Foodies turn out in force for Dundon

Celebrity Chef Kevin Dundon's name packed out the main ball room at the Mullingar Park Hotel last week after he was invited to be the icing on the cake of the Westmeath Food Network's evening of gourmet nosh and wine.In the smaller function room next door Westmeath's finest food producers, chefs and sweet makers had gathered to show off their wares and after the audience had filled their tummies with scrumptious samples they made their way into what became Kevin's show room for the evening.The idea was that the TV chef, famed for foodie haven Dunbrody House in Wexford, would demonstrate a few classic/simple dishes to the audience who had come out in force to see their hero from RTE's Afternoon Show, amongst others.Kevin, who started the demonstration with a beetroot, goats cheese and walnut salad was most popular among members of the female audience who weren't shy when it came to offering assistance with the cooking.Compere for the evening Mary Moriarty kept banter coming as she introduced Mullingar's own Ann Hamill who had provided the home grown rocket and beetroot for the evening as the ethos of Westmeath Food Network is to use local produce.Kevin Dundon told the audience how he had Ann had become great friends after she appeared on RTE cookery show Heat and cooked the warm beetroot salad on the show."What did I say about this when you cooked it on Heat? I don't think it was complimentary was it?" asked Kevin. "You said that it was a bit if a housewife's dish," laughed Ann, causing the chef only his first red face of the night.The others were caused by an audience member who made her affections for Kevin evident as she took to the stage to help him cook escalope of pork with a parmesan coating, accompanied by minted peas. "Yeah do you need a hand?" asked Michelle from Dublin when Kevin asked if the audience had any cookery questions. And after she took to the stage, 10 minutes of high jinx and laughs ensued and Michelle from Dublin ensured that the parmesan coated pork was anything but boring as she flirted her way through the preparation of the dish.As an official introduction to the Westmeath Food Network the evening was a great success and a worthy platform for the host of good food on offer in Westmeath.Currently, the network has a core element of approximately twelve food producers and growers with an outer ring of associated members of local food supporters such as caterers, restaurants, coffee shops and delis that share the group's ethos of traceable, top quality local food availability for consumers.To find out more information about joining the Westmeath Food Network phone 0878125402 or 0871304868.