Taste of Dublin returns to the Iveagh Gardens later this week. The theme for this year's event is 'Food Lovers Playground'.
There's a heap of new experiences coming to the festival, which showcases the very best in Irish food and drinks.
Check out what's on offer...
The Neff Taste Kitchen
A special line-up of celebrity chefs will take to the biggest demo stage ever built at Taste of Dublin. The line-up includes Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall of River Cottage, Candice Brown - of the Great British Bake Off, Rachel Allen of Ballymaloe, Robin Gill - of The Dairy and Masterchef judge, Adrian Martin - Food Writer and TV chef, Executive Chef Anna Haugh and Aoife Noonan of Glovers Alley.
The Roe & Co Tram 21
Visitors can enjoy Irish whiskey cocktails aboard the specially crafted Roe & Co Tram 21. Operational between 1872 and 1940, the Dublin tram system was an integral part of the city’s life and co-existed alongside the original Roe & Co Distillery on Thomas Street.
This experience will also include Roe & Co cocktail masterclasses hosted by a World Class bartender on the super stylish rooftop.
Pink Cuisine
Popular restaurant chain Jaipur along with Ananda in Dundrum and Chakra masterclasses, will have specially curated dishes telling the story of women who pioneered, inspired and fought for their causes in India - and it’s all pink-themed!
You’ll find a Rhubarb Prawn Curry from Ananda, Pink Gin-infused Railway Lamb from Chakra, Pink City Chicken Tikka (with pink peppercorn and mint chutney) from Jaipur and a Burmese Tea Shop Samosa with rose petal and Himalayan pink yogurt!
Outdoor Cooking with The Big Green Egg
A line-up of top chefs will take to their grills demonstrating and preparing beautifully cooked tender meat, fish, stir-frys, stews, pizzas and even delicate desserts. All Alfresco located in Glasthule, Co Dublin will showcase the unique egg-shaped cooker, known by its distinctive green colour.
Style Afternoon
There'll be some amazing prizes up for grabs for the most stylist individual at The Connacht Gold Style Afternoon on Friday, June 15th.
Flavours of Korea
Fancy a free taste of Korean cuisine? This year, Korea Agro-Fisheries and the Korean Food Trade Corporation want to introduce Korean cuisine and Korean food products to Dubliners. Chef Gunmoo Kim and his team will prepare authentic Korean dishes for Taste of Dublin attendees and it’s all free.
Ketel One Kitchen
Ketel One Vodka will bring a taste of its Dutch heritage to this year’s festival by serving up classic and quirky Bloody Mary’s and hosting immersive masterclasses in the Ketel One Kitchen by day, while transforming into a Kitchen Disco and shaking Espresso Martini’s by night.
Chocolate and Coffee Masterclasses
Coffee lovers will be able to find out how to create latte art thanks to Applegreen who'll be hosting latte art competitions, tastings, workshops and demonstrations at Taste of Dublin.
While, Lindt will have a brand new feature stand where you can both immerse yourself in chocolate demonstrations and sample some of your favourite chocolates.
VIP Suite
If you fancy enjoying Taste of Dublin in style, the Laurent-Perrier VIP suite in association with Sony Xperia will add an extra luxurious festival feeling.
Lazy Basics
This year The Lazy Chef Simon Lamont is hosting a brand new experience ‘The Lazy Basics’ where he will teach visitors handy hacks in 20 mins, including which knives to use, how to make sourdough, butter from scratch, quick knife hacks and ‘weird vegetables - and cool things to do with them’.
Small Producers
As part of the Neff Producer’s Table, food journalist Dee Laffan will interview Irish start-up producers, including: Irish Atlantic Sea Salt, Sadie’s Kitchen Bone Broth, Glenilen Farm and Newgrange Gold. While, Celebrity Chefs Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Rory O’Connell, Kevin Dundon and Robin Gill will chat about their passion for artisan, fresh ingredients.
O’Briens Wines Experience
O’Briens wine experience is back in 2018 with a slice of the south of France. They will be bringing the wines of Languedoc to life at Taste of Dublin with the chance to sit and taste three delicious wines at their mini-masterclasses with Francois Pages – Manager of Gérard Bertrand and Winemaker - Stephane Queralt.
World Flavours
Take a tour around the restaurants and experiences for tastes of Thailand, Spain, Japan, China, Korea and India. From wines like Ribeiro and Albariño from Galicia, ‘Spice Fruit Salad’ from the Oriental Pantry, Japanese sushi and cuisine - to chocolate stones from Santiago de Compostela and coffee liquor, there's something for everyone.
Gin School
Festival goers will be able to attend a Gin School at this year's event.
The Fever-Tree Gin School will see experts immerse a class of six students on the history of gin, tonic water and the Fever-Tree brand. The forty-minute sessions will include a sampling of four types of gin: Tanqueray 10, Mór, Bloom and Opihr. All Gin School graduates will receive a Fever-Tree goodie bag and a complimentary gin and tonic redeemable at Searsons of Baggot Street.
Free places in the Fever-Tree Gin School can be booked daily, on a first-come, first-served basis, at the Fever-Tree stand.
Taste of Dublin returns to the Iveagh Gardens from the 14th to the 17th of June. Tickets from €15 are available here.
