Dublin’s newest food festival will feature a Coddle Cook-Off competition with judges including Ciaran Kavanagh of The Gravediggers and Gwen McGrath & Ken Doherty of Assassination Custard.

Tickets

From the team that bought you, Big Grill, Me Auld Flower will be the first of its kind and will be held in the historic and beautiful Dublin City Fruit, Veg and Flower Market. The lineup officially dropped today and features an Onion Eating Challenge hosted by comedian Fiona Frawley. Talks and demos include two-star Aimsir’s Jordan Bailey, and Hawksmoor’s Will Beckett. Hawksmoor is due to open soon in Dublin on College Green.

The tickets are twenty-two euros each if secured in advance and twenty-four on the door. There will be two separate queues on the day so it is recommended you book in advance. We all know Paddy’s Day is a nightmare for the queue averse.

Featuring

There are demos, conversations and contributions featuring JP McMahon, Nico Reynolds, Seaneen Sullivan of L Mulligan Grocer, CHAR pal Holly Dalton and CHAR will also be hosting our own chat on underrated Irish culinary mainstays.

The country’s diverse and intriguing modern food stories are reflected in the restaurants cooking across all four days of Me Auld Flower. From AA’s Caribbean Irish-Trinidadian menu to Bahay’s Filipino-Irish street food. And beyond to African-inspired Irish food from Our Table, tacos from Los Chincanos and award-winning Chinese from Big Fan Bao.

Victory Nwabu-Ekeoma, Ngozi Elobuike & Anita Nwalo interrogate A Taste of Black Culture in Dublin with Bia! Zine. Eva Pau of Asia Market will look at the trajectory of Irish Chinese food. Blanca Valencia considers Irish tapas — the good, the bad and the brilliant.

What to expect

Ticket holders should expect to experience ‘a melting pot of great Irish food, from fresh oysters to world-class charcuterie and cheese’. There’s also talk on the press release about ‘cheeky bacon and cabbage dumplings and a Michelin-star bowl of coddle”.

Of course, there will be pints, wine, Irish craft beers, whiskeys and spirits on offer, with excellent cocktails to boot. There will be demos, classes, tastings, signature dishes and workshops on the Bastecamp and Brewcamp stages. The old yard will be heating things up with a live-fire cooking area with top chefs and pitmasters.

Me Auld Flower offers the chance to celebrate Paddy’s day by eating all around it. Or by raising a glass — or a knife and fork, a spoon, or a pair of chopsticks — to our national holiday.

Visit: meauldflower.com for more information and tickets. 

Elsewhere on CHAR: Dublin’s Ultimate Burger