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There is a resurgence of interest in Country Markets Ltd, the co-operative group of 60 local food and craft markets that take place weekly right across the country.   The organisation was set up in the 1940’s to allow the sale of crafts and surplus food directly to the consumer and generate additional income for farm families.

 “Our markets are thriving and we are currently receiving applications every day from people who wish to become members and sell their produce at our markets and also from people who want to set up new markets at different locations around the country”, said Margaret Sweeney, chairman of Country Markets Limited.  “In just June alone, 21 new members have started to sell their produce in their own locality at our markets and we received 6 requests to open new markets.  Our organisation today is a vindication of the women who set up Country Markets 64 years ago and their husbands and partners who helped in so many ways. The focus then was on creating new local enterprise and generating additional income for families by selling high quality home produced food and crafts directly to the consumer.  We stuck to our core principles, lived through the boom and here we are again acting as a catalyst for allowing local entrepreneurship to flourish in the most sustainable way”.

 Country Markets Limited is a co-operative group of 62 local food and craft markets that take place weekly right across the country. Members are registered local producers who produce under strict regulations and standards. They are local artisan bakers and farm families selling their own home grown and handmade food and crafts directly to the consumer.  The markets have a long established heritage and tradition and play an increasingly important role in their local communities.  Each member market uses the distinctive Country Markets logo on its signage to differentiate it from other markets.  Products available include freshly baked breads, scones, cakes and tarts.  Savoury dishes from pies and quiches to lasagnes and other ready-made meals, a wide range of jams, marmalades, honey and seasonal preserves and craft items.  Fresh seasonal produce is available at all the markets and includes freshly picked salads, herbs, vegetables, fruits, eggs and flowers  grown locally by families who take great pride in bringing their produce to local consumers in their own community.

 Most of the markets include members from families who are proudly producing for Country Markets for generations.  Many of the grand-parents of today’s producers sold their surplus vegetables, fruits, eggs and butter to generate additional farm family income.   Today’s producers often keep local traditions alive using traditional family methods and recipes.

 The rich heritage of traditional crafts on offer includes knitwear, delicate crochet, pottery, woodturning, stonework, baskets and jewellery.  Some of the markets also sell art and photography.  Many of the members have been preserving and reviving traditional skills that would have been lost without the support and enthusiasm of Country Markets.

 Many markets serve teas, coffees and a range of the fresh home baked goodies such as tea cakes, scones and pastries.  This serves as a great social hub for the local community and is a distinctive part of the market.

 Country Markets was established in 1947 by Dr Muriel Gahan.  She wanted to create an initiative to allow farm families to sell the wonderful crafts and food that was being produced in rural Ireland directly to the consumer.  The initial outlet was the Country Shop in St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin.  This was highly successful and in conjunction with the ICA and Irish Homespun Society, Country Markets Limited was founded with markets opening up around the country.  The aim of the organisation was to supplement farm family income.  The first branch market was set up in Fethard, Co. Tipperary in 1947 and it along with 35 other markets established between 1946 and 1974 are vibrantly trading today. Those markets along with more recent additions play a strong role in developing and maintaining community spirit, fostering local food and crafts entrepreneurship and developing local economic activity.

For further information visit www.countrymarkets.ie or on Facebook.

 

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More Awareness Needed as up to 20% of Children in Ireland Suffer from Eczema

 

It is estimated that 1 in 5 or 20% of children under the age of 7 in Ireland and 1 in 12 adults suffer from Eczema.  The condition is now 30% more frequent than it was in the 1980s and it begins in the first year of life for most sufferers.  To raise awareness of the condition the Irish Eczema Society has launched Eczema Awareness Week which runs from 19^th to 25^th September.

 

“Eczema is a very distressing condition for children and their families.  It causes considerable emotional distress as well as discomfort.  It is often misunderstood and misdiagnosed and we need to raise awareness in Ireland about the treatment and effects of eczema”, said Jeannette Brazel, Chairperson of the Irish Eczema Society.  “Although there is no outright cure, in 65% of children, the eczema is gone by the time they are 7 years old and with proper diagnosis and treatment, eczema can be well controlled.  We want to encourage everyone and especially parents and teachers to take time to educate themselves about eczema and understand the emotional distress it causes to sufferers”.

 

Jeannette Brazel continued. “It is vital that children receive treatment early to control Eczema and we want to encourage parents of children with rashes and irritated skin conditions to seek help from their GP, Practice Nurse or Pharmacist.  Removing irritants and moisturising your child’s skin adequately is the basic cornerstone of treatment.  We want to encourage as many people as possible to log onto www.eczemaireland.org or contact the Irish Eczema Society for further information.”

 

The Irish Eczema Society is holding an Open Day at The Brookfield Health Sciences Building UCC in Cork starting at 12 noon on Saturday 25^th September.  There will be a talk from consultant dermatologist Dr.Michelle Murphy at 12 noon and the open day will run until 5.00pm.  Admission is free.  A specialist dermatology nurse will be present for the day to show how to apply creams correctly and there will be information stands and samples of eczema specific products.

Useful Tips for looking after Eczema  

•    Adopt a good daily care regime to try to get the eczema under control 

•          Use cotton clothing where possible

•          Use soap free products for bathing, check with your pharmacist for advice

•          Use specially formulated shampoos

•          Talk to your child’s teacher about his or her eczema and make sure the teacher is informed about the condition and how to help a child with eczema in the classroom

•          Keep skin cool and allow it to breathe

•          Use a non-bio washing powder and do not use fabric conditioner.

•          Do not use chemical sprays and plug-ins around the home

•          Cut down on harsh cleaning products

•          Shower immediately after swimming in a chlorinated pool and apply a moisturiser.

•          Use heavy protective gloves when working with paint or chemicals and wear a mask.

•          Sore skin and sand do not mix.  Be careful of children on holidays.

•          Avoid having anybody smoke in the home, avoid houses where there are smokers

•          Don’t cut out foods such as milk unless a food allergy has been diagnosed by your doctor.  Food is a main trigger in just 10% of cases and good balanced diet is essential for overall health, especially in a child with Eczema

 

Things to Avoid

•          Wool or synthetic fibres

•          Soaps and detergents

•          Some perfumes and cosmetics (most contain cocktails of chemicals)

•          Substances such as chlorine, mineral oil, or solvents

•          Dust or sand

•          Cigarette smoke

•          Preservatives, colorants and other additives in processed foods

 

The term ‘atopic’ refers to a personal and family tendency to develop eczema, asthma and/or hay fever. While these conditions tend to be hereditary they are not always passed directly from parent to child and may skip a generation. Although we still do not know exactly why atopic eczema develops in some people, research has shown that a combination of genetic and environmental factors play a part.

 

Low self-confidence and esteem, bullying, discrimination and underperformance and school and work are some of the recognised emotional impacts of Eczema.  The International Study of Life with Atopic Eczema carried out in the UK, US, several continental European countries and Mexico found that worldwide more than a quarter of sufferers have been bullied or discriminated against at work because of their skin condition.  Over 2000 adults with moderate Eczema took part in the study.  Over 75% of those interviewed said that being able to control their eczema would be the single most important improvement to their quality of life.  Many reported that Eczema prevented them from making friends, especially in their teenage years and 43% felt awkward about their partner touching or seeing their body during a flare up.  Over half reported frequent bouts of depression and low self-confidence.  On average they reported underperforming at work or college for 10% of the time during a flare up.  The majority of participants expressed concerned about the general treatment for eczema and identified the need for effective treatment that would give long term control of their condition. 

 

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Ferdia Fine Foods (‘Ferdia’) is set to re-launch its gourmet chocolate brand, Danucci at the Speciality and Fine Food Fair at Olympia from 5-7^th September. The new Danucci range will feature outstanding new luxurious dark and milk chocolates along with eye-catching new designs.

Ferdia has invested in a new, highly specialised, state of the art gourmet chocolate production plant at its production centre at Ardee in Ireland.  Ferdia will introduce new brands to the wider market over the coming months.

The Danucci range of chocolates has received 12 Great Taste Awards over the past number of years and was previously stocked in Harrods and a number of Fine Food Stores in the UK and Ireland.  The chocolates were designed by highly skilled and talented artisan chocolatier Michelle Lowth.

 

Michelle has carefully developed her own couverture blend which is made in-house. This couverture blend combined with exciting new fillings such as Raspberry Ganache, Sea Salted Caramel, Brandy and Fig Truffle, Almond and Cardamom, Citrus Praline, Marc de Champagne Truffle and Lime and Ginger Ganache are set to make Danucci a truly outstanding artisan gourmet chocolate brand.  Michelle’s signature decorative finishing touches make her chocolates a sensory delight.

Danucci will be available in three new sizes in both the milk & dark assortment.  The box of 4 contains one of the most recent Gold Great Taste Awards chocolates as well as a complimentary plaquette of Danucci’s couverture blend.  This box size is ideal for a little treat or a top-up gift.  The boxes of 9 and 16 have a little more variety and include more of the award winning chocolates.   A new range of single flavour sharing products including luxury milk & dark Clusters along with a selection of bars will also be available under the re-launched Danucci range.

Ferdia will be exhibiting at the Speciality Fine Food fare at Olympia from 5^th – 7^th September and at Taste of London in December.  The dedicated UK sales and marketing team headed up by Dean Silversides, along with Danucci’s Chocolatiers will be at the Ferdia Fine Foods Stand (number 283) to introduce visitors to some outstanding new luxury chocolate experiences.

For further sales information contact Dean on 00 44 7717732349 or the Danucci Head Office at Ferdia Fine Foods 00 353 41 685 0001 or by email: info@danucci.com.  Website: www.danucci.com

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A primary school in Meath that has developed the area around the school as an outstanding garden resource for the children and local community has won the Corrin Hill Biodiversity Garden of the Year Award and a primary school in Stillorgan has won the Corrin Hill New Biodiversity School Garden Award. Thirteen other gardens from around the country received awards as excellent examples of how gardens can become havens for biodiversity.  The awards are organised by Corrin Hill Ice Cream in association with BirdWatch Ireland and seek to promote gardening that enhances biodiversity and the environment.  The winning schools will receive funds to spend on their gardens, a trophy and Corrin Hill ice cream to celebrate the win.  All other winners will receive special nest box trophies and school membership of BirdWatch Ireland.

The garden at St. Louis National School in Rathkenny  was established in 2007.  It includes organic vegetable and fruit gardens, a traditional flower garden, native flower beds, native hedgerows, a wildflower meadow, nature trail,  bog garden, a pond, a greenhouse, outdoor classroom, a hedgehog hotel and nest boxes for a wide variety of wildlife including owls, bats, ladybirds and butterflies.  The school composts its waste, collects rainwater and has developed a special irrigation system.  The garden is very much central to the normal life of the school and is incorporated into many subjects including science, geography, history, English, maths, religion, S.P.H.E., Irish and Visual Arts.

St. Brigid’s School, Stillorgan Dublin is the national winner of the Corrin Hill New Biodiversity School Garden Award.  The new garden is being supported with great enthusiasm by the teachers, school children, parents and local community including pre-school children, elderly, scouting and guiding organisations and youth club.  The new garden is being laid out to include native trees, walkways, meadows, an orchard, traditional and native flower and herb beds, a pond, nature trail, vegetable gardens, insect hotel and a range of wildlife habitats and nest boxes.  Work on the new garden has already enhanced the education and community input to the school and is an outstanding example of what can be achieved within a very short timeframe. 

Eight schools from around the country reached the final of the awards and a further seven gardens received awards.  The community garden in Castleblakeney, Ballinasloe was highly commended and the judges nominated the garden at the Burren Perfumery in Carron, Co. Clare for a special award – Best Flower Biodiversity Garden Open to the Public.

“Converting the ground around a school into a biodiversity garden that becomes an education resource that benefits the environment and the local community is wonderful.  It brings the magic of nature into the day to day life of the school and it is heartening to see so many schools incorporating the ground around the buildings as part of the school and education of the children”, said Thea Murphy from Corrin Hill Ice Cream. “We are delighted to support this project. The voluntary work and time invested by teachers, children, parents and the local community in all these gardens is inspiring. Our winning gardens are outstanding examples of what can be achieved and are real role models to follow”. 

Commenting on the awards  Oran O’Sullivan of BirdWatch Ireland said, “ the high standard of gardening in the winning schools gives us all hope for the future and can only enhance the biodiversity of our countryside”.

The following gardens received Awards:

Corrin Hill School Biodiversity Garden of the Year 2009 - St. Louis National School, Rathkenny

Corrin Hill New School Biodiversity Garden of the Year 2009 – St. Brigid’s National School, Stillorgan

Special Judges Award – Best Flower Biodiversity Garden 2009 – Burren Perfumery, Co. Clare

Finalists and Highly Commended  Corrin Hill Biodiversity Garden Awards  2009.

St. Martin de Porres National School, Aylesbury, Tallaght, Co. Dublin

Scoil Mhainchin National School, Ennistymon, Co. Clare

St. Annin’s National School, Rosscahill, Co. Galway

St. Mary’s National School, Blessington, Co. Wicklow

St. Catherine’s National School, Rush, Co. Meath

Gaelscoil, Cholmcille, Coolock, Dublin

 

Corrin Hill Biodiversity Gardens of Special Merit Awards 2009

 

St. Brigid’s National School, Drumcong, Leitrim

Kilskyre National School, Kilskyre, Co. Meath

Cooloo National School, Moylough, Galway

Belmont National School, Tuam, Galway

Drinagh National School, Drinagh, Cork

Castleblakeney Heritage Centre, Castleblakeney, Co. Galway

Residents, Parkmore Estate, Tuam, Galway

 

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Note to editors: 

Corrin Hill Ice Cream is made in Fermoy, Co Cork in the traditional way using fresh local ingredients including milk, cream, sugar and fruit.  It is a full dairy ice cream containing only natural ingredients and is free from artificial preservatives.  It is available in a variety of flavours and packs at local shops and supermarkets throughout the country.

BirdWatch Ireland is the largest independent conservation organisation in Ireland.  Its aim is the conservation of wild birds and their natural habitats.  Established in 1968, it currently has over 14,000 members and supporters and a local network of over 20 branches nationwide.  It owns or manages an increasing number of reserves which protect threatened habitats and the birds that rely on them, produces several publications dealing with birds and nature conservation in Ireland, and carries out educational and survey work.  For more details, visit www.birdwatchireland.ie

A new Irish report gives plenty of reasons to eat more eggs - one of the most popular foods in the world¹. 

Commissioned by Bord Bia, the report, An Overview of the Nutritional Role of Eggs in the Diet was carried out by researchers at the UCD Institute of Food and Health in September 2009.  It examines leading international research carried out over the past six years on the role of eggs in the diet.  The report concludes that scientific evidence on the link between eating eggs and health shows that eggs are a very valuable, nutrient dense and low-cost food that are a source of high quality protein and micronutrients. It also concludes eating eggs as part of a healthy balanced diet does not significantly raise blood cholesterol levels.  Commenting on the report, Dr Aine Hearty from the UCD Institute of Food and Health said, “The importance of including eggs as part of a healthy balanced diet is something everyone should be aware of. Based on recent scientific research it has become evident that the link between egg intake and blood cholesterol levels is weak, thus strengthening the value that eggs can offer in the modern Irish diet”.

The main findings of the report are that:

·         Egg consumption in Ireland is low when compared to consumption in other countries. On average, people in Ireland consume about 2-3 eggs a week while many other European countries eat twice that amount.  However, studies carried out by a number of Irish universities between 2003-2006 (IUNA) revealed that egg consumption is quite low in children and teenagers in Ireland, with just over 40% of these groups consuming eggs (compared to almost 70% of adults). In particular, teenage girls were found to be very low consumers of eggs, with average intakes of only 6g/day (equates to less than 1 egg per week).

·         The protein found in eggs is considered ideal for humans and is the one by which all others are measured

·         The egg is a nutrient dense food and is low in fat and calories

·         One egg contains approximately 10% of our daily protein, folate and iron requirements, while contributes to only 3% of our calorie intake

·         Health promotion departments around the world have relaxed their guidelines on restricting eggs in the diet with many completely lifting the restriction. In Ireland the general guideline is ‘an egg a day is ok’ or seven eggs a week as part of a healthy balanced diet.

·         Eggs are a low-cost valuable contributor to the overall nutritional balance of the diet and could play a far greater role in the diets of growing children, adolescents, pregnant and breast-feeding women, low-income families and those on a weight-loss diet in Ireland

 

“We welcome this report from UCD. It correlates with recent market research carried out by TNS Worldpanel Ireland on a representative sample of 3,000 households across Ireland which found that egg consumption is low in Ireland with just over a third of households (35%) purchasing eggs once a week, while 75% buy eggs once a month.  The TNS research also found egg consumption is lowest in young families and this reflects the findings of the IUNA study that egg consumption is low in young children and teenagers in Ireland”, said Teresa Brophy from Bord Bia. “Bord Bia has been promoting the message that eggs offer great value from a nutrition, economic and culinary point of view and we want to encourage more people, especially those with young families to include more eggs in the family diet on a regular basis.  We want to invite people to enjoy cooking some of many recipes to suit all tastes and occasions on www.eggs.ie”.

The UCD report looks at the role of eggs in the human lifecycle and makes the following recommendations:

·         Infants – egg yolks are an excellent weaning food and a study carried out in 2002 found that four eggs yolks a week is advisable for weaning infants as they are an especially good source of iron and other essential nutrients²

·         Childhood and adolescence – eggs provide essential nutrients for growth and development and a greater inclusion of eggs in the diet would help meet the additional nutritional requirement during this stage of life.  They are a particularly important food for breakfast especially amongst older children and adolescents where intake of nutrients for breakfast influences performance at school.  Studies on food intake in Ireland show that children and adolescents here have low consumption levels of eggs ³

·         Adults – eggs are an extremely valuable food for those on a weight loss diet because they are low in calories and high in nutrients.  Research shows that an egg based breakfast keeps you feeling fuller for longer and cuts down on the need for snacking.  A number of studies have found that eating eggs as a regular part of a weight-loss diet is very effective⁴.

·         Pregnant and breast-feeding women – eggs are a significant source of high value protein and most vitamins and minerals. Eggs can play an important role in meeting the additional nutritional requirements of mother and baby during this time.

·         Elderly – eggs are highly recommended for elderly people as they are cheap, convenient and easy to cook in a large variety of ways. Studies have found they are could help prevent age-related eye problems or macular degeneration in the elderly⁵.

The UCD report found that extensive research has failed to find an explicit link between eating eggs and coronary heart disease.  The studies that found this link in the past failed to take account of the confounding effect of a having high intakes of saturated fat and low intakes of fruits, grains and vegetables in the diet.  When these factors were included in the studies they found that saturated fat from other food sources is the culprit and not eggs.  A study carried out in the UK this year concluded that numerous studies undertaken in the last 30 years provide no consistent evidence that egg consumption has an independent association with risk of heart disease⁶.  However the researchers at UCD cautioned that eggs should be eaten as part of a healthy balanced diet and that while eggs on their own are an excellent food, we should watch how we cook them and to limit the amount of added fat during cooking and in the foods they are served with.

For further information on eggs and recipes see www.eggs.ie.

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1 (Surai & Sparks 2001 - Compared with the egg, no other food of animal origin is eaten by so many people all over the world and served in such a variety of ways)

2 (Macrides et al 2002)

3 (Affenito 2007)

4 (Radcliffe et al 2008) and (Vander Wal et al 2005)

5 (Chung et al 2004)

6 (Gray and Griffin, 2009)