Articles

A younger friend told me recently that I was totally out of touch with current trends and had no idea at all what people want. Me, old fashioned? Fiddle-de-dee. Her observation was based on remarks previously made by myself about certain establishments that have been refurbished and, in my opinion, rendered hideous and out of character with the original buildings.
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Lamb is synonymous with spring, and has become one of the most popular Easter treats in recent years. New season Irish spring lamb is tiny and delicately flavoured - and commands a premium price; certainly a treat by any standards. But what you’re more likely to be cooking at this time of year, especially for a gathering of any size, will actually be hogget, which is a one year old lamb with plenty of meat on it and good-sized roasting joints.
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What is Just Ask?
Just Ask is a public awareness campaign that aims to encourage consumers when eating out to look for information on where the food (particularly meat) on their plate comes from and to encourage chefs to provide this information on their menus. With so many fantastic and great value restaurants right on your doorstep, eating out is still on the menu.
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With St Patrick’s Day being the main event in March, it’s a natural time for Irish people to think about our traditional foods – and there’s nothing more traditional than pork and bacon. The pig was probably the first domestic animal to be brought to this country and, while it may seem a long way from post-tiger Ireland, it’s not all that long since “the gentleman who pays the rent” played an important role in rural households.
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In the first of a new monthly column written refreshingly (and sometimes controversially) from the perspective of those who offer hospitality rather than enjoy it – in her case, in a wonderful 18th century mansion, Hilton Park, in County Monaghan – LUCY MADDEN ponders one of the great culinary questions posed to modern restaurateurs: how do you satisfy a part-time vegetarian?
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Every February the Irish Food Writers Guild (IFWG) announce their unique Awards of Excellence, which are presented to just three or four carefully selected top food producers at a special awards ceremony in Dublin. The recipes in this article are based around the products that won the awards in 2009.
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Although it may not feel like it with the seriously wintry weather we always seem to get at this time of year, St Bridget’s Day officially marks the beginning of our Irish spring – and, as Tennyson said, this is ‘when a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love’. .
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