Articles

First let me confess that I am not the gardener in Le Presbytère- that role is certainly taken by my wife Sile. I am called upon from time to time when there is heavy work involved but, after forty three years of marriage, we have discovered our own happiest spaces, mine in the kitchen and hers in the garden.
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The famous foodie who’s flying the tricolour for us in Texas is looking for people with particular interests - drivers, guides and authors, who can introduce American visitors to people in Ireland who share their interests
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There’s nothing quite like the first early potatoes to remind us that summer is just around the corner. Everybody loves them and in Ireland we’re especially fortunate to have a unique growing area in County Down, with the ideal soil and its own microclimate providing the perfect growing conditions for this early season treat.
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At Castlefarm the breeding season has begun. This month we begin 6 weeks of intensive AI before the Angus bull arrives to join the herd.
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Early this month I will be sowing my parsnips outside in the veg patch. Unlike carrots, they are relatively easy to grow (once you have persuaded them to germinate), and since they store well in the soil over the winter they are a valuable winter storage crop.
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An 'open secret' hideaway destination that has attracted discerning visitors to the glorious north-west of Donegal for many years, the Alcorn family's beautifully located restaurant with rooms is just outside Dunfanaghy on the shore of the New Lake, which is a special area of conservation.
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Craft drinks production is growing at such a dizzying speed that it seems that every place in Ireland now has at least one local speciality beer or cider to its name - and perhaps a gin, whiskey, vodka or poitín too.
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On the warpath once again in the fight for better food, Seanad candidate and food writer Ross Golden-Bannon explores the tricks that the processed food sector gets up to, to make additives sound "as homely as godmother from Wanderly Wagon"!
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"European Region of Gastronomy certainly sounds impressive," says Anne Marie Carroll, following Galway's success in winning the European Region of Gastronomy designation - "but what exactly is it?"
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KRISTIN JENSEN, co-author of Slainte! The complete Guide To Irish Craft Beers and Ciders - introduces us to Walled City Brewery Boom Derry Pale Ale
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