Darina will be signing copies of her new Book ‘Forgotten Skills of Cooking’ on Saturday December 5th from 1pm.
A couple of weeks ago my daughter-in-law Rachel’s new book shot to the top of the best sellers list. Can you imagine Bertie’s reaction when he was knocked off the number one spot by a book on home cooking! This is Rachel’s sixth book in just six years. Can’t imagine how she manages to keep [...]
Last week I hopped off the train in Portlaoise on my way to Cork especially to make ‘an appearance’ at a book launch—not something I would do on a regular basis. I’d got an invitation a few days earlier from Jim Tynan to attend the launch of his new cookery book ‘Jim’s Kitchen’. I’d already [...]
In recent years I have become increasingly fascinated by the Muslim culture and am eager to learn more about the way of life and of course the food. I have enjoyed delicious Syrian and Lebanese food in several London restaurants, most notably Le Mignon in Delancey Street and Yalla Yalla Restaurant just off Brewer Street [...]
Awards are two a penny these times, so much so that they often come and go with minimum publicity.
However the recent 2010 Georgina Campbell Ireland Awards caused a significant stir not only because of the calibre of the winners but also because Georgina Campbell issued a dire warning about the consequences of incessant haggling in [...]
Halloween creates almost as much excitement as Christmas nowadays, for weeks shop windows have been packed with witches, broomsticks, pumpkins and scary masks to tantalise the kids. Our grandchildren and their friends can’t wait to dress up in witches attire and ghoulish rig outs to frighten the life out of their neighbours and extract a [...]
This year we have had our best crop of aubergines ever in the greenhouse. Our Black Pearl and Falcon plants from Vitalis Organic Seeds have produced with a vengeance. Aubergine plants grow to a height of about 2ft and have beautiful grey, g
reen leaves, and pretty purple flowers.
Aubergines are not a vegetable that appeal to [...]
I haven’t been to Wales for so long; I’d forgotten how easy it is to get there. Just throw a few things into the car, pack a picnic and head for Rosslare. The ferry to Fishguard takes three and a half hours, and even
though it’s quite a short time it’s worth considering taking a cabin [...]
September was all about school books, bags and uniforms and trying to find digs. Children were apprehensive and excited, parents usually relieved and comfortable to be back into a routine. For many it’s the most expensive time of the year, the following weeks feel a bit like January where everyone tightens the belt for a [...]
I always had a great fondness for Keith Floyd, the flamboyant TV chef who tore up the script and did it his way. What a breath of fresh air he brought to cookery programs adlibbing instructions to his long suffering TV crew. I first met him in the mid 80s when he bounced into the [...]