Carlow County Council, VISUAL and Carlow Tourism are delighted to extend an invitation to all to attend a special Carlow Culinary Christmas Food & Drink Festival from 7th-9th December.

Carlow Culinary Christmas Food & Drink Festival 2017 at George Bernard Shaw Theatre in VISUAL is a 3-day showcase of all things food and drink in County Carlow.

Featuring nightly food stalls, giveaways and Food Demonstrations from Neven Maguire, Kevin Dundon and Catherine Fulvio with each visitor getting a free bag of recipes and some free County Carlow products to use over the festive season. Tickets are €14 for each event.

Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 7.45 p.m. nightly. Book early and avoid disappointment, last year the event sold out 3 weeks before the date.

County Carlow has a vibrant Food & Drinks industry and this event, hosted by Carlow County Council’s Local Enterprise Office in partnership with VISUAL has been designed to celebrate what Carlow has to offer. Supporters of the festival include Carlow Farmers Market and Kenny McGuire Demos.

Neven Maguire is Head Chef/Owner of MacNean House & Restaurant in Blacklion, Co. Cavan. Neven began cooking aged 12 years in the kitchen of the restaurant which was then run by his parents. Neven took over MacNean House & Restaurant in 2001 and it is now one of Ireland’s top restaurants and luxury guest houses, consistently winning awards for its food, wine offer, service and overall dining experience. MacNean House & Restaurant recently won ‘Best Restaurant’ and ‘Best Customer Service’ at the All-Ireland Irish Restaurant Awards 2017. The restaurant is joined in its success by Neven’s more recent venture – The Neven Maguire Cookery School, where Neven hosts classes for adults and children across a range of themes. At the core of Neven’s philosophy is a dedication to using only the freshest and finest ingredients, and this is evident both in the work he does, and in his restaurant and cookery school.

Before taking over MacNean House & Restaurant Neven trained and tutored in professional cooking, and worked at some of the world’s top restaurants including Arzac, San Sebastian, Spain (3 Michelin Stars) and Restaurant Léa Linster, Luxembourg (2 Michelin Stars). One of Ireland’s most talented and innovative chefs, Neven has been named ‘Best Chef in Ireland’ at numerous awards and is recognised for his dedication to promoting Irish food across the world. Neven was also named Best Food and Drink Blog in Ireland (www.nevenmaguire.com). Neven’s latest cookbook, ‘Neven Maguire’s Complete Family Cookbook’, is currently on shelves and he is working on a new Christmas recipe themed book which will be released later this year. He is also filming his new TV series ‘Neven’s Food Trails’ including visiting Italy’s top artisan food producers. The series is sponsored by Dunnes Stores ‘Simply Better’ food collection of which Neven is an Ambassador.

In this role, Neven is touring the country meeting with the producers and family businesses who supply the very finest produce for the award-winning ‘Simply Better’ range.

To book your ticket for the demonstration please click here