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Monthly Competition
Win a Break for Two in Rathsallagh Country House
This months prize consists of a Romantic Two Night short break for two people on the Wicklow/Kildare border in Rathsallagh House.
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Special Offers
Midweek and weekend breaks in Nuremore Hotel & Country Club - Carrickmacross
Co MonaghanGreat value midweek & weekend breaks in the Nuremore Hotel & Country Club which is located just 45 minutes from Dublin Airport with 2 nights B&B and 1 Dinner from €150 per person
Read more about this and further offers »
GC's Cookbooks
Irish Country House Cooking - The Blue Book Recipe Collection (Hardback)
From the homely to the very grand, these delicious dishes celebrate the diversity of Irish country houses, castles and a number of top restaurants, with recipes clearly explained for the home cook to recreate with confidence.
The Best of Irish Breads & Baking
'The Best of Irish Breads and Baking' Traditional, Contemporary and Festive, seasoned with luscious colour photographs, is a must for anyone who has not forgotten the irresistible aroma of home cooking.
Meals for All Seasons - The Best of Contemporary Irish Cooking (out of print, Hardback)
This vintage cookbook is out of print and only available here. Georgina Campbell's outstanding and comprehensive cookbook published in 1992 contains recipes and dishes for year-round use and quality contemporary cooking. As well as starters, side-dishes, main courses and desserts; it includes baking and preserving, 'basics' and 'sauces' sections, seasonal fresh produce listings, sensible and clear instructions on preparation and cooking and imaginative ideas on serving. In fact, everything the cook needs for all-season cooking.
IRELAND FOR FOOD LOVERS
Everything the food lover in Ireland needs to know...Food tourism in Ireland enters an exciting new phase with this new book, the first to offer a complete user guide to finding and buying the best Irish foods - and how to enjoy them at their best, both when eating out and at home.
Although the new smart-casual dining is an interesting emerging trend, anyone who doubts that fine dining is alive and well should visit our Resta ... 
Right in the centre of Athlone, Thyme Restaurant is one of the town’s most popular eating places. 'Delicious food at affordable prices' is the stated aim at this cosy little spot and it's clearly getting it right as its appeal to people of all ages means that weekend tables need to be booked well ahead. 
What is Irish cuisine – or is there any such a thing at all? There’s been a lot of talk about it in recent years and the idea has often been scornfully dismissed, as too has the concept of associating Ireland with good food at all - until recently at least. 
Ruth Hegarty, Secretary-General of Euro-toques Ireland, says it comes down to Children and Food Education. While discussing the government’s approach to tackling obesity recently with one of our member chefs, he told me that his 10 year old daughter had been at a school hockey game the week before and, having won the game, the teachers decided to ‘treat’ the children to lunch at McDonalds. 
As the popular West Cork restaurant RICHY’S BAR & BISTRO celebrates a decade in business, Marilyn Bright seeks the secret of its success – how has Richy’s not just survived, but thrived in these challenging times? 
New season Irish Asparagus is in season this month. Apparently the recent mild winter has brought the crop forward, so it has been ready earlier than usual this year. Asparagus is such a special treat and, as well as being a delicacy, it is a nutritional power house full of vitamins and antioxidants. Folklore suggests that asparagus has wonderful aphrodisiac qualities – so eat up your greens! 
Last year I was invited to the Artisan Food School at Welbeck in North Nottinghamshire, to talk to their students about the inspirational Irish artisan food scene. The snows before Christmas meant that my first visit had to be postponed but that is an even a lovelier time of the year to visit this spectacular estate and stunningly beautiful English country house Welbeck Abbey. 
This month I have been very busy planting up the Castlefarm garden and polytunnel. My onions sown last month are now clearly visible in organised green lines. Now that I can see them I can hoe the onion bed before the weeds take hold. As an organic farm we cannot use weed killer or chemicals. I find the best method of keeping down weeds is literally spending 5-10 minutes each day hoeing. 
This month we will be harvesting the first of our new season beetroot - OK, so they will be no bigger than golf balls and will have been grown in the polytunnel, but they will be all the tastier and more tender as a result. 
The BIM Seafood Circle initiative was initially set up as programme encouraging pubs to serve seafood dishes at lunchtime, a meal at which many people prefer to choose lighter, healthier dishes. This has been further developed in conjunction with Georgina Campbell Guides to encompass not only pubs but also restaurants and hotels. The programme also covers fish retailers. 
