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!

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.

On a recent visit to Ireland we had the opportunity to tour Cooleeney Farm and see the cheese…read moremaking process. We finished with a tasting in the farmhouse occupied by the farm owners. There's a cheese shop on the grounds where you can purchase cheese without appointment. The tour, however, called for advance reservation and a prepayment of 10 Euro. Once greeted, we met the husband and wife who own and oversee operations. We were handed off to our guide who got us the required hair nets, booties and smocks. We were then walked through the cheese making process able to observe curd being separated from whey, the aging and packaging stations. It was interesting and all the employees were cheerful and friendly. Of course the highlight was tasting! A combo of cow and goat's milk varieties including a brie. The cow's versions were creamy, buttery and earthy. The Daru was a universal favorite.The goat cheeses were more firm but robust and equally flavorful. I recommend making arrangements to visit the farm and tour the cheese making operation as a unique way to spend a morning or afternoon.

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.

HEGARTY'S WHITECHURCH CHEESE Hegarty's of Whitechurch are…read morepractically neighbours yet it was at a cheese stall down in the Mahon Point Farmers Market that I bought some of their aged Cheddar. Great stuff, compared to your normal cheddar, capable of more than holding its own with more famous products. Definitely worth a try.

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.

MAGPIE COTTAGE DAIRY The Magpie Cottage Dairy runs a little…read moregoat's cheese products stall at the Mahon Point Farmers Market each Thursday (10.00am to 3.00pm). Magpie has two main items, each in a jar. One is a herby cheese in balls in sunflower oil and the other is the cheese with the addition of sundried tomato. The jars are dated and the product will keep well, even after opening. Having previously sampled the Tomato version, we picked the plainer jar this time and may well indeed follow the recipe we heard from the man in the stall: put some cheese into your chicken breast, wrap it up with Parma ham or similar and you're on your way to a lovely dish.

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!!

BANDON VALE FINE CHEESES Bandon Vale is dedicated to…read moreproviding quality products and offers a selection of shredded, block, sliced and pre-packed products, ranging from cheddars to bespoke blends and mixes. But this fairly large producer, a member of the West Cork Regional Branding Initiative, under the Fuchsia logo, also sells some speciality packs, mainly cheddar. The one I bought recently was their Glandór Red Leicester. I was very happy with it. It had a mellow yet distinct flavour and is quite a nice change from the usual cheddar.