Friday, November 27, 2015

Fabulous Gifts for Frequent Flyers

I'll be honest with you, I'm dotty about The Dotty Lemon.  It's a small Irish online business selling the cutest gifts you never knew you needed until you saw them.  Established by Cork native Aisling Power, it sells a range of jewellery, stationery, storage and gifts to suit all price points.  It's also the perfect store to find a Secret Santa gift for a colleague or friend.

 

Friday, November 20, 2015

Review : Home: Recipes from Ireland by Trish Deseine

Trish Deseine, an Irishwoman living in France, has come home.  After many years writing about food in French including her sublime book “Je Veux du Chocolat”, having children and immersing herself in all things French, it was time for a change.  Trish has written a tribute to the often unappreciated and underrated food of Ireland.


Upon opening her new book “Home: Recipes from Ireland”, I was immediately struck by its simplicity and elegance.  No hipster food styled glossy cover, just a serene austere green with simple white typography.  It’s an indication of what lies ahead as you open the book.  Great care has been taken by Trish and her photographer Deirdre Rooney to focus on the food and landscapes of Ireland.  You won’t find any images of curly red haired children in Aran jumpers with donkeys carrying panniers of turf in Home.  What you will find is a collection of recipes which celebrate the wonderful bounty that is Irish food.

Friday, November 6, 2015

Stuffed Courgettes à la Francaise

A few weeks ago I was in Cannes, not as the rumour in work would have it, for the Film Festival, but for work.  I was brought out for dinner in a lovely family restaurant in the old town where our starter was an assortment of stuffed vegetables filled with a delicious minced meat.  I asked the waitress if I could have the recipe and after much humming and hawing, it was revealed at breakneck speed in French.  Luckily I grasped enough of it to scribble it down.  Deirdre Barlow's stuffed marrow, this is most definitely not!