Cork produce on the menu at the Taoiseach's dinner for world leaders in Dublin 

Cork produce was firmly on the menu when 50 world and European leaders sat down to dinner at the National Gallery of Ireland on Thursday night, with chef Mark Moriarty deliberately putting the Rebel County centre stage.

Some 50 world leaders gathered at Dublin's Convention Centre for the summit, with Micheál Martin saying they had reaffirmed their "unwavering support" for the people of Ukraine.

However, the message from the meeting was clear: any future talks must include European voices.

“We went Cork heavy on the menu,” Mr Moriarty said, describing how he incorporated Cork produce and a strong Cork theme into the four-course dinner hosted by Taoiseach Micheál Martin for leaders attending the European Political Community (EPC) summit in Dublin.

From West Cork smoked salmon and Cork butter to a painting by Cork-born artist Daniel Maclise hanging on the gallery wall, the county had a prominent place at the high-profile gathering.

“I knew I was going to get away with this,” Mr Moriarty joked when speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland on Friday.

The chef said the Taoiseach had been "very specific" about what he wanted from the dinner, which was designed to showcase Irish dishes.

“It had to be all about just showcasing Irish provenance and sustainable ingredients, and to give a sense of the sort of the past, the present and the future of Irish food. So we just kept it simple, put the produce on the plate and let it do the speaking."

The Cork theme extended beyond the food. The National Gallery’s walls provided the backdrop for the dinner, including The Marriage of Strongbow and Aoife, an 1854 painting by Cork-born artist Daniel Maclise.

Mr Moriarty said the dinner was an honour and revealed that months of confidential planning had gone into the event.

Challenging

“Logistically, it was a challenge. There were two or three months of planning gone into it behind the scenes. Obviously, we weren’t allowed to talk about it, and bringing in a team of 32 people for the 50 guests from all across the Irish hospitality industry.

One of the biggest talking points of the evening, however, was the mashed potato served with the main course.

Mr Moriarty revealed that the dish was made using equal quantities of potato and Irish salted butter.

When guests began asking for more, he joked that he thought they had already been given enough.

“Once we finally got down to the cooking at 7pm last night, that’s the easy part. That’s when we knew what we were doing, and we were so glad that the feedback was good,” he said.

Although he did not get an opportunity to speak to the Taoiseach, who was busy as guests departed, Mr Moriarty said he had the opportunity to speak with a number of high-profile guests, including French president Emmanuel Macron, British prime minister Andy Burnham and Prince Albert of Monaco.

Secret behind the mash

Explaining the secret behind the mash, he said: “You will not go home hungry.

“We take baked potatoes, we bake them on salt, we remove the pulp from the middle, and we weigh out the exact amount of potato. Then we whisk in the exact same amount of beautiful Irish salted butter until we have, as I say, it’s almost butter stabilised and emulsified with the potato.” 

The result was a 50/50 mixture of potato and butter, which went down extremely well with the guests.

Mr Moriarty also defended Ireland’s reputation for producing exceptional potatoes and butter, despite President Macron apparently having a slightly different view on the latter.

“We do have amazing potatoes and we definitely have the best Irish butter, even though President Macron slightly disagreed with me after. So I said, let’s put them on the plate,” he said.

What was on the menu?

First course 

Baked potato sourdough 

Glenilen Farm butter

Second course 

Celeriac baked in barley yeast, hazelnut, celeriac and fino sherry sauce 

Main course 

Sally Barnes wild Irish smoked salmon from West Cork 

BBQ butter sabayon, green apple 

Striploin of dry-aged Ridgeway beef from Co Wicklow

Artichoke, seaweed and roasted bone marrow jus gras

Jenny McNally's roasted cabbage, bacon and herbs 

Mashed potato

Dessert 

Irish coffee gateau

Salted Irish milk sorbet 

Tea and coffee 

Wines 

L'Abeille de Fieuzal Blanc, 2023, France 

Réserve de Léoville Barton, 2019, France

Pom O, Ireland 

The dinner also featured a cultural performance of poetry and music in both Irish and English.

For Mr Moriarty, the evening was an opportunity to showcase Irish hospitality and produce to an international audience, with Cork securing more than its fair share of the spotlight.