Sunday 4 May 2025 in Malahide
Sponsors Dunnes Stores, Cruising Association of Ireland (CAI), Howth Yacht Club (HYC), Malahide Yacht Club (MYC)
The competition included cooks representing the CAI, MYC and HYC. Eight cooks each prepared a main course meal for four crew members on two gas rings as if under sail on a yacht and for a maximum cost of €25.
The cooks had one hour to prepare, cook and present the finished dishes to the judges and provide tastings for the sailing public who along with the judges would decide on the top three dishes.
The cooks, and the meals they prepared
Grace Campion | MYC | Campion’s Champion Chilli |
Aiden Keane | MYC | West Coast Seafood Chowder |
John Anglim | MYC | Golden Seared Salmon and Med Veg |
Audrey White | HYC | Chilli Mac |
Patrick Smyth | HYC | Chicken and Mushroom Risotto |
Gary Davis | HYC | Chilli Con Can-Can |
John Murphy | CAI | Beef and Guinness Stew |
Vincent Lundy | CAI | Nonna Lundy Risotto |
The cooking started at a furious pace, such that some finished with plenty of time to spare while others just managed to plate up within the time allotted. Each contestant presented a garnished plate of their dish to the judges.
The attending sailing public got an opportunity to sample all of the dishes, served up by the cooks who gladly answered any queries about their ingredients and preparation methods. There was plenty to go around, a gourmet tasting menu any restaurant would be proud of.
The public shared their voting tokens among their favourite dishes. These were counted and added to the judges’ scores.
Prizes
While the cooks were all winners in their own right, three dishes had to be picked from the eight entries. The prizes consisted of Dunne’s Stores and HYC gift vouchers, with a first prize of €100, second prize €75 and a third prize of €50. Also each cook was presented with a Dunne’s Stores gift voucher for €25 to cover their expenses.
In third place was Audrey’s “Chilli Mac”, highly praised by the judges.
In second place was Grace’s “Campion’s Champion Chilli”, judged to be full of flavour with rich layers of tasty spices and aromas.
In first place came John’s “Beef and Guinness Stew” which brimmed with flavour. The chunky tender beef was accompanied by a rich and smooth mashed potato.
The judges were Colm Fitzpatrick, Ruth Ray and Mark McManus. They were presented with a bottle of wine each, with thanks for participating.
Here is our winning cook John Murphy in the centre and fellow cook Vincent Lundy to his right. One might (wrongly) assume they are attempting to bribe the chief judge Colm Fitzpatrick with a bottle of wine. If they were, it may have worked for John but it didn’t do Vincent much good.
The two John’s sharing cups of freshly brewed Murphy’s Coffee as they relax after their amazing cooking extravaganza.
The camaraderie, the craic, the humour and the quality of the food were all exceptional.
Thanks
A huge thanks to the cooks, without whom the Cook Your Hearts Out could not take place. Many thanks to the sponsors, Dunne’s Stores, CAI, MYC and HYC. Our thanks to MYC for offering their premises to accommodate the competition, and to the organisers.
The RNLI will benefit from the proceeds which were in excess of €500.
Not least and most importantly a big thank you to our fellow sailors, family and friends who came along to support the competition.
Tributes
Ruth Ray:
Thanks to Vincent and his team for organising the Malahide Muster. We had a nice sail over to Lambay and enjoyed a very relaxed lunch in the shelter of the island away from the northerly wind. The wind came NNE for our return to Howth.
The barbecue at MYC was really enjoyable, and the food was excellent. Tunes were provided by Rosie, Derek and Vincent late into the night.
The weekend was topped off with our own Commodore distinguishing himself and the CAI by winning the “Cook Your Heart Out” competition. John was up against 7 other cooks, all of a very high standard. Well done John, and congratulations on more funds being raised by Vincent and his team for RNLI.
A big thank you to MYC for hosting and to Margaret Fay for being there to present the “Cook Your Heart Out” prizes
John Murphy:
I want to say thanks to Vincent who yet again put in considerable work behind the scenes. Vincent is the sort of guy that when he takes on a project like this and many others, he gets it done every time with energy and humour. Thanks, Vincent!
And while I’m at it I want to say thanks to our chief judge Ruth and the team. It was a really happy event.
Lastly, thanks to Malahide Yacht Club who hosted us for two great days.