Juicy Info

I’ve become a little frightened of late at the amount of stuff that is now ‘made in China’ or other faraway destinations and like many people, I’m interested in buying more local or authentic products from a destination. (Sorry China, nothing personal).

When I was over in Belfast last week I stumbled on an Irish retail brand called Avoca and instantly fell in love. Everything in the store is born and bred Irish, from the cups through to the clothing, the food label and an array of quirky, vintage products. It is perhaps what you would expect from a family-run brand that dates back to 1723 and a clothing mill located in the Valley of Avoca.

But I’ll go further and say this brand is much more than just about heritage. Their mission is ‘to create joy and have fun’ and this comes through clearly in their store concept. From the vibrant colours used in the foodhall, to the tea cup display lined up on the walls and really lovely staff.

Sadly for me their stores remain located mainly in Ireland and N. Ireland – apart from one in the US – but I was excited to see that their website offers a range of products and does a pretty good job of recreating the retail experience for me, backed up by their own Facebook and Twitter feed.

Here’s a couple of shots of the store – Go visit or browse if you can.

Recently, I’ve been trying to adopt more of a River Cottage experience when it comes to eating. For those of you unfamiliar with the phenomena, it was created by the now well-known British foodie, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingshall.

The essence of River Cottage centres on creating really tasty food with fresh, sustainable, seasonal and local food, ideally grown in your back yard. There is undoubtedly a big ethical slant in the RC approach, but its first and foremost about dumping the convenience foods for more homemade food to create a more enjoyable food experience.

Despite grocery budgets still taking a beating, there is an undeniable shift in attitudes towards people wanting to eat better, and taking time to enjoy it properly, even if they can’t afford the organic option.

Of course this is by new means anything new. Most baby boomers and gen X’er was brought up on spending a lot of time around the table, dedicating time to food and the social experience of ‘dining’.

But over the past few decades, changing lifestyles have put an ever greater focus on convenience eating. So it’s good to see the good old times returning to a degree… for me it’s about restoring an element of authenticity to eating. And it really is worth the effort.

Eat Slow Britain is a new book from Alastair Sawday, which encapsulates the essence of enjoying  food when travelling. The book outlines special places to eat, inspirational chefs, organic producers…celebrating the very best of food experiences when on the move and encouraging us to take time to enjoy it.

Oh and if you’re interested…Today I enjoyed the delights of ‘lemony courgettes on toast’ and my tastebuds are still tingling. The recipe was taken from Hugh’s ‘River Cottage Everyday‘ book.