Dublin’s local food scene has never been livelier, and boasts a dizzying array of great eating experiences. But sometimes you want to go further and meet some of the personalities keeping that food scene buzzing. Food blogger Aoife Carrigy explores some of the best immersive experiences the city has to offer.
Many tourists visiting Dublin will take a walk through the Liberties to reach a certain world-famous brewery. But if you’d like to side-step off the beaten track and pick up a new hobby, check into one of Dublin’s smallest microbreweries for your very own beer-making class. The Artisan Brew Academy’s introductory class promises a tutorial on the crafting of beer from grain to bottle, plus a demonstration of all grain brewing and – crucially – a tasting of a wide range of craft beer samples!
Fancy learning how to bake your very own Irish soda bread? Then book yourself into one of the Cake Cafe’s monthly Prepare to Meet Your Baker classes. Hosted in one of the city’s prettiest hidden gems (tucked away off buzzing Camden Street), this class will arm you with the skills to bake up a traditional Irish loaf and produce the finest pastry, cakes and traditional butter cookies from your own home oven.
A trip to the pretty fishing village of Howth is a treat for any seafood lover, with its lively West Pier lined with smoke-houses, fishmongers and seafood eateries on the one side, and working fleets on the other. For a truly memorable experience, book yourself a monthly Catch and Cook class at Howth Castle Cookery School. Head out beyond Ireland’s Eye to learn the basics of catching fish before returning to the Castle to cook your bounty, and enjoy it as a three-course dinner with wine. You’ll leave with the confidence to handle fresh fish both on the boat and in the kitchen – and a unique experience to remember.
Tipperary-born Miceál Murray has been living in Dublin for half a lifetime – long enough to explore the city’s hidden pockets of urban wilderness. He set up Taking a Leaf as a way to reconnect with the green spaces in his adopted city, and to share their secrets with others through his blog as well as themed feasts, workshops and walks. Limited to small, intimate groups, his walks introduce you to forgotten places and the plants hidden in plain sight within them. Miceál will share his knowledge of their edible and medicinal properties, and associated folklore and stories.
Coffee culture has exploded in Dublin, and the city now boasts a whole host of third-wave roasters and independent coffee shops. Whether you’re a coffee connoisseur or simply curious about Dublin’s take on this global sub-culture, a guided tour to meet local baristas will give you a new pep in your step. Join the Fab Food Trails team on a Coffee Crawl around the city and learn the secret to making really good coffee, with the inside track on how brewing techniques or added milk can affect flavour.
