Beef

With St Patrick’s Day the highlight of this often chilly month, there’s nothing to beat one of our really traditional dishes, such as a warming bowl of Irish Stew, a plate of bacon and cabbage or a beef and Guinness casserole.

The Irish midlands, especially Co Westmeath, are renowned for the quality of beef raised in the area – and sold by butchers such as C R Tormeys of Mullingar (& Tullamore), who attract customers from a wide area; although they sell a wide range of excellent Irish-produced meats and poultry, including midlands lamb and pork and chicken from the west of Ireland, they are known especially for their pasture-raised, dry-aged heifer beef (under 24 months), and rightly promote it as a healthy, tender and flavoursome food, rich in protein, iron, zinc and B vitamins.

Beef and Guinness Stew

This recipe features in Irish Country House Cooking (Epicure Press €25). It is the Wineport Lodge take on traditional Beef & Guinness casserole – the prune juice and orange are not essential, but they add an extra richness to the flavour.

If you like the idea of cooking with rare breed meat such as Long Horn and your butcher doesn’t stock it, order online from www.simplysourced.net; their slow cooking Long Horn beef boxes begin at €30.

Click for recipe