Come Dine With Me Ireland is seeking applicants from Sligo & Leitrim for series 2. Deadline 2nd March 2012.

If you’re in the Sligo and Leitrim areas, then TV3 would like a word as they’ve put out a call for applicants from the north west for the new series of Come Dine With Me.
We’re looking for people over 18 years of age in SLIGO & LEITRIM and around, with a passion for cooking who want to demonstrate their cooking skills.  Continue reading »

So I’m in the US again for 3 weeks of work. When I left work on the Friday evening of Week 1, I went out to Raleigh Durham Airport to pick up my reserverd hire car. It turns out that Americans don’t understand “hire car”, so I’m starting to learn to use “rental”. Sheesh!

Anyway, I had a few drinks at the hotel bar on Friday night to celebrate the end of the week.  Continue reading »

Last Wednesday morning started out unremarkably. When I was heading home from my countryside Pilates class, I decided to take a different route, just to add some color to the start of the day. I should have known when I passed two large trailers on the road labeled HORSES that something was afoot, but still getting the hang of things around here, I simply didn’t put two and two together.  Continue reading »

We call it ‘blog fodder’ here in Blogtopia.
It can come in dribs and drabs; all shapes and sizes. It might be an image from months ago that keeps cycling on your slideshow or it could be a funny story told table-side with the kids.
There is never a shortage of blog fodder in my head. And yet I have not blogged. This random fact was thrown in there for good measure because it has catapulted me into a new realm of self-doubt. As if the old realm was not doubtful enough.  Continue reading »

As big as a baby's head – I checked

…during which I ate creamy, chive-flecked seafood chowder in an large bread bowl (€9.50) at the friendly Bakehouse (6 Bachelors Walk, Dublin). I arrived in the door with a pushchair full of squawking Small Girl - she’s not a fan of late lunches – and the helpful staff were very much appreciated.  Continue reading »

Three wines caught the attention of two Irish wine writers in last weekend’s newspapers.
Paarl Heights Chenin Blanc 2010: “Outside of the Loire, the other region making thirst-quenching Chenin is South Africa. This little cracker from coastal vineyards in Paarl is excellent value. Fresh, dry, with tropical fruits on the palate.” Matthew Nugent, Irish Mail on Sunday.
My take
The Coastal region of South Africa is renowned for its fine and expressive fruit.  Continue reading »

Welcome back to another edition of Foodie Vocab Monday! Keep reading for a quiz, recipes and everything you need to know about the word of the day. Chances are you are a bit stumped already…
This week’s word is: Pongal. So what the heck does it mean, anyway?
And your choices are:
a.) A wrapped sushi appetizer
b.) An Eastern-European beet stew
c.) An Indian rice dish
d.) An Indian curry made popular in England in the 1960′s
No cheating!!!
We mean it!!!

And the answer?  Continue reading »

Sick of the same ol’ usual grilled or roast salmon? No worries this is a brilliant and simple way to infuse some dynamite flavor into your fish as well as create something new and exciting. I promise you won’t have tasted anything as delicious and moist as this. Don’t freak out by all the oil. If you don’t drink it you’ll be good. Make sure you eat those tomatoes as well. They’ll blow you away. Enjoy!  Continue reading »

Thinking of doing something a little different in the coming week? Well there is an event taking place in Dublin on Tuesday 31st January that I thought may be of interest to some of you wine lovers. It promises to be a very interesting evening where you get the opportunity to learn about wines from two of the biggest names in the business.  Continue reading »

Customers make Macroom hotel their Number One
Castle
Hotel Scoops Trip Advisor Travellers’ Choice Award
A delighted Lorraine Kelleher, who manages PR for the Castle Hotel, has been in touch to tell us all about the latest honour for the 4 star hotel in Macroom:
 ”The Castle  beat off stiff competition and was voted best
bargain hotel by Trip Advisor this week in its annual Trip.  Continue reading »

Basketcase has been on a break the last few weeks while I tackled a large amount of pesky print deadlines. But it means I’ve a couple of strong (and some very entertaining) food stories coming up and an exciting few projects emerging in the next few months. Tomorrow I’m back on the road in my touring office – (otherwise known as the landrover held together with string) to interview a great rural food producer who is also a woman – Mag Kirwan – pictured left.  Continue reading »

Sicilian Fish Stew, with wholegrain bread and a glass of white wine. Good!

I’ve been trawling through the very excellent BBC Good Food website in order to learn some new healthy dishes and avoid dying of boredom while eating healthily.  I found many lovely recipes including a great one for Sicilian Fish Stew.
I tried it out, made a few tweaks, used a generous hand with the lemon juice, garlic and chilli, and was very happy with the results.  Continue reading »

Safefood 360 – Finalists in this year's IntertradeIreland Innovation Awards, taking place on February 28th in Dublin.

Safefood 360, a web based food safety management software system for food processing and food services businesses is one of three finalists in the services category of this year’s Irish Times InterTradeIreland Innovation Awards.  Continue reading »

I don’t know what the arbiters of beer style would class Gouden Carolus Ambrio as. It pours murky red-brown, like a dubbel, but at 8% ABV is more of a tripel strength. I get dark boozy sugars and sour tangy yeast on the nose, calling to mind Belgian confections like McChouffe and Delirium Nocturnum.
The flavour is quite muted for all that aroma. Raisins and figs are the loudest but it’s not much more than a polite whisper, really.  Continue reading »

Tempting tipples…

Several of my work colleagues, it seems, are off the jar for January (meaning, for those unfamiliar with that particular turn of phrase, that they are giving alcohol a miss for the month). One did confess, though, to having fallen off the wagon the other day by way of a mid-week glass of wine and, like any forbidden fruit, it was all the sweeter for that.  Continue reading »

The Mayfield Eatery

After much procrastination I finally made it to this establishment for lunch. It was almost two o’clock on a Saturday afternoon and the place was buzzing. We were lucky to get seats. Five minutes after we arrived people were queuing! This bistro is located in a premises formerly occupied by Christy’s Butcher Shop at the edge of Terenure. The old tiles have been left on the wall as have the rails from which the cuts of meat would hang.  Continue reading »

The Mayfield Eatery

After much procrastination I finally made it to this establishment for lunch. It was almost two o’clock on a Saturday afternoon and the place was buzzing. We were lucky to get seats. Five minutes after we arrived people were queuing! This bistro is located in a premises formerly occupied by Christy’s Butcher Shop at the edge of Terenure. The old tiles have been left on the wall as have the rails from which the cuts of meat would hang.  Continue reading »

This is originally a Rachel Allen recipe from her book Bake which I absolutely love. For some reason they never struck a chord with me until I tasted a version made by Tracey from Mammy's Kitchen at a Bord Bia Blogger's Day (where I brought my Chocolate Sable Biscuits as my contribution to the groaning tables of food).  I came home with a bag stuffed with baked goodies made by other food bloggers and myself and The Hubs sat down to an evening of gluttony.  Continue reading »

Hot chocolate is in my opinion, the perfect study aid. You’ll nearly always find a large mug full on my next the night before an exam. Why? Because chocolate always seems to lift my spirits ever so slightly. It’s a real comfort drink, that really hits the spot! This literally knocks the socks off any store bought powders, and gives Starbucks a good run for their money. It takes less than 5 minutes to make, and you really need to try it to believe it.  Continue reading »

The story of a law professional who gave up the city life to fulfil his dreams in the world of wine. In the second part of this two part story, we learn more about this meticulous man and how he is managing to produce wines of such brilliance. To view part one, click here.
The terroir − the unique climate, soil and topography of the Terrasses du Larzac appellation is what defines the wines of Pascal Fullá, and of course the grape varieties.  Continue reading »