Articles

With beef, butter and potatoes among the winners of the 2021 Irish Food Writers’ Guild (IFWG) Food Awards, food staples certainly took centre stage...
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Again this spring, fine weather has allowed great use of our outdoor spaces - Darina’s delighted to have the barbecue out again and to share her expertise: it’s all about temperature control …
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Martin and Sile Dwyer’s Chambre d’Hôte in the Languedoc has been closed by Covid for months on end and is likely to remain closed for the 2021 season. But they're enjoying the summer coming in - and, with elderflower cordial in the making, Martin reflects on how the French and the Irish tend to respond to the foreswearing of alcohol ...
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The famous foodie who’s flying the tricolour for us in Texas is planning for 2022 - when travel will be back with a vengeance
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Martin and Sile Dwyer’s Chambre d’Hôte in the Languedoc has been closed by Covid for months on end and is likely to remain closed for the 2021 season. But they are finding lockdown less difficult as the spring comes in - and, as ever in the Dwyer household, tasty food is their main highlight (along with the daily walk)...
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The EU does a lot of good deeds by stealth but its citizens need to know about them...I happened on an impressive EU cookbook, Sensational! Cooking with Great European Products, by chance the other day. It seems to have become available rather than be launched with the fanfare it deserves, which is a pity. It outlines the history, purpose and value of the PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) and PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) labels, and illustrates the point with some lovely recipes by talented chefs from all of the member countries.
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Like many of us, Darina is missing travelling - and her solution is to 'travel' in her own kitchen…
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Pivoting has been one of the most-used words throughout the pandemic - and with good reason, as those able to see opportunities and move quickly to change direction are staying the course. But it’s not a new concept, as lifelong hospitality professional Joe Hughes explains. Here he shares his experience of pivoting from high-end hotel management to an entirely different tourism sector - and makes some predictions about future opportunities.
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As GIY founder, Michael Kelly, said at the launch of their latest campaign Grow it Forward, “The pandemic has seen a record number of people turn to growing their own food and discovering the joy and pride that brings. The process of seeing a seed turn into a seedling and eventually food you can eat is full of magic and no shortage of optimism.
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Our national chocoholism is no secret– and, although it revs up to full gear at Easter, when it’s not just about eggs and symbols of spring, there are plenty of theme-free top quality chocolates all year. While Ireland’s growing reputation for quality chocolate is largely thanks to excellent mainstream producers such as Butlers, Lily O’Briens, and Lir, smaller-scale chocolate specialists are making a big impact as well. We’ve selected just ten of Ireland’s growing band of top chocolatiers, who produce everything from exquisite creations for the most discerning recipient to fun family gifts - and all of those below offer an online shopping and delivery service for your gifting needs.
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