Articles

Well known throughout Ireland as a TV chef and teacher with a great commitment to promoting the superb produce of his native Donegal and the North-West of Ireland, Brian McDermott and his wife Brenda - who also has a background in hospitality - recently restored the historic Foyle Hotel in the handsome town of Moville on the shores of Lough Foyle, to create a boutique hotel, wine bar and informal dining destination.
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Michael Kelly highlights (again) the lamentable state of affairs in the commercial veg growing world in Ireland - and yet, despite everything, he feels that the tide is turning and there are some reasons for optimism. There are good news stories that could inspire young growers in to the industry - and, he says, “If this is to be Irish horticulture’s moment in the sun, it’s energy and innovation that’s needed”
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The famous foodie who’s flying the tricolour for us in Texas takes a trip home and enjoys a new energy in her home town, Cork city, where ‘sharing and collaborating’ is becoming the norm - and the community spirit and quality of life make it a great place for companies to locate
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Easy to spot with its bright cream and red colour scheme and an old Austin delivery van parked outside, Flanagan's once provided Brickens with the traditional village combination of bar, grocery and hardware that was so common in rural Ireland up to the 1970s.
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Not only do eggs come in the neatest and most beautiful of packaging, but ‘Nature’s convenience food’ is also one of the versatile ingredients in any cook’s armoury – and highlighting that simple fact was the main aim of the recent Bord Bia/Irish Egg Association ‘Eggs For Anytime’ recipe competition, which asked chefs to share a dish based on Bord Bia Quality Assured eggs that could feature on their restaurant menu, outside of the more usual breakfast and brunch offerings.
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This month Darina talks about one of her many highly successful past students, Abra Berens
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Ireland’s greatest food hero, Myrtle Allen, died on June 13th 2018 at the age of 94. While she is sorely missed and we will remember her especially on her anniversary, it is wonderful to see the value that is now being placed on her lifetime’s work.
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Darina gives some very timely statistics on food production and sustainability, which are shocking but not surprising, and advocates a return to mixed farming. But, now that the current situation is at least being acknowledged as a crisis, she senses that we’re on the cusp of change- and shares some ways in which we can all be part of the solution.
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Mindful that Ireland has recently become only the second country in the world to declare a climate and biodiversity emergency, the Grow It Yourself movement has even more relevance now.
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Dinner in France: When Euro-Toques chef Martin Dwyer and his wife Sile sold their eponymous restaurant in Waterford and moved to France to run a Chambre d’Hote in France they soon discovered that there were a lot of differences in the practices in the two countries.
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