Posted on May 27, 2008 in Do | 0 comments

Cookery school call-out

Just got an email from Cactus TV (home of Saturday Kitchen and Richard and Judy) looking for people who are interested in learning how to bake and who would like to participate in a new cookery series. It all kicks off in June so they need volunteers in the Cork area ASAP. More info below. - Do you love...
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Posted on May 26, 2008 in Bake, Food for Friends | 1 comment

Make-ahead Caramel Cake for Saturday barbeques

Make-ahead Caramel Cake for Saturday barbeques
Working Saturdays means that any weekend entertaining needs to be planned and organised well in advance, especially when it comes to Saturday night barbeques at the cottage. The Naas Cousin was coming to stay so I grabbed the opportunity to get a few of the cousins together. There wasn’t anything...
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Posted on May 25, 2008 in Cookery Books, Read | 0 comments

Piri Piri Starfish by Tessa Kiros

Piri Piri Starfish by Tessa Kiros
Could Portugal be the new Spain? Reading Tessa Kiros’ Piri Piri Starfish and its references to petisco (tapas, Portuguese-style), chourico (substitute chorizo), port instead of sherry and salt cod (in Portugal – bacalhau, in Spain – bacalao) you could be forgiven for wondering if things...
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Posted on May 21, 2008 in Cook | 0 comments

Rainy days and revisited recipes: Spicy Lentil Soup

Rainy days and revisited recipes: Spicy Lentil Soup
Although we had at least a week of summertime flip-flop days, May seems to have regressed to the cold and damp of early April. Weather like this – today it rained for the afternoon and just didn’t stop – means a return to cold weather soup recipes, warming comfort food for wintery-feeling...
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Posted on May 18, 2008 in Do, Eating Out, Travel | 0 comments

Sunny birth days

The perfect birthday? Take a day off work – this is always nicest if done midweek! – and book a night away in Gort na Nain, a vegetarian guesthouse near Nohoval outside Cork city, run by the welcoming Lucy Stewart and Ultan Walsh, vegetable growers and suppliers of vegetables to Café Paradiso,...
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Posted on May 13, 2008 in Do | 0 comments

Old china

Old china
One of the things I love about living in an old cottage is the excuse to furnish it in alternative ways. When I lived in New Zealand, I was an habitué of the op shops (charity shops) in Christchurch, always picking up old cake tins or nutcrackers, battered but usable cutlery, my old dining table and an odd...
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Posted on May 13, 2008 in Do | 0 comments

Site upgrade – hopefully

Working on a site upgrade at the moment – please bear with me while I wander around the back end of things and figure out what goes where.
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Posted on May 10, 2008 in Do | 0 comments

Just in season…

Just in season…
There was great excitement in Urru, Mallow on Wednesday when the first of the Irish-grown strawberries arrived from Rosscarbery amidst glorious sunshine. We stacked boxes of ruddy fruit on the shelves of the fridge, inhaling their fragrance all the while, until it was decided that we needed to open one...
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Posted on May 6, 2008 in Do, Eating Out | 0 comments

The Glebe Gardens, Baltimore

Just heard from a reader that the café at The Glebe Gardens in Baltimore is well worth a visit. Liz writes: “Just wanted to let you know of a café I happened upon last weekend. It is the Glebe Café, in Baltimore, West Cork, and it is one to rave about. The produce comes straight from their garden on...
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Posted on May 1, 2008 in Do | 0 comments

James Beard Foundation Awards nominees

James Beard Foundation Awards nominees
Just been checking out the James Beard Foundation Awards nominees and I see that congratulations are in order for Heidi Swanson for her nomination in the Healthy Focus category. Her book – Super Natural Cooking: Five Ways to Incorporate Whole & Natural Ingredients into Your Cooking – is a...
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