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“This is not the fruit of instant appeal to the masses like the strawberry, but a fruit of quiet pleasure, something for the few who understand and appreciate its charms,” writes Nigel Slater in Tender. I’d never heard of gooseberries, much less tasted them, before I moved to Ireland, but I’m coming around to their charms. They’re hard, mouth-puckeringly sour little marbles when raw.  Continue reading »

If you visit Kilbeggan Distillery museum, you will get to clamber about a largely intact 19th-century distillery. There is a working waterwheel connected to driveshafts and belts; a steam engine backup for the waterwheel; fermenting vats; a large cast-iron mash tun; some huge pot stills; and three sets of millstones that ground up the malt.  Continue reading »

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This week I was given the enormous honour of guest blogging on From China Village.  Continue reading »

This week I was given the enormous honour of guest blogging on From China Village.  Continue reading »

Fresh off the boat, we’ve got four brand spanking new wines from Borgo Magredo ready for shipping to a home near you… or your home if you’re keen enough for a taste.
Two whites, a Pinot Grigio and a Friulano, and two reds, a Merlot and a Pinot Nero, will join our already well established Frizzante and Spumante Prosecco from the same producer.
The history of Borgo Magredo began in Grave del Friuli in 1973.  Continue reading »

Fresh off the boat, we’ve got four brand spanking new wines from Borgo Magredo ready for shipping to a home near you… or your home if you’re keen enough for a taste.
Two whites, a Pinot Grigio and a Friulano, and two reds, a Merlot and a Pinot Nero, will join our already well established Frizzante and Spumante Prosecco from the same producer.
The history of Borgo Magredo began in Grave del Friuli in 1973.  Continue reading »

Today I’ve mostly been making lemonade and pizza. Seeing as I’ve already shared my pizza recipe, I’m now going to bequeath onto you my new found and much adored concoction – Lemony Refreshing Lemonade. When I tasted it I loved … Continue reading →.  Continue reading »

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Actually scratch that, Gothenberg, here I am!  I’m over this weekend to celebrate Midsummer in the land of crayfish and schnapps.  I’ve spent the last five summers in Sweden, but strangely enough have never managed to be here on the 24th and 25th of June, when the official midsummer celebrations take place!  This year however that all changes, we have the crayfish, we have the schnapps, the fresh potatoes, and the strawberries, it all kicks off very soon!  Continue reading »

If you’ve ever tasted or prepared Indian food, you know that it’s loaded with exotic and flavorful spices.  Sometimes, however, it can be overwhelming to raid your kitchen trying to find them all, not to mention the time it takes to prepare them.  Luckily, we have 3 great spice mixtures that you can make ahead of time, store in jars, and pull out of your cupboard when needed, making your Indian meals as easy as 1, 2, 3!  Take a look at them after the jump!  Continue reading »

The Method
Place a medium-sized pot over a high heat and fry the pancetta in a drop of olive oil for about 4 minutes until crispy. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with kitchen paper.

You should be left with enough oil and pancetta fat in the pan, if not, add a little more olive oil and fry the onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes. Then, add in the potato and vegetable stock. Bring to a steady simmer and cook until the potato is tender when pierced with a fork.  Continue reading »

This week I am still dreaming about the past and cooking from my lovely old antiquated cookery books. The latest grand dame of the kitchen is Maura Laverty and her book ‘Full and Plenty’, which was fondly known as a doorstopper due to it’s hefty size and weight. This book was first published in 1960 and was the first ‘real’ Irish cookbook. Before that, the only cookbook Irish people owned, was the one you got free with the cooker!  Continue reading »

Being one of those people who believes everything that’s written on a bottle cap, I can confidently tell you that Anderson Valley of Mendocino, California operates a solar powered brewery. By coincidence, I am a solar powered drinker to a considerable extent, so I took a couple of their bottles out to the garden one evening recently to give them a go.
Their Poleeko Gold Pale Ale, first.  Continue reading »

This salad will literally knock your socks off!   It is so fresh and clean tasting with a huge amount of zing too! It is ideal for an Irish Summer as not only is it light and summery but it packs some well needed heat too.  Continue reading »

Image via Wikipedia

Steaming is my favourite way to cook green veg like Broccoli, French beans etc. as it retains so much of the nutritional value in the food, it gives a great colour to veg as well and it’s difficult to over cook food when steaming (not impossible, but you really have to try )
There are two types of steaming Atmospheric and High Pressure.  Continue reading »

I buy cookbooks for different reasons. Most of the time I buy them because I flipped through them in the store and wanted to make everything I saw, which is always a good sign. Sometimes I buy them because I’m a fan of the writer (I have a bookshelf that’s taken up solely with Nigella Lawson and Nigel Slater’s books).  Continue reading »

Just as the vignerons of mid-nineteenth century Bordeaux had manged to fight off the devastating powdery mildew (a fungal disease that was eventually halted with the use of a copper sulphate solution), up popped the ugly head of Phylloxera, the North American louse that loves nothing more than munching through juicy vine roots.
Phylloxera was brought across the Atlantic in botanical samples.  Continue reading »