Articles

Something different by way of book reviews this month, as an unusual and interesting collection of books has come our way. Firstly, there is Jamie Does…(Penguin hardback, 360pp, £26) which is, of course, the book accompanying Jamie Oliver’s latest TV series – and is a sign of the times, as it’s based on six places that can be visited quickly and cheaply from the UK (volcanic ash allowing).
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The “Just Ask!” Restaurant of the Month winner for April is Harrys Bar & Restaurant in Bridgend County Donegal. Donal & Kevin Doherty and Raymond Moran operate this well-run bar and restaurant close to the Derry border with a real passion for the food of the area. There’s nothing they like better than shouting about it, so there won’t be much need for anyone to ‘Just Ask!’ when eating here – although they’ll ‘Just Love It!’ if you do, as their well-informed staff are just as enthusiastic about their food philosophy as they are themselves.
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With so many families now faced with reduced disposable income through wages cuts, redundancy and increased taxes, the Nutrition & Health Foundation (NHF) is asking people to see this as an opportunity to shop smart, cook smart and eat smart together, in order to establish a healthy diet for life for all the family - starting with Eat Smart Week (19th – 25th April). Now in its fourth consecutive year, this innovative initiative from the NHF aims to show that healthy eating is achievable for everyone, regardless of their cooking experience.
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An impressive book by any standards, this beautifully produced coffee table tome weighs in at 2.3kg and – thanks to Christopher Hirscheimer’s stunning photography – presents an extremely appealing, mainly rural, view of Ireland and the simple excellence that is our food culture at its best. Despite its size and weight, it’s an engaging as well as an informative read, successfully setting the renewed Irish respect for quality produce and simple cooking into a balanced historical perspective, with carefully selected recipes illustrating the point.
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Although usually used in sweet dishes, rhubarb is not a fruit but classed as a vegetable. It grows easily in Ireland and is still a familiar feature in gardens all over the country. It dies down in winter and now, as it begins to re-emerge for the new season (later than usual this year, due to the prolonged cold weather over the winter), the new stalks will be at their pinkest and most tender.
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Kettyle Irish Foods is an innovative food company producing a variety of speciality food products developed out of the 500 acre family farm in Co Fermanagh, which had mainly reared beef for export to Europe and beyond. In 2004 Maurice Kettyle realised that there was a niche market for the very best of Irish food products such as dry-aged beef, Lough Erne Lamb, naturally reared Irish rose veal and really good chickens.
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There is a cartoon postcard that friends have been known to send us, entitled ‘THE GUEST FROM HELL’. It depicts a drawing room with blazing fire in front of which the club bore, refilling his glass, is regaling other guests, who are either yawning or have lost consciousness altogether. Even the dog looks frantic.
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The “Just Ask!” Restaurant of the Month winner for March is The King Sitric Restaurant, in Howth, Co Dublin. Long before it was popular or profitable to do so (indeed, ever since he opened Howth’s premier restaurant, in 1971) Euro-Toques proprietor-chef Aidan MacManus’s philosophy was to source the best possible local produce and tell his customers about it – and that dedication has never waivered.
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Agriculture was the prevailing theme at the Irish Food Writers’ Guild Food Awards 2010. From farm to fish, just five indigenous companies were acknowledged as among the finest food producers in Ireland and contribute to Ireland’s growing international reputation for fine food and produce. Presented by one of the pioneers supporting Irish food producers and the promotion of good food in Ireland since the 1960s, Myrtle Allen of Ballymaloe House, Co Cork, the awards for outstanding products went to...
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Helen Finnegan’s wonderful sheeps’ cheese has attracted much praise – most recently earning one of just five of the Irish Food Writers’ Guild annual Awards. Having long yearned to do something on her husband Robert’s family farm located bang in the middle of the village of Stoneyford, Co. Kilkenny, Helen began making cheese in the back kitchen six years ago, as an experiment, using goats milk from a neighbour; as each one tasted better than the last, she became hooked.
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