People don’t believe me that I love baking but don’t have a sweet tooth. So whenever I think up a recipe or simply bake away, I have to make sure it is something that I can give away as a present or have as a standby for visitors. The other day I looked in my…
Did you know that the original carrot was purple and the early corn on the cob had multi-coloured corns?? No?? You are not alone. We have forgotten how our vegetables and fruit used to look and taste. Has your mother or grandmother ever said that tomatoes don’t taste like tomatoes anymore?? That is because they…
This is a great standby recipe when you have some grapefruit (also lemons & oranges) laying around that need using up. It is also a wonderful treat for a Sunday afternoon (in my house they won’t lat much longer anyway). The recipe is divided into 2 with the base bakes first and then a second…
We are delighted to offer you a wonderful opportunity to visit one of Ireland’s best country houses – Longueville House just outside of Mallow. William O’Callaghan and his wife Aisling are famous for their outstanding food and hospitality and more so for their excellent Apple Brandy & Cider. The Critics are invited to lunch on…
The other day, I got a beautiful compliment on Twitter (see photo) and I have to say, it gave me a warm feel in the tummy. I was simply blown away by the wonderful way Richard (of Idaho Cafe that he runs with his wonderful wife Mairead) showed me and all his followers that he…
Have you ever noticed that we stopped following the seasons? We can get anything at any time. Gone are the days where we were waiting impatiently for the first strawberries to arrive, or where we wouldn’t have been surprised not to cook with tomatoes in winter. I have recently watched a video from TedxDublin where…
Ok, since everyone has a hit list of best and worst, I thought I will give you my list of my highlights of the year 2013. You might agree with some of them, with others you might not but the people below made the most impression on me last year, not always in big ways…
… especially if you have been proposed to over Christmas. Nothing is more romantic than your loved one on one knee in front of the Christmas tree. Planning a wedding is no mean feat – so much to consider and decisions to be made. Do you want a big wedding, small wedding, formal or informal, elegant…
It is so easy these days to find gifts for food lovers. Gone are the days (hopefully) where you got a selection of dried herbs (mostly out of date) in a dodgy little wonky rack or getting pasta & bean shapes piled up in beautiful jars (have you ever used the pasta or beans???). We…
Helen Finnegan Everyone who knows me more than 5 minutes will know that I love cheese – no, that I am mad about cheese. So much so that I started to make cheese myself at home. I started with Labneh (Lebanese cheese made from yoghurt) and lately with the help of my wonderful farming neighbour,…