Posts Tagged ‘Avoca Irish Butcher’

Possibly the most glorious thing about having an interest in food and cooking is that you will never exhaust the endless combinations of ingredients and methods available to you. The only limitation is your own imagination. We create our own mental boundaries by allowing our preconceived notions to direct us. We inherited many of these […]

There’s a tremendous beauty in the English language. We, unlike some of our European neighbours, have been blessed with an abundant tongue based on rich, ancient foundations. We have an instrument of expression that when used correctly can work incredible magic. Words can make us fall in love, do things we don’t want to do, […]

If there is one berry we associate with Christmas it has to be cranberries. Maybe it’s because they have been on my mind that I am suddenly coming across so many recipes, sweet and savoury that call for the little fleshy fruit in all its various forms; fresh, dried and frozen. For some reason I […]

  Our Christmas week opening times for our butcher shop in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary are as follows: Day Opening Times Saturday 19th Dec 8AM – 6.00PM Sunday 20th Dec 8AM – 7PM Monday 21st Dec 8AM – 7PM Tuesday 22nd Dec 8AM – 7PM Wednesday 23rd Dec 8AM – 8PM Christmas Eve 24th Dec 8AM […]

“During the war years and beyond culinary skills were tested to the limit. Housewives were proud to play their part in helping with the war effort. Many, self taught, embraced the art of cooking enthusiastically. They used limited resources ingeniously, respecting the available ingredients and avoiding waste. Above all, they were prepared to put the […]

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 […]

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 […]

Thanks to a combination of the recent spell of good weather, a lovely customer and a leg of lamb, I enjoyed a truly great barbecue experience. I know I’ve mentioned barbecuing quite a bit recently, but one of the hallmarks of the traditional Irish barbecue is that we tend to play it safe and cook […]

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 […]