Visit the Theatre of Food at the Liss Ard Festival

Food lovers will be heading for Skibbereen this weekend, August 4th and 5th for the inaugural Liss Ard Festival, where the Theatre of Food area will celebrate local food heroes with tastings, demonstrations and talks from some of Ireland’s greatest producers, chefs and food writers. The focus will be on forgotten skills, with workshops on how to build your own wood fired pizza oven, how to make your own cheese and how to pair food with beer.

Continuing her love affair with West Cork, award winning food writer, journalist and blogger Mei Chin, who has lectured in food writing at Yale University, will be giving a talk and cooking demonstration as part of the festival.

Darina Allen (@darinaallen), founder of the Ballymaloe Cookery School and author of countless cookbooks will be giving a talk on Forgotten Skills such as yoghurt and bread making and keeping hens.

Bibliocook blogger and founder of the Irish Food Bloggers Association Caroline Hennessy (@bibliocook) will be talking all things beer. As head of marketing at Eight Degrees Brewing, Caroline will be running tastings as well as giving tips on food pairings and baking with beer.

Veronica Steele (@veronicamsteele) began making the award-winning Milleens Cheese, the first modern Irish farmhouse cheese, in 1976. Veronica will present 'Blessed are the Cheese Makers' where she will host some ‘cheesy discussions’ as well as tastings and demonstrations.

Toby Simmonds of Toonsbridge Creamery, who, along with business partner Johnny Lynch produces award winning mozzarella and ricotta from the milk of water buffalo, will talk cheese and creating the perfect cheesy toasty.

Sally Barnes from Woodcock Smokery will give a class on how you can ‘Smoke Your Own’. Sally will be teaching participants how to smoke fish, and more, using a biscuit tin!

Day tickets are available from €39.50. For more on the mammoth foodie line-up, visit facebook.com/LissArdFestival.