Westport Food Festival, a three day event, is on this weekend 21st – 23rd September. The festival showcases the best food that Westport, Mayo, and the surrounding counties of the western seaboard have on offer, along with a variety of cooking demonstrations, food workshops & competitions.

Westport town centre will once again be turned into a tented Food Village with stalls offering the very best of food from Mayo producers, restaurants, hotels, cafes and chefs.  Continue reading »

I find something calming in the structure of baking. I’ve baked blackberry and lemon mini-loaves for a family party this weekend. I’m now the mother of a 4 year old, and a very opinionated one at that.  He knows what he likes. One of the things he loves is to go out to the back…  Continue reading »

 This is the second time I made this particular cake, and I am always surprised how decadent and chocolaty it is. The ground almonds and Cointreau make this a very rich cake. One thin slice with a cup of coffee is perfect, which means this cake goes a long way. It is a great cake for entertaining or for birthday parties. It has such an intense flavour and you definitely don’t miss the flour at all. I used raspberries, blackberries and cream on top to balance the richness of the cake.  Continue reading »

The Kilkenny Design Centre Food Hall are hosting their latest meet the producer / food tasting day this Saturday (tomorrow) at the food hall opposite Kilkenny Castle from midday to 3pm.
On hand tomorrow will be Inistioge Food’s Denis Fallon who will be serving up some of his homemade relishes and chutneys with cheese and crackers. There’s also an exclusive gift going for anyone making a purchase during the tasting.  Continue reading »

Photo: mushroomstuff.com

I’ve always been fascinated by mushrooms. They were the first food I ever gagged at; the very thought of eating them, in soup or whole, makes my throat close over.
But I also have a profound respect for the kingdom of fungi: without them, nothing could ever decompose, and nothing new could grow, us included.  Continue reading »

Faustino 1 and V
Faustino V, Rioja Reserva 2005,
13.5%, €13.32 Venta Mugica (Ibardin).
This
is very smooth, dry, with a decent bit of spice, medium bodied, lingering
finish. The bottle, as is usual, is frosted but comes without a net. Proposed
pairings for this dark aromatic red include red meats, poultry with spicy
sauces and mild cheeses. Fairly widely available here from, among others,.  Continue reading »

FRIDAY NIGHT is Culture Night, the seventh year of celebrating all things cultural in Ireland on one night with a series of (primarily) free events. On the food side of things, Cork’s English Market plays host to a late-night feast when Farmgate Café joins forces with Dublin restaurant Jaipur (one of my favourites for Indian food in Dublin). Not only that, but some of the stalls within English Market will house a music trail of trad and jazz music on the night.  Continue reading »

Are you having a tough week? Need something to look forward to? Want to put your feet up and be taken care of? I might just be able to help you out…

I think you deserve the red carpet treatment, don’t you?

No, I’m not offering that Mr. Moustache comes over and does your housework. He’s too busy here. But, one lucky reader could win a little bit of luxury. I’ve an unexpected prize to giveaway!  Continue reading »

A.  Continue reading »

Every now and then, you buy a bag of apples that smell so … appley. The kind of smell where if you close your eyes and breathe deeply, you can almost imagine yourself transported to the middle of an apple orchard on a crisp, sunny autumn day. This weekend, you can do just that at the first Apple and Craft Cider Festival, taking place in Co. Tipperary at Con Traas’s Apple Farm.  Continue reading »

A celebration of the apple and the many ways it can be enjoyed will take place in Cahir, County Tipperary. The Slow Food Apple and Craft Cider Festival, the first of its kind in the country, will be held this Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd September. 

The festival will celebrate the apple and the many ways it is enjoyed, with the revival of traditional pure-juice cider as a central theme.  Continue reading »

A celebration of the apple and the many ways it can be enjoyed will take place in Cahir, County Tipperary. The Slow Food Apple and Craft Cider Festival, the first of its kind in the country, will be held this Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd September. 

The festival will celebrate the apple and the many ways it is enjoyed, with the revival of traditional pure-juice cider as a central theme.  Continue reading »

Apart from brushing up on my terrible punning skills, last weekend, I decided to brush up on my eclair making skills.  One of the first jobs I ever had was working in a school uniform shop, restocking shelves during the summer, near Fairview in Dublin.  The highlight of my days was surprisingly not when I would find the perfect amount of school blazers to fit the shelves, nor was it when I went to town polishing the fitting room mirrors with a shit load of Mr.  Continue reading »

Fresco Value and Variety
Spent a pleasant interlude yesterday in the Fresco Bistro and was once again reminded of the excellence of the place in terms of variety and value. With the college “populating” itself again, the restaurant was busy enough for lunch but deserves to be better known and better supported.
There is terrific value here, quality too of course, as one would not be.  Continue reading »

The Method

Preheat the oven 220˚C and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place the butter and water in saucepan and bring to a steady boil until the butter is melted.  Remove from the heat and add the flour, beating with a wooden spoon until a dough comes together.  Place back over the heat and beat the dough in the saucepan for about 40 seconds.

Remove from the heat and set aside.  Beat one of the eggs in a small bowl.  Continue reading »

The Method
Preheat the oven 220˚C and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place the butter and water in saucepan and bring to a steady boil until the butter is melted.  Remove from the heat and add the flour, beating with a wooden spoon until a dough comes together.  Place back over the heat and beat the dough in the saucepan for about 40 seconds.

Remove from the heat and set aside.  Beat one of the eggs in a small bowl.  Continue reading »

Every party has to have dip. It’s just one of those unwritten rules. So now that fall is here why not make dip with the king of fall produce-the pumpkin.
3 Ingredient Pumpkin Dip: This fall dip recipe is a huge hit at every party. It only takes 3 ingredients!
Monterey Pumpkin Dip: A unique use of pumpkin with a surprising spicy kick.
Sweet Pumpkin Dip: Use as a dip for gingersnaps or cinnamon cookies.  Try serving it in a hollowed out pumpkin.  Continue reading »

Can't make it to Morocco? Bring it to you

This is a good accompaniment to barbecued meat, tagines, or a chicken that you’ve cut up and grilled. Most of these ingredients will be resident in your kitchen. Take them out, dust them off and lash them in.  Continue reading »

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Food and Drink Spotting
Arun Kapil, Green Saffron Spices, Cork; Mary Beary, Taste Kerry; Ciara McGee, South Cork Enterprise Board; and Kathleen O’Connor, Sasta Sausages, Killorglin, Co Kerry; with Amber, Ardsallagh Goats Cheese; at the launch of the Inaugural Cork / Kerry Food Forum, which takes place at the Rochestown Park hotel on 1st Oct.
The Cork Kerry Food Forum
The Cork Kerry Food.  Continue reading »