As a regular diner in Scholars Restaurant, I was particularly keen to attend this event for the Boyne Valley Food Series, which took place on Friday 26th June.  This was a tasting menu, created and executed by Head Chef Michael and his team, which brought together the tastes and produce of  the Louth/Meath Area.

My Dinner Guest and I enjoyed a glass of Prosecco each before being seated in the Restaurant to begin what resulted in a triumph of flavours, focus, and hard work.

Amuse Bouche  : Chicken heart raviolo with Drummond House wild scape, smoked celeriac, shredded brisket and Dave Heffernan’s mitsuba oil & wasabi cress (Photo Credit: Marie McKenna)  

Boyne Valley “Ploughman’s Lunch” : Textures of Glebe Brethan cheese with micro salad, Stameen Farm apples, shaved baby radish & homemade pickles, served with a glass of Jack Cody’s Amber Ale.

Clogherhead Cod (Gerry Cannon Fishmongers) –  House-smoked fillet of cod with spiced cauliflower tempura, raisin purée, smoked almonds, curried granola and David Heffernan’s cumin and coriander cress

Palate Cleanser : Juniper & chamomile sorbet with local elder flower

Peter Whelan’s Organic Pork : Turf-smoked pork belly with Stameen Farm apples, black pudding mousse & ash, sage polenta, Dan Kelly’s Cider reduction, served with a glass of Dan Kelly’s cider

Clarkes Farm, Stamullen – Strawberries : Roast strawberry jelly, rhubarb, Dan Kelly cider meringues, rhubarb & rose sorbet and strawberry texturePetit Fours – Salted Chocolate Fudge, passion fruit and chocolate macarons.

Our Thoughts

Amuse Bouche – Perfectly cooked pasta, and just the right thickness, which enveloped one of the tastiest combinations I’ve eaten in some time. The surrounding broth was brimful of flavour.  Quite exquisite!

Boyne Valley “Ploughman’s Lunch”  – Cheese, pickles and ale, three best friends! The cheese was served cut into cubes and also in three deliciously savoury croquettes, along with  the sharpness of the picked onion and sweet apple, this was a refined take on a classic.  Jack Cody’s Amber Ale was a seamless match for the sweet and salty elements in the dish.

Clogherhead Cod – The cauliflower tempura spiced with picalilli worked really well with the sweetness of the raisin, against the light smoking of the cod

Palate Cleanser – Light, clean, and totally refreshing – “Summer in a Glass”

Peter Whelan’s Organic Pork – The surprise for me in this dish was the black pudding mousse.  Rich, velvet-smooth and creamy, and not overpowering the other components. The glass of Dan Kelly’s Cider rounded out the slighty salty (for my taste) pork belly, and perfectly complimented this dish.

Clarkes Farm Stamullen Strawberries – Clarkes are renowned for the quality of the fruit they grow on their farm in Stamullen, and  it certainly showed here.  An elegant dessert, with the strawberries being the star, supported by rhubarb and rose.  Just perfect.

Petit Fours – These were so good, we were very cheeky indeed, and asked for a second plate!

My thanks to Chef Michael Hunter and his amazing team for giving us a wonderful dining experience.  Thanks also to Mark McGowan, and all the staff who looked after our table on the night.  A thoroughly memorable meal, for all the right reasons.

Disclosure:  I was a guest at this event on behalf of the Boyne Valley Food Series. Our Dinner was complimentary.   Wines and Prosecco paid  for by me.