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 you free from the fat free and taste deficient, self imposed prison that most of us have been in for decades.  Fat free is a con, we’ve all been conned and those extra lean chickens are coming home to roost so to speak.

When I was a child, and I know that many of you will identify with this, Irish kitchens (indeed kitchens all over the developed world) had several types of fat to hand all the time.  Lard, dripping, butter and suet were all commonplace.  My granny used to keep dripping that she rendered herself, in a white ceramic pudding bowl; the white of the silky dripping blending seamlessly with the sides of its pottery home.  Real butter was patted into small golden balls for the butter dishes several times a week and the wooden butter pats sat in a jug of water on a shelf in the scullery when not in use.  Meltingly delicious suet pastry encased warm winter pies and rotund suet dumplings sat proudly on the top of aromatic, rich stews.  Succulent roasts of creamy coloured fat marbled beef were a Sunday treat, there was often a squabble for the crackling from the pork joint and a scramble for the chicken skin; all of which today are considered taboo by the fat free gospel.  Most dinners or main meals were accompanied by a cream soup to start and a dessert, usually with a cream or milk base such as rice pudding, semolina or apple tart and whipped cream.   At teatime homemade scones or homemade shortbread provided a sweet afters treat.

This was the norm for neighbouring houses and farms and therefore I’m sure it was replicated throughout the country.  Now here is the startling information; I don’t remember any of them being particularly fat!  I will admit that they were not the modern fashion suggestion of size 0, but they could not be considered fat by any standard and certainly not obese.  They were all normal, healthy human beings.  I urge you to think of your own ancestors and take a look at the photo album for clarification.  I was having this ‘fat’ discussion with a female friend recently who would be of a similar age and country background.  She concurred completely and verified by stating that she had some vintage dresses in her possession that had belonged to her own grandmother.  They are too small for her despite having her current dress size on the labels!  We’ve been had and like sheep we have believed modern diet rubbish instead of thousands of years of actual human evidence of how to eat and how to live.

It would seem that up until the last fifty years or so people instinctively knew how to grow and cook food.  They understood the connection between food and the land and were aware of nature and the seasons.  Knowledge of rearing animals and crops, gathering and preparing food was passed from one generation to another and the skills and traditions were valued and preserved.  It still makes sense in today’s modern world, but somewhere along the way we broke the link.  It has lead to nonsense being trotted out as pseudo food science and the truth has been lost in the crossfire.  We have so much information at our fingertips and yet instead of being healthier and more informed we are in fact heavier, unhealthier and, more so than ever in the history of man, totally confused.  Some people don’t know who to believe and so cherry pick bits of advice from several doctrines; such mixture is lethal.  The end result is folly and we shouldn’t be surprised that heart disease, diabetes, obesity, certain cancers and other diet related illnesses are on the rise.

So what exactly happened when it came to fat and how did it become public enemy number one?  Sadly, as with most of the modern world’s maladies, the root is the love of money.  In the mid seventies the American government endorsed a theory (and it was just that, a theory) that fat ‘caused’ heart disease.  People were advised to reduce their fat intake for the sake of their health.  Despite the fact that for millennia people were eating and thriving on animal fats, industry and science shouted louder than anyone and, moving away from nature moved into factories and concocted ‘low fat’ and ‘non fat’ foods.  A particular boon was the discovery of how to extract oil from plants and, using the industrial process of hydrogenation, these man made fats were music to the food manufacturers’ ears because they were cheap.  Not only were they cheap but they extended the shelf life of many products; food industry gold and marketed as ‘healthy’ alternatives.

We ate it all up, literally and then as consumers started calling for ‘low fat’ and ‘lean’ everything.  Even farmers and breeders had to tow the line and start producing leaner animals; a crazy situation that would certainly cause our ancestors’ brains to tilt sideways.  You see our great grandparents knew that naturally occurring fat was an actual food group, necessary for good health and part of a healthy diet.  They also knew that naturally occurring fat is what makes our food taste good, keeps it moist and stops it sticking to the bottom of the frying pan.  I would go further and say Dr. Atkins and his infamous diet of a few years ago was actually on the right track, but again, there is a ditch on both sides of the road of life and taken to the extreme and out of balance it made no sense at all.

It’s time to stop the rot, let the crusade begin to bring back real fat, the stuff that’s good for us.  Let’s eat it and enjoy it in moderation and reclaim our health, the taste of our food and some sanity.  Finally I leave you with a quote I read recently on butter: “Butter is made by taking milk, centrifuging to separate the cream and then churning the cream. Margarine is made by taking vegetable oil, hydrogenating it in a vessel at high pressure and temperature in a hydrogen atmosphere, adding yellow colouring and some flavourings to make it look and taste something like butter”. Hmmm, I know which substance I would rather ingest into this precious, irreplaceable body of mine and, ultimately I know which tastes better too.   I welcome your feedback to [email protected].

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

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 was the result of a local committee initiative organised by the Home School Community Liaison Coordinators in St Oliver’s N.S., S.S. Peter and Paul’s and Colaiste Chluain Meala. I was very honoured to be chosen to speak at the event and was there in my capacity as Chairman of Tipperary Food Producers Network.

This recipe booklet was inspired by a series of cookery classes for parents organised through the HSCL scheme in the three schools and funded by the VEC Community Education Programme. What a superb example of a practical way to get people involved with food and cooking. Schemes like this should be run in every school in the country. It is amazing the power of parents and it’s a power that is often ignored and negated. Parents, have the power to influence and change the world in their own home which will have a huge impact on their children. Most people do the best they can for their children with the result that most children lead lives similar to their parents. If you weren’t taught about food and nutrition as a child and you haven’t taken an interest as an adult, then it is likely that your own children will grow up without such knowledge either. Empowering parents with practical cooking skills and information on nutrition will naturally filter to their children, who are the adults and parents of tomorrow.

Such was the enthusiasm of the parents on the cookery course that they decided to produce a booklet that incorporated the recipes they had tried and tasted that could be given out to all the parents. The children also had a vested interest and a role to play as most of the recipes included were ones that had been popular with them. The booklet provides parents with a selection of easy to follow recipes that include soups, main courses and desserts with an important nutritional tip included in each one. There are also added value educational elements to the book such as a section that talks about handy store cupboard items. I just loved the down to earth practicality of the list and, unlike some of our fancy lifestyle cook books, the ingredients listed are versatile, available and inexpensive. There wasn’t a jar of squid ink or obscure Japanese seaweed in sight! The list of kitchen utensils was also accessible, realistic and sensible. Easy to read conversion tables and measurements and weights tables are user friendly and all contribute to creating confidence in the booklet and in cooking skills. At the end of the day that really is what it is all about. Real food is something we need every day of our lives. It is hugely important to our health and well being as well as our local economy and giving people the confidence, along with the necessary step by step, no nonsense instructions is a great place to start.

The recipes themselves cover all the bases from starters and main courses to desserts and snacks. Each recipe informs you how many people it will feed and the average cost per portion. This is a very useful guide and the financial savings alone in cooking for the family might just be the incentive we all need to get back into our kitchens and rattle those pots and pans.

While the information and recipes are the same, each school involved has an individual front cover which was designed by a pupil; creating involvement and ownership of the project and making it unique to each place. Now that it’s published you have to wonder why it wasn’t done before but, as I said to the organisers, I am well aware of the great deal of work that goes into creating something like this. However the first one is always the toughest and now that they have a template of how to do it, perhaps Make It Simple II isn’t such a leap of imagination!

Congratulations to all involved and maybe it is an idea that could be replicated in every school. Equipping people with simple skills and knowledge of food and cooking is so much more valuable than all the good nutrition preaching that has been going on. Cooking and eating real food will also tackle the obesity problem naturally without the need for reprimanding and scaremongering already stressed parents. Projects like this should be recognised and commended and I have no doubt that long after the excitement of the launch these recipe booklets will be used in local kitchens for years to come. Always remember good food is an investment in your future health and well being. I welcome your feedback to [email protected] Happy Easter.

This post was written by me, Pat Whelan, owner of James Whelan Butchers and a passionate advocate of local artisan food. My family have been producing quality Irish Angus beef for generations using a traditional dry aging process. This tradition is one that I continue to practice at our abattoir on our family farm in Garrentemple, Clonmel. These posts aim to impart some of the wisdom to readers and help them get the best out of the meat they eat! Our meat is available here online!

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 and here we are a full year later and ready to go again. For anyone in South Tipp and the environs of Clonmel, the festival is but a short drive away. It seems to be a packed schedule this year with plenty to do for the whole family and while there are well known chefs in attendance and several ticketed food events, there is also a whole programme of free family fun to be had. By all means check out the website for the full programme at www.waterfordfestivaloffood.com

The weekend is about celebrating all that is good about food in Co. Waterford. I love it for the ideas and the new products and producers that seem to emerge each year. You also see how established producers are progressing their products and sometimes introducing new lines. I’m always impressed at how the organisers put an emphasis on family events and encouraging children to get involved in food and practical food demonstrations. When it comes to children it is also a great opportunity for parents to discuss food and its connection to the land. We forget sometimes that our urban reared offspring can inadvertently end up thinking that food comes from the supermarket without making that mental leap to the land or the sea. Talking of the sea, finally there is an emphasis on it which includes one event titled BBQ by the Sea. One can only assume this will involve fish and let’s pray that the weather is good as the success of events like that hinge largely on sunshine.

For the real food enthusiast Food Camp on Friday might be of interest. This is an all day conference for food producers, food lovers and those with an interest in the food industry to gather, share knowledge and discuss the future of Ireland’s food industry through speaking sessions and a panel discussion. The panel will be chaired by Peter Ward of Country Choice in Nenagh and will include Ella McSweeney from RTE’s Ear to the Ground, Eileen Bentley from Bord Bia, Michael Quinn who is head chef at Waterford Castle and food blogger Niamh Shields; among others. Niamh Shields is originally from Waterford but currently lives in the UK where she writes a very popular blog called, Eat Like A Girl. On Saturday the mobile farm is at King John’s Castle and is always fun for the kids and BBQ by the Sea will be taking place just opposite. Then on Sunday the highlight event of the weekend is the Farmers Market in Dungarvan Town Centre where we are being encouraged to browse fresh produce from the region’s finest food producers to a backdrop of live music. These are just a few of the free events and the whole programme is listed on the website.

Food festivals last for just a weekend but I suppose the idea is awareness and introducing the general public to what is available in their own locality. More and more people are seeing the value in local food and not just nutritionally but also to the local economy. The food business is quite difficult to sustain, particularly for a start up, as the market place is quite crowded. However, I do believe that quality and excellence will take a product quite a long way. That excellence has to reflect in taste, presentation and in price. This can be a hard combination to get right but those that persevere and rise to the challenge seem to survive.

While it may seem that we are trotting out the ‘buy local’ mantra regularly, I don’t think it can be said too often or too loudly. In Tipperary we have some of the finest producers and products in the country and this is evidenced every year by The Long Table Dinner, usually held in August, where all the ingredients for a lavish meal are sourced locally. While seeing local food displayed in such abundance gets the gastric juices going, it also sparks the creative juices and it makes me wonder how much more we can achieve. So with Easter on the horizon, that is my challenge to you this week. How much of your Easter Sunday dinner can you source from local producers?

Yes, it will have to be a conscious decision and, perhaps it will take you off the beaten path every now and again, but variety is the spice of life and Easter is a special occasion. I’m urging you to try some local lamb and other meats, local vegetables and the myriad of local cheeses available. In the Tipperary environs you can get everything from a cookie to a mushroom made and grown locally. All it takes is a little adjusting from the normal route of convenience where everything is sourced in one supermarket. Don’t get me wrong, there is a place for supermarkets but every now and again let’s try something different. We live in a county with luscious pastures, fantastic soil and passionate food producers and yet out of habit we often forget in favour of convenience. When we do that we miss out on great flavours, great taste and great local food.

If you need inspiration you can always check out tipperaryfoodproducers.com. There you will find a list of all the food and the producers that should spark some ideas. By all means drop into James Whelan Butchers where we will be happy to throw out some suggestions or go to our website at Jameswhelanbutchers.com. No excuses now, shop locally this Easter and I would love to get some feedback on how you get on! My email is [email protected]

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

I had a foodie friend home from the UK last week and during the many hours that we drove our taste buds to distraction discussing food, the subject of poaching was raised.  We both agreed that poaching has become quite fashionable again and poached pears seem to be popping up on menus across the land.

I tend to associate poaching with eggs and fish only and even then I’m not sure if it would be my chosen method of cooking.  There are so many other things you can do with an egg that it fails to register on my method radar.  That has now changed and I have a new regard for this old technique.  I suppose my interest was really piqued when I was reminded that it was a healthy way to cook. Our conversation had strayed onto my current health regime and while I haven’t gone completely to that lettuce chewing, lycra wearing, green juice swilling side of life just yet, I am making small lifestyle adjustments and enjoying the benefits.

Poaching is a simple and low fat way of cooking that tends to allow foods to retain their inherent flavours very well.  From a scientific stand point poached food is easy to digest and so is very easy on the human system.  The foods best suited to poaching are naturally tender so eggs, fish, fruit and poultry are ideal candidates.  I do remember reading somewhere about poaching beef but I think I need to master the method with an egg first.  Given my novice standing I felt a sirloin strip was a tad ambitious.  So discovering that I had an experienced poacher in my midst and always willing to learn something new it didn’t take long to get him into the kitchen for a poaching lesson and a half.

Poaching is basically when a food is cooked in a liquid that has been heated to just below boiling point.  This is where the liquid is barely moving.  Poaching temperature is very important because if you allow the water to boil then, effectively, it’s game over.  Boiling will cause certain foods like unshelled eggs to disintegrate while it can toughen fish or meat.  You also need to make sure that the food being cooked is fully covered with the liquid but not completely drowned.  While we tend to associate poaching with water, stock, syrup and alcohol are also used in order to add taste or texture depending on what is being poached.  Liam also pointed out that the food being poached is infusing the liquid so, depending on the menu, he would often use the poaching liquid to cook other parts of the meal also.  When poaching eggs or fish it is common to add a little vinegar or lemon juice to the liquid and this helps to keep everything firm.

When choosing a pot to poach in, the pot should be a bit larger than the food with enough room to cover it with the liquid.  If all you plan on doing is eggs you should have plenty of choice.  It is also a good idea to match your food with the poaching liquid.  Chicken stock if you are poaching chicken, a vegetable stock or fish stock for fish or, of course, the catch all; plain water.  When poaching meat and fish it is also important to add all the herbs, spices and vegetables to the water before you add the meat.  These flavours will be absorbed by the food and that’s what poaching is really all about.  Don’t forget the vinegar or lemon juice!  I was advised that it is best to use fresh herbs where possible and you needn’t chop everything up, just stick them in the pot!

By all accounts at that point poaching was the holy grail of cooking, but I insisted that there must be a downside.  It would appear that the greatest disadvantage is that it isn’t a suitable method to cook many foods.  Also there is, without a doubt, a certain amount of skill required as the main difficulty seems to be in knowing when the food is properly cooked.  If you are frying or grilling something you can touch it during cooking and test it as it goes along.  With poaching, every time you want to check if something is done you must carefully remove it from the liquid.  Again this is where repetition is the mother of skill.  If you poach enough eggs or pears or chicken pieces eventually you will have a good feel for how long it takes without constantly needing to take it in and out of the liquid.

So here is my simple first lesson on how to poach an egg.

Fill a pot with three inches of cold water, add a pinch of salt and bring it to the boil.

Carefully break the egg into a small cup plate or bowl.

As the water reaches boiling point, reduce the heat and allow the water to simmer.

Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to the water.

Carefully (and I mean carefully as I failed in this step on my first attempt!) slide the egg from the cup into the water.  Keep the cup as close to the water as possible before tipping in the egg and you should be fine.

Once the eggs are in the water don’t be tempted to move the eggs around.  Allow them to cook for 3 to 4 minutes.  The time difference will depend on the size of the egg and how firm you like your egg yolks.

When done remove the egg with a slotted spoon.  You can trim any dangling bits of egg white with a knife.

Serve immediately on warm toast.

While I have to admit that the resulting egg on the buttered toast was delicious I do think that cooking eggs is probably the least you should do with poaching.  I’m definitely going to poach again and who knows, I might even get to the stage where I just might attempt that classic, poached pears in red wine. I welcome your feedback to [email protected].

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