Dear Santy

How are you? It must be tough this year. For me, it’s hard to know what to ask for. I mean, you have been very good to me in recent years, and I should by now be more self sufficient. How many more bail outs do I need?

Plus, I feel like I should just make whatever it is myself, such is the fashion for frugality these days: Grow it yourself, mend it yourself, where will it all end? Making jumpers out of old odd socks knitted together, to sell at the car boot sale?  Continue reading »

Richard Corrigan will be cooking live on Tuesday (tomorrow) a complete Christmas Dinner….and you can call in with questions. Selected viewers will cook a long Richard in their own homes. This concept was quite successful with Gordon Ramsay and it is highly entertaining. The show will be broadcasted in 2 parts starting at 7pm on RTE1 and again at 8:30.  Continue reading »

see Market video by Mike Hannon at:
 http://www.vimeo.com/8282906.  Continue reading »

Mr Dredge has requested an awardy round-up thingy from the beer blogosphere, and I went looking in my stash for a suitable beer to drink while I performed my deliberations. The one that’s been nagging me to drink it for a while now is Nøgne Ø-Dugges Sahti. I recall Knut Albert telling me it’s not a true sahti, presumably because of the malt and hops. But such intricacies concern me not. All I’m worried about is how it tastes.  Continue reading »

Respected wine critic and vigneron James Halliday has a career that spans over forty years, but he is most widely known for his witty and informative writing about wine. A book for anyone captivated by Australian wine, James Halliday’s 2010 edition of The Australian Wine Companion is a must have.  Continue reading »

I’d read about IN-N-OUT Burger on various food forums and was determined to visit a branch during my trip stateside. The marketing blurb is to be believed. This place was set up in 1948 and the stores, staff uniforms and (most importantly) the food hasn’t changed since then. This place is a step above “retro” – it was always like this. Smartly dressed and polite staff, proper french fries and very tasty burgers.  Continue reading »

This post is coming live from Sweden! I arrived last night after an extremely long day, but it was worth it. We landed in pretty heavy snow conditions which got so bad after we landed and they were forced to close the airport today, so I got in just in time! It’s absolutely bloody freezing here, -7 degrees celsius, I can’t feel my toes, plus you would quite easily be able to spot that I am not from here.  Continue reading »

You’ve probably seen the familar Faustino frosted wired bottles on the shelves of your local supermarket or convenience store like Centra or Spar. They’re pretty much everywhere. Decent wines with no pretensions.
Within the Faustino brand, there are a number of styles and prices. From the Crianzas and Reserva (Faustino VII and Faustino V) to the Gran Reserva (Faustino I) each has something different to offer.
What’s a Gran Reserva, then?  Continue reading »

I mentioned before that Tesco have really upped their wine game and their Ring Bolt Cabernet Sauvignon (€12.49) is a fine example of this in action. It’s from the Margaret River, an area in Western Australia renowned for its wine and Cabernet Sauvignon in particular.
How it tastes
It’s full flavoured, big with plenty of blackcurrant and plummy flavours. There’s a bit of oak in there too, but it’s very restrained and ends with a lovely smooth, silky finish.  Continue reading »

Eating sourdough at the source – an “Italian Classic” at the excellent Boudin bakery chain, San Francisco.  Continue reading »

My garden is full of surprises.
One day last month, when I was moved to do a bit of tidying up outside, I found this:

That’s one funny lookin’ Christmas tree…

Having long ago resigned myself to the fact that the romanesco cauliflower I had planted earlier this year had come to naught, there it was, a single specimen, presenting its wonderfully fractal head for inspection. At times like these, you really have to hand it to Mother Nature.  Continue reading »

 We’re doing the above special as early celebrations for our 10th anniversary in business and to point out that (in the world of the “glass half full”) that we’re halfway to summer! Please come join us tomorrow (Monday), if you’re in Dingle or Killarney. After all, who could say “no” to a free ice cream?  Continue reading »

“This holiday season we would like to give thanks to those responsible for real change in the choices available to us for food.
These individuals and businesses do not author feasibility studies, they do not organize conferences or write newspaper articles to talk about the change they want to see.
They are the change.  Continue reading »

Organico Cafe is closing on the 23rd of December and re-opening on the 14th of January
Organico Shop will be open from 9am-4pm on December 24th and re-opening on Tuesday December 29th.
Organico Bakery will be baking on Tuesday the 29th, 30th and 31st of December. Then again on the 4th of January.
Have a Happy Christmas!  Continue reading »

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BUBBLE BROTHERS
Pleasantly surprised when picking up an order this week from Bubble Brothers store in Centre Park Road as the budget reduction of 60 cent per bottle had been applied. Sixty cent may not seem that great but when it is applied to a couple of cases, it can make quite a difference. Well done to Bubble and indeed to the other wine sellers who have rapidly applied the tax cut.  Continue reading »

Since the release of Julie and Julia, both the book and the film,Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking has taken on a new lease of life. Now when readers look at this classic cookbook – first published in 1961 – they do so with the memory of Julie Powell’s consternation while tackling recipes like Boeuf Bourguignonne and Homard a l’Americaine.  Continue reading »

There are many kinds of gingerbreads out there, and people certainly have their preferences – how dark, how sweet, how spicy. The good news about making gingerbread ice cream is that you can use whatever gingerbread you like, so you’ll definitely like the ice cream! Whether you use gingerbread you have made or gingerbread you have bought, this makes a great festive ice cream.  Continue reading »

BEST OF 2009

2009 REVIEWA personal list from restaurants visited this year. Sorry I couldn’t get to all.  Continue reading »