Rhubarb martinis, tangy Irish oysters, pink pickled eggs and charred, earthy beetroot. A salad dressed with bright, edible flowers. Feasting on a giant cut of freshly caught halibut. Buttery potatoes. DIY Irish coffees laced with Teelings whiskey, and heavenly mouthfuls of buttermilk tart.

(If you’re hungry and reading this, I’m very sorry.) 

Last Friday, Ben and I headed to Kildare Village for Lens and Larder, a gorgeous pop-up dinner celebrating Irish food that was a total treat of an evening. Some snaps after the jump!

You could have told me the names of the people involved – food and writer Aoife Carrigy, Imen McDonnell (aka Farmette) and Cliodhna Prendergast, the creative brains behind the Lens and Larder workshops, and super stylist Grace and Saviour to name but a very few – and I would have signed up without further question. But as it happened, tantalising peeks had cropped up on my Instagram a few weeks ago, and I had to find out more. 

Part of Kildare Village’s impressive ‘Food: From the Isle’ summer programme, which aims to showcase the very best of Irish food culture, the entire evening was a glorious celebration of the best of Irish food and drink.

Our feast was served on flower-laden, candle lit tables, under a canopy of ferns and ivy (and often on gorgeous boards by Two Wooden Horses). 

All in all, a truly wonder-filled evening, that made you feel proud of and fortunate for the incredible food and creative talents on this lovely island of ours.