Veronica Steele, who died last month was indeed one of the most important innovators in the food revolution of Ireland. The story of how she, virtually single handedly, reinvented the cheese industry is now well known, how an almost chance tasting by Dermot Ryan and Myrtle Allen in Annie Goulding's restaurant in Sneem led to the wonderful flowering of Irish craft cheese. more...
What will we be eating in 2017? Well for most of us it will probably be more of the same but my top tip for what it’s worth is to eat a wide variety of real food and no food products – real food is not the same as food products. We need lots of biodiversity to feed and nourish our gut biome – the health of our gut flora has a phenomenal impact on both our mental and physical health. more...
The Euro-Toques EirGrid Food Awards are always special and 2016 was a vintage year, when they celebrated the 30th Anniversary of Euro-Toques Ireland and also marked Myrtle Allen’s legacy with a wonderful event at Ballymaloe House in high summer. more...
It’s February already. We’re six weeks into 2017 and already we’ve seen some promising developments around Ireland in terms of food and tourism with the announcement of a new distillery in Donegal and reports of fantastic growth within many Irish food supporting businesses in the year gone by. more...
The famous foodie who’s flying the tricolour for us in Texas is on a mission to share the story of Irish food at a prestigious event in Dallas next month - and get everyone to ‘Meet the Ingredients’ more...
China, The Cookbook by Kei Lum and Diora Fong-Chan
The traditional holiday period associated with the Chinese New Year is in full swing and, just as St Patrick’s Day gives us a unique opportunity to remind the world of all things Irish (or, in the unlikely event that it doesn’t already exist, create awareness), this is a time to celebrate Chinese culture everywhere. more...
And so it begins. Another season starts with the determined act of seed sowing in the potting shed. A bag of compost opened and tipped out on the sowing bench. Cold black plastic pots filled with even colder blacker compost. more...
Just off the seafront, in what has become the ‘restaurant quarter’ of Clontarf, this atmospheric two-storey restaurant is an especially inviting place and full of character, so always likely to be busy. more...
For every traditionalist who loves the ritual of the turkey, ham, plum pudding and mince pies at Christmas, there is probably another who - for cultural, religious or dietary reasons - celebrates festive occasions differently. Vegetarians and vegans are no longer the small minority that they once were and, even in families where the turkey still takes centre stage at Christmas, there’s a good chance there will be a diner in the group who marches to a different drummer. more...
Disappointed with the service at a famous Irish restaurant, JILLIAN BOLGER says proprietors need to realise that investing in front-of-house training is investing in a satisfied customer. more...
A selective companion guide to our famous broad-based online collection, the ‘glovebox bible’ includes a uniquely diverse range of Ireland's greatest places to ...