Foodie Articles

I’m on the brink of believing that someone or something has increased the speed at which time passes. Is it just me or are we all failing to get the same value out of a year that we once did?   It seems like I took the children out picking blackberries on the cusp of autumn […]

Love meat?  Love people?  You may be the person we’re looking for to join our team. With a 50 year tradition in producing and retailing the finest meat, James Whelan Butchers is looking to recruit trainee butchers for our retail stores  in Dublin.  We believe in “nose to tail” butchery and have a “farm to […]

November is hurtling by and the swirling, crunchy leaves that play with the wind outside my shop window seem to be an ever present reminder this week that it’s time for all those Christmas plans to swing into action. Perhaps there was a time when being organised was linked to frugality, but I think we’ve […]

I recently spoke to the lovely Ella McSweeney from BBC Radio 4 food programme about the process of making our award-winning Beef Dripping. Our Beef Dripping was recently crowned Supreme Champion at the Great Taste Awards 2015 and as a 5th generation butcher, this product is a real nod to the past. Listen to the podcast on the […]

It never ceases to amaze me the number of teenagers that can’t cook or at least claim they can’t. They certainly won’t starve as they are capable of placing cornflakes in a bowl, pop tarts in a toaster, a ready meal in a microwave or ordering a takeaway, but when it comes to long term […]

A good friend of mine used to describe the highly organised as both anal and smug. Of course now that she has advanced in years, learned the art and the benefits of planning ahead and joined the tribe she once so despised, her view has changed. I tease her mercilessly about it, but her good […]

Looking out my window today I watch as the elements enjoy a high octane party. Leaves are bobbing around on the wind, swept into swirling dancing groups, moving at a terrific pace into mini tornado shapes and then disappearing quickly past my first floor window. The sky is ominously dark and I have no doubt […]

The last time I checked, most human adults were in possession of a decent enough brain. The brain, that vital organ that sits between our ears, helps us survive, work and raise our young without doing them too much damage. It is our ability to assess and make choices using the brain that largely separates […]

Really enjoyed talking to Ray D’Arcy on RTE Radio 1. What strikes me with every conversation, is how nostalgic people are when talking about Beef Dripping. If we asked you to think of the most luxurious, most delicious, finest food imaginable, what would come to mind? Caviar, smoked salmon or maybe some dripping? On Monday […]

Had the great pleasure recently of talking to Bobby Kerr on his Saturday Newstalk radio show, Down to Business. We talked about Beef Dripping and family business in general. I’ve put up this link should you be interested in listening to the show.  

The winners have been announced for this year’s Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards with James Whelan Butchers celebrating their Gold Award win – beating more than 1,000 products in 85 categories. The Dry Cure Rack of Bacon won the ultimate award but three other producers won Gold awards too: The Gold Small Producer award […]

The 2015 Tipperary Food Producers “Long table Dinner” attracted more than 170 people last Wednesday night. The beautiful, idyllic Coolbawn Quay was the location for this wonderful night of culinary delights. In keeping with the Long Table Dinner custom, only food from Tipperary was served at the sumptuous traditional feast. Fresh, seasonal produce from over […]