Waterford served up on a plate at Waterford Harvest Festival

With a tasty, jam – packed programme of events scheduled for Waterford Harvest Festival (September 11^th to 13^th), an exciting collaboration of Waterford restaurants is flying the flag for local producers.

The premise of this year’s Harvest Festival is Waterford Food Heroes and “EAT Waterford”, a collective of Waterford restaurants and hotels will champion the best of local produce.  Set in the Marquee on the Mall, in the heart of the Viking Triangle, diners will be able to enjoy a five course tasting menu, prepared by the participating restaurants using fresh, seasonal ingredients, sourced from local producers.

Paul Power, Head Chef with Waterford’s Bellissimo Restaurant, a member of EAT Waterford, outlined the group’s food philosophy and how EAT Waterford is committed to shining the spotlight on Waterford as a burgeoning food tourism destination.

“The last ten years have seen an exciting, passionate food movement in Waterford.  There has been the development of a food philosophy that values local and regional produce and from that ensures the best dining experience for customers.”

“Waterford and its surrounds are spoilt with a fantastic array of great growers and producers and, of course, natural resources, so there is no excuse for restaurants to provide sub-standard dining experiences.”

All of the EAT Waterford restaurants are ardent supporters of artisan producers and there is currently an exciting cohort of such producers in Waterford.  The home of the blaa, rashers and even the humble cream cracker has inspired a generation of local producers of great meat, seafood, breads, vegetables, beer and spirits.

“In the last decade, Waterford producers, growers, chefs and restaurants began to sing from the same hymn sheet.  Working in tandem, from grass roots level to the dining table, has resulted in a more enjoyable, positive, memorable experience for diners in Waterford city.”

“EAT Waterford was formed earlier this year to harness local restaurants that adhere to a similar food philosophy and those that recognise the value of working together to raise the profile of our vibrant restaurant scene.”

The EAT Waterford Marquee on the Mall takes place throughout Waterford Harvest Festival with sittings at 7pm on Friday, September 11^th, 1pm, 5pm and 8.30pm on Saturday, September 12^th and 2pm  on Sunday, September 13^th.

Tickets can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.ie or from  participating restaurants; Loko, La Boheme, L’Atmosphere, Bellissimo and Zak’s Restaurant (Athenaeum House Hotel).

Not only will Waterford Harvest Festival be the home of the Marquee on the Mall dining experience, there is an emphasis on all things fun, food and family. 

The wide and eclectic programme of free events for all includes the Festival Market on the Mall, Farm to Fork, The Big Taste, Enterprising Food Market, Trad Craft Corner, Harvest Time in the Garden, The Ballybricken Festival Fair, Harvest Kitchen and Play ‘n’ Picnic in the Park.

This year’s festival promises a congruence of sights, sounds, tastes and aromas with cookery demonstrations, foodie films, tastings and workshops, all making Waterford City one big street party for Harvest weekend.

All roads lead to Waterford from September 11^th to 13th.  If you want to know more, the Waterford Harvest Festival full programme of events is available on www.waterfordharvestfestival.ie

Be sure to keep up to date on all things Harvest Fest by checking it out on Facebook and Twitter #WaterfoodHeroes and #WhattheFork

Waterford on a plate!

25 restaurants collaborate to produce the essential guide to dining in Waterford – “Eat Waterford”

“EAT Waterford”, the definitive guide to dining in Waterford, puts the spotlight on the city as an exciting food tourism destination.

Launched this week, EAT Waterford offers locals and visitors alike a comprehensive insight into the world class dining experience available in the city and surrounds.  The informative guide provides details such as theme, price range, menu options, and accessibility on 25 Waterford restaurants.  The restaurants involved in the initiative range from classical French fine dining to traditional Asian cuisine and casual American style dining to time-honoured fresh Irish fayre.

EAT Waterford is the brainchild of Fiona McHardy, CEO of The Viking Triangle, Waterford’s cultural and heritage quarter.  Commenting on the launch of EAT Waterford, Fiona said, “This collaboration is an exciting example of the strength of co-working and what can be achieved by businesses who ordinarily compete with each other to attract visitors to our city.  In essence, the businesses, tourists and locals will all benefit."

“The seed, to form a coalition amongst local restaurateurs, was sown at the end of last year’s tourist season.  In partnership with the local tourist office, we gathered extensive feedback from visitors not only about their overall experience of Waterford, but also their experience of dining out in the city.”

“In the main the feedback was extremely positive, however there was no overall guide to inform them about all of the fantastic restaurants Waterford has to offer.  As a result, EAT Waterford came into being and we intend to let locals and visitors know about the array of great restaurants and talented chefs that Waterford has.”

Another area this collaboration is keen to promote is the role that local producers play.  All of the restaurants are ardent supporters of artisan producers and there is currently an exciting cohort of local producers who supply these restaurants in Waterford.  The home of the blaa, rashers and even the humble cream cracker has inspired a generation of producers of great meat, seafood, breads, vegetables, beer and spirits.

EAT Waterford is supported by Waterford City and County Council and Lar Power, Director of Economic Development, welcomed the initiative.  “It’s great to see businesses working together to promote the city, its food culture, its hospitality, its producers and ultimately its calibre of restaurants” he said.

“At a glance visitors can get a real feel for Waterford city and all that it has to offer.  The restaurants and hotels working on this initiative have proven that sharing a common goal and working together can only enhance the food offering of Waterford city as a whole.”

To find out more about the EAT dining experience visit http://eatwaterford.ie/ or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.