Table Time - A day with Rory O’Connell of Ballymaloe

 

Launching our Summer 2024 Irish Linen Napkins paired with receipes by Rory.

As you know by now we love a chance to set the table. It’s been a ritual all our lives, no matter if it’s a quick elevenses or a full on dinner party, we love to make it a moment to enjoy and be present.

We have been offering Irish Linen napkins for many years now and this summer we have a set of 6 different colours which we had the sheer pleasure and joy to work with Rory O'Connell, our dear friend, world renowned chef, teacher and Ballymaloe Cookery School owner.

A day at Rory’s beautiful home in Ballycotton, chatting, photographing and setting the table, introducing Rory’s simple recipes to match our napkin colours was a real treat to savour.

Our Irish linen napkins are collected and gifted constantly by our customers. They are made from pure Irish Linen which just gets better with use, infused with the chats and warmth of the table talk over time.

Rory shared with us some gorgeously simple recipes (see below)

Thank you Rory for your time and energy, enthusiasm and love for local, organic, fresh and seasonal food. Inspiring the nation for better healthy and delicious eating!

 

Easy Sourdough Bread made by the Folding Method
Makes 1 loaf. Remember “Sourdough bread is an inconsistent medium of nature”. Every loaf will be slightly different depending on the activity of the starter. Making a loaf of sourdough bread by this method is a three day process which once you get started, will soon become a routine part of your day.

Link to this recipe here

 

Elderflower Granita
Using Elderflower or fresh leaves such as Blackcurrant leaf, Mint, Lemon Balm, or Lemon Geranium.

Link to this recipe here

 

Langues de Chat

These thin biscuits are so called as they are supposed to resemble the shape of cats tongues.

Link to this recipe here

 

Fresh Mint Tea
Rory recommends growing your own mint in a pot if possible as the fresher the mint for your tea the better. Take 15 leaves of fresh mint and rinse if required. Pop in a beautiful teapot with just boiled water. Allow to infuse for 5 to 10 minutes and to cool down. Sip for delicious, feel good flavour.


Dressed Garden Salad with Chopped Egg
One of the quickest and most rewarding things to grow are salad leaves. Mixed variety seed packets are worth a go. They grow quickly and allow you to pick a mixed source of leaves as you need. Remember too flowers are great to add for nutritional value and colour. Nasturtiums, marigolds and lilac flowers. Gather and pick leaves, rinse and dry the leaves. Place in a beautiful bowl and mix with really good organic olive oil (worth spending money on this), sea salt and a fresh squeeze of lemon. Hard boil a fresh organic or free range egg. Peel and chop into small pieces. Scatter over the salad and serve.

 

Tomato, Nectarine and Burrata Salad
Ripe Irish grown tomatoes taste like nothing else. The flavour is exceptional and paired with a good Burrata allows for a delicious blend of textures and creaminess. Find Irish tomatoes at local markets and independent grocers, or even better still, grow your own if you have space. They are easy to grow and generous in their crops. There are so many varieties too and mixing them up in a salad is always a sight to behold.Chop tomatoes up, slice slivers of a ripe nectarine. Tear the burrata and place on top. Dressing with Balsamic vinegar and a really good olive oil is all you need with a good few grinds of black pepper and sea salt.

 

See our Summer 2024 Linen Napkin Colours here

 

See videos from our day spent pairing recipes with Rory here


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