Hunger for heritage at Guinness Storehouse
The Guinness Storehouse has published research conducted by iReach among 1,000 adults aged over 18 last February to reveal that over 1.2 million people plan to eat a traditional Irish meal on or around St Patrick’s Day.
The hearty Irish breakfast tops the list of Irish dishes people plan to eat over the St Patrick’s Day festivities, with one in four planning to tuck in over the four-day period. The research shows that traditional recipes remain popular with dishes such as colcannon (20%), roast lamb (17%) and boxty (16%) top choices for Irish consumers.
Perhaps surprisingly, the popularity of black pudding (16%) also exceeded the traditional Irish Stew (13%). The research coincides with the launch the Guinness Storehouse’s St Patrick’s Festival which includes the ‘Bia Beatha: Irish Cuisine & Culture’ food experience taking place on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th March.
The Irish have a grá for Guinness-inspired dishes and pairings with 45% favouring the depth of flavour of beef and Guinness stew and 10% opting for the caramel notes in the Guinness and champagne cocktail, Black Velvet, as their favourite pairing.
Guinness brown bread (9%), Guinness and oysters (8%) and Guinness paired with a beefburger (7%) rounded-out the top five pairings.
Ireland has an appetite for food heritage; from the story of the salmon of knowledge (67%), the introduction of the potato to Ireland (47%), to our unique Irish cooking ingredients such as seaweed and nettles (45%), Ireland is aware of its fascinating food culture.
As a nation of foodies and in celebration of Ireland’s connection with food, its heritage and identity, the Guinness Storehouse has created the ultimate food experience for the St Patrick’s festivities.
Part of the St Patrick’s Festival’s ‘I Love My City’ programme, the traditional Brewers Dining Hall in the Guinness Storehouse will be transformed for a spectacularly-themed sensory feast paired with captivating stories from culinary historian Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire.
Drinks Industry Ireland had the chance to taste a preview of the repast in the Brewers Dining Hall prepared by the Storehouse’s Executive Chef Justin O’Connor.
“In recent years, the food culture in Ireland has exploded” said Justin, speaking at the preview of ‘Bia Beatha: Irish Cuisine & Culture’, “but at the same time it’s fantastic to see that we still have an appetite for tradition. Ireland has a rich food heritage to celebrate and for those interested in Irish food, come to the Guinness Storehouse, take a seat at the table and join in celebrating the evocative flavours at the’ Bia Beatha: Irish Cuisine & Culture’ over the St Patrick’s weekend.”
From field to fork, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire brought guests on a culinary journey, looking at type of food we eat, the preparation of ingredients and how we consume and share it.
Dishes ranged from Carlingford Lough Oysters to slow-cooked Slaney Valley Lamb Shoulder, Wicklow Mushroom Barley Risotto and Wild Garlic Pesto, to Poached North Atlantic Hake, Guinness, Mussel & Kelp Sauce, Sprouting Broccoli and Crisp Fennel Salad.
Dessert consisted of Baileys Dubliner Trifle with Malted Shortbread.
Celebrating Ireland’s food tradition and legacy, future guests will savour this specially-crafted three-course menu by Justin featuring dishes inspired by original brewers’ dining menus. Guinness has a long legacy with food stretching back over 250 years and many dishes have been handed down from one generation to the next.
‘Bia Beatha: Irish Cuisine & Culture’ forms part of the Guinness Storehouse’s St Patrick’s Festival programme. The four-day Festival features a series of new collaborative events between the Guinness Storehouse and St Patrick’s Festival as part of the ‘I Love My City’ programme and includes an exclusive screening of the Ireland v Wales rugby match with a match preview from an Irish international rugby player.
Tickets & further details of The Guinness Storehouse St Patrick’s Day Festival can be obtained at www.guinness-storehouse.com
Tickets for the ‘Bia Beatha: Irish Cuisine & Culture’ experiential food experience can be obtained via www.stpatricksfestival.ie
On St Patrick’s Day in 2014:
- 16,000complimentary servings of Irish smoked salmon on Guinness bread were enjoyed at the Guinness Storehouse
- 24,970visitors from over 25 countries passed through the Guinness gates
- Over 8,500people were awarded the Perfect Pint Pour certificate
- Over 500Irish and international musicians played over the weekend
- 1,000loaves of Guinness brown bread were baked over the weekend
- 25international media and over 90 Irish media visited the Storehouse
