Well now I have been experimenting for quite a while to get the perfect tomato soup and though I may not be quite there this is pretty close.  
I have experimented with roasting and boiling and all sorts of different combinations of ingredients but this one has a lot of depth of flavour and not at all bitter which has to be good.
Tomato soup is not my favourite but is one of my husbands all time obsessions so this is for you hon!  Continue reading »

It’s time for me to keep you updated on food in the news. Whether it’s customer service winning out over self-checkout lines or the listeria-contaminated cantaloupe warnings, Chew on That is bringing you the latest food news after the jump!

Let’s first address the most pressing news: Cantaloupes have been contaminated with listeria, and over 600 pounds of cantaloupe has been recalled.  Continue reading »

Saturday's open day was a real success. Plenty of garden lovers came to see the little oasis in the hotel at No.1 Pery Square. The Limerick GIY group made up the bulk of visitors which was great as their enthusiasm is real and infectious. Good to be part of it all.  Continue reading »

I love September. It’s the time of year that the Mother Nature presents her bounty! Apples, blackberries, cabbages, chillies, damsons, elderberries, juniper berries, kale, wild mushrooms, pears, peppers, pumpkins, sweetcorn, red grouse, goose, crayfish, shellfish & Oysters!

This is a Great time of year for Irish Oysters!

Mmmmm Oysters! Fresh from the sea, they taste like your mouth just jumped into the Atlantic Ocean (off the Pier in Mountcharles) on New Years Day!  Continue reading »

I’ll be cooking up a tasty pasta dish using some fantastic Irish cheese.  The lovely Elizabeth Ryan from Sheridan’s Cheesemongers will be joining us to chat about a selection of different cheese available.

Make sure to tune in from 4pm today onwards, and remember to tune in to Kitchen Hero tonight for a double dose of me!

I’ll be cooking a lovely Zesty Brocolli and Goats Cheese Orecchiette.  Don’t miss it, it’s delicious!

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How many times a year do you have to organise a birthday bash? In my family that’s a lot of times! To always put on a spread that everyone will enjoy is a lot of work and takes a bit of preparation!  Continue reading »

Guzzle Puzzle is for kids, right? So when, oddly, a few packets of The Natural Confectionary Company’s new product arrived in my letterbox from a PR company, I figured I’d ask my nephew for his opinion. Here’s his view:
Guzzle Puzzle Review
By Jacob Haskins, aged 9
Guzzle Puzzle tastes exactly like Jelly Worms, made by the same company. Most people I know love them, but I do not like them at all.
When you mix them, they’re supposed to give different flavours.  Continue reading »

Odell again. This time another of their dark malt-driven beers: 90 Shilling. It’s a darkish amber colour and shows little by way of aroma. The signature fruity Odell hops are there in the flavour, but they’re muted under lots of milk chocolate and a heavy dose of caramel.
While warming, it’s not especially thick or heavy and the fizz keeps it from being properly mellow. Like lots of the beer from this brewery, and the dark ones in particular, it just misses the mark.  Continue reading »

An elder tree isn’t much to look at most of the year, but it comes into its own at the start and then again at the end of summer. Using its delicate white flowers to make a cordial (or even better, an elderflower Bellini) in June is like bottling the taste of an Irish summer. Then a few months later, it will reward you with elderberries, which can be made into jam or a syrup.  Continue reading »

Ah, so after experimenting for a few weeks on facebook I’ve put together my food blog….this will be a work in progress for a while. 

Today I cooked up a storm from early this morning…including the Battle of the Quiches. Mr. Moustache is my official food taster and I’ll soon have an array of his lunchboxes on this blog.  Continue reading »

Ah, so after experimenting for a few weeks on facebook I’ve put together my food blog….this will be a work in progress for a while. 

Today I cooked up a storm from early this morning…including the Battle of the Quiches. Mr. Moustache is my official food taster and I’ll soon have an array of his lunchboxes on this blog.  Continue reading »

Ah Cork. My home city and possibly the most relaxed city in Ireland. Maybe I’m waxing a wee bit too lyrical, but that could be due to the effect of the singsong local accent. Bye bye to the harsh sounds of Dublin, and hello to the Cork lilt. Even after just a few hours in the city, I find my accent strengthening and returning.

The main contrast I notice betwen Cork and Dublin is the lack of bustle. Things are simply quieter and less busy in Cork.  Continue reading »

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Ireland produces two types of Oysters: the “Native Oyster” also known as the flat oyster (Ostrea Edulis) which is harvested seasonally & the ”Pacific Oyster”, also called Rock Oyster (Crassostrea Gigas) which is widely available all year round due to our cooler climate and is the one more commonly seen in restaurants.
Look at these beautiful, large, juicy fresh Rock Oysters – straight out of Donegal Bay from my friend Conor Reid’s Oyster Farm.  Continue reading »

It’s decided. I’m going to greim an piléar (bite the bullet) and learn the Irish language. I mean, if I had moved to any other foreign speaking country I would have to learn the native language, right? So, why not do so here in Ireland where Gaeilge is meant to be Ireland’s first and official language.
But, there are many reasons for which to decide to learn Gaeilge, not the least of which is the fact that our little boy is coming home with more and more Irish homework.  Continue reading »

Over the past 19mths many of you have followed the blog and in turn left beautiful comments, which are always received so gratefully. I love to know that people are not only reading the blog but also having success with the recipes that I post.  Continue reading »

A few weeks ago, I got an email asking me if I would be interested in talking about my own experience of food blogging for the Examiner.  I had a great chat with the journalist Claire Droney & she told me that the piece would be hopefully published at the end of September.
Fast forward to yesterday – myself & The Hubs flew to San Francisco for Part 1 of our Big Holiday, eventually found the.  Continue reading »

On our first trip to Spain we visited Barcelona. We came home raving about grilled squid.  Next we went to Grenada and Malaga and were introduced to Tinto de Verano. Last year we visited Galicia and experienced Padrón peppers. Common to all our trips was an increasing appreciation for bacalao, an immediate addiction to jamon…  Continue reading »

Hi everyone, its been very quiet on the blog front lately – I had a silly accident and was out of action for a while, but hopefully back on track again now. The bad news is that as a volunteer project, the book couldn’t go ahead in time for Christmas, which I am personally very disappointed about, it just couldn’t be helped. We were very stuck for time as it was. We still fully intend to complete the project, will just take a little longer than originally planned.  Continue reading »