4th Galway Food Festival set to have them drooling

The Galway Food festival now in its 4th year will take place over the Easter bank holiday weekend from Thursday, April 2 to Monday, April 6. The five day event celebrates all things foodie and aims to showcase Galway’s unique food produce, traditions and restaurants to local, national and international audiences.

The comprehensive festival programme has been developed with families, gourmet enthusiasts and first time visitors to Galway in mind with a comprehensive itinerary which is geared to satisfy all taste buds.

Derry Clarke, Irish celebrity chef, and proprietor of L’Ecrivain Michelin star restaurant in Dublin will open the festival. He’ll also kickstart the live cooking demonstrations on the Friday with his exclusive seafood recipes compiled especially for Galway Food Festival.

Over 70,000 people attended last year’s Galway Food Festival with over 100 food outlets and producers from across the city and county taking part. In addition to the annual festival village, markets, cookery demos and events, other highlights are:

■ Wild Atlantic Way Food Tours including a visit to an Aran Island’s goat’s cheese farm, a guided tour of inishmore and seaweed foraging.

■ Oysters Food Tour to Clarinbridge including a visit to Kelly’s oyster farm, an apiary and Galway Hooker Brewery.

■ Foraging on the Wild Atlantic Way Food Tour including a seaside walk and demonstration with Sally McKenna.

■ Food business development workshop with Egg and Chicken and Bank of Ireland

■ Dinner Cruise on Lough Corrib with Cava Galway and The Corrib Princess

■ Hunter Gatherer Feast at Cambridge’s featuring Boris and Rodrigo Leite Poco from Sauvage Paleo Restaurant, Berlin

■ Butter Making for Kids with Jessica Murphy from Kai Cafe and Restaurant

■ Breaking Bread: Demystifying Sourdough. The Story of Sourdough; from Grain to Loaf.

The Woodquay Country Market returns again this year with an impressive line-up of quality food producers and farmers. The market will also host a Teddy Bears Picnic where children can bring their favourite teddy bear and enjoy dining al fresco with a live DJ providing music for all the family to enjoy close to the River Corrib.

Plans are also being made to host events at a number of surprise locations throughout Galway city and county.

The 2015 Festival will also seek to build on Galway’s growing status as a Food Capital of the Wild Atlantic Way where Connemara Spring lamb, brown trout, wild salmon, seafood, organic fruit, vegetables and herbs can be found in abundance.