Nestled in the historic heart of Dublin at the National Museum of Ireland - Collins Barracks, St. Patrick's Festival has unveiled a brand new food experience as part of Festival Quarter 2024.
'Bia Mall', playfully translating to 'Slow Food' in Irish, is a testament to Ireland's rich culinary heritage, and a showcase of the finest Irish artisan food producers, curated by Irish food writer Ali Dunworth. Each stall and corner of Bia Mall is carefully curated to provide an exceptional taste of Ireland, inviting visitors from around the globe to indulge in the authentic flavours of the Emerald Island.
Offering a captivating blend of tradition and innovation, from locally-sourced seafood that echoes the island's strong connection with the sea, to handcrafted cheeses, every bite is a story.
Bia Mall isn't just about savouring food; it's an immersive experience. Engage with the artisans themselves, hear their stories, and learn about the care and tradition that goes into every product.
About the Artisan Food Producers
Corleggy Cheese
Tom Cropp and Jim Dempsey
Artisan raw milk cheese maker from Co. Cavan. Corleggy Cheese is a family business established in 1985 using raw cow, goat and sheep milk to make a variety of hard and soft cheeses. They call their cheeses names from where they are made. Corleggy is their townland, Creeny next to them and they are surrounded by Drumlins in Co. Cavan and Cavanbert is self-explanatory! They will have a selection of their award winning cheeses across the weekend.
www.corleggycheeses.ie
@corleggycheese
Flaggy Shore Oysters
Flaggy Shore Oysters come from three small bays on the coast of Co. Clare, where the surrounding karst landscape of The Burren allows the abundant rainfall to trickle down through the rocks, creating underground channels of freshwater down in the bay. These channels bring all of the nutrients of the Burren with them into the bay, and into their oysters giving them a unique flavour.
www.flaggyshoreoysters.ie
https://www.instagram.com/flaggyshoreoysters/
Dingle Sea Salt
Tom Leach and Moe McKeown
Award-winning sea salt, carefully harvested by hand from the pristine ocean surrounding the Dingle Peninsula (Corca Dhuibhne). Tom & Moe moved to the Dingle Peninsula in 2015, forging a friendship through their shared passion for surfing. Their respect for the natural environment meant that they needed to rethink how sea salt is made in colder climates. Business as usual was not an option. Drawing on their background knowledge, they devised a low-carbon method to handcraft their sea salt using solar evaporation - harnessing only the sun & wind in a way that works with the seasons & is gentle on the environment. This process, unique in Ireland, patiently creates a mineral-rich sea salt as nature intended - a distinct taste of the Dingle Peninsula with a robust tang & sweet finish, arising from the abundance of trace minerals and elements retained during the slow evaporation process.
Website: www.dingleseasalt.ie
Instagram: @dingleseasaltco
Dublin Honeybee Project
Raw Dublin honey and Heather honey from the Dublin Mountains. All the Dublin Honey Bee Project honey is unheated and course-filtered to retain all its natural goodness. The Dublin Honey Bee Project recognises the need to support our native Irish honeybees and the wider urban environment, by keeping bees within Dublin city, far from the chemicals now commonly used in modern farming. To fund this, they bring our honey directly to honey fans, post-coded to allow customers to choose a honey that is as local as possible.
facebook.com/dublinhoneyproject/
Braw Chocolates & Bakery
Anna Coffey Lynch
Founded in 2020 by Anna Coffey Lynch, Braw is a micro-bakery and small-batch chocolate maker. Anna's previous experience as Head Chocolatier in Cocoa Atelier Drury Street and as a pastry chef in places such as Avoca and Adare Manor led her to open her own business with a focus on chocolate. They use ethical chocolate from Casa Luker in Colombia and Irish butter, milk and eggs in their bakery.
www.braw.ie
www.instagram.com/braw.ie
Valentia Island Vermouth
Anna and Orla Snook O’Carroll
Award-winning, handcrafted Irish vermouth made using twenty botanicals including gorse from Valentia Island. Created by wife and wife team Anna and Orla Snook O’Carroll, Valentia Island Vermouth is the first Irish vermouth. They use a Verdejo grape for their base wine from the hills of Madrid and make a deep caramel which is all blended together to create this unique vermouth.
Valentia Island Vermouth Ór is a sweet vermouth, golden in colour and can be drank neat over ice or with a good tonic and a slice of orange and also works amazingly in cocktails such as the Manhattan or Negroni which can now be made as 100% Irish cocktails.
https://valentiaislandvermouth...
https://www.instagram.com/vale...
Chimac
Sofie Rooney and Garret FitzGerald
Chimac was created by restaurateurs Sofie Rooney and Garret FitzGerald after a trip to Korea. They fell in love with Seoul and the Korean cultural phenomenal which is “chimaek”, the art of sharing fried chicken and beer amongst friends. Fast forward a couple of years and they opened a fried chicken restaurant in the heart of Dublin city with a menu inspired by our multiple trips to Korea. Their sauces combine traditional Korean ingredients with their unique Irish influences and ingredients for a range of fusion-style condiments that are bold, funky and hit the spot every single time.
www.chimac.ie
instagram.com/chimacdublin
The Wooded Pig
The Wooded Pig sustainable charcuterie comes from a family-run farm in Tara, Co. Meath in the heart of the Boyne Valley. At The Wooded Farm, they value the importance of seasonal, ethically produced food and its provenance. “We fundamentally believe that as custodians of this lush and verdant landscape, we must champion a way of farming that is sustainable and good for nature. Thus we place our animals’ welfare at the core of what we do and are passionate about providing a haven for wildlife and biodiversity among the range of habitats we have on the farm, mixed broadleaf woodlands, pasture, wildflower meadows and kitchen garden. We’re proud of what we do, we want to put the trust back into the food chain by ensuring the food we produce not only tastes better but is ethically and sustainably grown and reared”.
www.thewoodedpig.ie