A rare breed of cattle with a truly distinctive flavour. The Irish Moiled is Ireland's rarest cattle breed. It is a traditional Irish breed of ancient lineage with a long history as a dual purpose hardy animal, producing both high quality beef and milk. It is an economical producer being a resourceful forager, easily maintained on less acreage and less concentrate than most other cattle breeds. The name Moile means polled or hornless. It is of medium size with a varied colouration, characteristically red in colour marked by a white line or 'finching' on the back and under parts, but can vary from white with red ears to nearly all red. In the 20th. century the breed declined in numbers as it was superseded by new, more specialised breeds. The decline was so dramatic that by the 1970's the breed had been reduced to less than 30 females maintained by two breeders in Northern Ireland - David Swan of Dunsilly and James Nelson of Maymore.

Irish moss or carragheen is a reddish-purple seaweed, sun bleached out to a yellowish-pink. It grows in fan-like branches and fronds around Atlantic coasts in the United States and Europe. In its natural state it is tough and almost translucent. Widely used for gelling properties in Ireland where it is, for example, cooked in milk which is then strained to make a set blancmange mould. Can also be used for thickener for soups and stews.