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Catering, Chef, Cookery Classes, Cooking, family meals

Comforting Curry

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I know, I know – it’s been a while since my last blog but now that the weather has changed I’m likely to spend more time indoors and I promise to try and be a better blogger ….

Sometimes you just need comfort food and last night was one of those nights. There were chicken fillets in the fridge,some random vegetables left in the basket and there’s always coconut milk and curry paste in the pantry so it had to be Thai curry for dinner, the perfect dish for these Autumn evenings.

I promise it will be ready in 30 minutes – quicker than waiting for a takeaway to arrive so why not give it a try. Continue reading “Comforting Curry” →

Catering, Cookery Classes, Cooking, family meals, Farmers' Market, Healthy Eating, Recipes, Shopping

Celebrating Midlands Food

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When we launched the Offaly Delicious Food Network in Tullamore at Easter last year I was so proud that we could showcase all the amazing food that we have in the Midlands.  It’s been a fun year watching it grow – there have been ups and downs but thankfully our market is now well established in its home in Kilcruttin Business Centre.

We’ve been planning the first birthday party for a while and I’m delighted to say it was huge success with lots of loyal and new customers enjoying the day . We had demonstrations, baking competitions, craft, cakes,  lots of great food stalls and even a visit from our local alpacas……

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Check out this great record of the day by our favourite photographer

Continue reading “Celebrating Midlands Food” →

Baking, Cakes, Cookery Classes, desserts, Recipes

Happily Ever After Tart

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Now that January is over and we’ve all been good and stuck to our resolutions to eat healthier (what do you mean you haven’t??)  it’s time to start thinking about treats for Valentine’s Day.
And speaking of resolutions it’s high time I stuck to mine and updated my blog.

I’ve been doing some research on aphrodisiacs in advance of my Valentine’s cooking and I’m now a font of trivia!

Did you know that basil was used for seduction by women in Moldova? Or that Catholic priests in Spain banned avocados because they found them obscenely sexual? Continue reading “Happily Ever After Tart” →

Cooking, family meals, Farmers' Market, Food, Recipes, Shopping

Keeping It Local – Apple & Black Pudding Bread

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I love shopping in Farmers’ Markets – I love talking to the stall holders and wondering how I’m going to use their products.  When I lived in Dublin I loved wandering around Temple Bar Market on a Saturday morning, deciding what to cook that evening. On a trip to San Francisco a few years ago I was in heaven in the Farmers’ Markets in Berkeley and in the Ferry Building.  And then there was the fun exploring the St Lawrence Market in Toronto with some of my fellow Fáilte Ireland Food Champions.

So why not have a Farmers’ Market in Tullamore? Continue reading “Keeping It Local – Apple & Black Pudding Bread” →

Baking, Cakes, Cookery Classes, desserts, family meals, Food, Healthy Eating, Recipes

Junior Cooks & Soda Bread

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My nieces, nephews and friends’ children seem to love cooking here and I enjoy working with them and encouraging them to try different things. Though I suspect the freedom to make a mess could be one of the main attractions ………

I’ve been asked more than once if I would do cookery classes for children so with two of my nieces visiting and my friend Kay about to head back to Brunei with her two children, I decided it was time to experiment.

We started with traditional Soda bread ….Thanks to Isabella and Savannah for setting up the table

Soda BreadThe table didn’t stay clean for long once the mixing started.  I think there was a competition to see who could shake out the most flour and some of the mixes were a bit wet! They loved the stories about the cross in the cake to to represent the four provinces and there were lots of holes made to let the fairies escape.

Continue reading “Junior Cooks & Soda Bread” →

book review, Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Recipes, Vegetarian

Books For Cooks & Corn Soup

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Thursday night is date night here. I cook, he brings the wine and we both relax. It started as an excuse for me to try out new dishes using the Chief Taster as the guinea pig but with all that’s being going on this summer we went a little off track, The night we resorted to shop bought pizza I knew it was time for a rethink.

Continue reading “Books For Cooks & Corn Soup” →

Baking, Catering, Cookery Classes, desserts, Recipes

Midlands Cheesecake

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When asked about Irish food producing areas the Midlands is rarely the first place that comes to mind  but did you know that we have our own honey, ice cream, yoghurts, sausages, cordials, cheese, chocolate, bread, chorizo …..to name but a few products

Continue reading “Midlands Cheesecake” →

Baking, Films, Food, Restaurants, Wine

Lights, Camera, Action

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Last summer I catered for the film ‘A Nightingale Falling’ which was made by Mixed Bag Media here in Offaly. I loved doing it as it allowed me to experiment with things other than canapés and corporate lunches and also made me  embrace the discipline of working to a budget ( not an easy task for me!)

Continue reading “Lights, Camera, Action” →

Food, Restaurants, Wine

Tapas and Wine

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If you looking for something different to do in Dublin this month then might I suggest the Campo Viejo Tapas Trail ?
This is my third year to go on the trail and it just keeps getting better. The Chief Taster loves Spanish food but he was missing on a golf trip so I ‘persuaded’ my good friend Siobhan to come along instead.

Continue reading “Tapas and Wine” →

Cooking, family meals, Healthy Eating, Recipes, Wine

A “Lidl” Midweek Treat

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As a rule I don’t buy meat in supermarkets, but when I came across guinea fowl in the Lidl Deluxe range I admit I gave into temptation as I’m a big fan of this bird but find it very difficult to buy locally. The one on offer was frozen and reduced from €9.99 to €7.99 so I bought it as a midweek treat.

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Continue reading “A “Lidl” Midweek Treat” →