Articles

With water generally abundant in Ireland I’ve often wondered why the wonderfully peppery ‘superfood’ watercress is so hard to come by, as it’s a versatile ingredient that gives a piquant extra dimension to salads and many other dishes...
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Excitement is building all over Ireland as hospitality prepares to re-open – and nowhere more so than at GROW HQ, the beautiful GIY headquarters and café just across the road from the University Hospital on the Dumore Road in Waterford, which re-opens on 7th June and is perfectly set up for atmospheric outdoor dining...
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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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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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A year after Covid-19 first darkened our lives, things are beginning to look up at last - but we’re all getting really weary. So, now that we’re on the home straight and the prize is in sight, it’s more important than ever to focus on keeping well...
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Flowers are synonymous with gifting - but not all flowers are equal. Fresh, lively, seasonal flowers from a local grower will out-class the superficial perfection of imported ones any day - and many of our home grown blooms have beautiful natural fragrance too, which is rarely the case with those flown in from afar. And, as well as the pleasure given to the recipient, there’s the satisfaction of supporting Irish businesses too - just like our food producers, flower farmers urgently need our help.
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Delicious pancakes hot off the pan sum up Shrove Tuesday (16th February this year) for a lot of families - and making them is fun, so it’s just what we need right now...
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Paul Fogerty, head sommelier at Ashford Castle, shares his recommendations for wine choices to complement many occasions and foods over the festive period - even if you’re not booked into Ashford Castle!
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For all its challenges, many interesting projects came out of 2020 and creating a group cookery book, as Visit Kilkenny have done with their online Kilkenny Christmas Traditions collection of festive recipes, was one of the best for morale.
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A simple statement on the back cover of The Joy of Food says, ‘This is the book that Rory O’Connell was born to write.’ And it is no overstatement. If ever there was a cookbook that expresses the author’s life philosophy, this is it...
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