Tastefully Yours

Norbert Thul and Audrea Hassett are new wave producers of Irish chutneys, jams and pickles.  Their lovely business, Tastefully Yours, has been receiving acclaim at the highest levels since it was established in 2009. These two are working colleagues and best friends, and that good energy comes across in everything they do and make.  The pair, who met when Norbert was lecturing in catering college and Andrea was his student, had both always fancied a shot at their own business. Audrea’s  love of recipe development stemmed from her own passion for food, plus Norbert’s inspirational teaching and his years of experience as a working chef. Today they are a force to be contended with in the artisan production industry of Ireland.

All Tastefully Yours products are created in the small kitchen beside the cute shop where products can be purchased.  The divine smell of a pot of chutney being made will lead you in the door here!  Audrea and Norbert both share  a serious passion for getting it absolutely right, and experiment with flavours and tastes for ages before hitting on the right recipe. All items are made in small batches – as Audrea says, some things work made in larger amounts and others don’t.  So no compromise here on taste and quality for the sake of being able to make more jars at any one time.  Some chutneys are produced in only three or five jar batches and the maximum is 25 jars at a time.  That’s small, by anybody’s standards!  But as a result, the chutneys and preserves are all perfectly balanced in flavour and texture.  Recipes used here are invented, tested and worked on till the pair are sure they have the right blend.  Some recipes are handed down from family, others are simply new creations dreamed up with inspiration from what is in season.  Bread and Butter Pickle is a grown up sandwich filler – on buttered bread as the name suggests or to garnish a burger.  You can use this to pep up a potato salad, where the savouriness adds something to the mayo base. Cheeseboard Chutney is a combo of figs, apricots, and caramelised onions and matches the wonderful cheeses of Ireland. If you like spice, the Apple and Chilli has a serious kick to it – a good accompaniment to mild curries and we love it on ham sarnies too.  Carrot Chutney is bright orange, with a shreddy texture.  Andrea suggest a lovely potatoe cake recipe with this as an ingredient,  to make the finished cakes spicy and crunchy.  And the big favourite at Tastefully Yours is the Sweet Chilli Sauce, a South East Asian inspired, glowing amber sauce flecked with chilli pieces.  Use this to accompany any Thai dish, or for dipping spring rolls, deep fried crispy battered vegetables or prawns, chicken satay sticks and even a bowl of home made chips. We think it’s irreplaceable in the kitchen cupboard!

Vegetables are sourced with consideration and always local.  Some come from small holders who may only have a certain amount of one sort of vegetable, and this will be turned into a seasonal special chutney by Andrea and Norbert.  Each chutney made here is a celebration of the ingredients it includes.  At the shop, painted wood shelving and a big timber dresser displays all products in their well thought out and designed packaging. At the shop counter, there are jars of homemade cookies to have with a take away tea or coffee. Homemade pizza is a big hit too, as is the big basket of home made baking like soda white and brown breads, scones and Audrea’s latest sourdough loaves which look delectable. You can sit down and eat in the shop but table space is limited here, though due to be increased for the summer.  More seating is being added indoors and outside on the sunny terrace in front of the shop. Pizzas are available to order for takeaway. Tastefully Yours chutneys and pickles are available in some retail outlets also, including Good Food Ireland members Nash 19 in Cork and Glasrai and Goodies in Gowran, Co.Kilkenny, Terminal 2 of Dublin airport, Superquinn Waterford, Bunratty Castle Clare, Ardkeen Stores Waterford, and The Granary Waterford.  If you happen to be in Waterford city, find the Tastefully Yours stall at the farmer’s market in Waterford Institute of Technology, every second Sunday of the month.

Buy Tastefully Yours Products Online click on the links below

TASTEFULLY YOURS SWEET CHILLI SAUCE 300g
TASTEFULLY YOUR RED ONION MARMALADE 300g
TASTEFULLY YOURS APPLE AND CHILLI CHUTNEY 300g
TASTEFULLY YOURS NO MORE NAKED LEAVES DRESSING 300g

Read more about Tastefully Yours, here is their Producer Review