Posted on Jan 30, 2009 in Food Books, Read | 0 comments

Cooking Lessons by Daisy Garnett

Cooking Lessons by Daisy Garnett
Despite its title, this is not the kind of book that you’ll pick up if you’re really wanting to learn how to cook. Cooking Lessons could as easily be titled Life Lessons, the kind of things that you learn as you experience – in journalist Daisy Garnett’s case – a few years spent...
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Posted on Jan 28, 2009 in Do | 5 comments

Ó Conaill’s and The Cookie Jar

Ó Conaill’s and The Cookie Jar
In Cork today and during my inevitable trip to Ó Conaill’s chocolate shop on French Church Street – I used to go for a dark cardamom all the time, now I’ve moved on to a ginger oil-infused dark chocolate, all the better to fend off the winter chill – I noticed that they have just...
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Posted on Jan 27, 2009 in Do | 6 comments

A range for the cottage

I’ve always loved old cast-iron kitchen ranges. My Grandad would always put the porridge on overnight in the warming oven of the old, age-darkened Aga at Oldcastletown. By morning it would be cooked creamy, although with such a thick skin that I couldn’t stomach it. As a child I was a very picky...
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Posted on Jan 23, 2009 in Do, Foodtalk on Newstalk, Radio | 5 comments

Foodtalk: Garden

Foodtalk: Garden
Sunday sees the last in the Foodtalk series with Garden being the theme of the final show. We travelled to Clonegal, Co Carlow to meet with Henry Stone of the Sha-Roe Bistro and then to Nohoval in Cork to talk to Ultan Walsh of Gort na Nain Vegetarian Guesthouse and Organic Farm. I stayed at Gort na Nain...
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Posted on Jan 22, 2009 in Food Events | 2 comments

The True Cost of Cheap Food

Watch out for The True Cost of Cheap Food on Channel 4 tonight at 8pm as Observer food critic Jay Rayner looks into the realities of cheap pre-prepared supermarket food. With an ever-increasing rise in the purchase of supermarket value ranges, Rayner asks if supermarkets have a responsibility to feed their...
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Posted on Jan 22, 2009 in Bake, Grow | 3 comments

North Cork Organic Group and Parsnip Pecan Muffins

North Cork Organic Group and Parsnip Pecan Muffins
Last night the Husband and I headed along to the first 2009 get together of the North Cork Organic Group, no doubt tempted by the fact that the group was concentrating on seasonal food for the meeting! The newsletter, kindly dropped in by my Rockmills Neighbour, asked for recipes and, if possible samples,...
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Posted on Jan 20, 2009 in Do | 2 comments

2009 Irish Blog Awards Nominations

2009 Irish Blog Awards Nominations
I’ve been nominated for an Irish Blog Award in the Best Food/Drink Blog category, along with another 26 – count ‘em! – Irish food, wine and beer bloggers. The entire category list below so take a good look around, there’s plenty of interesting reading out there. The full list...
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Posted on Jan 19, 2009 in Do | 0 comments

Upgrading fun and games

Trying to upgrade Bibliocook at the moment and, like last year, there’s been a lot of frustration and pulling my hair out over long nights at the computer. Fortunately the Techie and her Husband have stepped in to help out so I hope to be back in the land of the useable blog very soon. Wish us...
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Posted on Jan 8, 2009 in Do, Foodtalk on Newstalk, Radio | 0 comments

Foodtalk: Podcasts

Foodtalk: Podcasts
Just discovered that Foodtalk: Spices is available to listen to as a podcast from the Newstalk podcasts page – Foodtalk on Newstalk is at the top of the page so you can’t miss it! Check out Conor’s Bandon Blog for useful information on listening and subscribing...
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Posted on Jan 4, 2009 in Do, Foodtalk on Newstalk, Radio | 6 comments

Foodtalk: Spices

Foodtalk: Spices
On Newstalk 106-108fm tonight at 9.30pm the third of my radio shows on food – Foodtalk: Spices – will be broadcast. This was one of the real wild cards of the series. Most of the other categories were easy to figure out: Livestock was a given, as was Dairy and Seafood. Being interested in foraging and...
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