Is there a better way to celebrate Christmas than being surrounded by good friends and good food? No, there isn’t. So I invited my friends over for some festive cheer and mulled wine. Of course, food was also included – a party is always a nice excuse to experience with some new ideas of finger…
Having brought back so much bread from the Firehouse bread making course, I decided to use the brioche to make a wonderful indulgent bread & butter pudding for dessert – especially because Mr T loves his desserts. Many cooks get the pudding wrong as they don’t butter the slices of bread properly or use only…
I really really want one of those It is not very often that I am impressed with a cookery/baking course but wow – what a day I had recently at Firehouse Bread Bakery in Heir Island. A beautiful spot in the depth of West Cork – 27 people are living on Heir Island and you…
I think I have mentioned several times that I love cookbooks – and that I have quite a few. But I think I have also mentioned a few times that you can’t have enough cookbooks. So here is my wishlist for Christmas – please feel free to ask for my mailing address 🙂 Pierre Hermé…
Sundays is fry up time @ The Cottage and we are taking our time and enjoying the lazy morning. We have scrambled or poached eggs, bacon rashers, sausages, hash browns and beans. Mr T is always giving out about the sugar content of the beans and why do they call it tomato sauce if there…
Sunday afternoon tea was a tradition in my house when I was a child. My mum was just finished with clearing the dinner table and did the washing up and the aroma of fresh baked cakes and biscuits would go through the house. Around 4 o’clock we all sat in the living room (eating was…
Flavoured alcohol is a great gift but needs to be planned as it needs a few weeks maturing. I have a wonderful herb garden that gave me mint, lemon verbena, rosemary and lots of other wonderful herbs. For this flavoured vodka, I have used Lemon Verbena but the principle works with any other herb or…
It is this time of the year again – what to buy your loved ones and friends for Christmas? You don’t want to buy some ‘rubbish’ that no one needs or want but you also don’t want to break the bank. My gift guide below will make it easier to get the perfect gift for…
I love personal gifts – not the gift packs that are piling up now in supermarkets, chemists and department stores. Most of the things, you wouldn’t use and if so, it would only be one or two things from the pack. The baskets or pots might look nice but that’s about it. I love it…
Ok, so far I thought I am a good cook. I really have to revise that opinion since having eaten at last night’s Eurotoques Young Chef of the Year Award dinner. The talent amongst these chefs was so incredible that I was just a humble diner in total awe. EuroToque is a European organisation representing…