Cullahill is playing host to the first ever annual Irish Porridge Making championships this weekend.
The competition will consist of two heats and two categories: traditional and speciality.
The judges include renowned TV Chef Rachel Allen, PaddyO’s Cereals founder, Paddy O’Connell and World Porridge Making Judge, Martyn O’Reilly.
All are welcome and encouraged to come and support the porridge making stars in the Cullahill community center. Winners will be announced and handed the prize of the Emerald Spurtle trophy, made from ancient Laois bog oak which dates back 4000 years and was crafted by Laois man Alan Meredith.
The two winners of the competition will be flown to the World Porridge Making Championship in Carrbridge, Scotland, to represent Ireland on Saturday, October 6, 2018.
A party with Marty
Also, Countrywide will be broadcasting live from Cullahill Saturday morning, where Marty Morrissey will have to choose which is better – an Irish porridge or a Scottish porridge – which will be made by judges Paddy O Connell and Marytn O’Reilly in a blind tasting.
As the excitement builds for the Folly Festival weekend, here are the contestants going for All-Ireland glory.
Laura Delaney Boyle
Ballybrittas, Laois
Laura is currently working as a solicitor and is hoping to move into the wonderful business
of food soon to nurture her love for food. Laura hails from Ballybrittas in Laois and is a proud member of the Delaney family who own Delaneys’ Roadhouse Restaurant in Ballybtittas.
Manjinder Singh
Dublin
Manjinder is a breakfast chef at the award winning Ariel House in Ballsbridge for the past nine years. He tries to make porridge in many different ways and try different combinations. Majinder says that oats is a very simple ingredient but can be an amazing start to the day when cooked correctly.
His speciality is: Oats, soft brown sugar, apple juice, cinnamon, walnuts, apples, water.
Sinéad Delahunty
Castlehiggins, Fethard, Co. Tipperary
Sinéad is a physiotherapist, gaelic footballer, food blogger and most recently – a cookbook author. Sinéad comes from a long line of farmers and home cooks in rural Tipperary.
She is a passionate lover of all food and shares her kitchen creations through her food blog and cookbook – Delalicious.
Sinéad focuses on inspiring others to fuel their lives through healthy, wholesome and real food with quick and easy recipes for all. Juggling work, sport and blogging has allowed her become a self-professed pro at batch-cooking, making meals from scratch in minutes and cooking within a tight budget.
You can check out Sinéad’s blog here for more recipe inspirations or follow her on social media @delaliciousfood for Delalicious treats.
Paddy Gorman
Lower Conahy, Ballyragget, Co. Kilkenny
Paddy is a 55 year old grandfather. and is originally from Lisburn Co. Down. He now lives in Kilkenny and has worked in many industries from advertising, tool hire and bar work. He even ran his own business marketing religious books for four years.
Three years ago Paddy returned to cooking and has just completed his first year in college to get his chef’s papers. Over the past three years, Paddy has worked in fine dining establishments and hotels and this week he begins working in the Green Isle Hotel on the Nass Road, Dublin.
Paddy also has a fun fact about his memory of cooking.
“I was four or five years old and got up early one morning to make porridge for my father. Having carefully read the instructions I put 3 cupfuls of oats into the saucepan and carefully measured 3 tablespoons of water. Standing up on a chair, I stirred the mixture for the correct cooking time.
I very proudly brought the porridge up to my father who was in bed. To this day I don’t know how he managed to eat it, but he did and told me it was lovely. Meanwhile my mother was downstairs adding probably gallons of water to the pot to try and salvage the porridge!”
Toby Allen
Cork
Toby Allen works at Ballymaloe Cookery School, but not in the kitchen. He has been eating porridge every morning for the last six years and finds that bad things happen during the day if it doesn’t start with porridge. Coffee is the other essential ingredient in this man’s plan to break his fast.
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