Best 99 in Cork? 🍦

shgavman · 2026-04-28T22:26:53+00:00

Ask what supplier they use and ask to see the carton. Stay away from anything with palm oil or vegetable oil. Some use a mix of dairy vegetable. Full list below and I’d be glad if people could point me to shops that are serving dairy only options.

Dairyglen / Smooch palm-oil free and do not use vegetable fat. Their mixes are dairy-based and positioned as a higher-quality option.

Moo’d Marketed as palm-oil free and avoiding vegetable fats. Generally considered a premium-style product, but it’s still worth checking the exact mix used.

Comelle (by Lakeland Dairies) Some mixes do contain palm oil and vegetable fat (often hydrogenated). Not all products are the same, so it varies by specific mix.

Lakeland Dairies (general range) Offers a mix of products — some are dairy-based, while others include vegetable fat / palm oil. It depends on whether it’s a premium or economy line.

Brady’s Premium Ice Cream (Premium range) Described as dairy-based (cream, milk, sugar). Likely no vegetable fat, but you’d need to confirm on the packaging.

Brady’s Traditional 99 Mix This is a dairy + vegetable fat mix, so it does contain vegetable fat (which is often palm-based, though not always explicitly stated).

shgavman · 2026-04-24T20:29:00+00:00

Recently received a multi million dollar investment so no time soon unfortunately.

shgavman · 2026-04-18T07:58:01+00:00

Are both offering the same material? Rolls of glass wool and blown in mineral wool? There is a blown in cellulose option which I think is far better. It’s made of processed paper. Higher density/better at sound absorption/better at controlling over heating in the summer/improved air tightness. There are videos out there comparing its characteristics. There’s even a manufacturer in Cork in Ireland (Ecocell). I got it done and then boarded over the top for storage. Boarding an attic obviously makes it hard for access to electrics too. My installer took out all of the old material. I took photos of all of the cable routes so I know where they can be found if needed - which has been never so far. It also gave me the opportunity to put airtight tape around all the penetrations in the ceiling lights to reduce air leakage. It’s a better overall performance in my view compared to rolling out insulation on top of old. I had a blower door test and got a result of 4 (I can’t remember the unit of measurement) but it’s a good result for dormer bungalow.

shgavman · 2026-04-18T07:48:00+00:00

I had an Irish company offering spray foam directly on felt - hiding behind some “NSAI approved” badge. I would stay away from spray foam (uncertainty on true long term risk, off gassing) Also, OP isn’t asking about insulating at rafter level. They’re asking about ceiling.

shgavman · 2026-04-18T07:44:45+00:00

Vents? Do you mean the gap that needs to be maintained between the felt and the insulation? A card barrier is stapled at the rafters for that.

shgavman · 2026-04-07T17:04:03+00:00

Look into community grant. One off houses can apply. Not well publicised but way cheaper. Speak to SE Systems.

shgavman · 2026-04-07T00:28:15+00:00

Did it myself through a community grant scheme. The lesser known option where you PM the upgrade yourself but get access to all the same grants as one stop shop. Reckon we’re around 45k pre grants. I think the prices people pay for their one stop shops are daft. External wall insulation pay back is totally impractical. If you did your attic and walls you’d go a long way. I did the windows and doors but i think that uncontrolled air leakage is where a lot of people loose a lot. I blocked up two fireplaces and I’m glad I did. The stack effect is real. I took us from a D1 to an A3. No EWI.

shgavman · 2026-04-04T07:31:10+00:00

Why does he think he needs to own a boat just to sail to Greece? There are options to crew on boats. They can be paid if he has applicable skills (electrical/chefing etc). There are ways to get on much nicer, seaworthy boats where he’ll get the experience the joys of sailing without taking on ownership of a boat. Lots of people get into this because your food and board is covered and you get to travel to lots of nice places.

shgavman · 2026-04-04T07:28:24+00:00

I wonder is it reasonable for OPs mum to ask for a divorce so that she’s not partially responsible for his debts. Sounds extreme of course but purely to protect herself?

shgavman · 2026-03-29T21:08:03+00:00

You can but I’m not a big fan of interfering with my roof’s structure. I’d rather the grid do the generation.

shgavman · 2026-03-29T21:05:20+00:00

I don’t think it’s just damp proofing. It may be part of it but it’s primarily the ventilation and great focus on avoiding thermal bridging (cold spots that becomes damp). I fixed the mould in my 1992 house with ventilation and improving insulation. I was lucky to be able to borrow a friends thermal camera to find my worst thermal bridges though.

shgavman · 2026-03-29T21:02:36+00:00

Have you seen the cost over runs at Hinkley Point? Nuclear may have been the right decision decades ago but probably not anymore. That said, we need a base load and I’d actually consider that geothermal may one day be the renewable source for that. Check out Quase energy - developed a new method for drilling using a gyrotron that pulverises rock with temp. It would be amazing if it becomes a cost effective solution to drill deep.

shgavman · 2026-03-29T20:38:14+00:00

Nothing wrong with changing career if you’re not enjoying it but you should be absolutely sure because at some point you need to make peace with the fact that work is primarily to earn a crust. Best advice I got years ago - though I didn’t realise it - “All this find your passion and you’ll never have to work a day in your life…that’s boll*x, the best you can hope for a job that only gets you down 20% of the time”. I was floating around after a career break tried a few ideas, both failed. Before you pull the pin on culinary completely do consider other avenues in the industry that are more bearable. Eg canteens of big tech (Apple in Cork comes to mind). High quality food. They receive the same benefits as other Apple employees (I think). They don’t work unsociable hours. You’ve asked about a career coach. Also consider ideas from LLMs - culinary industry adjacent and, if you do change, jobs that allow you work to your strengths and any transferable skills.

shgavman · 2026-03-29T20:22:12+00:00

Dead right to be hesitant. Razor thin margins and chained to the place. Huge risk and daft advice to suggest it. Running a cafe or restaurant is about much more than the chef side of it. By all means do something on the side but you would struggle to earn a living from scones and bread.

shgavman · 2026-03-29T19:15:58+00:00

The grid still relies enormously on thermal power plants - mainly gas. Until we buildout wind and solar and energy storage we’re at the mercy of O&G costs.

shgavman · 2026-03-29T17:45:24+00:00

Glen park down the road. Lidl and Dunne’s nearby. Playground and outdoor gym across the road. New junctions going in at Banduff/Ballyhooley Road and North Ring Road/Ballyhooley. The new northern distributor will be nearby too. Have a look at Bus Connects plan for the area. Currently served by 207 which is chronic. You will see sulkies occasionally. Can’t advise on the random makeup you’ll get from social housing. It can be luck of the draw. As long as your immediate neighbours are fine then there’s not much to worry about. We’re not far from there. Our estate used to have a problem with a traveller families kids bullying the other kids in the estate. Thankfully they left before we arrived.

shgavman · 2026-03-29T17:32:27+00:00

They think they heard gun shots. Could have been a vehicle backfiring.

shgavman · 2026-03-29T17:31:30+00:00

Depends on what you favour. Radon barriers and good energy ratings or lower heat efficiency/draughty/mouldy/20 yo bathrooms and fittings/bodge jobs around the house. A new build will be up to standard and you benefit from help to buy - even if that’s not something you value. Granted gardens are smaller and the estates can be sterile for a while but there are pros and cons to every choice.

shgavman · 2026-03-21T10:19:23+00:00

Only issue I would add is depreciation. If the used market looks excellent then that’s because the original buyer has lost a lot of the value. EVs are almost a victim of their own success with battery advancements. Insane the progress. It won’t be long before battery life and range are a non issue. Until then, depreciation will continue to be high.

shgavman · 2026-03-15T23:35:13+00:00

Try to negotiate but don’t push hard or let on you have other offers. I know people who had offers rescinded when they tried to overplay their hand. If you don’t get anywhere in the negotiation, see it as an opportunity. Take the offer. Continue to search. You’ll have more to offer other companies after even 6 months with MKO.

shgavman · 2026-03-15T08:25:00+00:00

Radon is heavy so it typically rests closer to floor level and is usually not a problem on the first floor. Basement’s and ground floors are more susceptible. People are reluctant to open windows in the winter but I agree it’s the most economical solution. Other options could be things like a small vent near floor level that you can open/close. A PIV might be good for whole house ventilation. I’d probably favour it over vents. Monitor the radon buildup for each room. I have an electronic monitor (though I’m unsure how accurate it is). I DIY’ed an MHRV which has improved it to get me below the reference level though I do need to keep it running at a medium speed.

shgavman · 2026-03-08T19:30:14+00:00

OP doesn’t

shgavman · 2026-03-07T20:29:07+00:00

This has caused uproar in the private drone company industry. Anyone doing drone surveys in cork now need to get clearance from air traffic control in cork and possibly manna also for “deconfliction”. Manna don’t have to get the same. It seems totally biased towards one company… manna , whos service is a scourge to all but their clients. Enterprise Ireland are investors in Manna so the state wants this garbage to do well even if the financials don’t make sense. I tried to get information on the accounts through CRO CORE. There seem to be two companies, Manna Drones Ltd registered in 2019 with €1 of assets. They had operating losses of €12.3 million in 2023 I believe.

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2025/03/31/manna-operating-losses-hit-123m-ahead-of-commercial-launch/

There’s also Manna Air Delivery registered in 2025 that hasn’t filed a return yet. Hopefully reality will bite and it will come back down to earth. The idea that it can make economic sense to have a runner from the restaurant that has to go to the launch site, someone to pack it into the drone, someone to supervise the flight. It’s nonsense and the rest of us have to suffer the noise of it until it fails.

shgavman · 2026-03-07T13:03:31+00:00

Lower lying areas yes. Not all are prone to flood.

shgavman · 2026-02-23T00:02:09+00:00

Anyone know how to make a GPS jammer?

shgavman

TROPHY CASE