Book Reviews - Ireland for Food Lovers

"What a lovely, lovely book! There should be a copy on show in every Irish embassy in the world...so comprehensive & so beautifully produced" Myrtle Allen

Not so much a book review this month, more an introduction to our own latest book - after that we’ll be back to normal in December, with all the Christmas books.

Speciality local products were pretty thin on the ground when we started travelling regularly on research trips in the 1980s, but every year there have been ever more wonderful local foods to enjoy.

They’ve become an increasingly important presence on menus, and also to buy from speciality shops, markets and farm shops, to take home as a treat for another time. Many are now widely distributed, but there’s something very special about enjoying them on their own home patch.

These foods and their creators are the characters that have peopled and enhanced our travels, and could do the same for any visitor - especially if there is time to do a little homework before setting off.

Would you like to know where to find rare breed pork, who makes the best preserves, or where your seasonal local fruit and vegetables are sure to be on the menu? Are you planning a self catering holiday and need to find the best local food shops and markets for your stay?

Perhaps you’d like to visit a food festival or you’re keen to learn a few new tricks in a cookery school? Or maybe you’d just like to get a treat for yourself or send an Irish food gift by mail order? If any of this rings bells with you, then Ireland for Food Lovers (large format paperback, full colour, 336pp, €20) could be the book for you...

Using Ireland for Food Lovers, anyone can “Shop like a local, eat like a local – find and enjoy the best regional foods in every part of Ireland”. Designed to be equally useful to visitors and Irish residents, it’s arranged by region to assist with planning holidays and short breaks and brings together all the information that food lovers currently have to glean from multiple sources.

This is a practical book that combines the best of Irish food and travel and it’s the first book to offer a complete region by region user guide to finding and buying the best Irish foods – and how to enjoy them at their best, both when eating out and at home.

Ireland for Food Lovers introduces the food producers of each area, both artisan and the best larger-scale ones, and home cooks will find recipes using the foods of each region in mainly traditional dishes. And there are also details of cookery schools offering courses based on Irish food traditions and local produce, which often include visits to artisan producers.

Featuring food shops, farmers markets and food festivals all around the country, it’s ideal for self-catering holidays, leading visitors straight to the best local shopping options. You’ll also find carefully selected places to eat out and stay, where the best of local Irish produce is showcased.

Ireland for Food Lovers is the culmination of knowledge gained over many enjoyable years of travelling around every county in Ireland. As well as providing information on the best foods, producers, suppliers and hospitality throughout the country, it constantly directs the reader to further sources of information, including public bodies, other respected guides, marketing associations and professional associations.

Practical features include information on the shops and websites that can supply Irish produce by mail order and, although packed with useful information, it’s set in context with scenic photography and a general introduction to each region.

The author claims no credit for this celebration of Ireland’s developing food culture – the stars are the people and foods featured in the book, and the spotlight is emphatically on them.