NOT BLAH BLAH BLAH AS ASSOCIATED WITH GRETA THUNBERG
A bla, or Waterford Blaa, is a doughy, white bread bun (roll) speciality, particularly associated with Waterford, Ireland. It is currently made in Waterford and South Co. Kilkenny.
Blaas are sold in two varieties: “soft” and “crusty”. Soft blaas are slightly sweet, malt flavour, light but firm in texture and melt in the mouth. Crusty blaas are crunchy at first bite, then chewy with a subtle malt taste and a pleasing bitter aftertaste from the well cooked, dark crust.
Eaten mainly at breakfast with butter, they are also eaten at other times of the day with a wide variety of fillings (including a type of luncheon meat often referred to as “red lead”). The breakfast blaa (egg, bacon rasher and sausage) is more common than the breakfast roll in Waterford.
A combined 12,000 blaas are sold each day by the four remaining bakeries producing blaas: Walsh’s Bakehouse, Kilmacow Bakery, Barron’s Bakery & Coffee House and Hickey’s Bakery. Of the four remaining bakeries, only two remain in Waterford City. Blaas quickly lose their freshness and are best consumed within a few hours of purchase.
Some sources report that the blaa was introduced to Waterford at the end of the 17th century by the Huguenots. This theory is disputed because although white flour existed in the 17th century, it was not widely used until mass production of the industrial revolution.
Blaas are sometimes confused with a similar bun known as a bap; however, blaas are square in shape, softer, and doughier, and are most notably identified by the white flour shaken over them before the baking process.[14]
On 19 November 2013, the Waterford blaa was awarded Protected Geographical Indication status by the European Commission.
IN MARCH 2022 THIS RESTAURANT HAD NOT YET REOPENED
Deanes Deli Bistro & Vin Café 42-44 Bedford Street BT2 7FF Belfast
On the 23rd March 2020 Deans Belfast announced that they had suspended operations because of Covid-19 restrictions. More recently I came across the following: “During September 2022 Deanes will offer new employees a special incentive cash bonus! New recruits will benefit from a £500 net bonus payment after 6 months service and a further £500 net reward after 1 year in the Company on top of their competitive salary.”
Michael Deane (born 19 March 1961) is a chef from Lisburn, Northern Ireland.
Deane started his career at Claridge’s in London. In 1993 he moved back to Northern Ireland and opened Deane’s on the Square with his cousin, Haydn Deane in Helen’s Bay, County Down. It was there he won his first Michelin Star.
In 1997 he opened a two-storey establishment in Belfast’s city centre on Howard Street. It included Deane’s Brasserie on the ground floor and Restaurant Michael Deane on the first floor. In the same year the restaurant was awarded a Michelin Star. In 2007 the name of the restaurant was changed to the simpler Deanes. It held this for 13 years, making it the longest running and only Michelin Star holder in Northern Ireland however lost this accolade in 2011, because of a 4-month closure due to frost damage and severe flooding. Deanes has also been awarded four Automobile Association Rosettes. The Brasserie held a Bib Gourmand from Michelin. Deane now owns Deanes Meatlocker, Deanes Love Fish and Deanes Eipic, all of which are located on the ground floor of the Howard Street building with a private function room on the first floor. He also owns Deanes Deli on Bedford Street, located close to the BBC NI headquarters, Deanes at Queens in the Queens University area and Deane and Decano on the Lisburn Road, both in the South of the city.
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