Last summer we only managed to visit the Cliff House Hotel in Ardmore for drinks and, nice and all as they were, we missed the chance to eat in the restaurant. Not so for the summer of 2009, we made our booking early and counted down the days.
A 7:30pm arrival for an 8pm booking allowed us a round of Cuba Libres (Havana Club & Coke) at the bar. It was nicely busy for a Thursday evening with some folk enjoying bar food and some others simply having drinks.  Continue reading »

Home-made soup is so underrated as a meal and this super-healthy hot and sour soup from Look and Taste had me salivating at the thought of all those Thai flavours and spices, with big juicy prawns as the meaty filler.

The spiciness, sourness and pungency of flavours – note the addition of fresh and “vivacious” coriander right at the end – screams an equally complex and powerfully flavoured white wine.  Continue reading »

As Jackeen blow-ins to Wicklow, Glendalough Fayre in Laragh came in handy.
We’d come from Dublin where there were ethnic food shops everywhere, where specialised ingredients like asefetida, banana leaves, and preserved lemons grew on trees, to a place where our nearest supermarket was at least half an hour away.
Glendalough Fayre – our nearest shop –…  Continue reading »

We are delighted to have been selected to be finalists in the Green Me Awards 2009 for the Cork Area. The GreenMe Awards recognise and reward businesses and community groups that ”communicate the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility, sustainable development and ethical best practice in business or the community”. Endorsed by Duncan Stuart, Greenme.ie is a website that helps everyone become ‘greener’.  Continue reading »

We are delighted to have been selected to be finalists in the Green Me Awards 2009 for the Cork Area. The GreenMe Awards recognise and reward businesses and community groups that ”communicate the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility, sustainable development and ethical best practice in business or the community”. Endorsed by Duncan Stuart, Greenme.ie is a website that helps everyone become ‘greener’.  Continue reading »

Special buys this Thursday at Aldi include:
1000GB External Hard Drive – €99.99
Hand Held Vacuum Cleaner – €19.99
Lavender Mix – €3.99
Next Sunday at Aldi, why not get inspired to hang out in your bathroom washing clothes? Specials include:
Decorated Toilet Seat – €19.99
Moist Toilet Tissues – €2.99 per pack
Premium Concentrated Fabric Conditioner (750ml) – €1.79
Lastly, don’t forget…  Continue reading »

Specials at Lidl this Thursday include:
Thermo Composter – €29.99
Barbecue Cleaner – €1.99
Men’s Cycling Jersey – €8.99
Then, specials next Monday July 27 it’s all DIY and diving:
Professional Scuba Diving Fins – €24.99
Wood Sanding Set – €4.99
Men’s Work Trousers – €9.49
Lidl are currently selling a range of Iberian specialities, including Spanish Tortilla for €2.49 and tinned olives…  Continue reading »

Royan – Arts & Entertainment – Amusement Parks
Jardins du Monde in Royan.

Ten euro is the entrance fee to the gardens and they are just about worth it.

If you have kids bring them as there is a large children’s area plus quite a few of the exhibits are also attractive to the young ones.

Highlights are the bonsai pavilion, the orchid and butterfly gardens and the 1800 year old olive tree that stands in the Tuscan garden.  Continue reading »

Finally, the refugees from my over-heated attic have all been liberated, with Broughton Scottish Oatmeal Stout the last under the wire. I have it in my head that I don’t generally like oatmeal stouts, finding them a bit heavy and phenolic. This one’s just 4.2% ABV – how heavy could that be? Not very is the answer, but that’s not a good thing here. Not much of a nose and very little on the palate either, other than some mild, dry roastiness and bags of watery fizz.  Continue reading »

I had the Chana Masala (chickpea curry) and Red Lentil Dhal (I loooovvvvveee Dhal) mixtures. Canned tomatoes and coconut milk are always in the cupboard. I even had the aged basmati Arun Karpil was so raving about - only the best for Caz and Jan (even without Caz).

The instructions were easy to follow (although in earlier versions of the mixes, the recipes were on the pack - this time I had to download them from their website) and it was really quick. The aroma flying through my kitchen were simply mouthwatering and the results were actually very good. I prefer my Chana Masala a bit less thick (the spices in this case were overpowering) but the Dhal was simply perfect.

I paid Austin of Bubble Brothers a visit in the English Market and asked for a wine that would go nic

…Jan came over on Tuesday and I offered to cook a curry for us (was actually planned for Wednesday that he and Caz were coming). Anyhow, since I was short in time, I decided to use the two spice mixes I purchased from Green Saffron last Sunday at the Medieval Festival in Carrigtwohill. I never used the mixes before but used to give them away as gifts. Anyhow, this time I decided to use them myself.I had the Chana Masala (chickpea curry) and Red Lentil Dhal (I loooovvvvveee Dhal) mixtures.  Continue reading »

I tell you  – there is nothing more enticing than a big batch of blueberries. I mean, take the photo above for example. Tell me you don’t want to go find a pint of fresh blueberries and down them, or maybe make some Lemon-Blueberry Muffins. Well, when I went to South Haven, Michigan (the blueberry capital of the United States) back in June, I was hoping to do just that.  Continue reading »

A.  Continue reading »

Last summer, when we had the Mallow Farmers’ Market running outside Urru, we saw a lot of Patrick Frankel, a local organic vegetable grower. When he started coming to the market he had just started producing vegetables on his family farm near Doneraile and customers were delighted with the early fruit of his labours: spring onions, yellow and green courgettes, an assortment of tomatoes, new potatoes, peas and, my favourite, mangetout.  Continue reading »

All this week Dunnes Stores are doing the Casillero Del Diablo (’Cellar of the Devil’ to you and I) Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc reduced from €10.49 to €6.49. Not a bad deal for a decent enough wine, hard to get better value at this price point.
http://www.conchaytorousa.com/wines/diablo.html.  Continue reading »

Currants, of the red variety

Get a load of those redcurrant berries.
You wouldn’t think it, but beneath those shiny exteriors lurks a tale of survival against the odds.
It starts with a family of redcurrant cuttings, happily taking root in the soil. Then, life as the cuttings know it is turned upside-down (literally) following an unfortunate incident involving some over-zealous and less-than-careful hired garden help. One lone redcurrant stick survives.  Continue reading »

I was delighted to see the above in this month’s Image Magazine (although my brother and our excellent production team may have some quibbles as to whether it’s my ice cream!)
Anyway, if you want to make our vanilla ice cream, the recipe is here, and I promise there is no glucose or invert sugar!!!  Continue reading »

On Sunday I said goodbye to Bandon and hello to Ballincollig. Perhaps I still have a bit of the student in me, but to be a stones throw away from the beating heart of Cork City is a great experience.
With living away from my dearest brother (and, might I add, I’m deeply saddened by the fact that I will no longer be awoken by three screaming children at 6 in the morning), I’ve had to think about starting a wine collection for myself, instead of raiding his.  Continue reading »

The National Consumer Agency of Ireland have done another of their price comparison surveys, and report that the results show a drop in food prices over the last six months.
Some interesting findings from the survey:
Tesco has shown the largest price decrease and Superquinn the smallest
Dunnes and Tesco are almost identically priced for branded goods
Aldi and…  Continue reading »

I’m quite aware that we’re overfishing our seas, that many species are on the brink of collapse, and that the knock-on effect could be catastrophic for life in the oceans – and on land.
And yet I blithely go to the fishmonger and get such delights as Maui-Maui, cod, and tuna. I particularly like canned tuna,…  Continue reading »

We’re delighted to be joined again this week by our regular guest columnist, nutritional therapist Heather Leeson from Positive Nutrition. This is Heather’s last column for a few months as she has gone on maternity leave, but we’ll be joined by Lisa in her absence. Congratulations on the new arrival and good luck from the…  Continue reading »