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Beár Bia Podcast

Oisín Davis and Dee Laffan
Beár Bia Podcast
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  • Hospitality Heroes: McNally Family Farm
    There are many individuals across the island of Ireland who are game changers in how they passionately engage within the restaurant and bar industry. On the Beár Bia podcast, we like to call them "Hospitality Heroes" and whenever we can, we like to showcase them and the great work they do. And that's exactly what we've done with our latest episode as we took a trip to the McNally Family Farm in the Ring Commons North County Dublin to spend some time with Jenny and her daughter Niamh McNally and learn more about their fantastic business. In 1997, farmers Patrick and Jenny McNally took the decision to go all organic and sell their produce directly, bypassing the standard practises of distribution. Thanks to the remarkable assistance of all five of their children who work there, they have gone on to become one of the most sought out and cherished producers to top Irish chefs. Everything they sell is grown on their 99 acres of land and along the way they have added a farm shop, café and most recently a tour to their list of offerings. Our setting for the recording and indeed the weather - couldn't have been any better! Sat right outside a polytunnel jam-packed with baby tomatoes that were days away from ripening, we enjoyed two pairings where each of the dishes mostly featured items from the farm. The first was a sourdough focaccia sandwich made with bread baked at their café, filled with their farm grown roasted padrón peppers, heritage tomatoes, basil mayo and green leaves. This was a symphony of the freshest flavours and to enjoy a beverage alongside it, Oisin volunteered to mix up a cocktail that also had farm ingredients in it. Aptly named the "McNally Martini" it had Glendalough Gin, Richmount Elderflower Liqueur, Fino Sherry, fresh lemon, a healthy spoonful of McNally Family Farm gooseberry preserve, fresh lemon and a splash of Nátúrtha Pet-Nat sparkling wine from Waterford to give it some fizz. The dry sweetness from  the cocktail counterbalanced the smoky bitterness of peppers and tomatoes and it was a real pleasure to enjoy the bounty of the farm in such a rounded way, both from the plate and the glass. Our second pairing was a Roman style pizza slice that was also baked on site using their sourdough bread and topped with Carbery cheddar, farm grown baby courgettes, basil pesto and feta cheese. Seeing as the bottle was already open and that it's such a delicious wine, we paired the rich (and super crunchy!) pizza slice with some more of the Nátúrtha Pet-Nat sparkling wine from Waterford. Its nutty, earthy notes really brought out the soft sweetness of the courgettes. Beár Bia is available on all podcast platforms and follow us @bearbiapodcast on Instgram. 
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  • Stonewell Irish Cider
    It took them long enough, but Dee Laffan and Oisin Davis of the Beár Bia travelling podcast finally made it to Cork! And not only did they get to hang out with one of their favourite drinks producers - the wonderful Daniel Emerson of Stonewell Cider, but they also got to do it in the legendary pub, Cronin's of Crosshaven on a sun-filled day, so they got to soak up the beautiful surrounds while they were there. They were there to meet Daniel Emerson of Stonewell Irish Cider and his latest team member, Diarmuid Madden. It was an afternoon spent doing a very deep dive, not just into the amazing journey that Stonewell Cider has been on, but also into a brilliant and brand new product they've been working on, Orr Irish Apple Brandy. Of course, there was also some rather lovely food too - courtesy of the great team at Cronin's. Before we got stuck into our first pairing of the day, we got a chance to meet the manager at Cronin's, Fionnuala Ryan. She filled us in on the great history behind what is such an iconic, third-generation, family-run pub. We also got to know their head chef, Thomas Rushton, a Canadian who has fallen hook, line and sinker for Irish produce. His first dish was some locally sourced Roaring Water Bay mussels, which he steamed in Stonewell Dry Cider and onions, before finishing them with cream.This was a revelation especially when we popped open the dry cider to enjoy with it - the acidity in the cider infuses so well into the mussels and really brings out their sweetness. Along the way, Daniel went into great detail into the highs and lows of being a modern day craft Irish cider producer where there are constant challenges but the end results are so profoundly delicious. Afterwards, we were introduced to Diarmuid Madden, a recent recruit to the Stonewell team whose experience and passion for the spirits industry meant that he could bring great weight to their Orr Apple Brandy project. Diarmuid went through every single facet of its production, from harvest to bottling - he covered every element. This only made us appreciate the liquid even more and what a remarkable spirit it is! What makes it even more special is that it is now one of four different Irish apple brandy brands that are now working together to help rejuvenate what is actually a very old drinks category. Additional layers of complexity in the brandy were revealed when we got to pair it with some stellar Irish cheeses that chef Thomas Rushton selected for us. They included Gort na Móna, Gubbeen Smoked, Wicklow Blue and Coolea. Beár Bia is available on all podcast platforms. Listen in from Spotify here.
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  • Bord Bia Bloom 2025 - Part 2
    It's one of Ireland's largest gatherings of top tier Irish food & drink producers, so it's always great to be down at Bord Bia Bloom in the Phoenix Park. This year, the Bloom team there engaged with Irishbeer.ie and Beár Bia to highlight pairings made with breweries and food makers who would all be at Bloom.  Produced over two episodes, our first saw us pair Irish beers with Irish seafoods, and for our second, we looked at something more sweet and savoury!To supply us with beers and plenty of Donegal banter for the day, we were joined by Sean McCarthy, Sales Manager of Kinnegar Brewing. Letterkenny. He filled us in not just on the whole range of great beers they craft there but also on the company's 15-year history. With nationwide distribution and a selection of tours available, Kinnegar's beers are enjoyed both on site and all over Ireland. One particular item from the brewery that is increasingly doing better and better for them is their "Lowtide lPA", which is a 1% ABV low-alcohol brew. It has the full flavour and texture of a standard IPA but without the boozy bite. It was the perfect accompaniment to the O'Neills Dry Cure Bacon bap that we had to pair it with. To talk us through this company's great philosophy of only making the most natural, traditional bacon products was their founder, Pat O'Neill from Enniscorthy, Wexford. After already working in the bacon business for 13 years, Pat was inspired by the growing customer demand for additive-free foods and established his brand with the aim of making the finest dry-cured bacon with no phosphates or added water to bulk it out. It was a formula for success that has served him well. We enjoyed a bap made with his excellent bacon and his equally tasty bacon jam.Alongside the Lowtide IPA, the bacon jam's sweet umami taste balanced beautifully with the hoppy bitterness of the beer. The second pairing was definitely one for the more sweet-toothed among us! Our next guest was Daniel Linehan, who, alongside his wife Georgia Quealy, founded Bon Chocolatiers out of necessity during COVID. Both are highly trained Michelin-level chefs, and when their respective places of work closed during lockdown, they focused their energy and creativity elsewhere to handcraft ultra premium chocolates. They have since gone on to pick up multiple awards and were a huge hit at Bloom this year. When we asked Daniel to consider the best chocolate from his range to pair with Kinnegar's Black Rabbit - black lager, he instantly knew what to pick up. To bring out the rich coffee and dark malty notes of the beer, he opted for Bon Chocolatiers' Dark "Truly Dark" range. It comes in four flavours that include raspberry and caramelised cacao. Both the beer and the chocolates are incredible on their own - but when enjoyed together, this is a sublime Irish food & drink pairing and something that is very easy to seek out. We hope you enjoy this second part of our Bloom Special for 2025! Thanks, Dee & Oisín
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  • Bord Bia Bloom 2025
    Kickstarting things off for 2025, the first two episodes of this new season will highlight beer and food producers who are exhibiting at one of Ireland's largest festivals, Bord Bia Bloom at Phoenix Park. With a little help from IrishBeer.ie, theydecided to first see which of the participating beers would work best pairedwith fish and seafood. The results are delicious!EPISODE 1If you’re going to be sampling some of Ireland’s best seafood, the setting iskey. Thankfully, the good folk over at Kish Fish Café in Howth very kindlyallowed us to record in their office. With views right out onto the Irish Sea,it was the ideal location, and they were the perfect hosts! Managing Director Tadhg O'Meara told us all about how the Kish Fish business started in Dublin’s city centre, and they’ve successfully expanded to become vitalwholesalers and operators of their fantastic seafood cafe on Howth pier.After settling in, Kian Louet-Feisser from Carlingford Oysters joined thetable and got shucking! He shared details of how his family started thebusiness in the 70s and now ships their marvellous molluscs worldwide.With his operation just down the road in Kilbarrack, Wim De Jongh fromHope Brewery didn’t have as far to travel and he brought with him the idealbeer to match with those oysters. His “Overboard Witbier” was quite literallydesigned to pair with seafood. It's wheat beer and malt base provided acreamy texture but it was the addition of orange peel and juniper berries inthe brew that really bounced beautifully off the salinity of the oysters.Our second pairing began with another amazing Irish family business - MagKirwan from Goatsbridge Trout made the journey from Kilkenny. Sheproudly told us all about how it all started in the 1960s, servicing localrestaurants, to now being a beloved nationwide product available in multiplesupermarkets. Their whiskey-dill-infused rainbow trout was her choice fora beer pairing, and it was sublime with Irish Pale Ale from O’Haras. Thiswas brought down by Sergiu Leu from the brewery’s sales team and he gotinto how O’Haras (also known as Carlow Brewing) got started nearly 30years ago by owner Seamus O’Hara. Over those three decades, they havevery steadily managed to build up a brilliant portfolio as well as excellentinternational distribution. The dry hopping technique they employ for thisale gives it a long, zesty finish, which cuts through the soft smoke and spiceof the fish.Both of these pairings can be enjoyed at Bord Bia Bloom, which runs fromMay 29th - June 2nd in Phoenix Park.Stay tuned for our second Bord Bia Bloom episode coming in two weeks as we delve into what types of beers can be paired alongside some sweeter, more dessert-type dishes!
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  • Ep. 12 Christmas & NY Special with Sian Conway and Garron Noone (Part 02)
    When we saw that our final two episodes would land in late December, we knew we had to go festive! So we called upon a few friends to see if they could share their favourite Irish Christmas and Irish New Year's Day meals and we would pair some Irish drinks with them. Each pairing falls into a different episode but they both feature the same guests and each episode was recorded in Row Wines on Coppinger Row in Dublin. Our very special guests were social media star and musician Garron Noone and freelance content creator and writer, Sian Conway. EPISODE 12:SIAN CONWAY'S ULTIMATE NEW YEAR'S DAY COMFORT SANDWICH PAIRED WITH AN IRISH BLOODY MARY New Year's Eve revellers can quite often feel a little tender the next day and they might well be in need of some comfort the following morning. New Year's Day is the perfect time to embrace your favourite hangover food and of course, everyone has their own special dish that they yearn for during those moments. Food writer and content creator Sian Conway has some strong views on this issue, born by all accounts from a wealth of experience... When Sian wants to rustle up something at home after a New Year's Eve party with friends, she reaches for the Gubbeen Cheese, slices it up and throws it onto a nice sourdough bread smothered with Dublin-made smoky Harry's Nut Butter and some Space Jaru kimchi. This was a surprising sandwich combination for us to try, but like intrepid explorers, we tucked into it with much excitement! It had a multitude of flavours from spice to umami and smoke and made for a lovely pairing to accompany our Irish Bloody Mary. To give it a proper local twist we mixed our Irish Bloody Mary with iStil 38 Irish vodka, sherry, fresh tomato, fresh celery & horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, lemon and for that all-important heat - Scarlet For Yer Ma, Dublin Hot sauce. This episode goes live on December 30th, which gives everyone plenty of time to pick up all the necessary ingredients for Sian's Irish New Year's Day sarnie & cocktail extravaganza.Happy New Year folks!Oisín & Dee 
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About Beár Bia Podcast

Celebrating Irish food & drink through pairings. Round-the-table tastings and chats, with Irish producers and guests, and co-hosted by Oisín Davis and Dee Laffan.
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