Posted on Jun 23, 2011 in Cookery Books, Read | 2 comments

The Free Range Cook by Annabel Langbein

The Free Range Cook by Annabel Langbein
I love Kiwi cookbooks and, with the Husband’s family feeling that birthdays and Christmas should be marked with new volumes, am lucky enough to have quite a few on my shelves. These books, from authors like Fleur Sullivan, Peta Mathias and Alexa Johnston often have a very different take on food; there...
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Posted on Jun 23, 2011 in Bake, Kitchen | 15 comments

Equipment review: kMix from Kenwood

Equipment review: kMix from Kenwood
During the three months that I spent at Ballymaloe Cookery School, I saw Kenwood mixers – the workhorses of the kitchen – put up a lot of punishment. Mixing cakes from morning to night? Not a bother. Making the finest mashed potatoes known to cookery school? In minutes. Kneading bread dough was just...
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Posted on Jun 20, 2011 in Grow | 13 comments

Food for free: Elderflower Champagne

Food for free: Elderflower Champagne
We might be living in town at the moment but there are still plenty of elder trees around, all laden down with platters of fragrant, creamy-coloured flowers. Before the season is over, it’s worth taking the time to pick a basket-full of the blooms for some homemade cordials and champagne. Try – if...
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Posted on Jun 16, 2011 in Do, IFBA | 7 comments

Eating my way around Dublin

Eating my way around Dublin
How much eating can be packed into one day in Dublin? Well, if you take the earliest bus there, as I did last Thursday, quite a bit. A need for late breakfast/early lunch took myself and Kristin of Dinner du Jour – make sure you check out her fantastic new blog at Edible Ireland –  into the The...
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Posted on Jun 10, 2011 in Brewing and beer, Do, Food Events | 6 comments

Bloom 2011 – and beer

Bloom 2011 – and beer
Howling Gale Ale from Eight Degrees Brewing, TJ Crowe‘s pulled pork rolls and Ed Hick‘s bacon jam: good things to drink, eat and take home from Bloom 2011. It was a weekend of appreciating good food and, from my homebase in the beer tent (or Bloom Inn, to give it its correct name) lots of great...
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Posted on Jun 6, 2011 in Do, Food Events, IFBA | 2 comments

A taste of Spain: Campo Viejo Tapas Trail

A taste of Spain: Campo Viejo Tapas Trail
The best thing about travel is the opportunity to eat new things. I’ve gone to Morocco with visions of sweet-savoury tagines dancing in my head, a stop over in Kuala Lumpur means devouring plates of roti canai with mugs of teh tarik and, when I went to Barcelona with the Sister, I did plenty of tapas,...
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Posted on Jun 2, 2011 in Cook, Demos, Food Events, Food for Friends, IFBA | 4 comments

Seomra Blog Bia at Totally Tipp: Inch House Black Pudding and Caramelised Onion Tart

Seomra Blog Bia at Totally Tipp: Inch House Black Pudding and Caramelised Onion Tart
The Totally Tipperary Food Festival, a weekend packed with food from the Tipperary Food Producers, cookery demos and workshops will be taking place in the grounds of Cloughjordan House at the end of June. As part of the festival, Seomra Blog Bia, which is based on the very successful Salon du Blog Culinaire...
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