An organic cabbage grown in north County Dublin ended up on the menu for fifty European leaders on Thursday without the grower knowing beforehand.
Jenny McNally and her husband Patrick operate an organic farm in Balrickard, supplying seasonal vegetables and salads, according to The Irish Times. Chef Mark Moriarty ordered cabbage from the farm for a state dinner hosted by Taoiseach Micheál Martin at the National Gallery of Ireland on November 12, as part of the 9th European Political Community summit.
McNally discovered the dish was featured when someone sent her a photograph of the official menu.
Someone sent me a photo of the menu, and I just thought, ‘Wow, amazing’.”
The four-course meal designed by Moriarty showcased ingredients from across Ireland, with a particular emphasis on County Cork producers. Guests including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni dined surrounded by works from the National Gallery’s collection.
The menu featured baked potato sourdough with butter from Glenilen Farm, followed by celeriac baked in barley, yeast, hazelnut, and fino sherry sauce. The fish course comprised wild Irish smoked salmon from Sally Barnes’ Woodcock Smokery in West Cork, served with a BBQ butter sabayon and green apple.
The main course consisted of dry-aged striploin of Ridgeway beef from County Wicklow, accompanied by artichoke, seaweed, and a roasted bone marrow jus gras. John Hourigan of Ridgeway Farm said that their beef underwent a taste test around two months prior to the event.
Alongside the beef, guests shared side dishes including Jenny McNally’s roasted cabbage with bacon and herbs, and a 50/50 mashed potato made with salted Irish butter. Dessert featured an Irish coffee gâteau opéra served with a salted Irish milk sorbet.
Produce from the Balrickard farm has previously been served to high-profile dignitaries. McNally’s potatoes were served during the late Queen Elizabeth’s state visit in 2011.
“She had the mashed potatoes! They were our potatoes … And now we’ve fed them, the world leaders and European leaders. It can’t get much better than that,” McNally told The Irish Times.
Operating a 99-acre farm with a farm shop, McNally maintains a routine of selling produce at local markets. She learned about the international exposure of her cabbage while working at a market stall on Friday morning, following reports on RTÉ Radio’s Morning Ireland.
