Don’t throw away the liquid from your boiled chicken! It can be used to make a lovely broth.
Simply cover the base of a pot with olive oil or butter and heat. Add in a finely chopped onion, a chopped leek, a few celery sticks, a few chopped carrots, and a pinch of salt. Cover with…  Continue reading »

Fried chicken is a staple on the menus of Irish chippers. Sometimes it’s mouth-watering but other times, as Snack Box pointed out yesterday, it can be grey, pallid, and deeply disturbed.
Making it at home is easy. There’s a small outlay on some ingredients – such as garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and dried parsley – but…  Continue reading »

I am fortunate enough to still have a Granny and, until I was 12, I also had a Nana. Nana, my mother’s mother, was sick throughout my childhood so we spent a lot of time at her home in Oldcastletown. Some of my early memories revolve around her Aga-warmed kitchen – the centre of the house – where there were always a selection of queencakes in a tin or fruitcake slices to be buttered for afternoon tea. Saturday was the baking day in that house.  Continue reading »

Our friends are heading off to California for their honeymoon in July, so we got them an unusual wedding present: a voucher for The French Laundry, a world-famous restaurant just north of San Francisco. At around $240 (€181) per head, it’s the type of place people might be reluctant to go to themselves. But if…  Continue reading »

Regular readers of this blog will know that I’m a gin snob. There’s no point denying it. But I’m not sure it’s something to be embarrassed about. I like gin, and I like nice gins as opposed to the crap ones. And I’m not going to take a red face for it.Tonight at JM’s palace we’ll be BBQing, playing poker and guzzling some booze.But top of the agenda is myself and the strongman tasting lots of gins to come up with which is best.  Continue reading »

Lidl and Aldi are great for the basics but they lack some of the brands we really want.
Lately I’ve noticed the ranges growing in Lidl and, to a lesser extent, at Aldi. Lidl now stocks Aquafresh Toothpaste, the Natural Confectionary Company sweets, Tayto crisps, and a selection of Cadbury’s chocolate. Notably, these mainstream brands cost…  Continue reading »

Beautiful South Africa is considered one of the stars of the New World, yet wine has been made there for over 350 years. At one time, it was the vineyards of Constantia that were considered to be producing the best wines in the world. Today, with such easy access to international markets, the country’s wine industry has been given an energetic lease of life to quench the thirst of all those new found disciples.  Continue reading »

Fontys Pool Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon 2007
A pale lemon water coloured wine, which was almost totally clear. I was hugely interested to try this wine as I am a huge fan of Western Australia [as regular readers will be well aware at this stage] and this was a wine that had been previously carried by O’Briens. But it would appear that O’Briens are no longer carrying it and Fontys Pool has found it way to Bandon, Co. Cork.  Continue reading »

Well, it’s not exactly around the corner but it is close enough to get to with ease. I was very surprised to see home brew equipment and ingredients available on the shelves of my local Nature’s Way health store. I know it was once quite a common occurrence but I never saw it personally.  Continue reading »

Wahaca. For those who didn’t do so well in Leaving Cert geography, it’s the phonetic spelling of Oaxaca. It’s also the name of a restaurant owned by Thomasina Miers, winner of BBC’s Masterchef competition in 2005. Wahaca’s concept is to take Mexican “market” food indoors.
In fairness, Mexican food does have a bad reputation (at least, outside of Mexico).  Continue reading »

A month on from planting our first seeds and some of them looked to be doing really well. We’ve been dieing to plant them out but according to my gardening advisers it’s still too cold at night to do this full time. The beans in particular are getting way too big for the tray. It was suggested to me that we could start putting the trays out during the day so that they would begin to get accustomed to the outside world.  Continue reading »

If you’re fortunate enough to live where the sun is shining, where the wind is warm and where the flowers are in bloom, you know you’ve just hit the jackpot with spring’s arrival. As a foodie I love the transition of using winter root vegetables into using vibrant spring produce. I think that’s why I love frittatas so much–you can’t go wrong using any veg! I chose to use fresh organic spinach this week in honor of being “green” for Earth Week.  Continue reading »

I am quite picky when it comes to where I buy my food. Especially when I am cooking for friends. Although I always praise them when I am there…I think I should ’shout’ it to the ‘Rest of the World’. Okay, here they are:

For Meat – O’Flynn’s Brothers in Marlboro Street (they even tell you how to cook the meat) just great. Always a smile on their face (Simon and Patrick know their meat).  Continue reading »

Do me a favor: MAKE THIS PASTA SAUCE FOR DINNER TONIGHT! I think you’ll thank me.  It’s absolutely, positively, hands down, 100% the best pasta sauce I have ever tasted. And I’ve had a lot of pasta sauce experience so you must understand how bold of a statement I just made.  The best part is: I made it myself! And once you read how easy it is, you’ll be able to make it too!
I know. That’s certainly a lot of excitement over a pasta sauce. But let me explain.  Continue reading »

Continuing with the fantastic giveaways, I’m delighted to announce the next competition:
A full day’s Wine Appreciation Course with the Wine Board of Ireland worth €135.
About the wine appreciation course
Taking place on Saturday, May 2nd, this course will explain the differences between various wines, how they’re made, how to taste wine and most importantly how to use all of these new skills and knowledge to make judgments on price and quality.  Continue reading »

Following on from our tasty in lunch in Chambolle we hoped back into our trusty van and drove south towards Meursault. We made a quick stop off in Nuits St George to have a nose about in the Cavon De Bacchus wine shop before continuing on to visit Patrcik Javillier. I had actually left a small gap in our itinery for this afternoon in case an interesting proposition turned up, but seeing as none.  Continue reading »

 Perhaps the prettiest food shop I’ve seen in Dublin is Morton’s new shop on Park Place, Hatch St. Just around the corner from the Harcourt Luas stop (in fact it’s on the other side of that facing stone wall), the shop is not located in a great position for being noticed, since you have to walk around the corner, but it’s definitely worth a look, especially if you’re feeling hungry around lunch time.  Continue reading »

Oh, I do bang on about Temple Spa near Athlone. It’s one of only three destination spas in Ireland and it’s a really, really wonderful place.
Tonight, they’re running a special six-course Spanish food evening. I’ve eaten here and can testify to the food’s deliciousness. It’s the fifth in a series of themed evenings from head…  Continue reading »

Our friend and regular commenter Snack Box sent us in this handy guide to the best Southern Fried Chicken in Dublin. Tomorrow, we’ll run a recipe for Southern Fried Chicken you can cook at home. Take it away Snack Box:
If you asked a martian where were the best places on earth to find southern fried…  Continue reading »

It’s all sweetness and light over at the Daily Spud, where there’s great recipes for Apple Crumble and a very seasonal Stewed Rhubarb with Orange Juice and Cinnamon.
Over at Italian Foodies, new mum Lorraine (congratulations!) has found time to cook up some simple and delicious classics, including Spaghetti with Red Pesto and a gorgeous Spinach…  Continue reading »