RACHEL’S COASTAL COOKING, EPISODE SIX OF TWELVE, RTÉ ONE, 8.30PM
Tonight, Rachel heads to Kilcornan and the delightful Rigney’s Farm, which is packed with rare breeds – including Tamworth pigs and Jacobs Sheep. The farm was Caroline Rigney’s dream when she lived in suburbia and, with husband Joe, she has created a beautiful farm and B&B.
Rachel collects up herbs and eggs from the farm to use in her pork schnitzel dish, which needs to be cooked in a hot pan… though not as hot as Rachel’s, which catches fire! Thankfully Rachel’s trusty assistant Ivan is on hand to help.
Rachel then heads into Limerick City to meet fermenting expert Val O’Connor. Val shares some of her sauerkraut and kombucha, and explains the growing popularity of these age-old techniques. Rachel sets up an al fresco kitchen in Val’s back yard to braise turbot in another fermented drink – beer.
After serving the fish with some of Val’s sourdough bread, Rachel travels to Coonagh Airfield.
Limerick has a long and important association with flight, with nearby Foynes being the take off point for flying boats, and the birthplace of Irish Coffee – created to keep passengers calm after an abortive transatlantic flight.
Mark Burkley gives Rachel a flight in his Cessna, and she gets a different perspective on Limerick, as well as seeing what’s to come when she journeys onwards to The Burren.
Series Overview
Ireland’s gourmet goddess Rachel Allen is back with a new show that sees her travel along the southern and western coast in search of the best local produce.
In this new series Rachel takes to the road visiting the south and west coasts, hunting down the very best of the abundant local produce; foraging and, at times, battling wind and rain. Rachel cooks as she goes, for her crew and participants, usually outside in the elements and subject to the vagaries of the Irish weather. Taken away from the relative comforts of the kitchen, Rachel’s Coastal Cooking plays to her natural curiosity and sense of fun while showcasing some of the best of Ireland’s produce and the people behind it.
This food and travelogue series marks a real departure for Rachel, as she challenges herself to explore landscape, culture, social and culinary history in a way she has never tried before. The series also sees Rachel immersed in local communities, meeting incredible characters and exploring a mix of traditional and contemporary approaches to food production, from a state of the art Abalone farm to foraging for Woodruff in ancient woodland.