The 2024 Taste of Kildare Festival, set for September 20th to 22nd at Naas Racecourse, is gearing up to be a fantastic weekend of food, music and entertainment. The festival has been billed as Kildare’s biggest restaurant with the harvest season inspiring many of the dishes and seasonal produce on offer. This exciting culinary event has been created by Into Kildare, the County Kildare tourism board and is supported by Ballymore and Kildare County Council’s Local Enterprise Office who will also feature a rich tapestry of local food producers with over 100 different market stalls.
12 of Ireland’s top chefs will showcase their culinary prowess over the weekend and will hold various demonstrations in the Calor Gas Chefs’ Theatre. Each chef brings their own unique culinary expertise and will create their signature dishes, offering a unique fusion of flavours and techniques. The star-studded lineup of chefs who will do talks and demonstrations over the weekend includes Rachel Allen, Derry Clarke, Gary O’Hanlon, Ross Lewis, Martin Shanahan, Natalie Collins, Jordan Bailey, Holly White, Mindi Keane, Duro Vdovic, Graham Herterich and Melissa McCabe. This interactive kitchen will offer festival goers a front-row seat to culinary expertise, displaying a unique fusion of flavours and cooking techniques.
Workshops and various talks will also take place over the weekend on the ‘Talk Stage, Powered by Eir’ – here the audience will get to enjoy all kind of workshops and have the chance to hear from some of the best producers, food photographers, tablescapers and culinary talents in the country. Eir also have an award up for grabs for the Best in Taste, that is the best dish or product at Taste of Kildare and that will be judged by an Eir representative together with an Into Kildare judge over the festival weekend.
Newbridge Silverware, which is famous for its Vintage Afternoon Tea has teamed up with baker, Graham Herterich who will prepare a special afternoon tea inspired by Newbridge Silverware’s ‘Silver Restaurant’. The afternoon tea will be served on vintage delph, complemented by Newbridge Silverware’s famous cutlery and tableware which has been made on site at the Newbridge factory since 1934. Graham Herterich rose to fame as ‘The Cupcake Bloke’ many years ago and has grown a loyal customer base with his stunning baked treats. He now runs a highly successful bakery in Rialto and is a regular on television. Aswell as created the vintage afternoon tea, Graham will be in the Calor Gas Chefs’ Theatre on the Saturday of the festival and will host a fun, baking masterclass with kids on Sunday.
Brian Fallon of Fallon’s of Kilcullen who is a board member of Into Kildare and is also very involved in the organisation of the festival together with Avril Bannerton, Taste of Kildare Festival Director said, “Fallon’s of Kilcullen will have a Pig & Pints Experience on site in collaboration with Orchard Thieves Cider. Dermot Allen from Wine Tavern Farms regularly works with Fallon’s of Kilcullen during the year and has his own rare breed of pigs. He has been providing pigs on a spit for many happy wedding guests over the years at and he will be serving it up for visitors at Taste of Kildare this year. This succulent pork will be paired with the cool, apple cider from Orchard Thieves – it’s a match made in heaven and is the perfect taste of the harvest season.”
He continued, “Friday night of the festival celebrates the very best of autumn. The 5-course tasting dinner called ‘The Harvest Dining’, fine dining experience is already sold out, but we have lots going on for groups including the BBQ experience. September is also ‘oyster season’ and we have amazing seafood from the Saltee Buoy, while an oyster bar by Oysam Oysters will be located right beside The Kildare Village Sip and Savour Champagne Bar. Friday night will be a great night out for a group of friends or work colleagues and with live music by Smash Hits and Superfly and even line dancing the craic will be mighty!”
Saturday night features music by The Victory Dolls and the global sensation ‘Bingo Loco’ which has flipped the traditional game of bingo on its head and turned it into an interactive stage show, complete with dance-offs, rave rounds, lip sync battles, throwback anthems, confetti showers, and prizes. Taste of Kildare have also teamed up with Bacardí to provide a complimentary cocktail for each Saturday ticket holder. The Bord na Móna family fun day takes place on Sunday and features lots of family fun, face painting and baking master classes for children.
Jacqui McNabb, Head of Enterprise, Tourism and Economic Development at Kildare County Council, also highlighted the festival’s importance, “We are delighted to be a sponsor of Taste of Kildare, we will have over 100 different stalls, producers and artisans in attendance. Supporting Taste of Kildare provides a significant platform for our local businesses to shine, offering festival-goers a taste of the exceptional creativity and passion that thrives in our culinary community.”
CEO of Into Kildare, Áine Mangan said, “As the festival prepares to open its gates, it is set to not only showcase the gastronomic delights of County Kildare but to also boost local tourism and hospitality, creating lasting memories for all who attend. Into Kildare is delighted to bring this festival to fruition and to support our members which include so many fabulous hotels, restaurants, cafes, gastro pubs and visitor attractions.”
Taste of Kildare 2024 is proudly presented by Into Kildare, sponsored by Ballymore and Kildare County Council’s Local Enterprise Office. Other sponsors include Kildare County Council, Calor Gas, Culinary Food Group, Bord na Móna, Newbridge Silverware, Square, Fitzpatrick’s Mercedes Benz, Kildare Village, Eir and Sysco.
Tickets are now on sale at www.tasteofkildare.ie/tickets and are priced from €15 for general admission. A bundle ticket priced from €32 per person offers great value and includes admission, two signature dishes from any of the participating restaurants for one session on any one day over the weekend. Pre booking is essential for the bundle tickets. Group, VIP and corporate bookings are available with great offers in place for the BBQ session on Friday night.
The full schedule of events can be seen on www.tasteofkildare.ie which is regularly updated as new restaurants and chefs are announced. Follow @tasteofkildare to keep updated on event news and highlights. Car parking on site is free and a shuttle service will be available from Naas town centre. *All tickets are subject to booking fees.
Photo: Derry Clarke Natalie Collins and Pippa Clancy
