ireland’s smallest distillery, Kilkenny’s Highbank Orchard, will showcase their single-estate apple gin and vodka and possibly the closest thing to Irish olive oil will also be on display by Wicklow’s Nature’s Gold.

Ireland’s first snail farm, Shamrock Escargots, which produces a specialised food range on-site will be on hand to demonstrate their range in a cookery demonstration.

Meanwhile, Wexford’s Naturally Cordial will demonstrate how just playing shopkeeper with a six-year-old has led to a fruitful business venture.

This year’s three-day event will feature a range of winners from the Blas na hEireann Irish Food Awards, the biggest competition for quality Irish produce.

Presented by the organisers of the National Crafts and Design Fair, Bite is Ireland’s first and foremost interactive food festival, with attractions for all the family.

The Main Stage at Bite 2016 will feature a superb menu of many of the country’s top chefs and food producers demonstrating interesting ways to cook with the best of Ireland’s artisan food products.

There will also be free cooking classes led by Cook’s Academy which will allow adults and children alike to get creative in the Hands-On Kitchen.

The extremely popular Bite Cook Along will see participants making such diverse dishes as pan-fried venison, shakshouka, pappardelle with cockles and mussels, kung pao cauliflower, healthy cookie dough balls and bruleed cider braised apples.

There will be a large number of artisan food and drink options to eat at the festival, ranging from Caffe Comino’s authentic Lazio region Italian artisan food to Klaw Crabshack Dining’s wonderful seafood cocktail bar, endless tasting and samples and an imaginative pairing partnership between Corleggy Cheese and French Wines.

There will also be craft beer, cider and prosecco bars along with an array of demonstrations at the Drinks Masterclass with experts on wine, spirits, coffee brewing, cocktail and smoothie making and vegetable juicing among others.

Bite 2016 takes place at the RDS Main Hall from November 18-20.

For a full timetable of free events on the main stage, drinks masterclass and hands on kitchen, as well as booking details can be found at www.bitefoodfestival.ie. see www.bitefoodfestival.ie.