The Lens & Larder maiden voyage was a great success and I’m happy to report that I am already plotting and planning another retreat for Spring 2015…stay tuned for more details. It was positively wonderful to work with my partners, my dear friend, former chef, and fellow food enthusiast, Cliodhna Prendergast of Breaking Eggs, and her husband, Patrick O’Flaherty, the ebullient and charming general manager of Ballynahinch Castle. Thank you for giving so much of yourselves and the idyllic and raw setting of your home in Connemara, and for offering so much at such a fair tariff. Your latest Condé Nast Traveler accolade could not be more deserved.

We were also privileged to share several very generous gifts from friends: Helen James, Makers & Brothers, Jameson Select Reserve Irish Whiskey, Hen and Hammock, Feast Journal, 31 Chapel Lane, Superfolk, The Tweed Project, and Connemara Marble. A massive thank you to each and every one of you for your support, our students were absolutely thrilled with their magnificent bag of treats.

We were exceptionally fortunate to have special contributions from modern medicine girl, Claire Davey of America Village Apothecary, stylist, Triona Lillis  who kept us fed at the schoolhouse and even provided extra pretty props from her vintage store, and The Ashe family who graciously gave us the run of their schoolhouse on Inishlacken Island. Gosh, we were certainly a lucky, lucky bunch, thank you all. (or, as Beth would say, thanks y’all!)

Our instructors, Beth Kirby and Susan Spungen were incredibly liberal with their teachings which all felt very natural and informal over the two days that we spent making, styling, and shooting together. Everyone seemed to take away something a little different, which is a positive in my view. I feel honoured to have had the chance to work with these two exemplary women in food. Thanks so much again ladies!

Above all, I’d like to extend extraordinary gratitude to the fantastic creatives who took the plunge and came along on this first Lens & Larder retreat. The group was just a savage bunch; I couldn’t have curated a lovelier mosaic of bloggers, photographers, stylists, chefs, bakers, and food crusaders who gathered together from very different backgrounds, levels of experience, and parts of the world. I loved meeting and sharing the experience with each and every one of you and your inspiring, individual, kindred spirits. I’m so grateful that you came along.

Lily Ramirez-Foran

Skye McAlpine

Claire Ptak

Kristin Perers

Nessa Robins

Anthony O’Toole

Hung Quach

Susan Bell

Mairead Jacob

Brittany Darrah

Niamh Browne

Jette Virdi

Shannon Butler Keane

Hannah Fullenkemper

I’ll be back with some autumn recipes and a turkey update soon!

Slan Abhaile,

Imen

Images by Imen McDonnell 2014, Mushroom foraging with brush photo by Skye McAlpine. 

Tags: Ballynahinch Castle, Beth Kirby, Breaking Eggs, country life, Irish food photography, lens & larder, Local Milk, susan spungen

{SOLD OUT}

I swear I have been dreaming of putting together a gathering that would bring people together to share a convivial food + learning experience in my adopted country for as long as I have been on this farm. My first instinct was to organize a series of farm-to-table harvest weekends. By and by, we’ve done this in small ways, knocking up country suppers with visiting friends which warble on till the wee hours of the morning, leaving little time before milking. So fantastic. Times to relish. Imagery to cherish. Pity, yet hopefully only “for now,” we don’t have the space to host more than a couple of folks. But, since serendipity is no stranger in our lives, after meeting and working with brilliant new friends in the West of Ireland, I have hatched a plan to create a harbinger of food, photography and adventure….escape is the pastoral word that pops to mind; to a haven which feels a half a world away.

So now, I am absolutely thrilled to share the very first Lens & Larder creative retreat which will take place this autumn in the breathtaking Connemara region of Ireland. This workshop will focus on food photography and styling, and I am honored to announce that the magnificent talents of photographer, Beth Kirby and seasoned food stylist, Susan Spungen will be at the helm of our maiden voyage.

Have you ever wished for someone to take you through selecting the best camera angle and lens, or how to make the best use of natural available light to create your own food story?

Have you ever wondered how to style that big bowl of creamy chowder to make it just as appetizing as the beautiful slice of bread with butter on the table next to it?

Have you struggled with how to layer and compose a shot to compliment the food? Where does it all start? The food? The props? The camera angle? The light or location?

Allow Beth and Susan to guide you in creating your very own repertoire of basic camera and styling techniques while exploring the stunning setting of Ballynahinch Castle in the Connemara region of Ireland. During your stay, you will find yourself foraging for wild edibles in the lush ancient woodlands on the estate of the 16th century Irish castle, rolling pastry like a styling pro and baking up a rustic galettes in a classic AGA stove, venturing to a bay on the Wild Atlantic Way to pull lobster and crab pots while jigging for mackerel (or just watching the action while breathing in the fresh sea air, if you please) and afterward gathering in a centuries-old island schoolhouse for lunch and more learning. Each evening you will retire to the stately and luxurious Ballynahinch Castle Hotel, voted best hotel in Ireland by Condé Nast Traveler in 2013, but more importantly, a sacred place that has provided artistic inspiration to kindred creatives for hundreds of years.

Participants will receive focused, personalized guidance in photography & styling for natural light settings—we will touch on camera basics, post-processing, food and prop styling and more.

When:

October 21st to October 24th 2014

What:

2 days/3 nights = 2 full days filled with instruction interspersed with hands-on practice. There will be a small amount of time off to explore the area individually as well.

Included:  3 nights accommodation, 1 welcome reception with oysters and Stout, 3 full Irish breakfasts; 2 lunches; 3 dinners including wine, beer and cocktails; all food with a focus on locally sourced, artisan ingredients (vegetarian options will be catered for). One foraging expedition with photo and styling technique, one kitchen demo with photography & styling workshop, one boat trip from Roundstone to Innishlaken Island with schoolhouse location shoot and styling workshop. Tradition Irish music on one evening.

Excluded: Travel to Ireland and transportation to Ballynahinch Castle; Travel insurance; Extras

Cost:

USD $1,960 – EUR €1,470 per person sharing dual occupancy. If you prefer a private room, please add a surcharge of USD $160 – EUR €120.

A 90% non-refundable deposit will be required to secure your spot.

Final 10% Payment  will be due on October 10th, 2014.

Due to timing logistics, there will be absolutely no refunds for this workshop. Please make sure you can attend before securing a space for the retreat.

(We recommend that you to take travel insurance. Owning a SLR camera is preferable)

Beth Kirby is a Tennessee based photographer, writer, recipe developer, and stylist, and she is the creator of the blog Local Milk, a space devoted to seasonal recipes inspired by the south as well as travel, home, fashion, and entertaining. Local Milk was the winner of the 2014 Saveur magazine readers’ & editors’ choice award for best photography on a food blog, and her work aims to capture the beauty of the mundane & provide inspiration for slow living. When not behind the stove, lens, or keyboard she can be found combing farmers markets & flea markets alike in search of inspiration.

Susan Spungen is a Cookbook Author, Entertaining Expert, Culinary Consultant and Food Stylist for both print and film, having brought the food to life in major feature films such as Julia & Julia, It’s Complicated, Eat, Pray, Love, and Labor Day. She is a frequent contributor to national magazines such as Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, More Magazine, and Dr. Oz The Good Life, where she is a Contributing Editor. Susan is the co-author of Martha Stewart’s Hors D’Oeuvres Handbook, and is the author of RECIPES: A Collection for the Modern Cook. Her latest book is What’s a Hostess to Do?, a guidebook for entertaining in the modern world.

To make a booking for this workshop, please email lensandlarder@gmail.com.  Registration will close on  August 27th, 2014.

We hope to learn with you at Lens & Larder……Pip Pip!

Slan Abhaile,

Imen

Images provided by Ballynahinch Castle Hotel, Beth Kirby & Susan Spungen.  

Tags: American, Ballynahinch Castle, Beth Kirby, bon appétit, Breaking Eggs, Cliodhna Prendergast, Conde Nast Traveler, Connemara, country life, Dr. Oz., eat, farm, farmer, food, Food and Wine, Food photography, food styling workshop, foodie, foodies, Galway, Imen McDonnell, Innishlaken, ireland, Irish, Irish country living, Irish food photography, It's Complicated, Julie and Julia, Labor Day, Lens and Larder, Local Milk, love, Married an Irish Farmer, married an irishman, Martha Stewart, More Magazine, photography, Pray, styling, susan spungen, Tennessee, Wild Atlantic Way

Long before I was familiar with  “ramps” or “ramsons” {or wild leek, spring garlic, and wild onion for that matter} I was visiting the honeybees in the wood with my father-in-law.  I wandered off to admire the babbling brook when I stepped on a plant and suddenly the scent of woodsy garlic hit the air with a vengeance.

I came back and explained what happened to Michael and he enlightened me by saying that the plant was ‘wild spring garlic’ and to him it was a bit of a nuisance. Especially if it grew near the bee hives.  {garlic honey anyone? Actually, that kinda sounds good!}

I went home that afternoon and secretly marveled over the idea of ‘wild spring garlic’.  The following weekend, the little farmer and I packed up a basket and the garden shovel and we went down to collect some of this chive-y plant to use in a soda bread recipe.

Nowadays, Geoffrey and I have an annual outing for ramsons. We have found their haven in the wood, where the flowering onion grows madly and looks like a blanket of snow amidst the ivy entangled trees.

We’ve done many things with these gems, wild garlic pesto is easy and lovely, wild garlic infused oil works perfectly, I’ve pickled the bulbs and used them for double dirty martinis. Today, I decided to throw them into our favourite go-to pasta. I usually use regular garlic and lemon zest, but switched it up with the ramsons and grapefruit zest. Wild garlic + grapefruit should really get a room together because they absolutely sing. Serve this simple pasta with rhubarb cordial like we did {or a lovely chilled rosé would be divine}

Irish Ramson + Kale + Grapefruit Linguine

Serves 4

200g Linguine {other any pasta, even asian rice noodles would be nice}
1 chicken or veg stock cube
2-3 tbsp of olive oil
2-3 large ramson bulbs {or 4-5 small}
Handful of ramson flowers {rinsed thoroughly}
200g of blanched kale
1 tbsp grapefruit zest (or lemon zest)
100g grated parmigiano-reggiano (or more to taste)

1. Boil water then add stock cube and linguine.
2. While linguine is cooking, sauté ramson bulbs in olive oil over low heat for 5
minutes until golden.
3. Add kale and cook for another 5 minutes, tossing together gently.
4. Stir in grapefruit zest and 1/2 of the parmesan.
5. Strain linguine, reserving 1/2 cup of stock liquid.
6. Add linguine and reserved liquid to sauté pan, stir through.
7. Serve with remaining parmigiano-reggiano and dress with ramson flowers.

I have a few bits of bacchanalia to share as well. First of all, Donal Skehan has just launched a magazine! Aptly titled FEAST, it is a dinner journal filled with delicious, beautifully photographed Irish food stories. I have recently been contributing recipes + photographs to the positively divine My Little Box, part of My Little Paris. For the moment, the boxes which are similar to the Birch Box, but also filled with a lifestyle +food magazine are only available in France and Belgium, but will soon be expanding to other parts of the world.  I recently discovered Mimi Thorsson’s magnificent Manger blog and can’t get enough of her gorgeously documented life of convivial food and family in France. Beth of  Local Milk blog came to visit Ireland last week and didn’t want to go home. She is a contestant on the new Masterchef series stateside, tune in! Another American girl/soon-to-be-an-Irish-farmer’s-wife shares her recipe for Kombucha. On a non-food related note, I have finally found a store in Ireland that rivals my lingerie lady at Bloomies. This is big news, I tell you.  Dublin Lingerie Co. is an online shop that sells pretty + quality underpinnings {that fit!}.

Slan Abhaile,

Imen

Photos and styling by Imen McDonnell 2013

Tags: country life, Donal Skehan, Dublin Lingerie Company, farm, farmer, farmette, Farming, feast, food, foodie, foodies, grapefruit, I Married An Irish Farmer, Imen McDonnell, ireland, Irish country living, Irish food photography, irish foodies, kombucha, linguine, Local Milk, Manger, Married an Irish Farmer, married an irishman, ramps, ramsons, Soda bread, spring garlic, wild garlic, wild leek