Articles

Chicken is - for many reasons - one of the best examples of the disconnect that exists between the food on our plates and its origins. All of our foods have their natural season but we’re so used thinking of chicken as an all-year product that seasonality doesn’t come into it any more.
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It seems an incredible amount of money but, according to recent figures from Bord Bia, Irish shoppers spent €3.5 million on fresh hake last year – which is a staggering an increase of 83% on 2011.
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Popular author and TV chef Edward Hayden is well known from his appearances on TV3's 'Ireland AM' and perhaps even more so from his classes and demonstrations in a cookery schools and venues around the country, where his cheerful nature and relaxed presentation goes down a treat.
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In last month’s review of Biddy White Lennon and Evan Doyle’s book Wild Food Natures Harvest: How to Gather, Cook and Preserve (O’Brien Press), I promised to give some of the recipes in April when (it seemed reasonable to suppose) the countryside would have lost its bleak late winter look and be in the full spring mode that tempts us all to venture out and explore.
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Trust has become one of the most important ingredients in food production in Ireland today, according to the Irish Food Writers’ Guild (IFWG). “If we can’t have full faith in what is on the label, the reputation of the food sector in Ireland could be seriously jeopardised,” said Chairperson of the IFWG Myles McWeeney, who was speaking at the Guild’s annual Food Awards which took place recently, in Dublin.
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This time of year is always deceptive, the days are getting longer and everybody starts talking about spring but it’s often the coldest time of all. What’s needed in the kitchen is recipes for some fine big meals with plenty of good Irish meat and vegetables to keep out the cold.
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January is synonymous with comfort food - and where better to look for ideas when the weather turns chilly than Ireland’s great old traditional dishes? You’ll find these a-plenty in Michelle Horgan’s book ‘Recipes From The English Market’ (Atrium, €25).
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Even if you’re very pressed for time coming up to Christmas, cooking a few bits and pieces is very satisfying, gets you into the festive mood - and it makes the house smell lovely too. And it needn’t take a huge amount of time either, as these tried and trusted recipes show – they’re all from that old favourite, my 1996 book The Best of Irish Breads & Baking, which is still in print (€15) and I use it all the time.
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Neven Maguire has a special place in Irish food and in the hearts of Irish food lovers, and it is well earned. Whether through the family business, MacNean House & Restaurant in Blacklion, Co Cavan, his TV and competition work (including representing Ireland at the Bocuse d’Or in 2001), or the many events and individuals he has supported down the years, he has done many great services to Irish food – perhaps most notably through his dedication to his own area and the best of local seasonal produce, which (despite the fact that he is still a young man) he has vigorously supported for many years.
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It may not have been the best of summers but there’s a pleasing seasonal abundance of most foods nevertheless. And there’s even an over-abundance of some, particularly tunnel-grown crops, presenting the annual challenge to time and ingenuity if you want to avoid waste and enjoy them over the coming months.
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