Organico Bantry

Cathy Doyle gave a thoroughly inspiring talk last night on all aspects of women’s health and how to live better, eat better, and feel better about ourselves. Cathy is a Life Coach and specialises in natural approaches to living and healing; her mail aim is to motivate women to take control of their own lives and start embracing life for themselves. The venue was Organico Cafe, and over 25 women of all ages attended and had the oppertunity to ask Cathy personal questions and benefit from her advice on topics ranging from PMT, tiredness, sleeplessness, the menopause, depression, pregnancy and dijestive difficulties.

Cathy talked for over an hour and a half, so it’s impossible to give a comprehensive account here of what she said. She started by reccommending a book by Louise L. Hay, called ‘You Can Heal Your Life’. This is a book which is familliar to many people and is full of inspirational ways of changing our emotional patterns and habits that might be causing us to be unwell. She then reccommended another book by Bernadette Bohane, who is an Irish author and cancer survivor. Bohane’s book ‘The Choice’ tells of her experience and how she approached her condition; and her new bok ‘The Programme’ lays out a comprehensive approach to serious medical difficuties. Both are available from Organico Shop.

More on this talk later!

In Organico Bantry we are constantly trying to find new local suppliers of organic produce. Currently we stock: potatoes from Vincent (certified organcic); eggs and cheese from Gubbeen; Carraig Goats Cheese from Art Verschloot; salad and other veggies from Kristin (certified organic) and from Paul; honey in jars, squares and tubs (still in the comb) from about 5 different sources (all of whom avoid sugar-feeding their bees); soap made with Buttermilk from up on the Beara peninsula; fantastic organic teas from Peppermint Farm (including my personal favourite ‘Splendid Woman’s Tea’), cheese from Durrus Cheese; strawberries and squash from Danny Miles; and lovely berries from George.

We need: more veggies, more cheeses, more berries (they are so good in smoothies!) and more herbs (especially corriander!).

We also stock Glenisk Irish milk, which we use in our Cafe; Glenisk Organic yoghurts; Irish Organic Essential Oils from Atlantic Aromatics; Irish Organic Herbal Tinctures; and a fantastic Sea Calcium from Marigot which is made from seaweed sourced in the Irish Sea. Oh and some Irish wines made from fruit sourced in Ireland (not organic unfortunately) and from wild berries (Wines of the Glen).

As I have said before, local sourcing is hard work; it takes time and patience. But for good food it is the only way to go. What we are trying to be in our own small pond is an outlet for products from people who are serious about what they are growing and producing. We would like to hear from others who are in our position and also from anyone who might want to supply us (with Irish products!).

In Organico Cafe yesterday a customer commented on her roasted aubergine and chickpea curry saying that it smelt and tasted amazing. ‘I know why’ she said ‘it’s because it is un-polluted food’.

As I carried on serving lunch I reflected on her comment. I think it is an excellent way to describe our food. We are not trying to serve Cordon Bleu. What we are trying to do is serve tasty, nutritious, clean ‘un-polluted’ food.

Today, our menu contains the following:

Organic Lentil and Pumpkin Stew served with Spelt Bread

Roasted Organic Aubergine and Chickpea Curry served with Organic Brown Rice

Spelt Pizza with sundried tomatoes and Fetta served with 2 Salads

Lentil and Seed Loaf served with Fresh Tomato Sauce, Rice and 1 Salad

Shepherd’s Pie (topped with Organic local potatoes and a red lentil and vegetable base) Served with 2 Salads

Fetta Cheese Salad with either Organic Bulgar Wheat or Quinoa, Organic Tomatoes, Cucumber and Lettuce

Cheese sandwich: Local Gubbeen Cheese or Dubliner

Salad Selections: Wild rice, Quinoa, Bulgar, red Cabbage and Pumpkin Seeds, Beetroot and yoghurt, Potato, Thai Noodles (all made with organic vegetables, sprouts and seeds).

A selection of cakes and cookies from our Bakery, all made with Organic Spelt Flour and served with organic cream.

A selection of Fair Trade Organic Coffees and Teas.

Come over for Lunch sometime – and be sure to let us know what you think!

The popularity of Organic food is on the rise internationally, with major food companies such as Tesco, M & S, Roma and Heinze increasingly their production of ‘Organic’ foods. However, there are good reasons to keep on supporting the origional leaders of the movement such as Whole Earth, Biona, Suma and Meridian (to name but a few), and also to put more effort into finding food that has been grown or produced locally.

The origional Organic companies were set up when Organic was the province of hippies and New Age radicals, not the fashion of the day as it is today. Many of the early companies have extensive environmental schemes, and also are basing their receipes on ‘wholefoods’ rather than refined more ‘popular’ foods. For example, rather than producing an Organic tomato ketchup which tastes exactly like the conventional one but is made with Organic white sugar instead of normal white sugar, Whole Earth formulated a ketchup that is sweetened with fruit juices and tastes of tomatoes not of pure sugar!

A recent article by Alex Renton in this Sunday’s Observer (October 1 2006) asked interesting and difficult questions about where our organic food is flown in from and what is happening to the industry now that Supermarkets have decided that Organic is the future. With the demand for organically grown produce growing but the area of land under organic production falling in the U.K. (it fell by 8% last year) more and more organic food is being imported to Ireland and the U.K., which results in higher prices, increased pollution from increased ‘food miles’ and poorer quality food because it has been picked and stored.

Renton argues that ‘local’ is going to be the new ‘organic’. This, in my opinion, is a challenge to all of us in this industry. Sourcing local organic food is often time consuming, unreliable and expensive, because initially at least you are dealing with a very small producer who is struggling to meet the Organic Certification requirements.

We are waiting too for the Governments of both the U.K. and Ireland to catch up with the trend and start to meaningfully encourage locally produced Organic food. Structured subsidies for small frmers so that if a crop fails (as the organic potato crop did last year) the farmers are not left completely high and dry. Right now this seems like a pipe dream but lets keep on hoping!