Ireland’s Best Chef?
Helen
Lucy Burke reviews Kevin Thornton’s first outing at the Fitzwilliam Hotel
You knew Kevin
Thornton’s former restaurant in Portobello? Right! To imagine his new one,
Thornton’s in the Fitzwilliam Hotel on Stephen’s Green, just focus on every
dear detail you remember, and then imagine its exact opposite. You’re there?
Good.  Continue reading »

It was a quiet Wren’s Day in Dingle, without the huge crowds we’ve seen over the last few years.
I don’t know if that’s a sign of the times, but in many ways it made the day more special.
It was more about the music and the marching, and less about the onlookers.
For us, out on the march, there was the added benefit that there was no problem getting into pubs on the way and ordering drink.  Continue reading »

Ill be away in India until the 10th of January and will probably not get a chance to update until I come back. Expect lots of tales of fun, food and frolics (and hopefully no need for use of any of the above)
Happy New Year.  Continue reading »

Ate too much yesterday? Looking for something quick ‘n’ easy?
“Nothing warms you more than a hearty soup and this is just the ticket. Healthy to boot, this soup is loaded with fresh veggies and even your left over turkey from Christmas dinner.”
Check out my latest post on Healthhabits.  Continue reading »

My Dad rang me in a bit of a panic on Christmas Eve “I can’t find Mrs. Dunbar’s pastry recipe”, having made six dozen mince pies the previous weekend I could rattle this one off the top of my head. By now my mincemeat has matured nicely, much more moist than the commercial variety with an added citrusy kick.  Continue reading »

We’re just standing up from Dinner at JD’s parents’ place, we’re soo full we can barely waddle to the couch and we just wanted to wish you all a happy, peaceful Christmas.  Continue reading »

When I started this I thought I would get the chance to eat way more mince pies and am surprised I havent. The truth is that there isnt a massive choice out there in the supermarkets – they pretty much have one or two of their own (normally one of superior quality/price/taste) and then Mr.Kiplings and possibly the Tea time express ones. So if you arent shopping in different supermarkets you probably will only purchase one or two different types of boxes.  Continue reading »

Don’t forget to tune in to my first Foodtalk programme on Newstalk 106-108 fm which will be broadcast today at 1.30pm. Happy Christmas!  Continue reading »

Don’t forget to tune in to my first Foodtalk programme on Newstalk 106-108 fm which will be broadcast today at 1.30pm. Happy Christmas!  Continue reading »

It’s Christmas Eve and never a better time to break out the dark and festive beers in my stash. Phúca was a wonderful introduction to spiced ale this Christmas and I was thirsty for more. Ale Mary arrived in my CAMRA delivery this quarter and seemed promising with its boast of cloves, coriander and ginger but even a cursory sniff clearly indicates that it has none of the subtly found in Phúca.  Continue reading »

We’ve only been up and running for a few weeks here at cheapeats.ie, and we’d like to thank everyone who has visited the site, given feedback, or left comments.
We’ve enjoyed a few great value meals out over Christmas, spotted some great bargains, and picked up some interesting recipes. Over the next year, we hope to…  Continue reading »

To those of us not in the know the reservations policies of well-known London restaurants can be something of a mystery. For our London trip we were on the waiting list at the River Cafe – to this day I have no idea if we came anywhere near getting a table or not. Happily Gordon Ramay’s Boxwood Cafe operates a very egalitarian resevations policy, and bookings for tables up to 4 persons can be made online from one month before the date in question.  Continue reading »

It was a sad day in work today as URRU Mallow closed its doors after just over two years of trading.
Although I’ve only been there part-time – initially I worked a four day week, recently I’ve been down to three days – it’s played a big part in my life for the last twelve months. I’m really going to miss the easy access to such a great range of Irish artisan products, our ever-entertaining customers, my fantastic colleagues and inspirational boss.  Continue reading »

It was a sad day in work today as URRU Mallow closed its doors after just over two years of trading.
Although I’ve only been there part-time – initially I worked a four day week, recently I’ve been down to three days – it’s played a big part in my life for the last twelve months. I’m really going to miss the easy access to such a great range of Irish artisan products, our ever-entertaining customers, my fantastic colleagues and inspirational boss.  Continue reading »

Need a last minute Christmas side dish idea? Look no further than this week’s post on Dancing Spoon:
“I thought of this recipe back in November as a healthy alternative for the green bean casserole with that canned mushroom muck, but decided to keep it in the vault for December: it has such a lovely organic earthy flavor. The taste is comforting and rustic–a perfect side for a roast or turkey.
This recipe is simple and quick and you can even start it a day in advance.  Continue reading »

While it’s evident that I personally celebrate Hanukkah, there’s no ignoring the fact that Christmas is right around the corner. But more importantly, Christmas is a cornerstone of American comfort food and sweets – a holiday that culminates all that is tasty and delicious, be it sweet or savory. As an avid food blog reader, I don’t think I’d have half as many recipes to drool over or half as many blogs to read if it weren’t for Christmas.  Continue reading »

Don’t forget today is the last day to donate to Menu For Hope! All you need to do is follow these 3 easy steps:
1. Click here to donate.
2. In the comment/personal message box, specify your prize code. 1 per raffle ticket. Bid on prize UE39 for a chance at a Tastes of Chicago food package or select your prize from this list.
3. Feel good about yourself for donating money to help end world hunger.
For more details on Menu for Hope, click here.  Continue reading »

Mr. Kipling has been around for donkeys years as have his pies so I figured that these would have to be tested. Of the pies I have tasted these are the only ones that are for sale everywhere.

Value(2.7): €2.49 for 6, this seems to be the average price for mince pies really, unless you are buying in Lidl. Some places have 8 Mr. Kiplings for the price of 6.  Continue reading »

 Here are some brandy snaps I made, and if you’re looking for an easy baking treat, it doesn’t get much easier than this. I rolled these, but you can also leave them flat. They are just as tasty! For good measure, I dipped mine in chocolate… I adapted the recipe from an old Cordon Bleu dessert book. 
Happy Christmas!  Continue reading »

Click here to view the embedded video.
In the final of my wine series on Lidl wines I am tasting the hugely popular Sangre De Toro 2006 from Spain. This wine is not exclusively available at Lidl in fact it is available almost anywhere that sells wine. There is an error in the video as I am referring to the 2007 vintage but it is actually the 2006 – my bad !
Food Wise: Nice casseroles, stews, sausage, or most red meats would be a good match for this wine.  Continue reading »