CORK TO HOST A MAJOR CHOCOLATE DINNER THIS MONTH

Dinner is part of the Cork Baking and Chocolate Weekend

A succulent chocolate themed dinner is taking place this month. The Cork Chocolate Dinner will see a cocoa themed dinner served to guests on Friday 22th November. The dinner is part of the hugely popular Cork Baking and Chocolate Weekend. Last year’s dinner was a sell-out and organisers say this year will be even bigger and better than ever before. 

Chocolate experts from around the world will be descending on Cork this month for the The Cork Baking and Chocolate Weekend. As part of the Weekend the highly anticipated “Great Cork Bake Off” will also take place.

As part of the Weekend there will also be some very exciting workshops such as Beer and Chocolate Pairing; Wine and Chocolate Pairing; a Cocktail Making Masterclass and Sourdough Made Easy. When it comes to cakes there will be classes on How to Make an Amazing Christmas Cake; Painting on Cakes and Icing Cakes. 

Over the Weekend there will also be a children’s area with lots of activities to keep younger chocolate lovers entertained. Here at the children’s zone in the main exhibition area children can enjoy cookie decorating, baking, story telling, face painting and many other activities.

The Cork International Hotel will once again host the unique three-day event, which will showcase cake making experts and chocolatiers who have won major global honours in the industry, including gold medallists in world-ranked events in the US. 

The Weekend will include: 

• The Cookery Demo Marquee; where leading Irish bakers will teach visitors everything from cake pops to sourdough breads
• Exhibition hall; where visitors can pick up baking goods, or Christmas gifts at the fair
• Main Stage; where visitors can listen to talks from famous Irish professionals including Paul Kelly, William Curley and others.

As part of the Great Cork Bake Off at The Cork Baking and Chocolate Weekend 15 people will be carefully selected as finalists from their “Showstopper” cake and they will be judged by renowned chef, Paul Kelly, Executive Pastry Chef of the Merrion Hotel and Judge of the Great Irish Bake Off.

Throughout the weekend, a large marquee will host chocolate, baking and cookery demonstrations, while visitors can also indulge in various workshops and talks. There are some very exciting additions to this year’s festival such as Sparkling Afternoon Tea with complimentary admission to the exhibitor area on Saturday 23rd November. The afternoon tea will be prepared by the Executive Head Chef, Martin O’ Mahony. There will also be a special appearance by judge of the Great Irish Bake Off and Executive Head Chef of the Merrion Hotel, Mr Paul Kelly along with one of the World’s best known award winning chocolatier and patissier, William Curley.

Over the weekend other events include a Q&A with one of the World’s best known award winning chocolatier and patissier, William Curley. William will be offering hints and tips for baking and decorating your favourite delicacies. There will also be a talk on “How to make the perfect Christmas Cake”. 

General manager of the Cork International Hotel, Carmel Lonergan, said: “The Weekend includes non-stop baking and chocolate fun. This event at the Cork International Hotel showcases chocolatiers, bakers, baking supplies, chocolate workshops, and more. It’s also a must see event for people who love baking – especially themed for Christmas baking. This year, we are delighted to be collaborating with the Cork Sugar Craft Association who will have incredible displays of work, a Christmas themed competition and sugar craft demonstrations running all day.

“After a very successful two years, there have been enhancements and changes to this years Cork Baking and Chocolate Weekend. The main exhibitor area will feature chocolatiers, suppliers and bakers. Adjacent to that, we have a large marquee which will host cookery demonstrations throughout the weekend.”

Co-founder of the Cork Sugar Craft Association, Jacqueline Cullinane, said the Cork Baking and Chocolate Weekend would see standards seen in the best of international competition.

“Irish artists are up there with the very best in the world, including British and Australian cake makers. It is a wonderful craft to enjoy — it truly brings out creativity you never even realised you had, and it becomes a real family affair with multiple generations able to enjoy it together. We hope there will be lots of would-be cake artists and chocolatier stars born when they visit the Cork International Hotel on November 22nd to 24th and become seduced by the passion that goes into chocolate and baking. Once you get hooked, it’s hard to lose that passion that lasts a lifetime,” Ms Cullinane said.

See https://www.corkbakingandchocolate.com/ for more. This year admission to the event is just €5 for adults, which children free.