Articles

Since 1993, the Irish Food Writers’ Guild (IFWG) Food Awards have celebrated Ireland’s food producers and organisations, recognising those behind the great Irish produce that is integral to Ireland’s growing reputation in food and drink, both at home and abroad.
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West of Ireland food writer Anne Marie Carroll introduces the 2017 Galway Food Festival, a celebration of ‘Community and Food’ to be held over the Easter Bank Holiday Weekend
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The first time I ever tasted a Hendrick’s gin and tonic was in Chapter One. Former manager, Declan Maxwell, introduced me to the cucumber-enhanced aperitif one evening several years ago, and with that it became my aperitif of choice for visits here.
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The Little Milk Company is an innovative cooperative demonstrating that environmentally responsible small producers can thrive by working together – and they are the winners of the Irish Food Writers’ Guild 2017 Environmental Award. In 2008, ten organic dairy farmers from Munster and Leinster came together as a discussion group chaired by Pat Mulrooney to consider the sustainability of their family farms.
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A little introduction to The Wines of the Languedoc - there are lots of them selling in Ireland now, as Martin noticed on his last visit.
We are just back from a winter break in the Cote d’Azur, that part of the country which is known, outside France, as The French Riviera. This is a wonderful part of France and one that has enjoyed a healthy tourist trade for many many years.
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For some reason I always feel that - apart from the big baking build up to a traditional Christmas - March is the month when the gentle rituals of baking really come into their own. While bright and brave, with its cheery bulbs in flower, it can be a harsh month and the idea of spending hours creating delicious bakes in a cosy kitchen seems very appealing.
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Bread and our national loaf is a subject which continues to exercise me. I’m totally in despair at the quality of our squishy sliced bread and deeply concerned about the effects on our health and waistline, many not least the Bakers Association of Ireland would disagree with me and I certainly hope they are right. I myself can’t seem to find out what exactly is in the bread, an enormously important staple for many people. Flour, yeast, salt, water, so far so good, but what else to speed up the process and produce a loaf at this price.
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The famous foodie who’s flying the tricolour for us in Texas highlights the challenges that face passengers flying to Ireland from Dallas - and, while lauding Shannon for its efficiency and convenience, also recalls the romance of the early days of flight in the west of Ireland
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I absolutely love being a GIYer at this time of the year. It's hard not to feel all spring-like and full of hope about life in general when one sees a little green seedling emerging from the cold, brown earth.
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This month Lucy Madden considers the rampant rise of Airbnb - and the merits of spending precious time and money with people who know what they are doing, i.e. the hospitality professionals
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