Inspection, Chat and the School Launch


It's been one of those days & now my poor brain is buzzing. This morning we had our monthly FSAI audit, which is done through the County Council Veterinary Dept. Everything went well & these days it is as much a conversation as it is a regulatory inspection. If I have queries or issues, I can discuss them; and our vet is willing to advise us. I for one am delighted with this very proactive approach to our food business, and indeed very relieved also that there is a listening expert ear for that occasion when something goes wrong. In food business, you can never be too careful or complacent.
Then I headed to Brosnan's in Schull who were celebrating their lovely revamp with a host of local producers. I often say that small producers don't often get a chance to shoot the breeze as we try to do a range of functions to progress our business.
I literally parked my van at the front door, changed from jeans to a dress and left again this time for the launch of the Rosscarbery Autumn School and to help welcome our 30+ German visitors from Franconia - note this is not Bavaria! The Celtic Ross Hotel served a range of local West Cork products including Gubbeen, Ummera, Union Hall Smoked Fish, Dubliner, and I cooked some of our black and white pudding. I think that those who had never heard of us will never forget it as one of our speakers mentioned another black pudding in the course of a speech, but I really appreciated the community response. It was funny and can happen so easily. Now to bed as I'm back in the hotel early in the morning for the first session which begins at 10am, but registration is at 9am.

Until tomorrow & I'm excited.
Avril

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ground rules

As opposed to my blog: http://rosscarberyrecipes.blogspot.ie , this blog will not contain recipes; details of events to come, but I want to use it to summarise in just a couple of sentences what life is like for an average woman living in Ireland - multitasking & never hitting the mark. Sometimes there'll be a photo or two, but this is a daily diary so entries will be ultra brief.
Read more

Horrible to wake late

Until I get in my van & head to visit good friends in Fenit & stay over in Tralee before heading to Dingle Food Festival tomorrow for the Irish Food Awards , I'm going to be playing catch up in a big way! They joy of being lazy in bed. Friends getting married & the reception is in Inchydoney Lodge tomorrow so I must drop off part of their wedding present; collect & lodge cheques in Clonakilty ; and then I'm told my van needs an oil change before I go anywhere! So I think I'll update my recipe & activity blog as I'm at it: http://rosscarberyrecipes.blogspot.ie .  Roll on Kerry! Until tomorrow.
Read more

Eulogies and Obituaries

Hi I've become quite fascinated in recent years with obituaries whether I knew the person or not. If that sounds morbid, it's not. It's really an opportunity for the writer to essentially write a critique of a person and his/her life. As long as there's nothing slanderous, I don't think there are any real limitations on what's written and published unless one takes the difference between good and bad taste into account. It's like a eulogy at a funeral. I had never heard a Eulogy until one of my grand-aunts died and on an unseasonably hot April day in Kinsale in 1976, I sat in the Methodist Church and really wondered if, somehow or other, I was at the wrong funeral. I remember taking a quick look at the congregation and, no, there was my family, Auntie Mabel's family, friends and relations. Then I wondered if the speaker could have been at the wrong funeral. In fact that's the conclusion I've reached and maintained in the intervening years. The
Read more