By Pam Ryan, Staff Journalist
Bumblebee Flower Farm have a must attend event for all foodies and florists coming up! The Flora, Fauna and Food event will include a tour of the beautiful Bumblebee Flower Farm, cocktails and a tasting menu, created by in-demand chef, Eddie Attwell!
The event invites attendees to enter into the world of edible flowers for a truly unique evening. Founder of Bumblebee Flower Farm, Mags Riordan, will take you on a guided tour of the property, sharing the farm’s story and her extensive knowledge of edible flowers.
Chef Eddie Attwell
Eddie Atwell is the Head Chef of the Eccles restaurant in Glengarriff and will be preparing an exquisite eight-course menu. Each dish is prepared using only fresh, local produce from across West Cork and edible flowers from the host farm. Each course will also be accompanied by a floral infused champagne!
Eddie is originally from Craigavon, Armagh, and has earned himself the nickname of Hurricane Attwell, given his whirlwind status in the kitchen, infusing his energy and passion into the dishes he creates.
He has a long-standing passion for farm-to-fork food. During a formerly held position at L’Enclume restaurant, he volunteered to work on the expansion of the farm attached to the restaurant for six months. This is when he met Kevin Tickle, the restaurant’s main forager. “I wanted to be a link between the farm and kitchen: growing, foraging, seeing everything through the seasons and how to use it all.
“The growing and foraging side became really prominent in all my thoughts. Seasonality became about what you could see, not what the veg man was importing from Egypt. Food to have more locality and zero food miles became instilled and made cooking really exciting. Whatever you had was prepped on the day or preserved to use in Winter.”
There really is no more suitable and passionate chef to showcase the farm-to-fork culinary way and there is no better venue than that of the edible flower farm. This event truly is a marriage of passion, wonderful food, sustainability and buying local. Mags says, “Eddie’s ethos is similar to mine, so we are a good match for this event.”
This affair will teach you how easy it is to create a meal direct from the garden, with a drink to wash it down, whether you’re a fan of cordials, teas or cocktails.
Mags Riordan, Bumblebee Flower Farm Founder
“It’s educational in a fun way. Flowers are way more than a pretty garnish!” And Mags is correct. Her flourishing farm has proven that since its inception. She is a professional florist and horticultural enthusiast, known for her fresh, holistic approach to floristry. Since establishing her gourmet edible flower business three years ago, she is constantly looking at new and innovative ways of incorporating these into her floral designs.
“We grow all our flowers under organic principles and all are soil-based, ensuring better flavour and longer shelf life. We pride ourselves in the care and attention to detail in our growing process and all our flowers are harvested by hand, packed, refrigerated and only picked to order.”
The event will take place on September 13 from 6pm to 9:30pm and tickets cost €75. Booking is essential as places are sure to fill up fast, so secure your place by emailing Mags at hello@bumblebeeflowerfarm.ie.
Bumblebee Flower Farm
West Cork
086 082 3318
hello@bumblebeeflowerfarm.ie
bumblebeeflowerfarm.ie
