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James Whelan Butchers: Black Pudding, Blue Cheese and Beetroot Toasts

Posted on Friday, December 16th, 2011 by Pat Whelan in Pork Recipes, Recipes | No Comments »

“On a trip to San Sebastian in Spain, we ate a great many excellent pintxos (pronounced ‘pinchos’), the local version of tapas, and this recipe was inspired by one of them. The flavours of the blue cheese and black pudding are balanced perfectly by the tangy pickled beetroot. Serve warm, or at room temperature, as little bites to enjoy with drinks, or as a starter”. – Rachel Allen

Black Pudding, Blue Cheese and Beetroot Toast – Printer Friendly Download

Ingredients

Olive oil, for drizzling and frying
10 slices of black pudding, 7mm–1cm thick
10 slices of baguette, 1cm thick
10 slices of blue cheese, 5mm thick
10 slices of pickled beetroot, 5mm thick

Makes 10 toasts

To Cook

Preheat the grill to hot and place a large frying pan on a medium heat and pour in a small drizzle of olive oil. Add the black pudding slices and cook on both sides for 4 minutes then drain on kitchen paper.

Toast the bread on both sides under the grill until golden, then drizzle each side with a little olive oil.

On each baguette toast, arrange first a piece of black pudding, then a piece of cheese and finally a slice of pickled beetroot. Serve immediately.

Rachel’s tip:

If you’re entertaining lots of people and need to get ahead, the toasts can be made earlier in the day and just slightly warmed through before serving.

We hope you enjoyed reading this post by Pat Whelan of James Whelan Butchers. Pat is a 5th generation butcher, cook book author and the director of James Whelan Butchers with shops in Clonmel, the Avoca Handweavers Rathcoole and Kilmacanogue, Dunnes Stores Cornelscourt, Rathmines and Swords in Dublin. Sign up to our newsletter for more updates from James Whelan Butchers

Tags: Beetroot Toasts, Black Pudding, Blue Cheese, James Whelan Butchers, Pat Whelan, Rachel Allen

James Whelan Butchers: Food Extravaganza 2011 with Rachel Allen (Gallery)

Posted on Friday, December 16th, 2011 by Pat Whelan in Good Food | No Comments »

Cashel Fine Foods and Crowes Meats with Rachel Allen

Tipperary Food Producers with Rachel Allen at the Launch of Food Extravaganza 2011

Chairman of the Tipperary Food Producers Pat Whelan with Rachel Allen

Russell Catering, Crossogue Preserves and Cashel Blue with Rachel Allen

Crowes Meats supplier of James Whelan Butchers

Michael Seymour, Mag Bergin, Crossogue Preserves and Con Traas with Rachel Allen

Tipperary Food Producer Tipperary Kitchen Stall — Tipperary Food Producer – Tipperary Kitchen Stall

Rachel Allen cooking James Whelan Butchers Black Pudding

Good Friend of James Whelan Butchers Kate McCarthy from The Cookie Jar

Pat Whelan, Nora Egan and Gary Gubbins with Rachel Allen

Imen Butter Churning Demonstration — Friend of Pat Whelan Imen McDonnell – Churning Butter

Audience watching Rachel Allen's Cookery Demonstration — Audience watching Rachel Allen’s Cookery Demonstration

Supplier to James Whelan Butchers, Con Traas from The Apple Farm

Tipperary Food Producers Gary Gubbins and Pat Whelan with Rachel Allen

Rachel Allen booksigning at the Tipperary Food Extravaganza 2011

James Whelan Butchers: A TRUE TASTE OF COUNTRY IN THE CITY

Posted on Friday, December 16th, 2011 by Pat Whelan in Good Food | 1 Comment »

James Whelan Butchers opens new shop at the Avoca Food Market in Monkstown, Dublin

I’ve written this blog post to share with you the journey from the build right through to our first delivery of meat to our new butcher shop at Avoca Market in Monkstown Co. Dublin. It’s been a tremendous journey and all of the natural surfaces and materials chosen for the fit out reflect the true quality of Irish craftsmanship. I am so proud to have worked with so many talented people bringing together my vision for this butcher shop in south Co. Dublin. The essence of what I want to achieve with my customers, is to share with them our ability to create real meat products in a retail environment and celebrate the true craft of Irish butchery.

In the shop, we have used clear glass panels as walls to remove any of the mystery and to share the honest approach we take when creating bespoke meat products for you. I hope you enjoy the pictures that were taken for me by local Monkstown photographer Roger O’Sullivan and Paul Sherwood who captured the spirit of our opening day. If you are anywhere close to Monkstown over Christmas please feel free to call in. David, Ernie, Connor, Brett and Marius would be delighted to see you and show you around.

We have a monthly newsletter which is packed full of recipes and cooking tips and is also a great way of keeping up to date with what is happening at James Whelan Butchers. If you would like to sign up to our newsletter enter your email and username to sign up.

James Whelan Butchers New Shop Pre Opening

James Whelan Butchers New Shop Chopping Blocks

James Whelan Butchers New Shop Counter

New Shop in Monkstown

New James Whelan Butchers logo

One of Ireland’s most innovative butchers, Pat Whelan from Clonmel, has brought his renowned specialist craft butcher business to Dublin with the opening of a meat emporium in the new Avoca Food Market in Monkstown.

In the eye of the harshest recession in history, Whelan is steadily growing his business and his new shop will be a veritable “altar to meat” at the food shrine that is the recently opened Avoca shop.

This is the first retail venture outside of Clonmel, Co Tipperary, for James Whelan Butchers in its 50 year history, and the unique shop represents an exciting new chapter in the company’s success story.

With the venture Pat Whelan is merging craft, skill, passion for food, and retail excellence into one wholesome, theatrical experience. It incorporates retail along with progressive ideas including butchery craft classes where groups can come, watch, learn and then salivate before tasting the best of meat.

The layout of the new shop has been carefully planned from every angle and is meticulously designed. It features three specially commissioned round butchers’ blocks made by Irish craftsmen from solid maple to resemble tree trunks.

This nature theme runs throughout this unique specialist craft butcher shop with all materials carefully chosen and natural where possible.

There is also a full glass wall that will allow customers the unusual sight of meat being aged and cuts being prepared for sale, giving them the opportunity to see meat and its preparation laid bare. For anyone interested in cooking and eating meat this will be nothing less than a haven.

According to Pat Whelan the butcher is the pivotal link between the customer and the land or farmer, hence his wish for a natural theme. “All my meat is sourced either from my own farm and slaughtered in my own slaughterhouse, or locally in Tipperary. For me therefore the ‘farm to fork’ chain is a short one allowing me to stand confidently over every cut of meat which is key to the success of my business.”

Apprentice Butcher Connor with a Side of Beef

Pat Whelan of James Whelan Butchers

Counter at New Butcher Shop in Monkstown

Dry Aged Meat Rotating in Our New Butcher Shop

New James Whelan Butchers logo

Whelan created Ireland’s first online butchers, wwwjameswhelanbutchers.com, and today has a burgeoning internet business. Just like his real shops, the virtual shop is also a food destination. “Not only can you purchase meat but you can also watch video presentations on food and meat, pick up numerous tips or read entertaining regular blog entries.”

He has fully harnessed social media, including Facebook and Twitter, to drive his business and his website has won numerous awards and is highly regarded within the industry.

Pat Whelan also wrote the acclaimed book, An Irish Butcher Shop, which is to be followed next year by a new book, An Irish Butcher’s Kitchen.

Reflecting his appetite for innovation, Whelan has successfully produced his own Wagyu beef at his farm in Tipperary. This is a Japanese breed of beef sometimes referred to as Kobe beef, an area in Japan. ‘Wa’ means Japan and ‘Gyu’ means cow, and Wagyu meat is striking because of its wonderful marbling which results in unbelievable succulence that is guaranteed to send the taste buds reeling.

Whelan currently employs 30 people in his business which centres around a large retail shop in Clonmel and his growing online sales. He is adding five new staff to his workforce initially through his new development, and expects this number to grow in 2012.

The Avoca food shop opened in November and is offering a range of new food experiences under the one roof with 100 per cent focus on delicious, seasonal, Irish food, a perfect fit for Pat Whelan. The shop is bright and airy with a vintage retro style featuring distressed wooden tables topped in white marble, salvage greenhouse window frames.

Whelan says he is seeing an upside to austerity. “People are returning to basics and are going back to cooking their own food. They once again have time to explore food and want to shop where there is expertise and people with real knowledge that can help them.”

He added: “In a time of recession we want to draw our friends and family close and nourish and protect them. There is no greater way of expressing friendship than gathering people around a table and enjoying the simple act of breaking bread and sharing food. But it has to be great food. I have no doubt that this is the perfect time to open and there is a thrill in being aligned with the Avoca brand which sits so well with my own ethos.”

The new shop opened on Friday, December 9th. It will be open 7 days a week at Avoca Food Market, Monkstown.

Tags: Avoca Food Market, James Whelan Butchers, Monkstown, New Shop, Pat Whelan

James Whelan Butchers: Eat, Drink and Be Merry

Posted on Wednesday, December 7th, 2011 by Pat Whelan in Foodie Articles | No Comments »

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.” A quote attributed to Albert Einstein. I’m all for knowledge but I understand that it can sometimes be quite limiting. Having a prior knowledge that something won’t work for example can prevent you from even trying it. Whatever it is might not work, but you may stumble across something else entirely. Indeed many modern day items were born that way. The humble Post-it note would never exist had a scientist not attempted to make the strongest glue ever. One batch went completely wrong and he created the weakest glue on the planet. It wasn’t at all what he was looking for but he found a purpose for it and the Post-It note came into existence.

Imagination is really what we need when it comes to Christmas and especially Christmas 2011 when a certain financial fear hangs in the air. It is hard to ignore it at present with incessant and persistent media reports about banks and budgets and, on the whole, it is less than cheery. I suggest you turn off the radio and the television, put on some happy or maybe even Christmas music, and get yourself and your imagination into the kitchen and create a little magic.

When you strip it all back to basics what is Christmas really about? It’s about people, family, friends and loved ones, sharing a little downtime in a cosy abundant haze of food and beverage. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it has to be warm and welcoming. We all have enough socks, bath gel and hats and scarves to last us a lifetime so we won’t miss not receiving a bucket load this year. I’d swap presents any day for great food; you can’t eat the socks and bubble bath leaves a nasty aftertaste!

While we celebrate the birth of Jesus on the 25^th of December he was, according to all Biblical scholars, probably more likely to have been born sometime in September. However this lovely Christian celebration worked in very nicely with the existing Roman festival of Saturnalia. Effectively in pre Christian times they were celebrating a return of the sun just following the longest day of the year and so plenty of excess and fun was to be had by all in the dying days of the year. In the deep midwinter, they got together and looked forward to the lengthening days. As it was the darkest, coldest time of year it was also seen as an opportunity for the rich to give to the poor. Saturnalia, as the name suggests was a celebration of Saturn, who was the Roman god of agriculture and plenty. The pagan rituals were given a Christian makeover and so we now sing carols and exchange gifts and wish each other peace, joy and love.

What better way to express that joy and love than to gather people around the table for a feast. Or to give a food gift that you may not have spent a fortune in cash on but that you poured your time into. You don’t need a mountain of shop bought sweets, just whip up a batch of fudge, mini cheesecakes, shortbread, biscuits or chocolate peanut butter cups; the list is endless. They will easily satisfy the sweetest tooth over the festive period.

Pates and chutneys are also an easy make and very handy to have in the fridge for an unexpected gathering or even a spare gift. I love it when people drop by and we fill the table up buffet style with a great pick and mix hotch-potch of food and everyone just digs in. And you don’t have to make everything from scratch. There are some fantastic artisan food producers all over Tipperary. Throw a stone in this county and you’re likely to hit a cheesemaker or bun creator of some sort. Oh yes we are truly blessed. They deserve our support and many of the products are simply delicious.

As usual I’ve rambled a little when my main focus this week was going to be pate. From simple smoked mackerel pate to duck, chicken or liver pate – it is a very enjoyable thing to make and always well received. It can be as smooth or as rustic as your taste desires and when it comes to making the dish, then it is definitely about imagination rather than knowledge in order to create a personal signature.

The other handy staple in a fridge throughout December are sausages. Cocktail sausages can be worked a number of ways including glazed with a little alcohol or marinated in a sticky honey or sweet sauce. Of course if you can glaze and marinade cocktail sausages why stop there; ribs and chicken wings steeped in something tasty make great crowd pleasing food. For something simpler but perhaps a little fiddly, you could always just wrap some cocktail sausages in streaky bacon and roast them until crisp.

As you can see none of the ingredients mentioned above are exotic, difficult to get hold of or even that expensive. The trick is to take the ordinary and do something extraordinary with it and there is plenty of inspiration for that. Dust down all those recipe books you have forgotten about, check out the cooking sections in the newspapers, pop to the library or look up the vast amount of ideas on the web. In fact imagination and inspiration are the foundations for everything we do at James Whelan Butchers. Simple tasty food handled with a little passion and a sprinkling of JWB fairy dust! (I suppose in these litigious and serious times it is worth clarifying that the fairy dust comment is a joke!) There are many wonderful time and money saving ideas on our website and in our shop at James Whelan Butchers Oakville Shopping Centre, so why not drop by either physically or virtually.

Christmas 2011 needs to be festive not expensive, so let’s reclaim all that is good about it and enjoy the challenge of making it great.

Tags: christmas, foodie articles, James Whelan Butchers, Pat Whelan

Butchery Courses – James Whelan Butchers

Posted on Wednesday, November 30th, 2011 by Pat Whelan in Good Food | 1 Comment »

Butchery Classes at James Whelan Butchers are carried out by our team of skilled butchers. We offer a range of evening courses aimed at teaching you all about the meat, where it comes from, how and when it is used and also a range of basic butchery skills. Our butchers are fully trained skillful professionals, that are well versed in all aspects of cutting meat and the aging process. An in depth insight into the techniques of cutting beef, lamb, pork and bacon will be covered on the respective evenings. All the classes are held at our Shop in Clonmel, for further information on how to book or purchase a voucher contact us by phone or email

Next butchery course on Tuesday 21st February 2012 at 6.30pm Oakville Shopping Centre, Clonmel -€99 per person. 12 places per course. Book now by contacting us by phone or email.

Places are limited to small numbers which helps us to give you the best one to one tuition possible so book one of our classes today. Private Group bookings are becoming more and more popular on the Butchery Classes, we have taken group bookings for a range of things including Corporate events, Staff Parties and just recently even a stag party. To make the class a private event, you will need to book out the full 12 places. When the full 12 places are booked out a 10% discount will be given.

James Whelan Butchers: Win a Copy of An Irish Butcher Shop

Posted on Wednesday, November 30th, 2011 by Pat Whelan in Good Food | 124 Comments »

This December we’re giving away 10 copies of An Irish Butcher Shop, Pat Whelan’s first book which is a great read for anyone interested in Irish food but also makes an ideal gift for any carnivore you may know. To enter our competition and be in with a chance of winning an Irish Butcher Shop, simply leave your answer to the following question in the comments below.

Who was the first Irish Butcher to sell meat online in Ireland?

One entry per person please – multiple entries will be disqualified. Five winners will be randomly chosen and notified by email. The competition will close at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, 15th December.

Tags: An Irish Butcher Shop, Irish Food, James Whelan Butchers, Pat Whelan, Tipperary Food

James Whelan Butchers: A Day in the Life of a Real Butcher

Posted on Wednesday, November 30th, 2011 by Pat Whelan in Good Food | 3 Comments »

Checking up on the livestock

At James Whelan Butchers we are delighted to say that we farm, slaughter and butcher all our own beef. From farm to shop, many of our customers travel further than our meat! We are more than just butchers. A day in my life allows for a variety of human emotions and practical skills.

We believe in natural, gentle nurture and care when it comes to the welfare of our animals. We are truly convinced that a healthy, well fed and happy beast will ultimately repay the kindness with sensational tasting meat. On our traditional farm I just have to place my feet in those wellies and I’m living my simplistic childhood idyll of ‘Farmer Pat’! The instantly recognisable smells and sounds of the farm warm my heart and linger in my nostrils for many hours after.

Abattoir on site
I take the slaughtering process seriously and insist upon a strict, stress free, artisan approach. The area is kept calm and always quiet. Indeed, should we detect any uneasiness in the animal whatsoever it is immediately returned to the field; gaining a reprieve for another time. Such action owes less to mercy than it does the fact that a stressed animal prior to slaughter will flood its body with chemicals producing tough and, in our opinion, unacceptable meat.

The light and gentle touch needed for the nurture and care of the animals has to transform itself quickly to steely skill for the physicality of the abattoir. To me the sharp edged knives represent nothing more sinister than the tools of the trade, but to an outsider I can see how they appear quite lethal and more suited to a Victorian body stealers’ laboratory! By the end of such a vigourous day the blood spattered whites tell their own story; no words needed to explain where I’ve been.

Butchering

“We believe in natural, gentle nurture and care when it comes to the welfare of our animals. We are truly convinced that a healthy, well fed and happy beast will ultimately repay the kindness with sensational tasting meat”.

There is a common quality that infuses all these ‘people’ I have to be in a given day and that’s passion. Having a natural zeal for doing what I do results in excellence for our customers which is paramount. It is a simple philosophy that has served me well and it never ceases to amaze me how healthy obsession thoroughly devours exhaustion and any form of discouragement no matter what the day brings forth.

Photography by Roger Overall

James Whelan Butchers: Christmas Extravaganza with Rachel Allen

Posted on Tuesday, November 29th, 2011 by Pat Whelan in Foodie Articles, Occasions | 1 Comment »

If I can convince you to do one thing this year then it would be to make sure you book your tickets for the upcoming Tipperary Food Producers Christmas Cookery Extravaganza being held in the Clonmel Park Hotel on the evening of the 7th of December. Not only will it herald Christmas it will also get you in a festive culinary mood as the host this year is the one and only Rachel Allen. Oh yes, ‘the’ Rachel Allen, cook, TV Star and prize winning author. Only as late as last week she picked up a Bord Gais Energy Irish Book award.

Food Extravaganza 2011 with Rachel Allen

With such an accomplished and well recognized celebrity chef at the helm this is set to be a fantastic night. Along with the cookery demonstrations Tipperary Cheese and wine will be served, Clonmel-based wine expert, Gary Gubbins of Red Nose Wine, will be giving guidance on wines to accompany the variety of dishes from the cookery demonstration and well known food blogger Imen McDonnell, will give a live butter-making demonstration. As the event is being organised by the Tipperary Food Producers Network, the food artisans will be there with their unique produce available to taste and to buy. Indeed for the very organised this could be a great night out and a one stop Christmas shopping expedition into the bargain! However whether you come to shop or just to browse and enjoy it looks like being a tremendous evening. Definitely a great way to get together with friends and pick up some great tips and hints from the professionals on how to make the most of food this Christmas.

Of course if you can’t make it along on that particular evening it still doesn’t stop you exploring our local food landscape which is always richly abundant at this time of year. The Tipperary Food Producers Network is made up of more than 30 local food businesses. Their common ground is excellence in what they do and as ambassadors for Tipp they are fantastic. Only last week I happened to catch the musician Alex James on the Saturday Night Show. Alex James was a member of the very successful rock group, Blur. He left the rock and roll lifestyle behind to pursue a career in cheese production. From his country farmhouse in the Cotswolds in England he has created a fantastic cheese farm. Alex James was in Ireland last weekend on a cheese trip and I was delighted to hear him mention that he was visiting Cooleeney Cheese. In any other industry they would be shouting from the rooftops about this celebrity visit but, as is typical of the humility within the food industry, it barely registered on the radar. That is just one example how of how food from Tipperary is making its mark both nationally and internationally without fanfare or applause. There are plenty of other excellent artisans picking up awards and receiving recognition, but as is often the case in this sector the day to day running of a food business allows little time to stop for a bit of a boast!

If you are not too familiar with what’s going on then I suggest you check out the Tipperary Food Producers Network website. It will give you a brief description of all the members and from there you can explore further. Of course if you live in County Tipperary then all of these producers are only a drive away and mostly the produce is readily available in various local shops. From sweet treats to meats of all kinds, there is a local product to enjoy.

I suppose now that I am up on my culinary soap box I may as well give you the party political bit, but do stay with me because it is important given the times we live in. At present for every €10 spent with local food businesses, €34 goes back to the local economy. This compares to every €10 spent with a large retail multiple where only €16 is returned to the local economy! You don’t need to be a mathematical genius to see which is better. Also the 30 or so members of the Tipperary Food Producers Network employ approximately 220 people between them with an annual turnover of €24 million. The network includes producers of meat, beverages and bread, soup, sweets, pastry, catering, dairy, cheese, farm shops, preserves and condiments, jams, fruit and vegetables. We certainly owe it to our county to know what’s on offer.

Tipperary Food Producers

However, the real test is in the taste and quality. It’s all very well trying to support local businesses just because they are local, but we have to get great products and good value also. I am happy to stand over that when it comes to the other members of the network. We spend a great deal of time trying to find ways of bringing our produce to market in order to compete successfully in this very crowded arena. My personal measure is that of taste. Packaging and presentation are important but at the end of the day you won’t be eating the wrapper or box; the sensation it creates in the mouth is where it’s really at. I challenge you to try some local products and see if they don’t stand head and shoulders above everything else.

I really hope to see you at the Christmas Cookery Extravaganza. Make sure to get your tickets as soon as you can as they won’t be available on the door and they are limited. Tickets for the event on at 7.30p.m. in the Clonmel Park Hotel, Clonmel, on Wednesday December 7th, are €20. Tickets can be purchased from James Whelan Butchers or any of the network members.

For information, members of the network include Cashel Blue Cheese, Crossogue Preserves, Crowe Farm Meats, Cooleeney Cheese, Cloughjordan house, Baylough Cheese, Boulaban Farm, Brownes, Fine Foods Cashel, Hickeys Bakery, Mags Home Baking, Tipperary Kitchen, Inch House, James Whelan Butchers, Oakpark Foods, Ponaire Irish Handcrafted Coffee, Red Nose Wine, Russell Catering, Seymour Organic Farm, The Apple Farm, The Cookie Jar, The Scullery, O’Donnell’s crisps and The Auld Mill Bakery, Irish Piemontese Beef

Tags: christmas, Food Extravaganza 2011, James Whelan Butchers, Pat Whelan, Rachel Allen

James Whelan Butchers: What Size Turkey Do I Need?

Posted on Friday, November 25th, 2011 by Pat Whelan in Good Food | No Comments »

I’m being constantly asked by customers as they place orders “What size turkey do I need?” I can’t help thinking to myself I’d love if Christmas were more often because we’d all know exactly what we need and how to cook it but maybe that would take the magic out of Christmas. I can understand that making sure you have enough turkey for everyone is an important thing to consider when buying a bird but I always advise to error on the plus side – “better be looking at some than for some” and there are great recipes for left-overs. I have written a guide which hopefully will help you make the right decision.

Free Range Turkey at James Whelan Butchers

Size of Bird	Portions
4.5-5.5kg (approx. 10-12lbs)	5-6 adults
5.5-6.5kg (approx. 12-14lbs)	6-7 adults
6.5-7.5kg (approx. 14-16lbs)	7-8 adults
7.5-8.5kg (approx. 16-18lbs)	8-9 adults
8.5-9.5kg (approx. 18-20lbs)	9-10 adults
9.5-10.5kg (approx. 20-22lbs)	10-11 adults

Tags: Free Range Turkey, James Whelan Butchers, Pat Whelan, Size Finder

James Whelan Butchers at Avoca Store Opening Competition

Posted on Friday, November 25th, 2011 by Pat Whelan in Good Food | 153 Comments »

On the 5th December will be launching our new shop in the Avoca Food Market in Monkstown, Co. Dublin. To celebrate this momentous occasion in the story of James Whelan Butchers, we are giving away five €100 vouchers to spend in our new shop. To enter our competition and be in with a chance of winning €100 voucher, simply leave your answer to the following question in the comments below.

Who was the first Irish Butcher to sell meat online in Ireland?

The voucher can only be sent to an Irish address. One entry per person please – multiple entries will be disqualified. Five winners will be randomly chosen and notified by email. The competition will close at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, 5th December.

Tags: Avoca, Dublin, Food Market, James Whelan Butchers, Monkstown, New Shop, Pat Whelan

James Whelan Butchers: A Military Plan

Posted on Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011 by Pat Whelan in Foodie Articles | No Comments »

Winter has arrived and all eyes are now firmly focussed on the festive season. Now before you throw the paper down in horror at my nerve of mentioning the ‘C’ word in the third week of November, hear me out. Normally I’m with all the people who say “the long lead in is ruining Christmas”, but I am also a practical soul and this year I think the “long lead in” could work to everyone’s advantage.

There is an old Hollywood movie theory that says there are three major ingredients in successful films and they are time, money and people. However the theory also states that having any two of these items in abundance will make up for the lack of the third. For example if you have plenty of money and plenty of time then you can buy all the good people you need. If you have plenty of money and plenty of people then you can do it more quickly so time isn’t that important. And finally if you have unlimited time and plenty of people willing to chip in, then money isn’t a problem. I think you can apply this to most of life’s projects and especially to Christmas. If you have plenty of money, loads of time on your hands and an abundance of help then stop reading now! However, if, like most people you have a strict budget this year then stick with me as there are plenty of time tricks and tips that will combat cash every time. So while others may snort that it is too early to think of Christmas, I believe that those with wisdom will realise the value in an early start.

Thanksgiving Turkey

To get the ball rolling I can’t encourage you enough to sit down and create your food plan even if it goes against every fibre of your being. Think about the numbers you may have for Christmas and how many days up to and after the event you may be feeding people. Think of other years and the excess, usually created by the expensive panic buying on Christmas week which resulted in boxes of sweets and a freezer full of expensive nibbles still around in March! Now is also a good time to think about gifts and food gifts will, I have no doubt, be all the rage this year. More and more people are thinking practically with homemade or store bought hampers of favourites and even vouchers for food shops have become fashionable and acceptable.

In these stress less November weeks you have time to browse online and see what’s available and convenient. Don’t forget to stop by the James Whelan Butchers’ site as there are some great recipes and tips there along with a full range of meat to buy saving you time and money in the long run. Shops also have some crazy offers on right now that may not be available in the later rush. For example at our shop in Oakville, Clonmel we have our annual turkey sale coming up Wednesday 23rd November (Thanksgiving in America) where we are happy that our customers can get the same quality turkey in November and freeze it, for literally half the price they will pay for it in December. There is no mystery to this at all; it is just the simple economics of supply and demand. A few years ago now I discovered that if I took a certain amount of turkeys from my supplier in November they were very happy to give me a good discount, that I could in turn pass on to my customers. It was a win, win for everyone involved and has become an anticipated annual event ever since.

You can also get ahead with cooking some freezer stock in November. Now is the time to prepare cookie dough logs and small canapés. Having these on hand means you can cook up a batch of something fresh and homemade as a lovely gift or a treat for visitors throughout the festive season. It’s a good time also to through all the kitchen presses and clean out old jars and tubs. Some might be useful for food gifts of chutney and pates and now is also the time to check for store cupboard items.

It’s a great idea to clean out your freezer at this time of year. A friend of mine always has a ‘freezer food’ week around November. The challenge is to see if you can feed the family from the freezer for at least a week. First of all it clears out the freezer in preparation for the Christmas goodies that may have to be stored and secondly it makes for a less expensive food shopping week or two which is always welcome. You might, though, have to be a little creative as sometimes the frozen chicken turns out to be fish or something else. I happened to be there one evening when a promised deep dish steak and mushroom pie turned out to be a deep dish apple pie. We had to call out for a pizza but the apple pie was delicious for afters with ice cream. The moral of that tale is label everything clearly; do not rely on your memory. Now is also a great time to start saving and storing freezer safe containers for leftovers and make ahead meals.

Cranberry Sauce with Claret

With plenty of previous planning and by putting in a little time, you can have a really economical Christmas that won’t look like you’ve done it on a tight budget. I would also recommend that you get yourself a ticket for the Tipperary Food Producers Christmas Extravaganza on December 7th. I’ll be telling you more about it in the coming weeks, but it’s a great night of tips and tricks from the professionals plus an abundance of great value artisan food for the family and for gifts. It’s also a great pre Christmas night out that will definitely put us all in the mood. There is no need to fear the expense of Christmas at all. Take a deep breath, plan ahead in military style and keep your eyes on James Whelan Butchers as between now and December we’ll have some great recession busting offers both in store and online.

Tags: christmas, James Whelan Butchers, Pat Whelan, Sale, Shopping, Thanksgiving, turkey

New James Whelan Butcher Shop in Avoca Monkstown

Posted on Saturday, November 12th, 2011 by Pat Whelan in Good Food, Press | 5 Comments »

New James Whelan Butchers Shop in Avoca Monkstown

We are delighted to announce that we are bringing our craft butchery excellence and expertise to Dublin as part of the exciting new Avoca Food Market in Monkstown.

This will be our first retail venture outside of Clonmel and an exciting new chapter in the James Whelan success story.

We will have a 550 square foot specialist craft butcher shop in the new Avoca food market in Monkstown, where customers can come and see at first hand how we approach our craft. As well as the opportunity to buy and taste our top quality meat products, customers will be able to see our skilled professional butchers in action in what will be a new food experience for the Irish consumer in an amazing setting.

The new Monkstown location is a first for Avoca offering a range of new food experiences under the one roof with 100 per cent focus on delicious, seasonal, Irish food.

The shop is bright and airy with a vintage retro style featuring distressed wooden tables topped in white marble, salvage greenhouse window frames.

We look forward to seeing you there in early December.
James Whelan at Avoca Food Market
The Crescent
Monkstown
County Dublin
Ireland

Butcher Shop: +353 (01) 6638924

Salt reservations: +353 1 202 0230
email: [email protected]

website: www.jameswhelanbutchers.com

Food Market:

Mon to Sat, 8.30am to 7pm
Sun, 10am to 7pm

Salt Café:

Breakfast: Mon to Sat, 9.30am – 12 noon; Sun from 10am
Lunch: 7 days, 12 noon – 5.30pm (shortened Afternoon Menu from 3pm)
Dinner: Wed to Sun evenings, from 6pm

We hope you enjoyed reading this post by Pat Whelan of James Whelan Butchers. Pat is a 5th generation butcher, cook book author and the director of James Whelan Butchers with shops in Clonmel, the Avoca Food Market Monkstown and Avoca Rathcoole. Sign up to our newsletter for more updates from James Whelan Butchers

Tags: Avoca, Dublin, James Whelan Butchers, Monkstown, New Retail Shop