St George's Market in the city centre showcases the quality artisan produce – such as Hannan's beef dry-aged in the world's largest Himalayan salt chamber – that's been inspiring chefs such as Ox's Stephen Toman, who has been exciting British and Irish critics with dishes such as Skeaghanore duck, parsley root, chestnut, coffee and chicory, built on local provenance.
Ten years ago, Starbucks stores were opening on every corner, followed by the burgeoning industry of artisan coffee roasters.
Ingredients for their kitchen are sourced with great care; as organic as possible, first from their own garden, the rest from farmers' markets, neighbouring farms and artisan suppliers.
All of the plants need to be harvested by hand by the jimadores to the exact specifications required by their artisan method.
Despite the grim, chilly day and the overwhelming greyness of the buildings, the raw charm of this artisan district is apparent.
We are in an artisan area of food production.
Guests will visit artisan producers, restaurants and bodegas in the foothills of the Sierra de Gracia.
In the end I went to Japan, spoke to a lot of people and finally found this artisan manufacturer in the Japanese Alps.
Among rose gardens, olive groves and a vegetable patch lies a 27-room hotel (built in the Berber rammed earth style known as pisé) with two good restaurants, several pools (including one for children), an artisan workshop offering pottery classes for children, two tennis courts and a spa.
The heroine was the daughter of an unemployed artisan, and she and her family had a tough time until one day a new factory opened in the district, the father got a job there, they had money again and everything was fine.
Think of politicians who "tell it like it is" (our Nigel), celebrity confessionals, bare-brick lofts and bushy beards in Shoreditch, or "artisan" foods.
