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Posted on Feb 2, 2012 in Life, Storecupboard Specials | 2 comments

Spiced (and Slightly Salted) Hot Chocolate

Spiced (and Slightly Salted) Hot Chocolate
A freezing cold afternoon plus one trying-to-avoid-too-much-caffeine-mother and a grumpy-from-her-nap-toddler. The only solution? Two cups of warming Spiced Hot Chocolate. When I was in college, a mug of this – made with lots of Bournville chocolate – plus a croissant was counted as a meal. I got...
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Posted on Jan 31, 2012 in Brewing and beer, Do, Life | 6 comments

Memorable food of 2011

Memorable food of 2011
2011? Phew! A crazy, crazy year. Still, after a relatively calm January, I’ve finally had a chance to gather together my favourite food memories of the last 12 months. *** Eight Degrees Beer: the first sip of our Howling Gale Ale at the Franciscan Well Easter Beer Fest – declared ready just the...
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Posted on Jan 10, 2012 in Bake, Life | 3 comments

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Cinnamon Raisin Bread
It’s January. Time for just a little indulgence. Yes, I know that we’re all supposed to be on a hair-shirt-fun-free-detox-diet but on a dark, dreary school/work morning it’s no harm at all to have a little something that will lift the spirits. This Cinnamon Raisin Bread, born from a love...
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Posted on Jan 1, 2012 in Do, Eating Out, Life | 17 comments

Ten years on – and eating around Cork: The Castle, L’Atitude 51° and Gort na Nain

Ten years on – and eating around Cork: The Castle, L’Atitude 51° and Gort na Nain
Early morning, 31 December 2001. That was the moment when I made a decision that set my life on a totally new path. Rather than go home, as planned, to hang out with the Small Sister and Brother for New Years Eve, I made a spur of the moment phone call and headed for Cork to stay with the Sports Editor. As...
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Posted on Oct 23, 2011 in Bake, Food for Friends, Life | 6 comments

Sunday morning pikelets

Sunday morning pikelets
A lazy Sunday morning. Outside our new draft-proof windows it’s solidly pouring rain but indoors at the cottage, the fire already lit, we’re all warm and still sleepy. The Husband’s parents have spent the last two-and-a-half weeks in Ireland, staying here while they build cookbook shelves,...
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Posted on Sep 29, 2011 in Life | 38 comments

Just arrived

Just arrived
Meaty stews and wholesome soups, egg-in-an-eggcup for breakfast and mid-afternoon hunks of cheese with apples: my latest long-term cooking project came to an end early last Thursday morning and now it’s feed-me-up time. Our little Maya Ellen, who will be known around here as the Small Girl, took her...
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Posted on Aug 29, 2011 in Life | 8 comments

Almost baked

Almost baked
She’s growing up fast. Not so long ago Little Missy was taking her first adventures into food, relishing an early taste of wild blackberries; now she’s getting stuck into baking and, as you can see, no bowl is safe from those helpful little hands. She was my first long-term baking project and I...
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Posted on Aug 17, 2011 in Life | 13 comments

Granny

Granny
My Granny, my father’s mother, was always the Christmas cake queen. Her cake was always dark with promise, richly laden with dried fruit, plump with cherries – a big favourite of ours – and well fed with whiskey. It would turn up at our house in mid-December, with the rest of what we called...
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Posted on Aug 4, 2011 in Do, Kitchen, Life | 17 comments

New kitchen taking shape

New kitchen taking shape
It might feel like a long time but thanks to my wonderful builder (on time, on budget, fantastic to deal with), the cottage is finished – all, bar the painting. And the flooring but, due to funding issues, that’s not likely to happen for a while. After all my agonising over what to do about the...
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Posted on Mar 28, 2011 in Eating Out, Life | 4 comments

An antidote to packing? O’Brien Chop House

An antidote to packing? O’Brien Chop House
Moving? I’m over it. Even it if is just out of the cottage for three-and-a-half months while our long, long-awaited extension is being built. Have you any idea how many cookbooks I have to pack up? In that picture is just two of the nine (and still counting) boxes that I’ve filled up so far. The...
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Posted on Dec 23, 2010 in Life | 4 comments

Final countdown: Cranberry, Orange and Port Relish

Final countdown: Cranberry, Orange and Port Relish
The baking is done, there are jars of homemade mustard sitting on the counter alongside Lemon and Passionfruit Curd and the second turkey is almost ready to go. We’re due to leave the cottage tomorrow, abandoning our iced up windows – it’s just not melting these days, and that’s...
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Posted on Dec 16, 2010 in Bake, Life | 4 comments

Christmas baking: Mincemeat and Polenta Shortbread

Christmas baking: Mincemeat and Polenta Shortbread
Although I made mince pies for the Christmas Cookalong, that was the night I realised why I don’t normally make them. As I fiddled with the pastry and Little Missy stuck her hands, once again, under my rolling pin – difficult to avoid when she’s standing on her wee stool directly in front...
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Posted on Oct 13, 2010 in Grow, Life | 2 comments

Pickin’ spuds: Spiced Lamb and Homegrown Potatoes

Pickin’ spuds: Spiced Lamb and Homegrown Potatoes
This has been a rather mixed year in the garden. Despite all my busy sowing early in the year, there wasn’t a whole load to harvest after the pesky rabbits got stuck into all those tasty green shoots. Still, the arrival of four cats (and the occasional extra stray or two) has put a stop to the dozen or...
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Posted on May 17, 2010 in Life, Travel | 2 comments

Un voyage à France

Un voyage à France
Just picture the scene: an ancient chateau set amidst vineyards in the heart of the Bordeaux countryside, guests from all over the world gathering together on the terrace to celebrate a wedding, May sunshine breaking through the clouds as the couple stand in front of friends and...
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Posted on Mar 29, 2010 in Life | 6 comments

New shoes

New shoes
It’s been a big week in the life of a Little Missy. She’s been happy to stand up and cruise around the furniture ever since we were in New Zealand then, two weeks ago, just shy of 11½ months, she took off. Starting with little unsteady forays in the sitting room, she started to walk on her...
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