Author: Michael Kelly
I am doing a lot of transplanting at the moment, which is always a fun activity for a GIYer. There’s nothing like the satisfaction of planting seedlings – bare beds transformed in an instant with neat rows of little plants. I always feel intensely happy after spending some time planting – and now I know that there is actually a scientific reason for this – contact with soil triggers the release of serotonin in our brain according to research.
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Author: In Season
Harbingers of summer, broad beans are among the earliest crops to be harvested in Britain and Ireland, and all the more welcome for that. Also known by different names in other cultures (notably fava bean and field bean), Vicia faba has been cultivated since the ancient civilisations and is still a staple crop in many countries today
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Author: Special Irish Foods & People Who Make Them
Glebe Brethan is a superb gruyère-style cheese, handmade by the Tiernan family in the lush grasslands of Co Louth, where David Tiernan farms the land that was farmed by his father and grandfather before him. Named after the founder of a local monastic settlement, Glebe Brethan is an unpasteurised, thermophilic, artisan cheese made from the milk of Montbeliarde cows, a breed which originates in the mountainous of the Jura region of Eastern France, where their milk is also used to make cheese.
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Author: Lucy Madden
Lucy Madden wonders at the theatrical experience that eating at the World’s Best Restaurant offers – and puts in a plea for more simple, authentic food for visitors to rural Ireland, based on ingredients grown in the local area. Overheard on a London street: “What is your national dish?” The answer came immediately. “Tomato tart with a garlic sauce”. Which country was in discussion I have never identified...
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Author: Cookbook Reviews
Not so much a book review this month, more a call to cook: Easy Food Home-Cook Hero, 100+ recipes and other favourites (paperback, 146pp; Zahra Publishing, €4.95) is an action-packed little paperback based on entries submitted to the 2011 Home-Cook Hero Awards and including the winning dishes in ten categories.
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Author: Just Ask
Right in the centre of Athlone, Thyme Restaurant is one of the town’s most popular eating places. 'Delicious food at affordable prices' is the stated aim at this cosy little spot and it's clearly getting it right as its appeal to people of all ages means that weekend tables need to be booked well ahead.
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Author: Georgina Campbell
What is Irish cuisine – or is there any such a thing at all? There’s been a lot of talk about it in recent years and the idea has often been scornfully dismissed, as too has the concept of associating Ireland with good food at all - until recently at least.
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Author: Ruth Hegarty
Ruth Hegarty, Secretary-General of Euro-toques Ireland, says it comes down to Children and Food Education. While discussing the government’s approach to tackling obesity recently with one of our member chefs, he told me that his 10 year old daughter had been at a school hockey game the week before and, having won the game, the teachers decided to ‘treat’ the children to lunch at McDonalds.
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Author: Marilyn Bright
As the popular West Cork restaurant RICHY’S BAR & BISTRO celebrates a decade in business, Marilyn Bright seeks the secret of its success – how has Richy’s not just survived, but thrived in these challenging times?
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Author: Eunice Power
New season Irish Asparagus is in season this month. Apparently the recent mild winter has brought the crop forward, so it has been ready earlier than usual this year. Asparagus is such a special treat and, as well as being a delicacy, it is a nutritional power house full of vitamins and antioxidants. Folklore suggests that asparagus has wonderful aphrodisiac qualities – so eat up your greens!
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