Recently in Red wine instead of Guinness Category

Before you run out of St Patrick's Day, scoot over to the Daily Spud to view her parade of food, with floats loaded up with all things Irish, including Beef and Guinness, Soda Bread, potatoes, plenty of whiskey and my own Potato Apple Tart. Lots of happy eating there!

With St Patrick's Day being tomorrow, one's thoughts turn to food. Specifically food of an Irish sort, which includes, naturally enough, all things potato. So when I was reading through my recently acquired copy of Margaret Bates' Talking about Cakes with an Irish and Scottish Accent, her recipe for Potato Apple Cake caught my eye. She said it was a delicacy from the orchard districts of Co Armagh but didn't give an actual recipe, describing it as two rounds of potato cake sandwiching an apple filling and cooked on the griddle.

Sounded like a challenge to me so here is my recipe for what I think is more like a tart than a cake. This is best served hot out of the oven and, surprisingly enough, the flavour of the potatoes and apples go really well together, especially with a jug of custard on the side!

Incidentally, this is a cookbook well worth searching out. According to the notes at the front, Margaret Bates was the Vice-Principal of the City of Belfast College of Domestic Science and she also wrote The Belfast Cookery Book and Talking about Puddings. Talking about Cakes was first published in 1964 and, while I'm not a fan of her over-enthusiastic use of margarine (give me Monica Sheridan and her devotion to butter any day!), there are lots of unusual recipes in this book to (re)discover.

Happy Patrick's Day - hope I'm not too late for the Daily Spud's Paddy's Day Food Parade!

...brewing under the stairs. Homebrewing used to be all about making gallons of strong, cheap beer, with a very limited focus on flavour. Now, in the 21st century, it has taken on a new life with aficionados producing fine beers from homemade breweries. Caroline Hennessy talks to a new generation of craft beer fans for The Irish Mail on Sunday on Sunday 14 March 2010.

Close your eyes and take a sip from the glass. What can you taste? Hoppy, citrus flavours? Or perhaps malty notes of chocolate and caramel? Yes, this is homebrew beer but not as you know it - or might remember it from its 1980s heyday. The latest generation of homebrewers are more interested in flavour than strength, crafting their own ales and porters from home-built backyard breweries. With the current wave of back to basics living, doing it yourself in a sustainable way has never been so popular, from keeping chickens and pigs to growing your own vegetables. It may be a less expensive way of life but, for many people, it is as much about the quality of home produced eggs, vegetables - or beer - as it is about saving money.

When Shane Conroy first set up successful online homebrew shop thehomebrewcompany.ie in Mountmellick, Co Laois two-and-a-half years ago, there was no hint of the economy nosediving. "The recession may be a factor," he notes in relation to the current popularity of homebrewing, "but it's not everything. People are going back looking for flavours." For him, homebrewing is a fascinating pastime; albeit one with the added benefit of producing something that you can drink and enjoy. "We're all about people getting into the hobby," he says. "I'm nuts about it myself, I brew a lot of beer and I love tasting different beer, especially if I'm abroad." Conroy points out that there are only a few small independent breweries in Ireland - he mentions the Carlow Brewing Company, the Hooker Brewery in Roscommon and Dublin's Porterhouse - but their beers are, he considers, "only the tip of the iceberg in terms of what you can brew." And their distribution is limited. Like Conroy, many people who start brewing are those who have travelled widely and are unhappy with the limited selection of beers available in Irish pubs.

Homebrewing, explains Conroy, can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. There are three ways of making beer at home: the simplest is kit brewing where practically everything is done for you; extract brewing involves a little more skill and time but gives a better result; and all grain brewing is the purest way of making it, essentially following the same steps as a commercial brewer but in your own back kitchen, and with a nicer end product. Often Conroy has seen his customers trade their way up through all three stages. "People find that it's much simpler than expected. It's all about learning your technique."

With the internet, there is a broader knowledge base available to home brewers. "If you go online you can brew nearly any beer in your own home once you start reading up about it," says Conroy. "Back in the 1980s you didn't have that." The internet, specifically the Irish Craft Brewer website, also makes what used to be a solitary pursuit into something a lot more social. Irishcraftbrewer.com, with its articles on brew- and beer-related topics and an opinionated forum, is an active group of fine beer fans. It's not all about the virtual world, either, as the members organise brewery tours, information events and tasting sessions. "I was at an [ICB] brewing competition a few months ago," Conroy mentions, "where people from round the country brought their beer. It was all about the flavour that night, that's what it was judged on." It also means that there's always someone to call on if you run into difficulties with your own brew. "If people get stuck, I refer them there," says Conroy.

Also active on Irish Craft Brewer is Dublin-based Laura Walsh, who was the only woman present at the first ICB meet up. "It's an online community," she points out, "but people know each other in real life as well." New forum members are actively encouraged to come along and bring their latest brew: "Everyone tastes everyone else's beer and comments on it." Walsh feels that this encourages people to make more of an effort with their own brewing, commenting that homebrewing may have died in the past away because there was no sense of community.

Having started brewing three years ago, Walsh is getting used to people's reactions: "sometimes people are a bit surprised. They go 'Oh, I thought only men would brew beer.' Or else they're taking to my husband and they think he's the one who brews." Like Conroy, she is keen to demystify the brewing process: "if you can make stew or soup, then you can make beer. It's not as hard as people think. You can start off with a beer kit...you'll have beer in three weeks. That's the easiest way to get started."

Interested in all things crafty, Walsh has a vibrant pink blog at aranbrew.blogspot.com where she combines knitting and spinning with stories of her adventures in brewing. She enjoys trying out brews with alternative ingredients, seeing that as one of the most appealing things about the hobby. "I was out hillwalking recently and I got heather so I've brewed up a heather ale, using heather instead of hops for the flavour. We'll see how that turns out. There are a lot of different things that you can do [with homebrewing] that you won't see on a commercial scale. It's part of the fun of it. It's a a bit men in sheds as well," she laughs, "you could spend the day brewing away."

Gordon Lucey from Macroom in Co Cork has a comprehensive home-built brewing set up in his own shed. "Some of the equipment has come from a hospital kitchen that was being renovated," he explains. "I reused one of the large, stainless steel vessels that they would use for serving soup. I also picked up an old keg from a scrapyard which was a bit battered but we opened it up and sorted it out." Between repurposing and recycling, a lot of people's brewing kit might be what Lucey describes as "a bit Heath Robinson - but it doesn't matter what it looks like, it's about the product that comes out at the end."

He sees homebrewing as being part of the current interest in knowing where what you eat, and drink, comes from: "we're all into - or trying to get into - our own home produce, all the way from the veggie patch to the plate and, in the same sense, you can just turn it from food to drink." Lucey also makes the point that you know exactly what goes into your own beer: "there are no anti-foaming agents, there are no short cuts and you just make a quality product. You can use the best of ingredients for your own brewing and it's still only going to cost you 50c or 60c a pint to make top quality beer."

The grain, which is the byproduct from brewing, can be composted or - if you're more in tune with your Good Life self - fed to the chickens or pigs in your back garden. Lucey, like all home brewers, reuses the same bottles time and again. He also points out that a home brewer's carbon footprint is minimal: "the barley, most of it that I use, is grown in Ireland. There's no transport really."

Besieged by memories of past homebrew experiences, you may be wary when offered a glass of homemade beer but you just might be pleasantly surprised. Lucey enjoys other people's reactions: "when you've a few friends over, you know you're doing something right when they go home and haven't touched the beer that they brought. That," he chuckles, "always puts a smile on my face."

Online Resources
Supplies - The Homebrew Company: www.thehomebrewcompany.ie
Advice - Irish Craft Brewer: www.Irishcraftbrewer.com
Blog - Aran Brew blog: www.aranbrew.blogspot.com

In 2006 I wrote an article in reaction to the announcement that US magazine Saveur was about to publish a piece on Ireland as a foodie destination, wondering just what these "mythical gastrotourists" would find if they ventured off the beaten track. The quotes from that piece used in Saturday's Irish Times Magazine article on Colman Andrews' The Country Cooking of Ireland made me revisit it and wonder about what's changed.

Since then, I've moved out of Dublin. While I no longer have such a selection of food on my doorstep, I've also discovered that Avoca isn't the only decent eating port of call for people travelling around the country! While we're still a long way from getting to where you can confidentially walk into any café or pub and be assured of finding a good meal, there has definitely been a change for the better in the last few years. I still do think that the Georgina Campbell and Bridgestone guides make life a lot easier to find good eating opportunities, now joined by Good Food Ireland's touring maps and website.

When I talked to Country Choice's Peter Ward recently, he had lost none of his passion for encouraging producers to sell directly to consumers. He also pointed out that everyone has their own role to play, supporting "the butcher, the baker and the artisan" today rather than bemoaning their loss tomorrow, and realising - especially at the moment - that cheap does not equal value.

Recession aside, the fact remains that people are still willing to pay for good food and a significant amount of them are actively going looking for it, be it in a local café, restaurant or farmers' market. There are a more markets than ever before and a greater range of foods and products available. My weekly shop gets divided between nearby supermarkets (SuperValu, which I like for its focus on local producers, and Aldi, now stocking a selection of Irish produce) and the markets that I frequent, while - like half the rest of the country - trying to grow my own veggies and keep a few hens.

We still have a long way to go, but at least we're on the road.

Congratulations to all those on the long shortlist for this year's Irish Blog Awards, particularly the 25 competing in the best food/drink category. Sadly Bibliocook didn't make it through this year but the list below will give you a good chance to catch up with what is going on in the Irish blogosphere, particularly if you're interested in food!

Best Food/Drink Blog: Longlist 2010 - Sponsored by Bord Bia

• English Mum
• Dispatches from the Deise
• Ice Cream Ireland
• Lily's Blog
• Tea and Wheaten Bread
• The Grapes of Sloth
• The Look and Taste Show
• Robert Francis Wine
• Michael Kelly
• The Daily Spud
• Good Things Come to Those Who Wait (tables) | Well Done Fillet
• The Beer Nut
• Curious Wines
• Not Junk Food
• Bubble Brothers
• Lola-Lu’s Kitchen
• Cheap Eats
• I Can Has Cook?
• The Good Mood Food Blog
• Chilli and Chocolate
• Therese Brady
• Ballymaloe Cookery School
• Italian Foodies
• Val’s Kitchen
• O’Briens Wine, Beer & Spirits Blog

When you have a child, you suddenly have something in common with a lot of other people and I've discovered that this new world of parenthood can be a lot easier to negotiate with friends in a similar position, whether in the real world or online.

One of the sites that I use is called MyKidsTime.ie, which I've found particularly useful when it comes to places to change Little Missy around the country! At the moment the areas they cover include Wexford, Limerick, Galway, Sligo and Dublin and they've just launched a Cork section.

MyKidsTime also covers food, with cookbook reviews from yours truly and articles/recipes from Judy Kavanagh of The Cook Club, all sent out on the monthly newsletter which you can sign up for here.

It's not that I need an excuse to bake, especially if there's a cake and/or chocolate involved, but the radio was so full of International Women's Day blather today - George Hook was particularly enjoying himself with his list of "top ten females" on Newstalk! - that I just had to make something to distract myself.

That, and the fact that Little Missy was grizzling about the kitchen because she refused to have her afternoon nap. Time to make a mini woman's day cake? At least baking, especially when she can view it from the perspective of my hip, keeps her entertained although we did get lots of screwed up faces after she stuck her fingers into a bowl of cocoa and straight into her mouth. I have to say that my technique for breaking eggs with one hand could do with a little practice but at least I didn't get (much) shell into the batter.

I came across this recipe via Shauna's post the brilliant on Gluten-Free Girl blog and went straight the (gluten-full!) source at The Pioneer Woman Cooks. This is a good cake. And this is an easy cake, even if you decide to cook it in the late afternoon with a grumpy little girl in your arms who just likes to grab butter, taste cocoa and sip vanilla extract. Land the frosting on just as the Husband walks in the door and you've got yourself a guaranteed happy International Wo(Men)'s Day!

You'll find the original recipe with cup measurements plus great step-by-step photos over on The Pioneer Woman Cooks. This is my weighed out interpetation, with half the mixture of frosting. I also had to miss out on the nuts as LM wouldn't cooperate with me chopping them up. Oh, and the photo? Turns out the recipe fills my swiss roll tin and there's still enough to make a half-dozen cupcakes. Plenty for a really great cook's treat.

Blue skies plus a good morning's work under my belt were the perfect excuses for heading off to my favourite farmers' market in Mahon Point today. It seemed that I wasn't the only one with that idea as I got stuck in traffic during the lunchtime rush there and our first choice for lunch - Green Saffron curry - had already sold out.

While filling the bag and Little Missy's pushchair with a few other purchases (cheese and chorizo from Gubbeen, Green Saffron's fragrant mixed spice, dried goods from Len's Cereals, Arbutus wholemeal sourdough), I spotted a new arrival in the corner. With the name Volcano at the front of the stall, three people working with a neat wood-fired oven on wheels were turning out irregularly-shaped pizzas to what looked like an appreciative audience. While I regularly make pizza dough and did a workshop in building my own wood-fired oven a couple of years ago, I still haven't managed to put the two skills together and it's fairly difficult to get your hands on a decent pizza in this angle of North Cork.

This, however, is pizza that you would travel for. Rolled and stretched in front of me, the thin base, not overloaded with toppings, blistered up in the heat of the oven, was sprinkled with cheese, fresh herbs and chilli, served and eaten within minutes. Really good quality dough, a simple tomato sauce and mozzarella made the margherita worth waiting for (a 7" round for €6) but the pizza with Gubbeen salami is definitely going to be on order for my next trip to Mahon market. Talking to stallowner Simon, it seems that himself and his gorgeous oven (is it possible to have oven envy? I've pretty sure I'm afflicted) are going to be heading to the markets in Limerick's Crescent Shopping Centre (Wednesdays), Cobh (Fridays) and Douglas (Saturdays) in the near future.

Volcano is definitely one to watch out for, especially if you have the presence of mind to order your pizza first, scoot around the market while its cooking, and return to pick up a delicious lunch. Oh, and if you can finish up with some coffees from Cork Coffee Roasters and a few of  Pâtisserie Regale's café bars (don't miss the new chocolate one) then you have a lunch made in heaven - or Cork - especially if you get to eat it in the sunshine.

Sometimes, in this house, baking is not just for the bigger members of the family and, along with the Flapjacks and Shortbread, there's even a tin marked with Little Missy's name. It's currently filled with these twice-baked Banana Spelt Biscotti, which I love because they are easily made, contain no sugar and it's up to you about the kind of flour you use. These, along with LM's favourite rice cakes, are perfect afternoon snacks - and easily portable - but she is quite happy to munch on them at any stage, and especially loves a small smear of marmite on the biscotti when we're at home.

I first came across these first in New Zealand, when LM loved the Teething Biscotti, made by her Kiwi Nana from a recipe from Nicola Galloway's Cooking For Your Child. Back home, I used up some spelt flour from the storecupboard, although you could, of course, use plain flour or, as Nicola suggests, rice flour. I also added a pinch of ground cinnamon as we're all needing warming spices for this continuing wintery weather. She recommends giving them to babies aged from nine months but, as with any dietary directions, judge by your own child's abilities to deal with food.

As I only needed the egg yokes for this recipe, I used the whites to make the batch of Macaroons that you can see behind the biscotti in the picture. I'm not entirely happy with that recipe so I won't share it here but, unless you have a trustworthy Macaroon recipe, you could use the spare egg whites for meringues and they also freeze well. The biscotti, however, do sit around happily in an airtight box for a couple of weeks or you could store them into the freezer if you want to use them to relieve teething pains.

It's that time of the year again. The Irish Blog Awards longlist has been issued and it's great to see Bibliocook getting a mention in the Best Food/Drink Blog section, again this year sponsored by Bord Bia. Last year's awards took place in the International Airport Hotel in Cork so off I, plus Little Missy bump, toddled for that night's festivities, even if we had to go home a little earlier than the rest of the partygoers!

This year the Blog Awards are taking place on Saturday 27 of March in Galway's Radisson Blu hotel and, judging by the list of nominees, there will be plenty of competition on the night. Here is the list of nominees in my category - there's plenty of old favourites and newcomers to feast your eyes on - and you can see the rest of the categories and nominated blogs here.

Best Food/Drink Blog: Longlist 2010 - Sponsored by Bord Bia

• The Good Mood Food Blog
• Cheap Eats
• The Daily Spud
• I Can Has Cook?
• Good Things Come to Those Who Wait (tables) | Well Done Fillet
• Therese Brady
• Ice Cream Ireland
• foodyblog
• Robert Francis Wine
• The Look and Taste Show
• Curious Wines
• Val’s Kitchen
• Chilli and Chocolate
• Italian Foodies
• Ballymaloe Cookery School
• Blake Creedon’s Wine Cork
• The Grapes of Sloth
• English Mum
• Dispatches from the Deise
• Bubble Brothers
• Michael Kelly
• Ummera
• Bibliocook
• Tea and Wheaten Bread
• The Beer Nut
• The Green Apron
• Lola-Lu’s Kitchen
• O’Briens Wine, Beer & Spirits Blog
• Not Junk Food
• Lily's Blog

I swore I wouldn't get sucked in. Ah, the promises I make to myself!

This whole social networking thing can be like a black hole, whole chunks of the morning - work time for me while Little Missy sleeps - disappearing while I catch up on Kieran Murphy's ice cream tweets and check out A Taste of Ballyhoura Country's Facebook page. But, for a freelance journalist working from a cottage in the middle of nowhere, North Cork, this is as close to an office watercooler as I'm going to get.

So, for those of you interested in a little more interaction, you can also catch up with Bibliocook over on Facebook or Twitter. Maybe see you over there too!

Bibliocook: All About Food | Promote your Page too

If ever your grandmother knew how slow cooking turned beef cheeks meltingly tender, could tell her Rhode Island Reds from Marans or was able to grow, harvest, preserve and cook her own runner beans, you'll nod knowingly at Forgotten Skills of Cooking and enjoy leafing through the pages. If you weren't lucky enough to have that kind of paragon of virtue in your life, think of Darina Allen's latest book as a kind of virtual granny in book form.

Alongside reams of information on the kind of old fashioned kitchen and housekeeping techniques that were in danger of being lost, Allen has crammed more than 700 recipes into 600 pages of close-packed text. If you've ever had a yearning to take up chicken rearing, cider making, fish smoking or foraging for seaweed, you'll find all that here, and more. Much, much more.

From foraging to poultry, dairy to preserving, this is the kind of book that you pick up for one recipe and get lost for days. It's particularly strong on baking with plenty of recipes for puddings (Summer Fruit Jelly, Figgy Toffee Pudding), cakes (Lemon Cornmeal Cake, Barmbrack) and biscuits (Gingernuts, Shortbread Biscuits) and a whole bread chapter that is no less than a call to arms in defence of our daily bread.

Forgotten Skills of Cooking is a book that just might change your life. And, even if it doesn't go that far, it certainly will enhance it.

Forgotten Skills of Cooking by Darina Allen is published by Kyle Cathie

SilverCircle.ie: Interview: Darina Allen - Reclaiming forgotten skills plus a recipe for Emer Fitzgerald's Braised Lamb Neck Moussaka.

Watch Jamie Oliver's passionate speach for TED, an American non profit organisation focusing on spreading good ideas, about the power of food and the importance of teaching children what to cook and how to cook it. Today America, tomorrow - or, perhaps, tonight - Ireland.

Despite the current cold snap and impossibility of actually doing anything about it, I've been looking at the raised beds in the garden and trying to plan for the summer to come. Last year we went on an inspirational (and very affordable) two-day gardening course at Glebe Gardens with Jean Perry, learned lots - and really enjoyed the flapjacks!

This year Jean is running an extended series of gardening courses including The No Dig Vegetable Plot, Vegetables for Small Gardens and Herb Gardening for Use in Cooking and First Aid for around €60 per day, including a delicious vegetarian lunch.

You can find out more about the courses on the Glebe Gardens website, follow Jean in the garden on her blog at The Glebe Journal and read her advice on tackling garden pests the organic way in this article I wrote for SilverCircle.ie.

Pancake Tuesday came early at the cottage this year. I always love to have friends come over to eat pancakes but with the Husband getting home from work late and a Little Missy who is decidedly not at her delightful best in the evenings, lunchtimes are a much better time to entertain. Sunday became our Pancake Tuesday so we were able to invite our three Rockmills Neighbours and, as one of the Husband's English Engineer friends was staying with us for the weekend, he - as well as doing a lot of washing up! - also got fed.

This year I made a break from the old routine (ie Spinach and Ricotta Pancake Bake) and, inspired by Julia Child's Gâteau de Crêpes à la Florentine from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, made a Gâteau de Galettes avec Poireaux aux Champignons or Buckwheat Pancake Cake with Leeks and Mushrooms (reads so much better in French!).

Although it may look like there are a lot of steps in the recipe below, it is easy to break it down over a couple of days. For instance, for dinner on Sunday I made the pancake batter and tomato sauce the previous Friday afternoon while Little Missy hung out at my ankles. On Saturday, child on my hip, I cooked the pancakes while the Husband and English Engineer went to the pub to watch the rugby match. During LM's nap on Sunday morning, I made the Béchamel and fillings, assembling the entire thing a couple of hours before our guests were due to arrive and landed it into the oven at 1pm for a 1.30pm lunch. (The washing up was all done, of course, by the Husband and English Engineer!)

This is a very filling main course so I just made a zesty Carrot and White Cabbage Salad and Beetroot Yoghurt Salad to accompany the gâteau. For desert? What else but plain pancakes, cooked to order and served with the traditional lemon and caster sugar. Enjoy your own Pancake Tuesday!

Never mind flowers and forget about going out for dinner, with Valentine's Day tomorrow, get baking for your sweetheart with this Chocolate Caramel Shortbread.

This recipe makes plenty to devour - and share - but it's so good that your biggest problem will be not eating the entire thing today. Perfect with a cup of tea and a love mug!

PS If you have to buy a Valentine's gift, then some first class Irish-made chocolates will go down a treat: my pick are Benoit Lorge's truffles, definitely the best chocolates available in Ireland.

Last night I was at the launch of the Good Food Ireland Week Cork in, naturally enough, the English Market. An array of Good Food Ireland producers had teamed up with restaurant, hotel and café members to showcase their products and there was a multi-course feast lined up on the Farmgate Café balcony overlooking the fountain.

There was a scrum around Kinsale's Fishy Fishy who were first in the firing line with their delectable fish pies and langoustines in lemon cream sauce but there was plenty more to eat and savour: perfect Mini Benedicts with quails' eggs on Gubbeen ham from Liberty Grill; pig's tongue in cheek on slivers of tart apple from Ballymaloe House; on home turf, the Farmgate Café had a hearty warming venison stew using some of Jack McCarthy's superb venison; sweet treats from Urru favourites Mella's Fudge, Lorge Chocolates and Seymour's shortbread; and, for anyone with a few corners left to fill, Declan Ryan from Arbutus Bread and Jeffa Gill of Durrus Cheese offered samples of their own wares.

The whole event, which was packed with a loudly appreciative audience from the 7pm start to the finish of the food, was highlighting the fact that more than 30 Cork restaurants, hotels, cafés and bars are offering a plate of Irish artisan food and glass of wine for just €15 until Friday 12 Febuary. Selected hotels in Cork, including Hayfield Manor and Ballyvolane House, are offering three nights accomodation for the price of two this week. If you're heading towards Ballyvolane House, it is also a superb place for dinner and make sure to check out their Lismore restaurant O'Brien Chop House, recently awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand for good, affordable food.

More information and a list of participating venues are available on www.goodfoodireland.ie. If the quality of food on offer last night is anything to go by, customers are in for a treat. Don't forget - the offer closes on Friday!

And goodbye to all our new friends at the noodle stalls lined up on the roadside just around the corner from where we were staying.

A few mornings of breakfasts there and we were regulars. With a choice of Pho Ga (chicken noodle soup), Pho Tofu (noodle soup with, yes, tofu) or Banh Cuon (rolled rice pancakes) from the three ladies cooking at the stalls and a bar for coffee just across the road, this was good eating.

Little Missy also enjoyed herself, getting whisked away by the drinks lady - that's her, on the left - to sit at the corner and be cooed at, clucked over and her mother queried whether she had dressed the child warmly enough!

Breakfasts back in Ireland just aren't the same.