Articles

In recent times, new season spring lamb has become traditional at Easter in Ireland, but it is a much better buy in summer when it has had more time to grow larger (making it more suitable for family meals) and to develop more flavour. Bord Bia recently launched a series of interactive video demonstrations featuring top chef Neven Maguire, and a also new range of tasty Irish lamb recipes...
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As Lucy Madden mentions in this month’s Insider View, the magnificent Great Western Greenway in Co Mayo opened in 2010. The longest off-road walking and cycling trail in Ireland, it meanders 17.5km along the line of the famous Newport/Mulranny Railway, which closed in 1937...
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Homegrown talent, quality & integrity were honoured at the 2011 Irish Food Writers’ Guild Food Awards - highlighting the vital work of small, independent Irish food producers, at a time when supporting home-grown industry is of the utmost importance. Those awarded for standards of excellence and for their exceptional contribution to Ireland’s reputation as a top food producing country were...
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A recent correspondence with an American food writer has got me thinking about St Patrick’s Day traditions, both here in Ireland and across the pond. It’s interesting that there’s a dish - corned beef and cabbage - universally cooked (but not universally enjoyed, so I hear) to celebrate the day in the USA, whereas here in Ireland we take a much more casual view with ‘anything traditional’ fitting the bill pretty well, whether it be bacon and cabbage, Irish stew, beef & Guinness, or a number of other old favourites.
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Our national love affair with chocolate continues apace. Now pretty much synonymous with indulgence at Christmas, Easter and Valentine’s Day, it seems that any excuse will do - and, in fairness, we have an exceptional choice of very high quality gift ranges to choose from...
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One of an occasional series on diversification and added value in Irish hospitality – finding new ways for hotels and restaurants to thrive also brings good news for customers.
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Who could fail to be charmed by a book that arrives carefully wrapped in stout brown paper, tied up with white string, labelled with a manilla tag label (like the ones my father used, when sending produce on the overnight train from Cornwall up to Covent Garden) and neatly finished with red sealing wax…?
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Whether you’re planning to have people around for a drink or just like to be prepared for unexpected guests, everyone needs a few tasty standby dishes to hand at this time of year. We’ve all been to parties where the finger food falls apart and ends up down the front of your best dress, so what’s needed is something more robust that not only tastes good but is also easy to manage. These tried and tested recipes are just the job – no hassle to prepare...
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Visitors to Ireland often seek simple traditional food based on local ingredients, as it has a real sense of place - and, although this kind of food has been out of favour with many Irish residents in recent years (and therefore harder to find than it should be), it is now deservedly enjoying renewed popularity.
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Thinking back on it, it’s amazing how farming has changed in the last half century or so - for anyone growing up more than 50 or 60 years ago, organic farming was the norm; it didn’t need a label, it was just traditional farming. Then, after World War Two all that changed with the drive to increase yields dramatically and – crucially - to produce cheap food. Now we’re coming full cycle and seeing the damage that intensive production can bring with it, so good traditionally produced food (mainly, but not necessarily, ‘organic’) is regaining its well-deserved status.
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