Rachel Gaffney, the famous foodie who’s flying the flag for Ireland in Texas, travels to Austin for what turns out to be a very interesting foodie weekend more...
Euro-Toques chef Martin Dwyer, much missed in Ireland since he and his wife Sile sold their eponymous restaurant in Waterford and moved to France. They now live in the Languedoc, where they take guests - and feed them very well. Here’s his Day in the Life of a Maison d’Hote... more...
This month Darina focuses on the value of farm shops, for farmers - and their customers, especially children. Farm Shops, we need many more all around the country so farmers can sell and add value to their produce and local people can buy directly from the farm. more...
Never one to shy away from unspoken truths, this month Lucy Madden considers the elderly... The hirsute and not-so-easy-on-the eye racing correspondent John McCririck (72) is suing Channel 4 for alleged ‘ageism’ in replacing him with the younger and undisputedly popular ex-jockey Clare Balding (41). more...
Author: Special Irish Foods & People Who Make Them
"Oats Produced from Ballard Organic Farm, owned and operated by the Lalor family since 1844" is the proud proclamation on the Kilbeggan Organic Foods website and it says a lot about the principles of stewardship that Pat Lalor values so highly, and which saw him start the conversion to organic certification in 1999. more...
With pretty coloured shells, Palourde clams, tapes semidecussatus, are also known as ‘carpetshell’ or ‘Manila’ clams, and were introduced to Ireland in the early 1980s. Since then palourde clams have been farmed here in places with the required sandy beaches, notably in Co Sligo and Kerry. Although there is a wild native Irish relative (the ‘White Palourde’), the farmed variety is the one most often see in Irish fish shops. more...
For over fifteen years from the mid-1990s, the Cork-born author and journalist, Mary Leland, had a loyal following for the erudite and beautifully written heritage and hospitality pieces she contributed weekly to The Irish Examiner - no easy task, as I know well, since her travels took her all over the country and the travel time alone must have been a considerable commitment. more...
Life on the farm is pretty hectic at the moment with new calves arriving, training first time cows to the milking machine along with the other joys of spring. I don’t get overly involved in the farm, but I do look after my farmer husband and with the help of good food keep his spirits up during these somewhat trying days. more...
Marilyn Bright talks to Geoff Jones, owner and head chef of The Fairways Bar & Orchard Restaurant near Nenagh Co Tipperary, of the joys and challenges of running a rural restaurant specialising in seafood more...
January is synonymous with comfort food - and where better to look for ideas when the weather turns chilly than Ireland’s great old traditional dishes? You’ll find these a-plenty in Michelle Horgan’s book ‘Recipes From The English Market’ (Atrium, €25). 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 ...