Foodie Articles

With the summer upon us we have moved to eating most of our meals outside once again. It is also the time of year when you never know who’s going to drop by. The long bright evenings encourage weekday visits from family and friends. While most people will phone ahead if they are dropping by […]

  Back in April I was sure the summer had arrived until May came along and appeared to plunge us back into winter. Despite the lighter evenings, those wet days, particularly in the latter half of the month, made me feel like putting the barbeque up for sale on ‘Done Deal’ rather than preparing it […]

  Regardless of the weather I always find that I just enjoy lighter food in the summer months. It may be simple conditioning or it could be my body wanting to shed all that was packed into it in the cold winter. For me this time of year always calls for lighter meals and with […]

  The recent RTE documentary by Philip Boucher Hayes was eye opening to say the least. As part of the Heart/Land series of programmes screened in May the premise was to rejoice in the land and landscape and explore life in the 21st Century. If I’m honest at the start of the programme I felt […]

Reading an article in the paper recently I found myself nodding in agreement at the sentiment expressed about rude, angry celebrity chefs on television. However I suppose to the viewing public a calm, happy kitchen with a jolly chef makes for a rather dull television experience. I personally enjoy watching the less exciting cookery shows […]

  I’m often amused and sometimes confused by the way meat and other foods become fashionable and then fall off the radar.  I suppose we expect trends in other areas so why should food be any different?  Growing up in a butcher’s household all parts of all animals were explored as possible meals and so […]

You often hear it said that cooking is an art whereas baking is more of a science.  I would have to agree with the statement to some extent and it would follow that I consider myself an artist rather than a scientist.  However there is plenty of room for science in meat cookery.  TV cooks […]

  While my own trained skills lie in the art of food and butchery anyone who has ever worked behind a counter will tell you that over time you acquire a certain ability to read body language and detect mood. I can spot people staring at the chill cabinets with a bewildered look on their […]

  The season for celebrations is upon us.  Communions and confirmations abound.  During the Celtic Tiger years many will agree that the whole thing was getting a little out of hand.  I was a guest at one or two ceremonies during that time and remember some eyebrow raising moments when the cost of the child’s […]

  What I am about to say will probably upset some people, shock others and may even cause one or two to throw the paper down in disbelief; but I speak the truth.  Indeed as the good book says, “The truth will set you free”.  That is what I want to do this week, set […]

People have good ideas every day but few make it from the idea stage to fruition. That’s why I love it when a good idea becomes a reality and I believe that we should give it our full support. Recently I was thrilled to be invited to launch a recipe booklet called, “Make It Simple”. […]

  It looks like there are still 12 months in the year but I think they are moving much faster than before. I’m particularly conscious of this right now as this weekend sees the fourth Waterford Festival of Food weekend celebration. It seems like only a few short months since I attended the 2010 event […]