Sponsored by Peroni

The House of Peroni’s latest instalment, La Sagra, is all about the food. For any Italian speakers, this will of course be obvious from the name, a sagra being a traditional food festival which brings together food producers and community.

Being in Ireland, we are surrounded by some of the best quality food in the world, and Peroni is showcasing top Irish food producers who create authentic Italian cuisine during La Sagra, which takes place in Meeting House Square in Dublin from October 19th – 20th.

Among the lineup are The Wooded Pig, a family run free range pork producer specialising in salumi, and Toons Bridge Dairy, who make Italian style cheeses in their West Cork dairy. Speaking on the importance of the quality of raw ingredients, Jenny-Rose Clarke of Toonsbridge commented on how lucky we are in Ireland to have such beautiful produce to work with. “We source raw cow and sheep milk from local farms whom we know well, and who are very conscientious. The animals are all free-roaming, grass-fed, and carefully reared. This milk is of a very high standard meaning that we are able to use it without pasteurisation, and this in turn is what gives our cheeses their beautiful flavour profiles”. Eoin Bird of The Wooded Pig in Co. Meath has a similar stance on rearing his animals, whose rare-breed Welsh pigs “are constantly active in the forest resulting in a lower consumption of feed slowing down the growth rate allowing the meat to develop a deeper flavour”.

Former World Young Chef of the Year, Mark Moriarty will join forces with acclaimed Italian chef Francesco Mazzei, to create an exciting menu for the event. Mark’s time in Italy has helped him to learn about the importance of great quality produce, and to treat the ingredients simply. Not giving too much about the menu away, he hinted that we can expect “classic Italian dishes, produced with great ingredients and a modern flair”. Commenting on the standard of authentic Italian ingredients now available outside of Italy, Francesco Mazzei has noticed a dramatic improvement over the last number of years; it is the product which inspires the dish, not the other way around.

The House of Peroni Presents: La Sagra is open from 5-10pm on October 19th and 12 – 10pm 20th and general entry is free of charge.

This is an over 18s event. For more information visit www.thehouseofperoni.com

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