Posted on Dec 22, 2006 in Bake | 4 comments

Cranberries for Christmas: Cranberry Christmas Cake

Cranberries for Christmas: Cranberry Christmas Cake
Being a big fan of cranberries, I decided to turn some of the fresh ones currently in the shops into desert for our annual Christmas bookclub dinner last week. For the last few months I’ve been experimenting with Clotilde‘s versatile Gâteau au Yaourt or Yoghurt Cake, making different flavoured...
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Posted on Dec 19, 2006 in Do | 3 comments

Food in films: Stranger than Fiction

Food in films: Stranger than Fiction
Number three in an occasional series… Any foodie can’t help but be seduced by Ana Pascal’s (Maggie Gyllenhaal, never looking sexier than here, kneading dough in dungarees) passion for cooking in Marc Foster’s Stranger than Fiction. You can find a good review here on Confessions of a...
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Posted on Dec 14, 2006 in Do | 0 comments

Oxfam Ireland and A Menu for Hope

Oxfam Ireland and A Menu for Hope
If you’re looking for a Christmas present with a difference, Oxfam Ireland recently launched an online Fair Trade shop at www.oxfamirelandshop.com – they have plenty of foodie gifts, including a selection of Blake’s Irish Fairtrade and Organic Chocolate Bars, coffees, teas and a couple of...
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Posted on Dec 11, 2006 in Cook | 3 comments

Truffle experiments…

Truffle experiments…
An early, very generous, Christmas present from my brother arrived on Friday. A rapidly couriered, well padded little box containing a gold mine – a selection of walnut-sized, pungent-smelling black French truffles. Needless to say, I’ve never before had the opportunity to cook with truffles so...
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Posted on Dec 8, 2006 in Do, Eating Out | 1 comment

Food at the Craft Fair

Food at the Craft Fair
If anyone’s around Dublin for the weekend and at a loose end – although that might be unlikely given the time of the year! – the National Crafts and Design Fair is on at the RDS in Dublin this weekend. The Dublin-based Cousin and I went along last night and discovered plenty of ways of...
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Posted on Dec 6, 2006 in Do, Travel | 2 comments

Eating our way through Norfolk

Eating our way through Norfolk
Last weekend’s (unexpectedly extended) stay in England included a trip to the best farm shop I’ve ever visited, the HFG Farm Shop at Beeston, Norfolk. We were in Norwich visiting the Engineering Couple and my kinswoman, their beloved Irish terrier, Bridie, who, knowing my love of food, brought...
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