I'm in Galway for the Saturday street market some of which runs along the street in front of…read moreSheridans. And I was hungry. You know how you're not supposed to shop when you're hungry. Oops. So I waited in the (fast moving) queue inside Sherdans, looking over the crackers, cured meats, sauces, jams and the other treats before I was helped by a very pleasant young woman behind the counter. I provided my wants - a firm or hard cheese not from cow milk - and she instantly knew what was available. A sample of the first one and a sample of the second one, and I took a small wedge of each. Reasonably priced and wrapped properly. They lasted in the bag for about an hour or so until I shared them with my friend for a picnic in Eyre Square. [Review 1936 of 2024 - 118 in Republic of Ireland - 22958 overall]

Simply amazing. If you're a fan of cheese and charcuterie, welcome to your wonder land. The staff…read moreare very knowledgeable and friendly. Tons and tons of Irish and local cheeses, along with meats, sweets, crackers, olives, all that you need for the perfect picnic. It's so well done inside, fitting so many foods in a rather small shop. Pure joy and Irish cheese!

The soft goat cheese is excellent. I have to say, I wish I had the time to take a class, but it…read morecertainly is worth it to just drop by and buy some cheese.

Cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese! That is our mantra on vacation in Ireland. Well it fits…read moreunder the broader mantra of DAIRY, which is a-mazing in this country, so much more than the beer. (American micro-brews are where it's at beer wise). Knockdrinna is a lovely oasis of cheese, most made right there. Award winning cheeses; yummy cheeses. Do it. Stop there; sample chees; order food; have tea. They have a little room you can relax and eat or you can pretend you're a big mouse like I did and take some away to your home.

In a place like The English Market, shoppers expect top quality as a matter of fact. Hmm, that must…read morebe why On The Pigs Back has done so well. Anchoring the centre of Cork's busy English Market for over ten years, this outstanding fine foods specialist offers an incredible international selection of beautiful cheeses, meats and homemade pates and terrines (oooh, and lovely crusty bread to pile it all onto). The cheese case is almost a tourist attraction in itself -don't be afraid to ask your cheesemonger for a taste before buying, and do ask what her favourites are if you're stumped. Add a few slices of saucisson or cured jambon and you're bound to even impress yourself when laying it out on the table later. Prices are reasonable here with a round of good Camembert around €5. Fresh, organic sausages are also available for a real breakfast treat -the lamb and rosemary is divine.

(11/12/2017) Delicious, interesting, and a voluminous array of local farmstead cheeses and some…read moreimports at this vendor in the English Market. The staff are very knowledgeable, friendly, and patient, and will even let you have a little taste of a cheese or two so you know what you're getting into. Perfect for snacking or to take to a fancy party. Wander around the market for the perfect accompaniments, like fresh baked bread, fruits, olives, pate, cured meats. Definitely high quality.

Great Cheese shop right in the heart of Limerick. Place also has delicious Sicilian coffee and some…read moretables just outside. Sat in the sun and had a coffee then took my Lough Derg cheddar and some Morbier to have with some wine this evening, the samples the owner provided helped make the choice. Definitely check this place out.

ARDRAHAN FARMHOUSE CHEESE Ardrahan Farmhouse Cheese is one…read moreof the best around and has got the awards to prove it. I have come across it regularly enough. Bought some recently from the Pig's Back in the English Market and enjoyed it. It is a semi-soft cheese with a complex delicate flavour which most people like. It is hand-made in Kanturk - North Cork seems to be quite a place for making farmhouse cheeses - by Mary Burns of Ardrahan House and comes in two sizes. The large wheel weights about 1.5 kilo, the smaller one about 300g. As the product is handmade, the weights will vary slightly form piece to piece. The cheese is generally available in Ireland and also in England and Scotland. See website for details.

This is by far my favourite irish farmhouse cheese…read more It is produced in the scenic North Cork area, near Kanturk, in lush grren pastures by Ger and Mary Burns. Mary decided to make her own cheese when her young family were picky about what they ate. The family have gone from strength to strength with their wonderful offering. The Ardrahan chhese is a semi-soft chhese with a washed rind. When fresh it is soft and creamy, however when left to mature it has a strong, pungent flavour and aroma (which I love). I finishes of a special dinner beautifully when accompanied by the right wine. It is also great to cook with. The Ardrahan Smoked cheese is soft and creamy with an not-overly strong smokey flavour. It's a nice cheese but doesn't grab me the way the farmhouse cheese does. The cheese is readily available, in the English Market, many Super Valu stores (most notably Kanturk) and further afield. I found it in Kanturk many years back and have bought it in London and the UK midlands, in delis, supermarkets and specialist cheese shops. I even had a large round of it delivered to my work place in London once by Mary Burns after i had sent a thank you card to her for delivering some small rounds to my mother at home in Kanturk for me to take back to London after my holidays. I was in cheese heaven! And I still am.

GUBBEEN SMOKEHOUSE SAUSAGES 22.12.09 Many of you will be…read morefamiliar with Gubbeen cheese products. But how about the sausages from their smokehouse? Bought a couple of packs from their stall in the Mahon Point Farmer's Market today and tried out the ones with Sun Dried Tomato, Basil and Garlic. Absolutely lovely. Great texture, great flavour, all preceded by a lovely smell while cooking. Looking forward to the second pack - tomorrow! GUBBEEN CHEESE 07.12.09 Gubbeen farmhouse cheese is one of the best known in Ireland and marketed internationally by the small family company from West Cork. Picked some up recently at the Farmers Market in Mahon Point and it is really really good, up there with the best of them. They also do a smoked version and, more recently, have produced other smoked items such as rashers, sausages and salami. Will be calling again!

Amazing cheddar cheese with one of the weirdest names ever:…read more Poets and Writers of Ireland. Who named this thing? It's tasty but the fact that Oscar Wilde's mug is on the packaging is kinda creepy. Good thing this Irish cheddar has flavor to make up for it.

SUNVIEW GOATS CHEESE In Terleton (West Cork), Anne and Brian…read moreBond make a terrific Kilmichael Soft Goats Cheese from the milk of their Sunview herd. This is beautiful and mild, easily spreadable. If you've never eaten goats cheese before, then this is the one to start on. But that doesn't mean that those of you experienced in goats cheese should give it a miss. Far from it. There is something in this great product for everyone! The cheese is available from the Mark's Cheese stalls in local markets. I bought mine in the coal quay on Saturday. When I got home, combined it with some leaves, rye bread (by Tom's Bakery), an organic tomato salsa (Just Food), and had a great open sandwich.

FERMOY CHEESE Met Frank from the Fermoy natural Cheese…read moreCompany at the Cork Good Food Week and meant to get around to their products before now. The small company is found in Strawhall, Fermoy and makes Raw Cows Milk Specialty Cheese. Frank and Gudrun Shinnick are members of Good Food Ireland and CAIS (Irish Farmhouse Cheesemakers Association). They make five different cheeses: Cais Dubh, Cais Rua, Saint Brigid, Saint Gall and Hibernian. Hibernian is not easy to find but the others can be bought at the farmers markets (at Mark Hosford's stalls) and at the Pig's Back in the English Market. Nash 19 also use them in their restaurant. And indeed it was Mairéad from Nash 19 that directed me over to the Pig's Back where I bought a wedge of St Gall. This is a hard Swiss type cheese and was certainly a hit in our house and I immediately added it to my short list of favourites. St Brigid didn't go down as well - let's say we had a disagreement. It is a semi-hard smeared ripened cheese and, though described as mild, is somewhat more pungent than St Gall. I certainly didn't find it overpowering, or anywhere near it, and would love to have it on my plate at anytime. Still, if forced to make a choice I would go for the five and a half star St Gall. The Gudruns are an award winning couple as they picked up a Gold Medal double in the 2008 World Cheese Awards. The cheese is made from the milk of their pedigree Friesians who graze in the fertile valley of the Blackwater. Now for the Cais Dubh and the Cais Rua!

I found Fermoy Natural Cheese Compnay cheese a number of years ago when organising my husbands and…read moremy engegement party. A deli in Mallow, since closed, had a great selection of irish and internationally renouned cheeses. We sampled the Fermoy offering and quickly became fans. I love the Cais Dubh and St. Brigids, while my husband is a lover of the St. Galls cheese. Unfortuantely with the closure of the cheese and deli counter in O'Crualaoi Buthchers in Fermoy we have to go to the Pigs Back in the English Market to get our supplies. But it's worth the trip!!

I bought pork sausages and chicken to roast for a potluck-dinner-party-debrief for 10, the last…read morenight of the HearSay17 Festival, in Kilfanane, Ireland. We were a bunch of tired and starving international radio/audio makers and I wanted create a solid, comforting and satisfying main dish that held cross-cultural appeal. After an in-depth conversation with the proprietress, Deirdre, I bought my meat and several giant carrots and parsnips as well. I was happy to learn that all of the fresh foodstuff they carry are sourced from local farmers. I made something like a butterflied chicken and sausage tray bake with the meats layered upon a pile of chopped onions, carrots, parsnips, whole garlic, dried apples, liberally doused with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper. My spice choices were a bit limited as I hadn't thought to bring any from Brooklyn, and was staying at the Ballyhoura Mountain Lodges (review to come) which while perfect, super comfortable, and packed with every single eco-certified modern convenience possible, didn't have a spice rack. Next time, I'll know what else to pack! Still, the product from Hennessy's was so fresh and gorgeous that I shouldn't have worried at all. The roast/tray bake earned top points from all who helped themselves to seconds and thirds. I also made a couple of frittatas with farm eggs given to me as a gift (!!! OMG !!!) local mushrooms, tinned Cerignola olives (from Malta!) and my housemate's handmade stale, crumbled, savory brown soda bread (WTF SO GOOD), with loads of chopped, crisped Irish bacon and teeny cubes of local seaweed cheddar; and a massive, four-heads-of-butter-leaf-lettuce-salad with a quick pickled onion and fried tomato, cider and olive oil dressing. Folks brought tins of pate (France); crunchy South East Asian rice cracker-based snacks (Vietnam and Malaysia); some tinned headcheese-in-aspic-with-leeks-and-celery (Wales); a cold prawn salad with apples and prosciutto (Australia); a savory green onion and stinky cheese custard (Brussels); and a couple of ice-cream-flake-cakes (purchased by an Italian at the local Amber gas station grocery store); plus candied persimmons (Iran) and dates (Saudi Arabia); and whiskey and maryjane (Los Angeles--LOLOLOLOL)--guys, it was interNATIONAL. We hung. We ate and drank a ton. We laughed our faces off. Maybe there was some dancing and a rap-off? And as the evening wore on and the wine and beer bottles piled up, I tossed the chicken carcasses into a pot with lots of cold water to make a quick and simple stock for congee in the morning with random leftovers for my cabin mates and those who crashed on our couches.. Can you say #favorite #HearSayFestival #attendee? :) I think you can!

Purchased Beef on the bone for Christmas instead of Turkey . Cost much the same but beef so tasty…read moreand succulent . Hennessy's have a long tradition of sourcing their meat locally over generations of butchers Service so courteous, friendly and fast.