Blasta Books, Click & Collection & Pre-Ordered Picnic Boxes

This week (4th June 2021 – -) on Chew The Fat we go under the hood of the food industry and chat to some people you may not be entirely aware of just yet –– a future publisher shaking up the cookbook scene and the couple behind one of the most successful pieces of technology to arrive to the Irish food industry whilst a pandemic was ongoing: Kristin Jensen of Blasta Books and Suzanne Rigby and Mark Hooper of Click And Collection.

In our snappy Chew The Fat Noticeboard segment of food industry news, we’re covering:

• Lotts & Co.‘s new Terenure shop, opening summer 2020 –– and now hiring!
• Weekl.ie‘s brand new Harold’s Cross physical food market, opening Saturday 5th June and an enhancement of their online marketplace and subscription service, which will be open Thursday-Sunday weekly, 10am – 5pm
• D-8TE kicks off its summer pop-up residencies at Roe & Co Distillery, beginning with Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded Spitalfields, continuing with Sunil Ghai’s Pickle and then following will be Nightmarket, Bahay, Matsu and closing the summer will be Nico Reynolds’ Lil’ Portie. Running Thursday to Sundays weekly in fortnightly stints, the first two traders already have their availability online, so book via roeandcowhiskey.com/outdoor-dining
• Michelle Lawlor’s Nude Wine Co. launches the monthly Nude Wine Club, a new subscription service where three hand-picked bottles from independent producers are delivered to customers’ doors each month, all singing to a similar ‘theme’ with an accompanying interactive tasting session via Zoom. €55 a month, no contract!

Pre-Order a Picnic! Outdoor Dining and Al Fresco kits

We also delve into the ongoing summer of staycations picking out some great picnic options that are popping up almost daily across Ireland… Including:

• Project Picnic Dublin
• The Tannery
• Pudding Row
• Cafe Rua
• Burren Smokehouse
• Tiller + Grain
• Scholar’s Townhouse
• Headfort Arms
• Overends Kitchen at Airfield Estate

Suzanne Rigby & Mark Hooper of Click and Collection

We’ve all ordered our fair share of take-away throughout the pandemic, and  – as more and more restaurants have emerged into that scene – boxing up the restaurant experience has been pivotal to the hospitality industry surviving. Yet in order to get product into customers hands a lot of technology behind the scenes has to be employed to ensure the smooth, seamless running. That’s where Click and Collection has come in…

Kristin Jensen, Blasta Books

Has the cookbook publishing industry gone a bit stale? Kristin Jensen, think so, and has set places at the table for a whole new generation of authors from Ireland’s diverse food industry. An experienced editor by trade, Kristin is shaking up the system as the founder and publisher of upcoming imprint Blasta Books, which is currently far surpassing its initial funding round on Kickstarter. She describes the soon-to-be-published series – which will publish Tacos by Lily Ramirez-Foran of Picado, Hot Fat by GastroGays (that’s us!),, United Nations of Cookies by Jess Murphy (Kai) and Eoin Cluskey (Bread 41) and Wok by Kwanghi Chan, all in 2022 – as being what street food is to restaurants: casual, accessible, diverse and exciting…

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