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PROUDLY SPONSORED BY BITESIZE WORDS Martina Murra
y HISTORIC CHIC - OLD TOWN CAFÉ THE BAVARIANS ARE COMING! Dublin’s newest civic space Le Pole Square occupies a site that was once home to a bustling Viking settlement and before that, a sixth century church. The latest occupant has been paying homage to those who came before with a colourful interior featuring depictions of the many architectural findings on the historic site, a mural comprising a collage of striking images from the past, along with a selection of local landmark prints by Dublin-based artist Jando. The designers at Old Town Café also cater to the needs of modern inhabitants of the space, with plenty of high stools and lots of power sockets for working solo by the windows. Homemade goodies, such as croissants, cinnamon rolls and banana bread are all available from early morning, while a nice selection of lunchtime fare includes homemade sausage rolls, soup and sambos. Optimists still holding out for a last blast of September sun can enjoy their food outdoors in the quiet square, or retreat to the cosy booths indoors. Coffee is by Cloud Picker, with beer from Dublin brewers Hope also available. Open Mon to Fri, 7.30am-5pm, Sat & Sun, 9am-5pm. oldtowncafe.ie Dubliners have been embracing the traditional midwinter Bavarian beer festival over the past few years, and this autumn sees lots of opportunities to capture some of the spirit of Oktoberfest, with or without alcohol. Once upon a time that would have seemed unimaginable, but with Munich recently opening its first alcohol-free biergarten, it seems that the days of binge drinking synonymous with the festival may already be on the wane. TWENTY YEARS A BREWING - FIXX COFFEE PAVEE PECK As Culture Night gets underway this month, one of the highlights on September 20th promises to be ‘Life on a Camp’, a glimpse behind the scenes at Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre on Charles Street Great, Dublin 1. As part of the outdoor event, Travellers will demonstrate some of the traditional skills needed for camp life including cooking using recipes from Pavee Peck, a cookbook compiled late last year based on the stories of local Traveller women. The idea for the book evolved as a group of seventeen Traveller women from St. Margaret’s Traveller Community Association, TravAct and Pavee Point began to meet in TravAct Coolock, and chat about their shared memories of recipes, traditions, stories and cures. As they talked, cooked, and ate together, the food brought back memories, which helped form the basis of the cookbook in their own Cant language. Recipes include Potato Bread, Rabbit Stew, Coddle and Colcannon, alongside traditional cures and personal histories of the women involved. The book can be read online at coolockals.ie/pave-peck-cookbook 30 “Our journey began over twenty years ago with a desire to bring global coffee cultures to Ireland, and today we are just as passionate about connecting people through our unpretentious, down-to-earth approach to coffee.” So says Anne Abberton, who founded Fixx Coffee in 2004, the first and as far as we can gauge, still the only female owned coffee business in Ireland. The years since have seen the pioneering entrepreneur embed her commitment to ethical sourcing and sustainability in every aspect of her Dublin based brand. Central to this is the importation of UTZ certified coffee, a practice which has helped ensure sustainable farming practices and better opportunities for farmers across the globe. In addition to being good for farmers from Cuba to Guatemala and from Peru to Ethiopia, this approach has also helped FiXX Coffee become synonymous with high-quality, ethically sourced brews, garnering it numerous Great Taste Awards along the way. As part of celebrations to mark their milestone birthday, Abberton is offering coffee lovers 20% off the FiXX Selection Box for the remainder of 2024. The offer includes a 250g bag of each of its seven blends, available in either Ground or Whole Bean, and comes with a free tote bag and storage grip. Just enter the code FiXXis20 before checkout at fixxcoffee. com. @fixxcoffee In keeping with these changing times, here in Dublin, non-alcohol bar Board hosts a month long Sober Oktoberfest, featuring ‘feel good festivities’ with competitions including Blind non-alcohol Beer Tastings, around communal beer-hall style tables. Over in Howth The Bloody Stream is adopting a more traditional approach with what it is billing as ‘the ultimate Bavarian party’ as part of weekend long Oktoberfest celebrations from October 4th to 6th. Expect traditional Bratwurst and pretzels, three different kinds of German beer, Bavarian décor, and catchy tunes in the company of a live Oompah band and DJ. Tickets cost €10 and include a traditional stein of Erdinger Beer. Glasnevin based fans of the festival can enjoy six weeks of festivities at Eatyard, featuring Currywurst Schnitzel Burgers and Pretzels, with Stein-Holding competitions and Hasselhoff Karaoke also on the menu. The organisers of all events tell us that the wearing of Lederhösen is optional, though appreciated. Prost!