I could feel the hot tears coming at the back of my eyes when the woman, with such warm genuineness put her hand on my arm and said ‘I love what you have done here, it’s an amazing place.’ Where I used to quickly dismiss or laugh away comments with a swot of the hand or an ‘awk stop, no no’ I’m trying to be more Beyonce about it and take the compliment. I’ve become more willing to hear it, making this effort to accept through reframing what the praise means; someone has gone out of their way to tell me and secondly, that possibly I am actually worthy. Maybe there’s truth in it.
Humility and self-deprecation are well known Irish traits, though I think many people the world over have this in common with us. I am no exception, whilst I admire confidence and assuredness, I can’t stand arrogance so I often fret over how to accept praise without seeming too big for my boots! I think of how I feel when I pass on a kind word, I love to see the recipient take the praise gladly with modestly and grace. I’ve been working on it, trying to take a second after a compliment to let it sink in, consider it and then say a heartfelt thank you.
How do you do it?
I’ll put these little moments of gratitude into a memory bank. Whether I’m dishing it out or absorbing it I love these honest interactions with people. I’ve been struggling with the balance of accepting and rejecting in equal measure this week after the Irish Restaurant Awards on Wednesday. I won Local Food Hero and the bakery won Best Café (both County Antrim) I was delighted, dubious, cynical and humbled all at the same time. It’s very cool to win these things but running through my head are all the other deserving candidates. Sometimes I just need to have a word with myself and maybe give myself a pat on the back.
Shout out here to all the other winners!
Dara and I went for a crazy windy and wet walk this morning in beautiful Cushendun, we sheltered in the caves, made famous by Game of Thrones to drink our coffee, thankfully with no ‘Thronies’ turned up as we need the Monday quiet to properly catch up and talk through our plans for the week. We picked some wild garlic in the woods and I was already wondering about it’s destiny as we got back in the car.
Whist I’m on the honesty train I’ve something else to tell you; wild garlic is not my favourite. Those lush pungent leaves growing in the glades of native woods or roadsides are a delicious ingredient; they keep their vibrancy and piquant garlicky taste when cooked, they are versatile and best of all, free. As I consider my menu for this week’s event, I know wild garlic will feature but it’s lure doesn’t easily capture me. This is all because of the timing of wild garlic abundance aligning with my pregnancy with our middle child Michael.
I couldn’t eat anything with flavour, even our bread became a chore, opting instead for the most plain food; mashed potatoes, pasta with no sauce or crackers with butter were the go-to. Anyone who has experienced the crippling effect of nausea in pregnancy can relate; there is very little/nothing that helps. Preparing food for others was tricky and wild garlic pesto really tipped me over the edge. But I’m trying to teach myself to like it again. Little by little. And the best way to do it? Fried, deep fried.
Beer Batter
100g plain flour
Teaspoon baking powder
Half teaspoon salt
Pinch of pepper
150ml beer- Canvas Brewery have some delicious cans drink the rest while you cook!
Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl then whisk in the beer.
Fritters
Handful wild garlic-40g
4 asparagus spears -75g
Parmesan finely grated 30g
A few springs of mint leaves, chopped
Pinch Pepper
Big pinch Salt
Wash and chop the wild garlic, slice the asparagus into half centimetre rounds, put in a bowl with everything else and mix.
Heat neutral oil in a small or medium pan over a medium high heat, making sure oil is about 3cm deep. Briefly mix the wild garlic mixture into the batter. When the oil is heated (test by dipping handle of wooden spoon in the oil, if bubbles immediately gather around it you’re good to go!) lower dessert spoonfuls of the mix one at a time into the oil, I did these in batches of four. I flipped mine over carefully after a minute or so and cooked until golden brown.
I ate about 5 while I was cooking them, chef privilege.
Congratulations to you all, Ciara!
As one of your older regulars we look forward so much to our weekly visits to Ursa Minor where we always receive a warm welcome.The coffee is first class, the eats delicious & we always go home with a couple of treats.
Wishing you all the best for the future….
Congratulations on the award (sounds well-deserved to me!) But also on allowing yourself the headspace and clarity to admit that you are worthy, and learning to accept a compliment with humility and grace.💕